It Came From Within!

It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart by Andy Stanley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever said something or done something and then you think to yourself, "Where did THAT come from?"

I know I have. More times than I care to admit right now. This question, however, is the springboard for this entire book. Proverbs 4:23 sums it up well: "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Ironically, I am memorizing that verse right now!

I am thankful that a friend from church told me about this book, and let me borrow it, too. I have seen it as I browsed through the latest CBD catalog or walked through my local Christian book store, but let's just say that I would never have picked it up to read. The cover of this book is terribly misleading, yet when you open the pages and get past all the silly quotes at the beginning of each chapter...you have some really good reading ahead.

Andy Stanley writes that there are 4 things that lodge in our spiritual heart that cause us to think, say, and do what we think, say, and do. I like what he says on page 34: "If the source were simply a few behavioral habits, you would have conquered them already."

Guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy unattended will become a blockage in our hearts and hinder our spiritual growth and life, and even in some cases, become fatal. "If it suddenly became impossible for us to cover up all the junk we normally hide from the rest of humanity, I have a feeling we would all get real motivated to deal with the source of what ails us." - page 36.

Andy walks us through chapters which explain these 4 "diseases" and how they affect us. Then he follows it up through chapters on what to do about the problem. The cures? Confession, forgiveness, giving, and celebration.

As a person who has attended several NANC conferences I am familiar with the concept of Idols of the Heart and was pleased to find that this book took a relatively similar approach to the matter. However, Andy writes with a flair of humor that makes this serious topic enjoyable to read about. I also appreciated his correlation of the physical heart with the spiritual heart and it's effect on our daily lives. I am sure you will enjoy this book and I would highly encourage you to also read I Really Want to Change... So, Help Me God.