Book Review~ The Prayer of Protection: Living Fearlessly In Dangerous Times by Joseph Prince

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Psalm 91:2

Book Description

This book is a beautiful reminder of the
confidence we are given when we are
hidden in Christ!

In these days of danger, trouble, and evil, New York Times bestselling author Joseph Prince reveals how God's children can have round-the-clock protection through the power of prayer.


THE PRAYER OF PROTECTION unveils the Bible's ultimate psalm of protection, Psalm 91, to help you understand more about how God guards His children. Joseph Prince offers simple keys and practical advice to finding and resting in the secret place of the Most High, where no evil can even come near you. You'll begin to live unafraid and with boldness as you allow the certainty of your heavenly Father's love and the sure promises of His Word to guard your heart against every fear. Come under the wings of the Almighty and live life divinely protected, 

positioned, and free from all fears with our covenant-keeping God!

My Personal Review

The Prayer of Protection~Living Fearlessly In Dangerous Times by Joseph Prince and published by FaithWords is an insightful work; it provides reassurance and comfort that we can live a protected and peaceful life in Christ.

Joseph Prince clearly communicates to the reader that the promises of protection located in Psalm 91 are relevant and tangible for each of God's children, today. His newest book, The Prayer of Protection breaks down Psalm 91, verse by verse with the intent to strengthen the reader's walk with Christ through the faith building truths that are found within this wonderful chapter in the Bible. The author points out that our culture breeds fear and weakness, from the constant media frenzy of negativity, to the belittling commentary about our God. This continual saturation of fear mongering can force us into an unfruitful paralyzing state. He asserts that as Christians, we need to stand firm in our hope in the Lord; we need to cling to the Word of God and not allow insecurity to take a stronghold in our lives.

The book is divided into twelve chapters. Each chapter carefully inspects a verse or two from Psalm 91. The prevailing message of getting the Word of God into our hearts is emphasized throughout the book, as Pastor Prince writes, "It is so important for you to invest time in getting God's living and powerful Word into your heart." He also contends that "we must involve the Lord Jesus in our lives every day, because only Christ can deliver us and keep us safe." 

I love the personal faith building testimonies that are scattered throughout this book. These illustrations of perseverence serve to provide examples of God in motion. The stories from other's trials create a fantastic sense of applicability that is inspiring. I also enjoyed the depth of which the author explores various words from the verses and uncovers their meaning within the Bible. In so doing, Prince unveils an understanding of the truths to a much deeper level. He continually stresses the importance of quoting the written Word of God, which will, "put up a shield of faith and release power as you declare that your God shall deliver you..". The author reminds us that when the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He did not merely "think" about scripture, He spoke it out loud. "The enemy will always try to keep you self-occupied and in fear. God wants you Christ-occupied and in faith." The author challenges the reader to memorize Psalm 91 and speak it with authority over your most difficult situations and watch what God does. He encourages us that worship through praise will activate angelic forces to guard us against all sorts of enemy attacks.

Finally, I was drawn into this book simply based upon the sincerity of the grace and mercy message that it contains. As we know, it is already so difficult to live in this world on a day to day basis, so a book that encourages hope, security, strength, confidence and love through the grounded roots of the gospel of Christ and the written Word of God is a HUGE winner in my mind! As Prince writes, "God has already foreseen the problems that we will face in this day and age, and His protection and covering over us is all-encompassing." 

The Prayer of Protection by Joseph Prince does not teach a formulaic "name it and claim it" ritualistic memorization of chanting nonsense, but conversely Prince pleads for each of us to have a relationship with Christ and then utilize this book as a tool to be explored slowly with an open Bible and a receptive heart to the Word of God. It also beckons to be read in an intimate small group where transparency within the setting would allow the Spirit of God to break chains, bring down walls of insecurity and draw people together through the chord of Christ. Whether you read this book in a quiet devotional setting with the Lord or in tandem with others, I would highly recommend you read it! 

Joseph Prince has provided a free 30-day prayer plan available to correlate with the book’s teaching and further your experience. Please click the following link if you would like to participate: http://www.faithwords.com/divineprotection. He also provides a link within the book that will provide answers to the perplexing suffering of Job through a free audio message of bonus content. 

Thank you to FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group Inc., for this review copy of The Prayer of Protection by Joseph Prince. The opinions within this review are my own; I was not required to write a favorable review.

Book Review: Successful WOMEN of the BIBLE by Katara Washington Patton

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The second book in a new series that brings the experiences of favorite Bible characters to challenges of contemporary life.

