Critical Spirit: Confronting the Heart of a Critic (Hope for the Heart) - Softcover

Hunt, June

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1628621311 ISBN 13: 9781628621310

Publisher: Rose Publishing, 2015

Synopsis

How to Recognize a Critical Spirit, Stop the Cycle, and Start the Healing Today

Harsh criticism whether through hurtful words or disapproving gestures can cause emotional pain, strain relationships, and stunt personal growth. In this 96-page book, June Hunt shows how to respond, heal, and stop the cycle of criticism with the healing balm of the Word of God.

Is there someone in your life who has been critical of you? We have all been wounded by hurtful words of others - whether it's the constant nagging of a spouse, an overly critical friend, or a fault-finding parent. At the root of a critical spirit often lie insecurities and unmet needs. For many, critical attitudes are "caught" from a home life where parents modeled this destructive behavior. Whether you feel constantly beat up by the biting words of others or whether you are personally struggling with an overly critical attitude, find out how to respond to harsh criticism and how to cultivate a caring spirit with this easy-to-understand book by June Hunt.

Discover how to

• Respond to harsh criticism
• Confront someone with a critical spirit
• Accept constructive criticism
• Combat negative criticism with truth
• Demonstrate a caring not critical spirit toward others

Use this encouraging book as quick-reference or as a Bible study. Perfect for those who have been scared by the verbal criticism of others and for those who struggle with being overly critical.

What is a Critical Spirit? How Can You Recognize It?

June Hunt starts this minibook with a definitions section where she explains what a "critical spirit" is and its relationship to verbal and emotional abuse. She covers key characteristics, such as constant nagging, harsh judgment, unreasonable strict standards, excessive negative attitudes, and more. In this section, she explains:

• How to identify whether you or someone you know has a critical spirit
  
• 10 common characteristics of a critical person that often goes undetected

Using the critical rebukes of Job's friends as models (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar), June Hunt explains the 9 key differences between a caring and critical spirit. As you dig deeper into Job's story, you'll see common forms of criticism and find out how to know when a relationship is giving off unhealthy warning signs.

What Causes Someone to Be Overly Critical? Why Are They So Mean?

This minibook will shed light on what often causes people to develop a critical spirit. A critical spirit doesn't just appear out of nowhere it is created and nurtured by past negative experiences. One of the most common causes of a critical spirit is growing up in a home where criticism was a constant, where parents modeled a critical spirit before their children.

A critical spirit is often developed under the pressure of continual criticism from unanticipated anger to unwarranted attacks. June Hunt shares not only what these causes are, but shares how to heal from these childhood wounds.

How Should I Respond to Harsh Criticism? How Can I Stop Being Overly Critical?

The last section titled "Steps to Solution" gives you practical advice on how to confront and cope with overly critical people. It also explains how to break the cycle of criticism by developing a caring spirit.

Find out:

• 8 steps to stop being overly critical
• 8 ways to confront and cope with overly critical people
• 9 keys to creating a caring heart
• And much more!

About this title

About the Author

June Hunt, M.A. Criswell College, is a biblical counselor whose award-winning radio program "Hope for the Heart" is heard on 900 radio outlets around the world. For more than 25 years, she has counseled people, offering them hope for today's problems. June has helped many people with emotional, relational, and spiritual problems experience God's love through biblical hope and practical advice. Early family pain was the catalyst that shaped June's compassionate heart. Later, as a youth director, she became aware of the need for sound biblical counsel. After years of teaching and research, she developed a scripturally based counseling course covering topics such as marriage and parenting, depression and anger, stress and suicide. These topics are now available as the Aspire Press "Hope for the Heart" booklets. "Hope from the Heart" is a half-hour teaching broadcast on these important topics in more than 60 countries on 6 continents. "Hope in the Night" is June's live two-hour call-in counseling program that helps people untie their tangled problems on air. Through her warmth, wisdom, and gentle candor, June prompts penetrating dialogue with listeners, often with life-changing results. "Hope for the Heart" booklets have been published in 27 languages in several formats and are being translated into more. June is a popular guest professor at colleges and seminaries, and a sought-after speaker at conferences and religious broadcasting events. She teaches and speaks around the world on topics such as crisis counseling, child abuse, wife abuse, forgiveness, singleness, and self-worth.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rose Publishing
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1628621311
• ISBN 13: 9781628621310
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 96