I received a complementary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
“You are looking for God outside yourself, Tim. To really find God, look within.” A wise counselor gave me this advice when I was going through a rough time in my 20’s. Russ Whitney received similar counsel when struggling with his prayer life. “My problem with prayer, (my friend) Herman told me, was that I had God on the outside and not on the inside,” Whitney shares in his new book Inner Voice: Unlock Your Purpose and Passion. “‘Russ, once you get God on the inside, it will move you to a much higher and closer contact with Him.'”
My counselor and Whitney’s friend Herman were right – God really can be found within – and Whitney gives many wonderful tips for connecting with Spirit in his book. I liked how Whitney sets the stage for his transformation by describing his life before his spiritual awakening. As a successful real estate investor, Whitney found his affluent lifestyle was not fulfilling. Something was missing. “After decades of teaching people how to build material wealth, a series of circumstances – some within my control and some beyond my control – taught me how to build spiritual wealth,” he says. The process Whitney goes through to discover the Spirit within is detailed in Inner Voice, and we learn from his life experiences.
Whitney says our lives can be divided into four distinct phases: athlete, warrior, statesperson, and spirit. The author describes the characteristics of each of these, and humbly states of spirit, “I’m not sure I’ll ever make it to that phase.” Whitney is very open with his own struggles, which makes the book an easy read. He is not preaching to us from on high – rather in sharing his challenges the reader can relate to similar issues in their own lives. I know I did.
I also found valuable a series of wisdom statements embedded in a light gray text boxes on different pages throughout the book. Some samples of these inspiring sayings:
“Don’t live in fear. Live in faith and gratitude. Fill your heart with love and thankfulness for all that you now have so that there is no space left for fear.”
“You can be exceptionally kind, loving, giving, and respectful without being a slave to the opinions of others. Accept that other people will disapprove of some of the things you do, and you’ll free yourself to do truly magnificent things.”
“The gift of life is in the struggle. Without the struggle we would not build the strength and persistence to grow to our full potential.”
I saved these and other wisdom statements for later review – I included them in the Memo To Me email program so that they are sent to me helpful reminders throughout the week.
Can you really connect with God just by reading a book? While Whitney gives many valuable suggestions, I think Inner Voice is best read in conjunction with real life therapy with a spiritual counselor or with an “inner voice” coach trained in the principles that Whitney teaches.
“Our inner voice will give us answers, provide guidance and direction, and help us achieve our goals once we begin to recognize it as the pure guidance that it is,” Whitney writes. Who would not want to that connection? Read Inner Voice for suggestions in deepening your own spiritual walk.
Inner Voice will be available on Amazon in late September 2013.
