Why is that in the Bible?: The Most Perplexing Verses and Stories – And What They Teach Us By Eric J. Bargerhuff Book Review

In Why is that in the Bible, Eric Bargerhuff explored scriptures and tried to comprehend why God included them in the Bible and what their purpose was. He begins the book by looking at some of the truths found in Job’s stories and why God allowed satan to test him and what we can learn from his story. He was faithfully following God and he ended up losing his livestock, servants, and his children. He also lost his health and his wife wasn’t happy with him, and friends wasn’t supportive. Some of the stories, he also explored was Abraham and Isaac, Balaam and the talking donkey, Peter cutting off an ear, no one knows the time or hour, Solomon’s many wives, Herod eaten by worms, a youth group is killed by bears, battle for Moses body, Absalom’s head stuck in a tree, bodily discharges, and much more. 

One of my favorite chapters that is quite shocking was the chapter that covered the story of David and his son Absalom. As we all remember, David had an affair with Bathsheba and how he tried to cover it up. Prophet Nathan, warned David about how the sword will never depart and leave his house. David had at least eight wives. Eric explained how this was directly a sin because the Bible declared that marriage is between one man and one woman. Next, Eric explored David and Absalom relationship. He was David’s third son with Maacah. One of David’s firstborn sons with another wife of David, Ammon rapes his own half-sister, Tamar. David was angry and he chose to not punish his son. Absalom eventually has Ammon killed for the crime and he fleets for three years. David misses his son so he allows Absalom to return but he can’t be in the presence of the king. He tricks one of the commanders of David’s army into letting him seeing David and he publicly shamed David for his actions. He turned around the hearts of Israel against David. He fleets and Absalom has sex with his harem on the roof where everyone can see. David cries out to God and eventually David’s army prevailed and Absalom’s lost his head while he riding his mule it was caught in the branches of a tree. Eric explained the importance of remembering that sin destroys and how it greatly changed everyone’s life and how it affected the dynamic of David’s family and the tribe of Israel. 

I would recommend this amazing book to anyone who is wondering why the Bible covers some difficult topics. I immensely liked how open he was about looking at the topics of rape, incest, suffering, and bodily discharges. There are many stories included in this book that many preachers and Sunday school teachers most likely won’t preach in church because of how graphic they are. I learned a lot about scriptures and stories that I haven’t really seen in detail before. I liked how Eric tried and connected the stories together where readers could understand the background of what was going on around that time. I appreciated how he dived in on how we can interpret the passages and what we can learn from them. 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.” 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Why is that in the Bible, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Why-That-Bible-Perplexing-Stories/dp/0764233998

Don’t Quit in the Dip: Stay Focus on God’s Promises For You by Shaun Nepstad Book Review

In Don’t Quit in the Dip, Shaun Nepstad explored the topic of the dip and how we can learn not to quit and give up when we face different challenges in our lives. Often times we feel stuck, and in the dip we’re unable to believe and reach for our dreams and goals. The dips in life can be our dreams, health, career, marriage, and any other area that we feel stuck in. In the book, he explained the importance of not quitting in the dip and he reminded us about God’s thoughts and how His ways our higher. He used an illustration about chess and how God has written the Bible like a checkmate between Him and satan. He starts with satan being banned from heaven and this starts a chess game. Next, he looks at Adam and Eve and how they were influenced by satan and sinned and was kicked out of the garden and satan was able to made a countermove. Shaun goes into detail about the different moves that was played throughout the Bible and the dips they experienced and how they overcame the dips and fulfilled their calling and purpose. 

Throughout the chapters, he opened up about how he became a preacher and started their own church. At first, it started with only 22 members and they were meeting in a cafetorium and how in three months, the school kicked them out. He shared how they dealt with having to move schools every year per California rules. He also shared how he dealt with severe stomach pains since the age of 13. He was diagnosed as having ulcerative colitis and how he struggled with wanting to in the dip when he was trying to grow the church and how God changed him and healed him. He explained the process of the church growing and what he learned through the dips he experienced and he guided readers into hanging in there to overcome their own dips. In the book, he explored the story of Joseph, Jesus, Peter, Jonah, the Israelites, Paul, Moses, and much more and how they experienced dips and what we can learn by looking at their stories. 

I would recommend this amazing book to anyone who is ready to learn how to not quit in their dips and how to reach forward and to keep striving and running your race. I immensely liked how in depth Shaun went into at looking at the dips of people from scripture and how they didn’t quit when they easily could have went they faced challenging situations. I appreciated how open he was in sharing how he went from building the church from 22 people to thousands of members and how he faced setback along the way and it wasn’t a quick and easy journey. I liked how he looked at the stories of Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Henry Ford, The Formula 409 cleaner, and Winston Churchill and how they choose to not quit in their dips and how they were able to accomplish their dreams. If you’re looking for an inspiration book, then read this book and learn how to not quit in your dips!

