The Battle Plan for Prayer by Stephen and Alex Kendrick

This is a great introduction to Christian prayer.

The book is written by the Kendrick brothers and is inspired by their recently released movie, War Room. They know the power of prayer, having grown up in a praying family and attending a praying church. They've seen God answer countless specific prayers over the years.

They want their readers to learn to pray more biblically and strategically. They give a foundation of Scripture and then explore prayer's benefits, purposes, and how God answers prayer. They remind us we need to prepare our hearts to boldly approach the throne of God in faith. They have great stories of prayer from the Bible and from Christians throughout history. They write about the components of prayer and attitudes and habits that make prayer ineffective and those that make prayer effective. They also emphasize that salvation is necessary for true communication with God. The second half of the book contains good general teaching on the Christian life related to prayer, such as the condition of the heart, the will of God, the names of God, and other topics that are important to understanding prayer.

The authors suggest readers commit to reading one chapter of this book a day. Doing that makes it a great devotional. The writing is down to earth. I really liked that. There is no super spiritual attitude or academic flavor to the book. I felt like the authors were across the kitchen table talking to me.

I think the chapter I appreciated the most was the one on praying for other Christians. I so often say that I'll pray for someone and then really not know how to pray. They've included a sample prayer that is great. And then there are the fifteen suggestions in an Appendix.

This is a good book for all Christians. New Christians will find a comprehensive explanation of prayer. Seasoned Christians may not find anything shockingly new (we've read about ACTS before) but will again be reminded of the necessity of prayer and its power. They'll also read the stimulating chapters on praying for their family, those in ministry and their church.

The authors have included a prayer at the end of each chapter. They have also included a number of Appendixes. I really like the ones that have suggestions for specific prayer based on Bible verses. They have also included discussion questions for each of the 35 chapters.

The authors are tired of disinterested churches making little impact on their communities. They're tired of lifeless Christians consumed by their own pursuits. They want to see revival and prayer is the key.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Stephen Kendrick is a speaker, screenwriter and film producer. He has coauthored New York Times bestsellers. He serves on the board of the Fatherhood CoMission. He and his wife have six children.

Alex Kendrick is a screenwriter, actor and movie director. He is a featured conference speaker and coauthor of New York Times bestsellers. He and his wife have six children.
You can find out more about the Kendrick brothers and their work at https://kendrickbrothers.com/about.

B&H Books, 208 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Icon Media for the purpose of an independent and honest review.