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This is a book I was not expecting to read. But it proved to be exactly what I needed. In fact, I was hesitant to read it. This is because I have read a few books on prayer, and none of them were all that helpful. Even the book written by the Kendrick brothers for the War Room movie did not prove to help me improve my prayer life or prayer strategies as I hoped it would. This book proved itself to be different than the rest. It was relevant and powerful in every way. I read it at a time that I had so many issues weighing down on my heart, I didn’t know how to begin to pray through them. This book changed the way that I understand prayer. It also introduced me to the Priscilla Shirer as an author. She has a great writing style that is honest and relevant. I would recommend this book to any woman who wants to learn more about strategic prayer. I also look forward to reading and reviewing more books by Priscilla in the future ~ Bethel ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer. It’s such a common word, but it is so common to misunderstand what this word can do. We often think of it as a conversation with God. It can often turn into a list of requests and tend to happened most consistently during times of trouble. It seldom happens consistently during times of normalcy and peace. We rarely see it as the weapon that it is, a weapon of defense against the forces of evil one, the one that seeks to destroy our faith by overwhelming us with the troubles of this life. We are often so burdened by these troubles that we fail to see the weapon that is right under our noses. But we also struggle with knowing where to start. It makes us ask the question: How can we learn ways to strategize our prayers to help stand against the devil’s schemes?  In her book, Fervent, Priscilla Shirer shares with women how they can pray specifically and strategically. Instead of taking about the in’s and out’s of prayer, she shares about ways that we can make our prayers more intentional to the issues at the heart of our lives. Each chapter walks through different areas of our lives where it’s important to develop strategies, shares practical insights on how to develop your own personalized plan, and shares Scriptures to help shape your prayers. Priscilla also shares personal stories to illustrate how her life was shaped by her prayers or lack of prayer. Starting with prayers for passion in our spiritual zeal, she covers nine other categories, including prayers of focus on the real enemy, prayers for family, prayers for the past, and prayers for relationships. At the heart of all of it is to help each Christian woman become the warrior that God has enable her to be by surrendering all the things we struggle with and allowing God to do what only He can do. All of this is done in a writing style that is fresh and relatable. There are even tear out cards to help you start writing down your own prayer strategies. This book is an amazing tool that can be used by any woman, regardless of age or stage of life you are in. Get your copy today!  Teen Rating. This book could be a great option for teen girls that are ready to take prayer seriously, although the chapter on family may need some adaption. I would recommend it to girls about 15 or older.  Male Friendly Rating. Although this book was written for women, I personally think that most of the strategies would be helpful to men.  Singles Friendly Rating. Priscilla does a good job at addressing single women when it comes to topic of family. All the other topics of this book are relevant regardless of your season of life, although she does often illustrate her points by talking about the reader’s family  Personal Rating. This is a book I cannot recommend enough!
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As I was a part of the launch for their last book a year ago (Love Defined), I heard they were planning on releasing another book this year. But I admit I was surprised when I heard about the topic. Not because I didn’t think they would do a great job, but because it was very closely related to the subject of their last book. Not to mention that I have read many books on the subject over the years, I was curious if they would be able to provide a newer perspective for a generation of young women who don’t want to do when it comes to the subject of biblical sexuality. But in the end, I was not disappointed. What I found I liked the best about the book is that it doesn’t feel like some purity books that are written by older women that give lists of do’s and don’ts. This was written in a friendly tone by sisters who feel like they are your big sisters, trying to help you understand what to do with this confusing topic in an honest and vulnerable way. I am so grateful that that Kristen and Bethany were willing to address this topic, and that they remind us that even though we have all experienced some form of sexual brokenness, God can and will redeem all of it in His time for His glory. If a girl is the right age (see my ratings at the end of the review), this is a book I would definitely recommend ~ Bethel
