Overcoming Bitterness: Moving from Life's Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled with Joy

by Stephen Viars

Publisher:

Baker

, 2021

Overview

Bitterness is a destructive poison, yet we all struggle with it sometimes due to circumstances our sovereign God has allowed. In a world full of struggle, we must take care that difficult circumstances do not feed a bitter spirit within us. In this honest and hopeful book, pastor and counselor Stephen Viars shows you how to avoid the pitfalls of a bitter heart as you walk through our fallen world. When we learn to process bitterness biblically and effectively, we can move from life’s greatest hurts to a life filled with joy.

From the Back Cover

”This book brims with hope."--Randy Patten, Director of Training Emeritus, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors; president, TEAM Focus Ministries


In a world full of struggle and disappointment, each one of us will wrestle with bitterness at one time or another. But left unchecked, bitterness is a destructive poison that steals our joy and the joy of those around us. We must take care not to feed a bitter spirit within us.

In this honest and hopeful book, pastor and counselor Stephen Viars shows us how to avoid the pitfalls of a bitter heart as we walk through our fallen world. He shows us how to process bitterness biblically and effectively, so that we can move from life’s greatest hurts to a life filled with joy.


“This wonderful volume helpfully addresses an all too common heart issue by carefully and comprehensively walking us through biblical teaching and examples that show how the grace of God in Christ can enable us to overcome bitterness."--Dr. Jim Newheiser, director of the Christian Counseling Program at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte; executive director of the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship

"With a pastor’s heart and a counselor’s skill, Viars brings biblical clarity and practical counsel for this common issue. Readers will be surprised, encouraged, and convicted."--Jonathan D. Holmes, pastor of counseling, Parkside Church; executive director, Fieldstone Counseling


Stephen Viars has served as a pastor and biblical counselor at Faith Church and Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries in Lafayette, Indiana, since 1987. A frequent speaker at conferences, colleges, and seminaries, he also serves on the boards of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Vision of Hope, and the Faith Community Development Corporation. The author of Loving Your Community, he and his wife, Kris, have three children and four grandchildren.

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Contents

Top Highlights

“immediate gratification of his idolatrous cravings instead of patient trust in the covenantal promises of God.” (Page 101)

“There’s a gap between what I believe is true about you and what I’m experiencing right now. I don’t understand it. I don’t like it. I’m asking you for clarification.’” (Page 47)

“We do what we do and say what we say, because we think what we think, because we want what we want, because we believe what we believe.” (Page 127)

“Overcoming bitterness is not simply a human goal that we might adopt on a random winter day. This process is part of God’s eternal plan so that we could live ‘to the praise of the glory of His grace’” (Page 116)

“lists an entire group of men and women who remained faithful to God and his promises” (Page 102)

Product Details

• Title: Overcoming Bitterness: Moving from Life's Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled with Joy
• Author: Stephen Viars
• Publisher: Baker
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Logos Release Date: 2020
• Pages: 224
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781493428830, 9781540900630, 1540900630, 1493428837
• Resource ID: LLS:9781493428830
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T23:40:24Z

About Stephen Viars

Stephen Viars (MDiv, Grace Theological Seminary; DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) has served as a pastor and biblical counselor at Faith Church and Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries in Lafayette, Indiana, since 1987. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the United States and abroad. In addition to overseeing the staff and ministries at Faith, he also serves on the boards of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Vision of Hope, and the Faith Community Development Corporation. The author of Putting Your Past in Its Place, he and his wife, Kris, have been married since 1982 and have three children and three grandchildren.