Priscilla Shirer- God is Able (& Giveaway!)

Hello, friends! As I mentioned in one of my previous posts (Beth Moore’s Whispers of Hope Giveaway) I have been provided Priscilla Shirer’s most recent book, God is Able, to review. The general concept of the book stems from our doubting God’s ability to change, to heal, to restore, to defeat, or to overcome a circumstance or circumstances in our lives. It’s about losing faith. It’s about giving in to doubt.

After reading the title of the book I wondered if I had ever really doubted God’s ability? I mean, I’m human. I have feared and worried in different circumstances, but I wondered if I had ever really doubted God’s ability in those situations? My own, yes. But God’s? So, with a cup of tea I cozied into my recliner and wondered what God wanted to teach me today. I had only gotten to page 4 when I felt that I had already reached a pivotal point in my reading (Really? Page four? I know, I know… but bear with me).

Priscilla Shirer writes:

“The fact is, I have never had much trouble believing the power of God when it was theoretical, when all the action my faith required of me was saying “Amen” during a sermon. As long as a problem was somebody else’s, I could believe in God’s big-time ability with the big old sense of gusto.”

There is a difference, isn’t there? I mean the difference between being an outsider looking on, able to offer a loving heart and enough strength to help encourage and carry the burden of another. Perhaps it is because we may be detached enough from the circumstance where we are able to wholeheartedly focus on God and guide another to do the same. There is a far greater difference, however, when I’m the one who is so overwhelmed and so distracted by my personal heartache that I’ve lost my laser-like focus on God and see the problem instead. It is in that moment, I’d imagine for many of us, when we are just as human as can be, staring directly at our problem and circumstance through blurred, teary-eyes, and it is in that moment that our steadfast faith is perhaps bending a bit under the weight of such a burden. Perhaps that is when we’ve lost our focus on God, our source of strength, and we doubt.

Being that this is a review, I will start by saying that I certainly recommend this book. I find it hard to believe that there is never a time in anyone’s life where we don’t need to be reminded of the glory of God and His majesty. I don’t think there is ever a time when we don’t need to be reminded of His grace and the incomprehensible love that He carries for each of us. With that being said, I can’t imagine that anyone reading this book wouldn’t be blessed by it in some measure. Even if you don’t doubt God’s ability I would suspect that there is something else you may read among these pages that would encourage, uplift, or even excite you about our God.

Here are some excerpts to give you an idea…

“…turning inward leaves us fully exposed to priding confusion, to stilted perspectives and limited resources…becoming overly introspective can cause us to slide into an abyss of discouragement as we carefully consider all the ways we don’t seem to measure up.

Our enemy is the one who wants us focused on ourselves—on our humanity, frailty, and need. God, however, once is focused on Him—on His deity, His ability, and His boundless power. He’s never overwhelmed or put off by our problems. He’s not bothered by us, by the concerns of our hearts for the needs in our lives, the matter how much or how often we turn to Him. In fact, if we don’t turn to him and lay all down we only succeed at resisting His ability to reach in and change this. To reach in and change us.”

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“Who’s really getting my worship here? What am I lifting up as the most important, most defining thing in my life? To what am I giving the bulk of my time and effort and energy and attention?

You can toss and turn as you fret about your situation, or you can turn “to Him.” No, it won’t make all your problems go away… We were just on the other side of them. Focusing on Him will turn your heart, mind, and body in the sole direction where all your help is coming from.”

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… A mind fixed on the right things– the right person– can change everything… Worshiping Him. Meditating on Him. Repeating His Word from the depths of your memory or choosing new passages to write down and post in strategic places where you’ll run into them on a regular basis. Reflecting on His grace, His glory, His love, His mercy, His power, His majesty… His ability….

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“Because when we start viewing whatever may be worrying us against the backdrop of this One whose plans and purposes have been set in place for aeons, whose authority outranks every power structure known to man or even to the entire spiritual underworld, whose promises are ground-in deeper than-(sigh)-the grass stains on my little boy’s brand-new blue jeans… Well, our Its suddenly don’t sound quite so scary anymore.”

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“…when God speaks—listen to me now—worlds come into existence! New things are created! Old things pass away!”

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“The God you serve has resurrection power.”

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“The more of God’s power operating in your life, the bigger your capacity and opportunity to experience Him… Depend heavily and consistently on the Spirit of God.”

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These are just a few of many highlighted excerpts that I would love to share with you, but due to space and the fact that you would probably rather make your own highlights, I will just settle with a recommendation. For those new in their walk it provides great insight into the Mighty God who loves us. For those far along in their walk, who have perhaps read the first few pages and thinks that this book may not be particularly impactful at this point in their spiritual walk, I recommend that you keep reading anyways. Not every situation Priscilla Shirer touches on will necessarily be what parts the red sea on your journey of faith… or maybe it will. All I can say is that I strongly suspect that if you keep reading there will be something that speaks to you. If nothing else, it is always refreshing to be reminded of God’s greatness.

God bless. With love, Ashley.

GIVEAWAY

If you would like an opportunity to win a free copy of Priscilla Shirer’s, God is Able, please send me an email to (WriteAshleyLH@gmail.com) or leave a comment below with your email address (so I may contact you if you win). If you like, please share a time when God has shown you just how able He is in your life. 🙂

 

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The DEADLINE to leave your comment is SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2014.

 

I will select and announce the winner on Monday, February 17, 2014!

Thank you for entering!

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In accordance with FTC Guidelines, here are some RULES for this giveaway:

–          There is no purchase necessary

–          To win, you must be 21 years of age or older

–          Blog drawing/giveaway is limited to U.S. Residents only, please.

Please Note: I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher to provide my honest opinion.