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Purity. It’s made to feel like a dirty word in our culture, because it is something that our culture refuses to honor. And even those of us that try to honor it eventually come to realize that the impurity of the culture around us has seeped into our hearts and minds. We have a hard trying to wrap our minds around the topics of purity and sexuality in a God-honoring way, but we are afraid to ask the questions that will help us find answers and freedom. We are scared that we are the only one that has questions or struggles, so we clam up and are left in fear. It makes us ask the question: how can I learn the truth about God-defined sexuality?  In their newest book, Sex, Purity, and the Longings of a Girls Heart, sisters Kristen Clark and Bethany Beal help us find the beauty and freedom that comes from choosing to pursue God-honoring sexuality. Helping us see that we all have experienced sexual brokenness and struggles with lust, they help us identify where our culture has steered us wrong by identifying four lies about our sexual design and challenging us to replace them with truths from God’s word about the way He designed our sexuality. They offer tools for combating temptations and the battles within your mind and take time to address many specific questions about “hush hush” topics and questions that they asked their readers during a survey. And finally, they help us see that God has help us walk the path of freedom from past and present struggles with our sexuality, helping all of us see that God can redeem anything in His time, including our sexuality, if we choose to walk in faith and surrender to Him. This book is much needed and powerful. It’s the kind of book I wished I had as a teenager. Kristen and Bethany are honest and relevant in their writing style, and have a genuine heart to help girls and women get back to the women God intended them to be. This is a book that I recommend to women and girls about 16 and older. Get your copy today! *I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of my involvement in the book's launch team and for the purpose of this review  Teen Rating. The reason I am giving it a lower rating in this category is that I would struggle to recommend this book to a younger teenager. I think that some of the topics discussed could cause a loss of some innocence if she is not to that level of maturity (I am not mentioning these topics by name for concern about teens that may read this review). But at the same time, I do recognize that these topics are completely and totally necessary to discuss. I would recommend it for girls about 16 or older. For teens 15 or younger, I would recommend Bethany and Kristen's last book, Love Defined, as a better starting point for their age  Male Friendly Rating. Because this book does get very specific into the some hard questions about female sexuality, I think that most men would struggle with reading certain parts of this book  Single-Friendly Rating. Kristen and Bethany excel at balancing their perspectives between married and single women and this book is no exception  Personal Rating. Aside from wishing that certain topics were addressed in a way that was better suited for younger teens, this book is an awesome resource that I would highly recommend. This book inspired and challenged me, and I think it will be for you too To check out my review of Kristen and Bethany's first book, Girl Defined, click here To check out my review of their second book, Love Defined, click here The release of this book had me quite excited. Not only are the other books in this series excellent, but I know that if anyone knows how to connect with and relate to tween girls, it’s Dannah Gresh. This book is an incredible resource to parents and youth leaders that work with tween girls. And I believe this book to be a game changer. It will be amazing to see a group of girls grow up that will have the opportunity to read this book as tween, Lies Young Women Believe as teenagers, and Lies Women Believe as adults. Because the younger we are when we learn to replace lies with the truth, the stronger the next generation will become in standing up for the truth and therefore impacting their world with that truth and the love of Christ. Therefore, I cannot recommend this book or this whole series enough! ~ Bethel ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lies. They are all around us. No matter where we go in our world today, we cannot escape them. And it seems that they are being fed to us at younger ages. Lies about who we are. Lies about who we should become. Lies about the people around us. It makes it hard for kids to grow up in a world where lies are being presented as truth with no way to figure out what truth really is. This seems especially true for girls, with the pressures to be beautiful, smart, and popular. If they are unable to learn the truth when they are kids, they will build their life on lies that will be so much harder to detangle when they are older. It makes us ask the question: how can we help girls today learn the truth that will set them free?  In her book, Lies Girls Believe, Dannah Gresh, along with help from editor Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth, walks through lies that tween girls struggle to believe and help them discover the truth that will set them free. In this colorful book with fun illustrations, these girls are given tools to help them figure out how to recognize lies and the “sticky feelings” of guilt that come when we buy into lies. After walking through the nature of lies and where they came from, Dannah addresses 20 lies that are believed by many tween girls (based on surveys of tween girls, and their moms and grandmas). She tells each truth and addresses the lie that is usually believed instead, helping them see that truth really is the better choice. Each of these chapters concludes with a “truth lab” where girls can “test” these truths in their lives. Dannah concludes by showing them ways to figure out other lies in their life so they can replace them with truth. All of this is done in a relatable writing style that will allow the girls to feel like Dannah is their friend and mentor they trust. They are plenty of opportunity to journal and use color pencils to make the book all the more relatable. This book is powerful and will be a game changer for the tween girls of this generation that choose to read it and take to heart what it says. I personally recommend this book for any tween girl between the age of 9-13 years old. Girls and their moms should get their copy today! Moms, make sure to check out A Mom’s Guide to Lies Girls Believe, written just to help you help your daughter on this journey. * I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review  Pre-Teen Rating. This book is PERFECT for teen girls between 9-13 years old, and well as their mothers.  