Zero Victim by James E. Ward Jr.

Ward wants us to change the way we see the past and our attitude toward the future. “In this book,” he writes, “I will share how you can liberate yourself and protect yourself from victim mentality by reconditioning and preconditioning your mind to see yourself as a winner.” (xv) He identifies everyday pitfalls, gives steps to prepare for mentally dealing with future events, looks at how negative events shape our mentality, shares his own personal journey, gives lessons from the Bible, shares the destructive power of heard and spoken words, looks at the family, and gives techniques for liberating one's self from a mentality of defeat.

This is a great introduction to getting rid of victim mentality. I really like his emphasis on perception. A person with a victim mentality will tend to “read” victimization into circumstances. A person with a Zero Victim mentality will tend to “read” victimization out of circumstances. Interpretation of events is based on the perception of our self and our life. Changing the “lens” through which we see life will really make a difference in our attitude about life. (62) He gives plenty of stories of people to illustrate that principle.

Becoming a Zero Victim individual will take work. It will mean training the mind for better responses to daily events and training the tongue to speak thoughtfully and positively. Mental preparedness is key and that takes work. Ward also lays the biblical foundation for the mindset and the necessity of being a new creation in Christ.

We can decide how to react to potentially negative events. Developing the Zero Victim mindset can be done. Ward includes some very good techniques to get us on our way. His suggestions do lack practical steps for implementation so I would suggest this book be read and discussed with a trusted friend. Friends can hold each other accountable as progress is made.

James E. Ward Jr. was called to ministry after studying music and business at DePaul University in Chicago. He founded INSIGHT Church in Skokie, IL, in 2013. He earned his MDiv from Regent University in Virginia Beach. He and his wife have two children. You can find out more at http://www.jw-mi.org/ and http://zerovictim.com/.

James Ward Ministries, 126 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through The Barnabas Agency for the purpose of an independent and honest review.