I’m a huge fan of Joyce Meyer, and have read several of her books. Each one has benefited me greatly. Her current release, LIVING FREE FROM COMPARISON AND THE NEED TO PLEASE – authentically, uniquely you, is my ultimate favorite. I love what she shares in the Introduction. “There is no else in the world exactly like you. This not only makes you unique; it also makes you very special.” Her Introduction includes a lovely prayer. She prays that readers will learn to embrace their unique self and live authentically; that they will find freedom from comparing themselves to others; freedom from trying to please people in unhealthy ways; that boundaries will set to keep them safe and from being controlled or manipulated, and best of all, freedom to be the amazing person that God intended them to be.
The book is written in three parts: Believing The Best About Yourself; Finding The Freedom To Be Yourself; Moving Forward As The Real You. Each part contains 8-9 short chapters which can make for a quick read. Joyce Meyer has a heart to help people truly believe God’s loves them. She encourages readers to read the book for a second time with the specific purpose of believing what it says. She emphasizes that her book is based entirely on God’s Word, and can and should be believed. To further aid the reader she included, Appendix A – Fifty Scriptures That Affirm God’s Love For You, And Appendix B – Fifty Scriptures That Empower You To Love Others.
I wrote in a journal while reading this book. As with all of Joyce’s books, there always nuggets of truth and wisdom worth remembering. I especially liked how she put key points in a gray box throughout each chapter. One of my favorite is: There is never one moment in your life when God doesn’t love you.
Chapter 1, Learning to Love Who You Are, ends with Ask Yourself, and a list of thought-provoking questions meant to be answered honestly: Do You Believe God Loves You? Do you love and accept yourself? Are you a people pleaser? Are you at peace with yourself? Do you fear rejection? Do you compare yourself with others? Yes, great questions. Asked for the purpose of helping readers identify areas in their life where help may be needed.
Joyce provides answers to all these questions and more. She shares tidbits from her own life and that of others that reveal God’s love, mercy, and grace are available for anyone willing to put their trust in Him. God’s amazing love is the theme that runs through the pages of this book, giving it power to change lives. Answers and solutions are found to help those wanting to make changes in their lives but not sure how or where to begin. I made a lot of mistakes in my past, this book enabled me to understand why. Thank You, Lord for never giving up on me. Through You, my life changed and for the better. Authentically, uniquely you reaffirms how much God does loves His children, which is a lot, even when we mess up. So encouraging to know He’s totally in love with us.
The Bible will always be, the best book ever written. God has gifted and anointed men and women to write books based on His Word. Joyce Meyer is one of them, and the reason I recommend this book. Readers will discover for themselves how to live free from comparison and the need to please, that the authentically, uniquely person God creates is very good, just like His Word says.
I too am a Joyce Meyer fan and have attended her conferences in Canada (Toronto) and USA (Arkansas). I find her writings to be very thought provoking and always an easy read to devour in a short period of time. Your post is a good reminder of the scripture verse where in the book of Psalms, David writes in chapter 139 verses 13 and 14: “for it was You who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been fearfully and wonderfully made”. Whenever I feel down, I recall this scripture verse to life my spirit.
I also purchased Joyce’s book, Healing the Soul of a Woman. I haven’t started it yet as I have another book I want to read next. I’m sure it will benefit me. Her books also do.