A Beautiful Defeat by Kevin Malarkey

Total surrender to God. We know we are to be surrendered, but saying it is much easier than doing it.

Malarkey shares his thoughts on surrender. He suggests the starting point on the journey is honesty, with God and with others. He looks at the nature of sin. He says we need to know our enemies so he explores Satan, the world, and our flesh. He reminds us that God graciously provides a way forward in our mess, if we are willing, and that the central teaching of Christianity is that we must die. He has suggestions for finding our mission from God and preparing for it. He encourages us to let others help us in our struggles, even though it will be messy. We are to become addicted to our need for Go, he says. We are to look at what might be difficult for us and have a battle plan, remembering that we can learn from others.

Malarkey had serious problems with anger and he shares several of his experiences. His story is good evidence of God's grace, that He always provides a way forward in the mess if we allow Him to do so.

This book is a good reminder of the journey to a surrendered life. That journey is going to be messy but God will be there with us.

If you have not read much on the surrendered life, this would be a very readable and honest look at it. If you have read other books on the topic, you may nit find anything new in this one.

Food for thought:

“Struggle is a team sport.” (104)

“The surrendered life is the life of obedience to the clear, obvious, everyday things he asks of you and me.” (117)

Note: The author and his wife have apparently divorced. She has repeatedly stated that Malarkey's previous book about their son and his experience in heaven includes falsehoods. I have serious reservations about this author and this book.

Kevin Malarkey is a New York Times best-selling author and popular speaker. He owned a Christian psychotherapy business for many years and has an undergraduate degree in sociology and religion and a graduate degree in clinical counseling.

Thomas Nelson, 192 pages.

I received a complimentary digital galley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.