Fervent by Priscilla Shirer

Today marks the release of a new movie, War Room. (You can watch the trailer here.) Several books have been released this month as valuable resources for strategic prayer. I'll be reviewing several of them over the next few days.

We are at war, Shirer writes. “A very real enemy has been strategizing and scheming against you, assaulting you, coming after your emotions, your mind, your man, your child.” (2) Prayer is our secret weapon and she wants us to use it fervently and with strategic focus.

This is a powerful book. I've read many books about prayer but this one is different. This is a book of strategy - that of the devil and that of Christians. Shirer writes with passion and encourages that same passion for prayer in us. (Stealing our passion is a strategy of the devil.) And that's where we begin praying, to restore our passion.

Shirer uses her own personal experiences, stories from the Bible, and her grandmother's decades of focused and strategic praying to instruct and motivate us. She has us praying right away – and writing down our prayers. (There is space provided in the back of the book but you'll want to buy a notebook.) She takes us through ten strategies in all. (Your Passion, Your Focus, Your Identity, Your Family, Your Past, Your Fears, Your Purity, Your Pressures, Your Hurts, Your Relationships)

I love how Shirer gives us Scripture with each of the strategies as a foundation for powerful prayer. Those verses are great jumping off points for specific prayer. I really like her prayer outline: Praise, Repentance, Asking, Yes. That's easy to remember. I like the way she has outlined the book. She lays a solid base for our authority in prayer at the beginning. I like the way she writes, like she is talking directly to me.

I think this is the best book on prayer I have ever read. Shirer wants us to wear out the book – write in it, copy parts of it, dog ear it, use it. That's because it is not just a book about prayer, it is a valuable resource for focused prayer with passion.

My rating: 5 stars.

Priscilla Shirer is a popular author and speaker. She has a Master's degree in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. Thousands of women have attended her conferences and used her Bible studies. Shirer made her film debut in War Room. She and her husband have three boys and live in Dallas, Texas. You can find out more about her and her ministry at http://www.goingbeyond.com/.

B&H Publishing, 208 pages.

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