Where does my help come from?

I heard a speaker say the 45-billion-dollar self-help industry is crumbling. I wondered why. There are so many good, helpful books out there.

In doing research I stumbled onto a blog about the benefits/dangers of self-help books. It was remarkably interesting with different points of view. For example, there were commenters that thought self-help books were useful, while others believed strongly that the Bible should be our only guide. Then others added they thought self-help books were too humanistic and not aligned with biblical teachings. Still others felt we should not focus on our “SELF” at all. Others felt self-help books were okay if you had a good foundation in the WORD so you could discern truth from falsehood.

I found this blog to be interesting because I am a self-proclaim “Self Help Book Junkie”.

Growing up in an extremely dysfunctional family, I realized quickly that the only way I could ever hope for a healthy family of my own – was to get different information.

At age nineteen, I became a Christian and began reading the Bible AND anything I could to teach me to be a better wife, a better mother and a better friend. Almost everything I read was Christian based and extremely helpful. I was diligent in implementing what I read and learned. So, I loved my self-help books. They, along with the Bible gave me a benchmark of what a healthy home should look like.

However, over the years I realized that even though I loved the Lord with all my heart, and could see how He had blessed me, I still had some areas in my life that I felt I could handle on my own. I believed I could read enough, learn enough, apply enough to heal myself; to protect myself. But what I discovered was . . . I AM NOT GOD. Wow. I realized that even if a self-help book is helpful, if I’m not connected and looking to the Vine as my source, then the only help it can offer . . . is temporary help. For true lasting healing and help, we must look to the source of life. I had to humble myself and ask for His help in navigating me through my healing journey instead of thinking I could do it on my own.

So my comment on that blog would be; The 45-billion-dollar self-help industry is crumbling because the industry has taken God out of the healing/growing equation. And apart from God, there is no real help or healing! Don’t get me wrong, I believe God can use anything to teach us, to grow us and to heal us. Even self-help books. If, we recognize the actual healing comes from HIM. Not from the books we read. Not from the teachers or preacher we listen to. Not from trying to do it in our own power. It comes from being tied to HIM.

John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word, I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

Simply put by Lori