Leighann
begins her book by sharing all of the serious diseases and events
that bombarded her the year she wrote Spiritual Warfare for Women.
While she battled Satan, surprising to her was her struggle with God.
“My faith was stripped bare and I came face to face with a God I
didn't understand.” (12) In this book she shares what God taught
her about Himself during that war.
She
admits that sometimes life stinks. “I want to explore how God uses
even the stinky parts of life to reveal Himself to us.” (14)
She
divides her book into four parts. In “Wrestling With God,” she
explores the stories of Abraham and Jacob. A blessing comes out of
the wrestling match with God. In “Where Was God When...?” she
looks at Joseph, Hezekiah and the disciples. We can learn to
recognize God's presence in our life. In “Let God Define Good,”
she relates stores of women she knows who have grown through hard
experiences. In “God Will Make a Way” we are encouraged to live
with the expectation of the new thing God is doing in our life. (As
of the writing, Leighann was still experiencing chemotherapy from a
recurrence of her cancer. This section is especially encouraging for
people going through hard times right now.)
She
gives some general rules for hearing God's voice. We must allow God
to speak to us through the Bible. Reading the Bible is essential for
recognizing God's voice when He speaks to us in another way. He may
speak through other people, through worship, through visions and
dreams. Obedience to what God has already told us is necessary to
hearing further. Her five tips for effective listening are great.
The
weapons against the devil's attacks are prayer and God's Word. She
has provided an Appendix with some Bible promises to claim but
encourages us to read the Bible and find out own.
Leighann
is very good at using stories of biblical characters as springboards
to investigating our own experiences. Her recounting of the stories
make them come alive and of real use in our own situations.
This
is not a theoretical book about hearing God's voice. This book has
been developed through Leighann's own experiences of hearing God in
hard times. She relates many of her own stories so we can see how she
learned to hear from and trust God during her most difficult days.
This
is an excellent book for personal use or a small group study. She has
provided questions for further thought and discussion at the end of
each chapter. There are also suggestions for Personal Reflection at
each chapter end.
This
is the most encouraging and faith building book I have read in some
time. Reading about the lessons she is learning from God, even in the
midst of chemotherapy, is inspiring.
Leighann
McCoy is a popular speaker and the author of Spiritual
Warfare for Women.
She is the prayer and women's minister at a large Southern Baptist
church, where her husband serves as pastor, and has written a number
of devotionals and curricula. She lives with her family in Franklin,
Tennessee. Keep up with her at http://leighannmccoy.org/
Bethany
House Publishers, 240 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from Bethany House for
the purpose of this review.
No comments:
Post a Comment