Teen Rating. Depending on the maturity of a younger teen girl, this book could be well-suited for 13 or 14 years old. But if they are mature or they are older than 14, I would recommend Lies Young Women Believe as a more relevant alternative  Male-Friendly Rating. I think this book could be very useful to either dads of tween girls or youth pastors or male youth leaders that are trying to find better ways to relate to the girls of their youth group. I believe it would be beneficial for these men to at least familiarize themselves with the lies that Dannah addresses.  Personal Rating. Just like the other books in this series, I cannot recommend this book enough! To read my review of the teen edition of this book, Lies Young Women Believe, click here To read my review of the adult edition of this book, Lies Women Believe, click here When I first heard they were updating this book as well as the teen counterpart, I was curious about it. But I originally only pursued reviewing Lies Young Women Believe (co-authored by Dannah Gresh). After some time and research, I was excited to discover that they now have a male counterpart (Lies Men Believe by Robert Wolgemuth) and are about to release a pre-teen counterpart too (Lies Girls Believe by Dannah Gresh). Since there are so many other books in the series and the topic is so close to my heart, I decided it was time to read the book that started it all. When I finally started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. Literally. I finished the 300 page book in one night. I found myself in love with Nancy’s sincerity and passion for helping women of all ages be freed from the lies that hold them back from the life God has in store for them. Although there are a few lies I struggle with myself, I also found that through many recent experiences, some of these lies that used to hold me back no longer have a hold in my life. That made reading this book a milestone in my spiritual journey. It has also helped me strengthen my ability to identify lies for what they are so they have be replaced with truth. I am now looking forward to reading more books by Nancy in the future, as well as other books in the series. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In our culture today, we are constantly being fed lies. Lies about ourselves, lies about God, lies about identity and our relationships with others. These are just the beginning of a list that could fill a whole book in its own right. They cause us to live our lives apart from what God has in store for us in light of His truth. Although everyone regardless of age or gender deals with lies, some many of the lies prevalent in our society are directed at women both young and old. So many of the lies we believe can be as a result of deception from our own emotions or our struggles with shame. Either way, it makes us harder for those of us that are trying to lives our lives in light of the truth, when these lies make it difficult to distinguish the truth from the lies. It makes women ask the question: how can I identify and stand up under the lies that I am believing?  In the updated version of the bestselling book, Lies Women Believe, Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth explores many of the lies that women believe so that they can discover the truth that sets from free. Identifying with the first woman to be deceived, Nancy encourages women to identity that the lies they have believed are holding them back from the life God has in store for them. After giving some methods for identifying the lies, Nancy walks through a total of 45 different lies believed by women based on surveys. Some of the lies are ones we wouldn’t necessarily say out loud, but have proven to be believed by many of our actions. She includes sections about lies we believe about God, ourselves, our sin, priorities, marriage, children, emotions, and circumstances. There is also a newly added chapter about sexuality that was written by Dannah Gresh (who co-authored Lies Young Women Believe with Nancy). Nancy discusses the root of these lies and with both love and conviction tells us the truth as it is laid out in God’s word. She doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of addressing these deep-seated lies but instead chooses to help the reader root them out in God’s grace so they can live in the freedom of the truth. At the conclusion, Nancy shares an incredible list of truth to combat the lies she addresses, including Scriptures to help you absorb the truth. I appreciate the honesty and integrity of Nancy to stand up for the truth in a society that struggles to distinguish truth from lies, as well as the heart she has for the women she helps. If you are women, either single or married, either young or old, this is a book worth reading. Get your copy today. *I received a copy from the publisher for the purpose of this review  Teen Rating. This book might be difficult for a teen to process. Most of the chapters about marriage and children are irrelevant to teens. Although a mature older teen could read this book a get a lot of it, I would recommend Lies Young Women Believe as more relevant alternative. I personally think