Exceptional read filled with lots of insight!

Contemporary "success" is often defined in financial terms or by number of Twitter followers. But for women of faith, success is so much more. And it turns out the timeless qualities of success are exemplified by women on the pages of their favorite book, the Bible. Deborah's model leadership is just as relevant today as it was in the age of the Hebrew judges. Esther's courage to stand up for a cause, Miriam's joyful support of others, Priscilla's exemplary partnership skill, Lydia's business acumen, and other characteristics of women in the Bible are embodied in lively storytelling. Busy Christian women--often working and raising a family--crave examples of success. Here are distilled principles they can use to succeed in today's noisy culture. The lessons of these icons of the faith apply, even in the age of Facebook and Instagram.

 ABOUT AUTHOR

Katara Washington Patton has written and edited Christian books for children, teens, and adults and has created supplemental materials for books by T.D. Jakes, Beth Moore, and Joyce Meyer. She served as general editor and writer of Aspire: The New Women of Color Study Bible. She holds a M.Div. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

MY PERSONAL REVIEW

Successful Women of the Bible by Katara Washington Patton~published by Faith Words~ is a beautifully insightful book that has significant spiritual application for women everywhere!

I absolutely loved Successful Women of the Bible. I'm confident that, if you are a woman, you will see some of your strengths and perhaps a few pitfalls of your weaknesses amidst the pages of this thoughtful read. The author, Katara Washington Patton carefully analyzes the lives of some prominent women of the Bible to create an engaging work that will encourage your heart.

The author clearly defines behaviors that will lead to a closer and more effective walk with the Lord as she evaluates eleven different women of the Bible. She also highlights the importance of women standing together in courage and unity to accomplish certain difficult tasks, citing the story of the "Daughters of Zelophehad", which I might add, I had never studied...so that was a treat! She describes them as a "group of women in the Bible whose interdependence changed the history of a people and further inspires an independent gal like myself to value interdependence even more than independence." (Italics my own.) 

Patton challenges women to "learn that depending on others is not a sign of weakness, but interdependence" that "could actually make me and others stronger." As an "older gal" myself...I can verify from some years of experience... that Patton's statement is definitely true in my life! When I see the amazing women that the Lord places in my life as "teammates" rather than "competition", I am much more sensitive to the Spirit's leading and therefore more apt to accomplish His kingdom purposes.

The format used in this book allows a clear picture of what attributes to recognize within yourself that will assist you in experiencing the complete plan that God is calling you to. At the end of each chapter, Patton takes the creative liberty to write a fictional letter from the Biblical character that singles out their love and devotion to God! I loved Priscilla and Esther... 

"I am Esther, queen of the land. Called for such a time as this. It's not just about me. I can and will influence and impact other's lives. God always has a plan and a plan of escape for those trapped. I will seek to do all that I can to be a voice for the voiceless and lift up the ones without, sometimes scared, but always trusting in God. I know I have been placed on this earth for more than myself and my comfort. I am the voice, I am the arms, I am the eyes of those who need it the most. I know God is all over my life and is directing my story, so I listen for His prompting and His cues so I might follow."

Successful WOMEN of the BIBLE by Katara Washington Patton will be released tomorrow- 8/23/2016 and can be purchased here. It's an incredible read. I highly recommend you snatch it up...you will definitely be refreshed!!

Thank you to Faith Words for this review copy of Successful Women of the Bible by Katara Washington Patton. I was not required to write a favorable review, but rather to give my honest opinion of it's content. 

The Wisest Counselor

Psalm 119:99-100(MSG)
I've even become smarter than my teachers since I've pondered and absorbed Your counsel. I've become wiser than the wise old sages simply by doing what You tell me.

Hmmm...I definitely do NOT feel smarter than my teachers. 

However, I do know that the more I choose to be aware and responsive to the Lord's presence in my life, the more confident I am becoming in my role as a daughter of the most high King. I know that when I ponder the word of God and put it into action, I feel an indescribable strength coming from within. When I absorb verses like John 14:15-18 (NIV), I find a fresh resolve to listen and obey the "Spirit of truth." Read the following words slowly, as it is Christ, the Son of the living God, promising to help us forever!

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him or knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

My birds have given up on trying to chase this
big fella away. I guess they figure if he stays on
his side and they stay on their side nobody
will get hurt! Now that's what I call wisdom!!

