Stephen Arterburn - The Emotional Freedom Workbook: Take Control of Your Life And Experience Emotional Strength

The
Emotional
Freedom
Workbook

Take Control of Your Life and
Experience Emotional Strength

Stephen Arterburn
& Connie Neal

PUBLISHERS NOTE: This book is intended for general information only and is not intended to supplant medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a personal physician. Readers are urged to consult their personal physicians regarding emotional or psychological issues.

1997 by Stephen Arterburn and Connie Neal

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Scripture quotations noted NKJV are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

Scripture quotations noted NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Scripture quotations noted NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations noted CEV are from THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION. 1991 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations noted TLB are from The Living Bible, 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL. Used by permission.

ISBN 978-0-7852-7918-1

Printed in the United States of America.

Contents

E motional freedom. It sounds like a wonderful goal, doesnt it? But what does it really mean? We define emotional freedom as the ability to live life to the fullest without being hindered by emotional difficulties.

Negative feelings often get in the way of our best intentions. We want to accomplish something. We consider the possibilities, make plans, and take preliminary steps in the direction of that goal. But just when we think were on our way, things start going wrong. We find ourselves slowing down. Getting stuck. Before long, we realize were going nowhere.

It isnt our minds that stop usmentally, we know what we want, and we usually know how to get there.

It isnt our bodies that get in the way, eithermost of us are in reasonably good health.

When our dreams get derailed, the culprit is usually found hiding in the emotional life. It is a pattern of attitudes, habits, or relationships that wont allow us to move forward, no matter how much we tell ourselves we want to.

In the following pages, well be working through emotional obstacles that are all too familiar to most of us:

Shamebecause it locks us into our past

Unhealthy relationshipsbecause they distract us from our unique purpose in life

Depressionbecause we have not grieved our sorrows

Procrastinationbecause we are afraid to try

These emotional traps capture each of us in different ways. And they often overlap. But chances are, all of them have slowed you down at one time or another. And some of them may have locked you up for years.

As we begin our journey, you must not overlook some spiritual concerns. First and foremost, it is essential for you to acknowledge that you can change your life only with Gods help. His power, not yours, is your hope for the future. Confess your sins and shortcomings to him, and turn away from your wrong behaviors. As you take responsibility for the things youve done wrong, youll need to ask for forgiveness from some people and offer forgiveness to other people. Ask them, if necessary, to forgive you. From there, you can move forward into the specific issues that keep you locked up in emotional bondage.

Since freedom is the goal, we encourage you to feel free to start working through this book at the beginning of any one of the four parts. Think about each of the four subjects, and decide where you would like to focus your work.

However, once youve started a part, I strongly advise you to finish it. The workbook process has been carefully designed to lead you step-by-step on an exciting spiritual pilgrimage toward greater emotional health.

Feel free to work at your own pace, if at all possible, with a partner who will support you in your efforts. And pleasetake enough time to reflect on each activity, to tell yourself the truth, and to enjoy the sense of discovery youll experience as you move forwardtoward emotional freedom.

My Commitment to
Emotional Freedom

What you commit yourself to become determines what you are.
Tony Campolo

Y our journey to emotional freedom requires a firm commitment. If your life is in bondage to shame, unhealthy relationships, depression, procrastination, or any other unhealthy pattern of behavior, you know change is necessary. But to achieve that change, you will have to decide that change is a priority, and that you are committed to doing what is necessary to attain emotional freedom.

Your commitment will mark the beginning of a confrontation with your captors. It will lead you in the direction of your deepest fears and, along the way, you may uncover areas of pain that you have not yet dealt with. To begin the journey toward emotional freedom, you will need a glimmer of hope, a tiny spark of faith, and a fair amount of courage. You will put all of them into action through your determined commitment to complete your search for happiness, fulfillment, healthy family relationships, a degree of intimacy that will allow you to give and receive true love, a reasonable measure of success, satisfying friendships, and peace with yourself.

Faith and hope are always essential. But courage is particularly important to you. Courage is not, of course, an absence of fear. Courage is determining to use your strength and resources to take steps in the right direction, even if you are afraid. More important, you can draw courage from a loving God who will never leave you in the midst of lifes battles. You can also draw courage from others who have overcome their emotional bondage to discover a wealth of freedom beyond. You can draw courage from people who love you and believe the best of you. So summon your faith and hope. Gather up all the courage within your reach. And determine to make a firm commitment to complete the journey into emotional freedom.

Take a moment to reflect on the following questions, then write your answers.

1. What dream causes you to desire emotional freedom?

2. Who or what will be the source (or sources) of your courage to keep moving forward?