Let me warn you, from the beginning, that the ideas presented in this book might seem “too good to be true” for some people. Please do not shoot the messenger as you read this account of my real-life experiences. This is my personal story. It really happened. Moreover, I believe this book has the potential to help a vast audience; this is why I am offering such a detailed account of what I have learned. I hope this work will be useful to you the reader, or to someone you know who is hurting in their emotions and can benefit from the lessons that follow.
I am a child abuse survivor. As a youngster growing up, I lived through a series of painful life experiences that involved physical, emotional, and even sexual abuse. Most of these life events took place when I was between the ages of five and twelve years old. For the next forty years, I carried psychological and emotional scars to include low self-esteem, as well built-up anger and resentment. Additionally, I developed an assortment of bad habits, all of which were linked to those difficult early years of my life. I had never sought professional help to address my past experiences until I reached the age of fifty. At that time, a friend told me about an amazing Christian therapist whom he described as both affable and knowledgeable. I soon scheduled an appointment to meet a man whom I will call the Counselor....
At the end of four months, my course of therapy was over. The Counselor heartily congratulated me, saying: “Eric, I have never in my life seen anybody get so much out of six sessions.” In truth, I had been given some powerful knowledge that I quickly began to leverage in order to address the painful events of my childhood. But I also felt somewhat like an archaeological explorer who had stumbled upon a magical Fountain of Youth, or some other dramatic discovery. I became strangely uneasy with the knowledge I had gained. The concepts I learned from the biblical teachings seemed too big and important to withhold from the rest of the world. The need to share the information started to weigh upon me. In my final therapy session, I felt compelled to confront the Counselor.
ERIC: “Have you written a book about all of this?”
THE
COUNSELOR: “No, I’ve just done doctoral dissertations and papers. In the past, I started writing a few books, but never felt led to finish one. I might someday. I have been encouraged to promote my work using the mass media, and also to teach graduate courses, but I like what I am doing here with my private practice.”
ERIC: “Honestly, I am a little bit concerned, because what would happen to all this valuable information if you, for example, got killed in an accident, or otherwise died tomorrow?”
THE
COUNSELOR: “I am not worried. I am just an expression of God’s consciousness. God’s consciousness does not die. I am serving the purpose for which I am called. And until God tells me to write books or move to Hollywood, as some people have suggested I should, I’m not doing it. I don’t need it. I don’t want it. I am content here. I have joy.”
ERIC: “What if you had somebody else write the book and be the public face for sharing the information with the world? You could remain behind-the-scenes. You could operate in the shadows and stay invisible.”
THE
COUNSELOR: “Write the book yourself. You have found something special in this. You have been given a treasure, and it belongs to you. You be the steward of it. You may use the knowledge, and you may even sell it if you’d like. You own this product and you don’t have a partner, except God. You have my blessing.”
I walked out of the professional office for the last time, feeling slightly dazed and confused. What had just happened? I felt an obligation to share all the authentic, innovative, and compelling information that the Counselor gifted to me. This information was unique, and few others in the world knew about it. Did God want me to write a book and communicate these concepts? I am not a university professor, a therapist, or a professional theologian. Yet, the Counselor had taught me an effective system that can empower people to address a broad range of emotional dysfunction and human suffering. This new tool, "the Joshua Protocol," offers fresh hope to those who suffer from a variety of serious life challenges, including:
• Threats to sexual purity and moral integrity, such as pornography, inappropriate thoughts, fantasy, or other negative behaviors associated with human sexuality.
• Anger from emotional or physical hurt or betrayal.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
• Unwarranted fear and anxiety.
• Low self-esteem, emotional insecurity, poor attitude, or persistent sadness.
• Selfishness, jealousy, or envy.
• Laziness or procrastination.
• Gossip, hurtful sarcasm, pride, or arrogance.
• Greed, gambling addiction, or compulsivity with money.
• Obsessive preoccupation with entertainment, social media, or electronic gaming.
• Hoarding behaviors.
• Substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco, other drugs).
...plus a host of other emotional bad habits.