Let's face it, in this day and age of technology, a person could feel very overwhelmed and unintelligent extremely quickly. I know this to be true...cuz...I'm living it. I did not grow up with cell phones and key pads. I just recently broke the habit of the "2 spaces" after a period, reducing it to only one space. If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's okay, I can explain. Apparently the current industry standard is to only use one space at the end of a period and before the next sentence. Many of us more, shall we say, mature folks...ahem...were taught to leave two spaces post period in "typing class". Now it's "digital computer class" and it's one space. How did I learn this? From my daughter as I was reading one of her research papers. Yep...I tried to "correct" her and she ended up correcting me. Oh dear. My most recent "learning adventure" involves working the Mac Book without a mouse! I don't know what's so wrong with the mouse. I suppose it is more efficient without it in certain circumstances, however, it's a whole new hand eye coordination game to tap, touch, slide, hold, two finger, one finger & swipe the touch pad to simply check your email or write a blog post. Must I really give up my mouse??!! Oops...I'm getting off topic here. 

So, you see, now you know why it is that I do NOT feel smarter than my teachers...and never will! I wasn't meant to. I need the wiser counsel of the Lord. I need the presence of His Spirit to guide me and continually teach me the will of the Father. Pressing on...

Lord,
You are so good to have left us with a close friend; One who lives within us and gives us the substantial amount of help that we need to navigate the waters of this fast paced world. May we be ever mindful and responsive to the voice of the Wisest Counselor. May Your name be praised today and forever.
In the powerful name of Christ,
Amen

Run by Kayla Morris

If Your revelation hadn't delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came. Psalm 119:92(MSG)

From the "Voices From the Middle 9" comes this poem by a young lady with whom I have had the privilege to watch grow from a tiny baby into the beautiful and intelligent young lady that she is today. We will need to watch for more works from Kayla Morris in the future; At a mere fourteen, she is a promising author!

I'm excited to be posting this poem on my blog, as it is Kayla's first publication! It speaks to my "running" heart, and I hope you too will enjoy it's depth. We must never give up in our endeavor to stand for what we believe in. I was so blessed to read this and I hope you will find meaning in it as well. I want to thank Kayla for allowing me to post this on my blog.

RUN 

by Kayla Morris

She knows how to run
But not how to take a stand

RUN by Kayla Morris

Running is all she does
As she runs longer and faster
She feels as though the fears are fading
Fears recede
Emotions dull
Excitement becomes real
She runs with the fears in her pockets
The depression under her soles
She feels as though her fears can never catch her
But as her running slows
Fears build like stone
Emotions grow like fire
Excitement reduces to a bare nothing
She wears the pain on her face and in her words
That's why she took a stand
That's why she stopped running
She has no pain, she has no fear
Now she knows not how to run
But how to take a stand

Book Review: The Sky Beneath My Feet by Lisa Samson

The Sky Beneath My Feet”, by Lisa Samson is a well written and entertaining book!

The Sky Beneath My Feet, by Lisa Samson is one of the first fiction books I’ve read in quite some time.  I generally am drawn to biographies, autobiographies, or general information gathering genres, but the title of this book caught my eye.  Stop and think about it for a second.  The sky does not belong beneath our feet, right?  The curiosity for where this book was going didn’t end with the title, either.  What a fun journey the author takes you on!

The Sky Beneath My Feet centers around a middle aged wife of a pastor and mother of two teenage boys.  The reader is drawn into her life and, in fact, her every thought, as she walks through her daily life of leading a strong Christ centered home.  The sometimes mundane and at other times perilous and confusing obstacles that she encounters along the way are what the body of this book is about.  The intrigue only grows as you read further into the details of Beth’s life (the main character) and see how the actions of one person can have a ripple effect on all those around.

The theme of this book begins to surface about midway through the chapters after a flurry of well written narration.  My take away on this book’s message is that our positive behaviors work for the good of all involved and on the flip side, our poor choices could inadvertently serve to be a harmful catalyst descending toward despair.  Either way, the decisions we follow in life are ours to make and will set us on a course for better or for worse. 

I enjoyed reading this book.  It was entertaining, thought provoking, and allowed a bit of escapism from the daily realities of life.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a good read! 

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me with this review copy of The Sky Beneath My Feet by Lisa Samson through BookSneeze.  The positive review of this book was my opinion and not a requirement for receiving this review copy.

Don't Drop Me

Psalm 119:42(MSG)
Then I'll be able to stand up to mockery, because I trusted Your Word.

