Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I have mixed feelings about this book. Ms. DeMoss has a fair bit of wisdom about insidious lies that can infiltrate our thinking easily. I gained a lot from her reality checks about circumstances, time management, and the positive aspects of suffering.

That said, it's hard to stomach some of her bizarre views on feminism. It's weird to read such dismissive, ignorant words from a woman who is undeniably reaping huge benefits from a movement she despises. Feminism emancipated women - a moral show more victory on par with the abolition of slavery. That is a historical fact. Ms. DeMoss' slurs on this movement are too simplistic and uninformed to argue with, and I won't repeat them here.

Oh, and I also don't think the only way a woman can please God is to have as many children as her body will bear - eschewing all forms of birth control. Not only does the Bible not teach this sort of reckless reproductive abandon, it certainly doesn't mandate it. Again... her position on this topic is so unreasonable it's hard to argue with. It's nonsense and beyond that, it's really terrible advice. show less

I enjoyed this encouraging read---especially the bits on mentoring. I thought the points about physical beauty actually being a danger and a snare were quite interesting. I was exhorted to pray more often and more fervently. I don't think I take the power of prayer nearly as seriously as I ought to. I also really loved reading about how our position of "helper" is so important...Jesus called the Holy Spirit "another helper"---forever elevating the position of helper to a very important show more place! All in all, it was a very convicting and challenging book; so much so that the next reader will notice the very bent up and dog eared pages---that's from me chucking it at the wall at one point because I felt so inadequate. Thankfully, my husband and God quickly stepped in to remind me of my value and that I'm not to do this life in my own strength...only in God's. Highly recommended! show less

Lies Women Believe by Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth is a book that goes through various lies that women believe about reality and counters them. Dealing specifically with many of the lies women believe about God, themselves, sin, priorities, sexuality, marriage, children, emotions and circumstances, this book is designed as a gentle, but firm exhortation to wake women up to see the truth.

I get the impression that many of the women's writings of today cater to women's excuses, unbelief and overall show more selfishness. We don't need to build up our self-love, "the truth is that we do love ourselves", we need to learn to deny ourselves. "Our most common malady is not having a low view [of] ourselves, but having a low view of God."

I also loved how the author pointed out that the thought, "I can't help the way I am" because of - fill in the blank-, is a lie. She uses Eve as an example: it was not Eve's circumstances that accounted for her miserable condition, it was not that she had had a difficult childhood, been unloved, abused by her husband, had uncontrollable emotional issues, physical ailments or any of the many excuses women nowadays love to turn too. No, Eve had a great beginning in life, she was never physically or verbally abused and was in great physical and emotional shape. And yet she still sinned.

There were some things I didn't like, however. For instance, there was some stuff in the "Sexuality" chapter that I was uncomfortable with, I skipped over stuff, and I didn't think the fictional 'Eve's diary' part was very edifying in that particular chapter either (there are some things I just don't need to imagine in my head). I know that most (probably all) of the advice and counsel is good but I simply didn't think that it needed to be dealt with that thoroughly.

Also, I didn't agree or see the sense of why she thinks that it is okay for Christians to turn to drugs to help with depression. It just seems to contradict what she said earlier, about the bad habit people have of turning to movies, alcohol or fun activities to change their bad emotions into happy ones rather than turning to God and His Word first. I mean, for a Christian, what if there were pills to deal with, not only depression, but lust, anger, pride and fear? Would taking a pill for stopping lust be "killing sin"? Or just sedating it? I thought that the weapons of our warfare are "not carnal" (2 Corinthians 10:4). What if a disaster or something happens and those pills are no longer made or we lost access to them? Would we have built up any spiritual muscle for the fight against those emotions? Or will they manifest themselves stronger than ever because we didn't kill them daily we merely rendered them unconscious so that we didn't have to fight them? As Wolgemuth says, "When we find ourselves suffering under the weight of negative emotions like anger, anxiety, bitterness, despair, hatred or condemnation, we must learn to look toward God's Truth, keeping our minds stayed on Him rather than simply trying to escape or swap out negative emotions with a feel-good substitute. " I would add depression to that list.

But overall I thought that the book was very good. Wolgemuth counters the lies with Biblical truth very well, and gives a lot of good counsel. Here are some more of the concepts that I really liked that are based in the truth:

When people think that you're not normal, they're right! You're not normal, you are a New Creation! You are a saint, not a sinner.

Wives are not their husbands mothers, and they should not act as though they are the Holy Spirit in their husband's lives.

We are not saved by our feelings, our feelings are not facts. We look to how what God says is true, not to our feelings to figure out reality.

And lastly, the truth may not change your circumstances, but that's okay, it will change you. God is primarily making us holy, not 'happy' - this side of eternity.

Many thanks to the folks at Moody Publishers Newsroom for sending me a free review copy of this book! My review did not have to be favorable. show less

I have found this book to be a real treasure and share a few thoughts that have stood out to me with the hope of encouraging others to take the time to read Nancy's book.
Nancy is very quick to remind us, in this book, that it is often the way we frame situations and incidents in our thoughts. often, we tend to perceive a situation with anxiety and great apprehension when we could choose to let gratitude be our life preserver, rescuing us from our thoughts and runaway emotions.
We are reminded show more of the daily choice we need to make, to renew our minds, to be transformed by the truth of God's word and not be conformed by the ways of this world. Gratitude is not something we learn by osmosis or an incidental on the side. We choose to "whine or worship". "It is a chief way that God infuses joy and resilience into our daily struggle of life"
Nancy also reminds us of the mindset that Matthew Henry, the eighteenth century preacher, had after being robbed in London. He wrote "Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third,because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed". This truly shows a flip side of being thankful and gives much food for thought.
Later in the book she discusses the importance of not just thinking of gratitude but the importance of verbally sharing, speaking and singing gratitude; reminding as aptly, the power praise and thanks can have in dispelling a heavy spirit. A sure way of lifting any low mood, anxiety, doubt, confusion or fear. show less