Read These 10 Books To Find God In Troublesome Times
We all have to go through hard times: whether that’s losing a loved one or battling an illness, struggling financially, or simply feeling lost in life as you scroll through the endless stream of bad news. These hard times can test our faith in God, but it’s that very faith that can help us overcome these challenges.
And while Christianity is growing worldwide — there are expected to be more than 2.5 billion Christians by mid-2022 — many of us lose our way when life gets challenging.
How He can help you overcome troubles in no time
If you’re feeling far from God or turning to religion for the first time, reading books by preachers or Christians who themselves have gone through hardship can help. These books dive into valuable lessons from the Bible, teach you how to grow closer to God, and show you how Christians can overcome difficult times and build a life of peace and fulfillment, all with a little faith.
But finding the time to read, and having the brain space to absorb full books, can be hard in the best times, let alone when life gets tough. That’s where the Blinkist app can help.
–Holger Seim, CEO of Blinkist
Blinkist has created a reading list of Christian self-help books to get you started on this journey.
What is Blinkist exactly? Blinkist is an app that gathers key insights from nonfiction books and shares them as 15-minute explainers you can read or listen to. There are 5,500 titles to choose from across 27 categories like personal development, philosophy, and religion & spirituality.
You can choose any title in the library that calls to you or dive into one of Blinkist’s expertly curated collections, designed to guide you through a reading list on a particular topic.
One of these is the “This is Christian Self-Help” collection. Here’s what you can expect from reading it.
1. Forward by David Jeremiah
Forward
- 21 min reading time
- audio version available
For those feeling far from God or those who are just beginning to explore Christianity, preacher David Jeremiah explains how you can take lessons from the Bible and apply them to modern life.
His book, Forward, is ideal for anyone finding or renewing their faith, or anyone who wants a reminder of what the Bible has to say about living a good life. It covers everything from how the Bible teaches us to hold on to our dreams to how to find purpose in life by looking outwards and trusting God’s plan for you.
2. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
The Purpose Driven Life
- 11 min reading time
- audio version available
Ever asked yourself what the meaning of life is? Or why exactly you were put here on earth? The Purpose Driven Life attempts to answer those age-old questions. It’s written by Rick Warren, who’s given lectures at Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford.
Warren explains the five purposes of every Christian’s life, which include finding out God’s plan and embracing it and worshiping God to please him.
“True humanity is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”
Connecting with your higher purpose, and remembering God made you for a reason, can help you through whatever life throws at you.
3. You’re Not Enough (And That’s Okay) by Allie Vest Stuckey
You're Not Enough (And That's Okay)
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Self-help gurus say all you need is a little self-love to get you through life’s challenges, but Allie Vest Stuckey disagrees. The author and podcaster argues you’re far better off accepting your flaws and turning to God for endless love and support instead.
Her book, You’re Not Enough (And That’s Okay), explains why self-love can cause you more harm than good, and how turning to God helped her overcome a difficult breakup, heal from an eating disorder, and end destructive behaviors.
“If the self is the source of our depression or despair or insecurity or fear, it can’t also be the source of our ultimate fulfillment.”
4. The Second Mountain by David Brooks
The Second Mountain
- 30 min reading time
- audio version available
Whether you’re stuck in a boring job you hate or you’re questioning whether there’s more to life than endless errands, it’s easy to feel unfulfilled with life. Bestselling author and New York Times columnist David Brooks promises an antidote to this in his book, The Second Mountain.
Brooks explains why you should shun individualism and choose a life of service instead, and uses an analogy of two mountains everyone must climb to reach fulfillment.
5. The Power of the Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
The Power of Positive Thinking
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Norman Vincent Peale was a minister, the founder of the Positive Thinking Foundation, and has been called the father of positive thinking. In his bestselling book, The Power of Positive Thinking, Peale explains how all of life’s problems can be solved with the right mindset.
Whether you’ve lost your job, battling an illness, or simply want to live life with more happiness, Peale outlines strategies you can use to make it happen. These include visualizing positive outcomes to keep your problems in perspective and praying to help you see the bigger picture and find creative solutions to your problems.
“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”
Find Inspiration From These Christian Self-Help Books with Blinkist
As well as these five titles, Blinkist’s Christian self-help collection contains eight more books all dedicated to helping you find God and lean on your faith during hard times.
Here’s how the Blinkist app works and how you can use it best during troublesome times.
Life-Changing Books Explained in 15 Minutes
Nonfiction books are packed with valuable lessons and actionable advice, but it can be hard to find time to read them in full, especially when you’re going through difficult times.
– Holger Seim, CEO of Blinkist
Blinkist’s team of researchers, writers, and editors create explainers that contain only the most important and useful parts of a book. You can then access all of the lessons in just 15 minutes.
Learn from Christian Thought-Leaders on the Go
As well as reading Blinkist’s bite-sized explainers, you can listen to them on the go. Strengthen your relationship with God while commuting to work or discover how everyday Christians use prayer while cooking or running errands.
The audio is recorded by real people, not text-to-speech software.
One of the World’s Best Apps
In troublesome times, you want to know you’re turning to the best sources for advice and comfort. That’s what Blinkist can offer. The app has been praised by the likes of Forbes, Tech Crunch, and The New York Times, and also won awards from the United Nations and Google.
–The United Nations
Apple named it one of the world’s best apps and one of the top 20 apps for lifelong learning.
The app was designed to help busy people discover the powerful ideas found in nonfiction books, so no matter how hard and hectic life feels now, you can find pockets of time to strengthen your faith through Christian nonfiction books.
Beyond faith-based books, the Blinkist library covers everything from parenting to politics, mindfulness to management. And the team adds 70 new books each month, including the latest trending titles and New York Times bestsellers.
More Than 24 Million People Already Trust the App
Blinkist is loved by 24 million users around the world who trust the app to do everything from strengthening their faith in God to learning about history and politics to discovering the latest productivity hacks.
They’ve given the app 94,000 5-star ratings across app stores.
–5-star review
Want to start receiving guidance on such a difficult topic? You can learn more within Blinkist’s “This is Christian Self-Help” collection.
