All of us go through dark times that can test our sanity and sometimes even our faith. These times are a part of the human journey. We have to remain positive and know that God is in control. Pastor Osteen states that if we stay faithful and have a good attitude, all things will work out positively.
This was a good book when you are under a load of stress and need a reboot. Most of the book was super positive, but a chapter or two focused on the negative sides of different dilemmas. I didn’t feel as uplifted as I did from previous books I read from the author. But, I will read another book from Pastor Osteen. An advanced reader’s copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I find each Joel Osteen book very uplifting . This book will lift your spirits and for those of us that are Christian Joel speaks to our faith during hard times. He presents examples both professionally and within faith that provide the reader with a stronger faith for life's difficulties. I thank you with gratitude for this advance reading copy. As a Christian i read all of the authors books and appreciate his uplifting message guided by Faith. Joel is rooted in Faith and truly a blessing . With each book I learn more about trusting faith in hard times.

I highly recommend this book. The ARC did not influence my personal review .

Joel is an amazing teacher and bring humor in his teachings.

Although I'm not religious, I enjoy reading Joel Osteen's books but this one had a different feel. I appreciate what I was reading but I think this was a little too religious for me and I found it to be repetitive.

Joel Osteen never fails to deliver. Blessed in the Darkness is another must read!

Sometimes the right book just happens to come along at the exact right time. This did live up to it’s title, offering much to think about, real-life examples and testimonies as well as Bible stories to further add to the points it made and some well-given advice. I appreciated that. I also appreciated that the author shared times he went through dark periods. It helps when the person writing about topics like this has some personal experience with it, and that is even one of the points he makes: sometimes God allows us to go through trying times, so we can help others.

The last two years plus have been filled with difficulties—the kind that really stretched my faith. I cried through the first chapters of this book because of the things I have been through, and I felt a release of so much that I had kept bottled up inside. After that, the ideas on how to grateful for this time, because of the growth made sense to me. Years ago, I read a book called The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life which I got a lot out of. I remember one thing she said that has stuck with me over the years: after you accept Jesus as your Savior, no one can ever do anything mean to you unless God permits it. (That’s not an actual quote) Joel brought that to mind for me, and took the time to explain in great detail what that means for us.

The only thing that I was a bit unsure of was Joel’s statement that God will balance the books, and if we’ve been through difficult times, He will make it right. I’m not sure if the problem is my reluctance to believe that is always true that hinders this being true for me. So this is something I will continue to look for answers to.

I’m sure most people who take a look at this book to see what it is about, have experienced difficulties in their lives, and this book is definitely one that will help with understanding, acceptance and ultimately move on to acceptance and the ability to go forward.