Get Your Hopes Up!
Expect Something Good to Happen to You Every Day
Joyce Meyer
Read by Jodi Carlisle

Hachette Audio
4/7/2015 / ISBN 9781478986249
Inspirational /
Nonfiction / Self Help / Christian / Audiobook- Unabridged

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks

When you dare to get your hopes up, things will begin to change in your life. Faith increases, joy returns, and peace reigns- Joyce Meyer

In her latest best seller, Get Your Hopes Up!, Joyce wants us to get our hopes up. That’s “Hope,” not to be confused with “Get Happy.” She explains how getting one’s hopes up is the answer to a positive outlook, and with hope, faith in God is so much easier. She’s not telling us to just get a positive attitude, but to learn to use Hope as a way to expect more in life. Joyce tells us how hope brought Moses, David, Esther, and the disciples through their trials. Each bible story is a wonderful reminder of God’s love and how he wants us to keep a positive outlook. Joyce shows us the faith connection in hope as well, in that our faith, our position and hopeful expectation pleases God. There are three steps to expectation and how raise it: Believe. Ask. Look. It is just one of many inspirational sections in Meyer’s latest Inspirational, self-help book.

What affected me most was in the chapter Keep Moving. One may be in shock by the circumstances and feel hopeless, but Joyce explains we can’t isolate ourselves or stop living our lives. We must keep moving. God wants us to continue to take physical steps of faith so that we can win the battle.

Get Your Hopes Up! is a no-nonsense self-help book for Believers. It’s meant to strengthen one’s faith and enlighten one’s walk with God, and it does a remarkable job of doing just that.

Get Your Hopes Up! is set up in four comprehensive sections: 1. Hope to Go Higher, 2. Hope When You’re Hurting, 3. Hope and Happiness, and 4. Hope is Here. In the book format there are framed "Joyceisms" scattered throughout -- “If Jesus could satisfy a hungry crowd, just imagine what He can do for your hungry soul.” At the beginning of the chapters there are positive quotes by various people – Hope is sweet-minded and sweet-eye. It draws pictures; it weaves fancies; it fills the future with delight– Henry Ward Beecher. There is hope building scripture – The steps of a man are directed and established by the Lord ….Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasp his hand in support and upholds him– Psalm 37:23-24, and personal stories about Joyce, as well as others. It’s a powerful book to both listen to and read.

Jodi Carlisle, once again, offers up an easygoing narration of the audio version. She has narrated previous audiobooks for Meyer, but you may also recognize her voice from the films Rugrats Go Wild, The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Chaplin (w/ Robert Downey Jr), and Speechless.