We used to play this game in nursing school that, looking back, had the sole purpose of assisting us in cultivating the art of trustworthiness.  It taught us how to trust others and how to be trusted.  You might have played a game like it in your youth group or in some other venue through the years.  I will name it the "Don't Drop Me Game". 

It was played by two or sometimes three people.  One person was blindfolded and stood in front of the other two team members.  At some point the blindfolded person was instructed to fall backwards.  At that point the other team members were to be ready and standing strong to catch them before they actually fell to the ground.  It required the blindfolded one to assume an incredibly high level of confidence in those that were standing behind them.  On the flip side, it demanded very high levels of listening and preparedness skills on the part of the "catching team".  

It was a very difficult behavior to stand blindfolded and fall backwards with no assurance that you would land safely.  Evenly difficult was the assigned duty to catch a person who would soon be falling.  The knowledge that this person was completely dependent on your skills was an overwhelming thought.

My daughter teaching trust to the bunny
she rescued.

This game was very effective in teaching me how to trust others and how to gain confidence in my God given abilities.  I learned that I can take care of others needs, but I have to be very aware of their needs first.  I also learned that there are times when I need to be able to trust, without reservation, in the skills and abilities of others. 

Today's verse brought the "Don't Drop Me Game" back to my mind, because it is a literal picture of the trust in God and His Word that is necessary if I'm going to be able to stand strong for Him in all the circumstances of my life.  I must know that what He says is true.  I need to be listening and attentive in order to embrace the direction that His Word leads me and walk in that way with conviction.  I also need to have the assurance and faith that He will be there to catch me when I fall.  It's this same trust in God that will allow me to remain firmly planted in Christ when the winds of adversity blow and the storms of life rage.  

Father,
Thank you for Your words that are trustworthy.  Thank You for showing me that You are there for me in all seasons of my life.  You are a good God and You keep Your promises.  Help us to learn to trust You more!
In the beautiful name of Christ,
Amen  

  

River Revelation

Psalm 119:1(MSG)
You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. 

Discovering the wonder of God's Word, verse by verse, has led me to this amazing chapter in the book of Psalms.  Rather than return to Proverbs right now, I have decided to remain in the book of Psalms and soak up the incredible golden nuggets of truth found in Psalm 119!  I will be here for at least half a year....if I post daily....seeing as there is 176 verses in this one book alone!!  I know that I am going to completely enjoy lingering over every word.

Today's verse is so powerful!  I certainly long to have God's blessing upon my life and that of my family.  Here in this one simple sentence, I get the blueprint for how to get it.  I just need to stay on the course God has placed me on. 

How do you know what that road is?  I'm certain that the road He places me on, will contain opportunities to be feeding His sheep, so I can automatically assume that if there is no feeding going on, it's not His chosen path.  The way to get started down the right highway, according to our Pastor's  timely message this morning, is to walk through the open doors that God has placed in front of you.  Get involved in what you know God is a part of.  Is your neighbor needing their driveway shoveled?  There's an open door.  Is the church needing help in the kids area?  There's an open door.  Is there a clothes drive this weekend?  Another open door.  As He "reveals our road" and we continue to walk on it, we are blessed beyond anything we could possibly imagine!  

I love to paddle the kayak on flat water.  It doesn't matter where you put in at, you will eventually move down stream to your destination.  Your main job is to keep the boat in the water.  I suppose our path with God is a lot like that flat water paddle trip.  If I will make certain that I am on His road, then He will move me from one opportunity to the next, gently blessing me through His spirit every step of the way.

Lord,
Honestly, I think I waste a lot of time looking for the "perfect" river to float!  Please help me to simply get my boat in the river and allow You to do the work of moving and directing my vessel wherever You see fit!  Thank You tonight for the truth of Your word and the confidence that it gives!
Amen

Right-Living People

Proverbs 4:18 (MSG)
The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.

Can you feel the warmth of this verse as it radiates to the depth of your heart?  Faces are popping up like flowers in my mind as I think of those people in my life who glow brightly with His light!  So true isn't it?  Those people who have Christ's love within them and have walked with Him for many years, usually just have that certain illumination about them.  They walk differently too.  Their step shows a confidence that comes from years of serving and trusting the King!


Praying His blessings tonight upon those who have served the Lord passionately through the years.  Asking Him to give them the desires of their hearts as they faithfully continue to travel the road of "right-living".

Know You're Blessed

Proverbs 3:13 (MSG)
You're blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom, when you make friends with Madame Insight.


"Marked by God's favor", is how the Webster's New World Thesaurus defines the word~blessed.  I most assuredly want to be "blessed"!