this book should be reserved for those 18 and older. To check out my review of the teen version, Lies Young Women Believe, click here  Male-Friendly Rating. Although some of the issues described in here are a little personal, I think that some men, particularly those in ministry, could benefit from at least familiarizing themselves with the lies Nancy discusses. If any men are interested in a version relevant to them, I recommend checking out Lies Men Believe by Robert Wolgemuth  Singles-Friendly Rating. Considering that Nancy was single when she wrote the original version of this book, it is mostly written in such a way as to be relevant to women regardless of their season of life. Although the sections on marriage and children may be a little irrelevant, they are still useful for helping single women understand the struggles of married women. I look forward to rereading those sections if/when I get married  Personal Rating. This book is powerful, relevant, and inspiring to any women who will take the time to read it. This book is totally worth the time to read. You will be grateful that you did. I hadn’t even heard that Lysa Terkeurst was releasing another book. But when I found out that advance copies were available for review*, I jumped at the opportunity to sign up. Since I’d read and reviewed her book Uninvited this summer, I already liked her style as an author. But this book with its subject matter was all the more relevant to me than her last book. I love her raw honesty in the depth of physical and emotional strife. I admire how she is able to keep Christ at the center of all her struggles. But the best part about it is that she allows her audience to come along with her on this difficult journey, in hopes that it will help them through their own difficulties. I know that is much easier said than done. That’s something that we all need on our spiritual journeys. This book is ideal for anyone going through a difficult time, and anyone who likes Lysa’s previous books, especially Uninvited. It you want to know more about it, just ask ~ Bethel ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________  No matter where we go in this life, we are more than sure to be met with disappointments. That’s part of living in this world. Some of these disappointments are minor, while many of them are earth-shattering, causing so much pain and suffering in their wake. All too many of us find ourselves crippled by our circumstances, especially when difficulties hit us unexpectedly. So many of us get to the point of questioning God’s goodness or desiring to turn our backs on Him. This can make us feel trapped like there’s no way out. It makes us ask the question: how can I handle the major disappointments I am sure to face in this life? In her newest book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, Lysa Terkeurst walks us through how we can turn to the Lord to find strength and courage when life throws unexpected disappointments at us. This topic is very relevant to Lysa, who in only a few years’ time has dealt with marital strife and two major health issues than inevitably required surgery. With her own fair share of hardships, Lysa admits that facing these disappointments is hard, and sometimes feels impossible to overcome. But she directs us to the Lord and His Word to helps us find strength to keep moving forward, even if we don’t have all the answers or when it we are actually given more than we can handle. She also reminds us how important it is for us to remain alert to the tactics of the one that wants to use our disappointments to keep us apart from God. This is all pointing to the reality that God is using our trials to prepare us from strength in this life and eternal peace in the next. This book is powerful, relevant, and honest. Although written out of her own personal experience, this book felt like it was written for me and my current struggles, which speaks to the talent of the author to relate to her audience. If you are going through trials or disappointments in your own life, I cannot recommend this book enough. It is the perfect companion to her last book, Uninvited. This book is available as of November 13. Get your copy today! * I received an advance reader's copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review To read my review of Lysa's last book, Uninvited, click here To read more about the circumstances that made this book so personal relevant, click here  Teen Rating. Although this book is geared toward adult women, I believe that teen girls could read and really get a lot out of this book. The content is completely appropriate for any age. I recommend it for those about 14 or older (depending on their reading level)  Male-Friendly Rating. Although this book was written with adult women in mind, I really think that men can gain a lot from reading this book.  Singles-Friendly Rating. I added this rating to this book because, although it is not a relationship book specifically, many single women struggle with the disappointments of being alone or from betrayal in past relationships. I think this book could be of great benefit to them.  Personal Rating. This book was so relevant to the place I was in my life. This was a book I needed. I cannot recommend this book enough. |
Living in the Redemption of the price Jesus paid for you and me.My name is Bethel, and welcome to my site, Princess Worth Dying For, where I hope to share Christian reviews, Christian Spoken Word, and a Christian Insights on everything from modesty to musicals. My main focus on this blog is book reviews, and the main focus of my YouTube channel is spoken word, but I do crossover work with both. Like My Facebook page here:
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