"I received this book free from the publisher, Faithwords/ Worthy Publishers for my honest review.” 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Don’t Quit in the Dip, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1546015388

Why Am I Not Healed? (When God Promised) by Glen Berteau Book Review

In Why Am I Not Healed, Glen Berteau explored the topic of healing and how we can receive a miracle. Glen has had his own health issues where he needed God help in getting healed. He experienced four sickness that almost cost him his life. He has coronary artery disease and five stents in his arteries. He explored how he had to go through his own testing seasons and how God gave him healing when he had a pulmonary embolism blood clot in his lungs. It was later discovered it was caused from mold found in his office. God instructed and guided him into peaching the word of God while he was still sick. After a few weeks, God healed him and he was able to breath normal again. He opened up about how wants to forgive our sins and how we can receive our healing when we also get our lives right spiritually. He explained that fear and bitterness can cause something wrong in our spirit and unforgiveness and break us down physically. He shared how speaking the word of God and learning them is like taking medication for our overall health. 

In back of the book, he opened up about how a scary death experience. He had a cardiac arrest and died. He included preceptive from his wife and children on what they learned when their father died and how God was able to save his life and become a miracle. They all wrote how they learned he was dying and how they began to pray and seek God during it. It was revealed that only 1% end up recovering from going through a cardiac arrest. He also shared how he didn’t have kidney failure or memory problems afterwards. 

I would recommend his awesome book to anyone who is ready to seek healing and they are pondering how they can believe God’s word and find their miracle. I liked how he shared how we need to run our race and how he opened up about how God promised him that he would become a minister and thousands would be saved. He shared how God didn’t tell him at the time about how he would have multiple near death experiences, his daughter would have rheumatoid arthritis and be handicap at 16, and his sister would die from ovarian cancer at 33. He revealed that if God did tell us what we would experience on our journey many of us may say never mind, we don’t want it. I really enjoyed how he included a special section of the book on scriptures and what to declare over our lives about healing. I also liked how he explored 17 hindrances to our healings and why people don’t get healed. I loved how in depth he went in looking at the reasons our healing may be held back. I liked how he covered how he received his healing and what he learned from God during all of the experiences. 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.” 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Why Am I Not Healed, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Am-Not-Healed-Promised/dp/080079964X

Praying for America: 40 Inspiring Stories and Prayers for Our Nation By Dr. Robert Jeffress Book Review

In Praying for America, Robert Jeffress explored how to pray for America and how we as a nation we have forgotten God, and how we need to turn back to God. He explained how we have lost the love of loving God, ourselves, and we have stopped loving our neighbors. He revealed the truth in Psalms 9:17 that the nations that don’t believe and love God will perish. He explored the history of Abraham Lincoln and in 1863, he issued a National Day of Prayer and fasting after Fredericksburg during the Civil War. Lincoln believed that event was the result of America’s sins and how they have forgotten God. In the book, he explored the topics of: God’s will, religious freedom, our president and leaders, troops, law enforcement, debt problems, education, pure sexuality, fatherless children, our jobs, and much more. Each chapter contained a story from history, a prayer, and a scripture verse. 

One of my favorite chapters was the chapter on the voiceless. Robert shared the story of Gianna and how in 1976 she was conceived by a teenage mother and her boyfriend. Her mother decided to have an abortion and he described the procedure that normally happens. Gianna ended up surviving at 29 weeks was born and weighed 2.75 pounds. The abortionist wasn’t there yet and the nurse had her transferred to the hospital. She did suffer a lack of oxygen and she developed cerebral palsy. She was placed in emergency foster care and Penny ended up raising her and praying over her life. She was able to learn to walk without the use of a walker or leg braces and she ran two marathons. He shared how in America we murder an average of three thousand babies and thousands more are killed with oral contraceptives. He encouraged readers to pray for our leaders and for us to become the voice for the voiceless and to reach out to pregnant mothers and help them. 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is ready to pray for America and that should be everyone in this nation. As we all know, we are still struggling with covid-19 and protests and injustice going on in our nation. I also liked how he dealt with the topic of corrupt cops and he made a point that we need to dealt with the on a case by case basic, same as if it was a bad pastor or parent. He also shared how we need to pray for them and to obey law enforcement and only to disobey them if they are causing us to do something sinful. I believe this book was written for a time as this to where we can all learn to humble ourselves and pray. I immensely loved how he covered a number of topics from our leaders to our own family and our community. I loved how he included countless stories in the book and he taught readers history and what we can take away from it and how to pray and change it for the future. 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Faithwords for my honest review.” 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Praying for America, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-America-Inspiring-Stories-Prayers/dp/1546017925

10 Prayers Secrets: Supernatural Power for Your Breakthrough By Hakeem Collins Book Review

In 10 Prayers Secrets, Hakeem Collins explored the topic of prayer and how prayer can change things and how we can release our faith. The book is divided into two parts first he discussed ten secrets found in prayer and then the second part contained a 30-day devotional. Some of the secrets included, “discover your passion, anticipate your breakthrough, practice Jesus’ prayer model, be a friend of God, forgive, unleashing chain-breaking praise”, and much more. He begins the book by exploring how to discover your passion and God’s plan for your life. He explains how we need to have passion to pursue our purpose in life. We can all become like children in prayer and believe and have childlike faith. Another area, he explored was waiting on God’s timing and he looked at the story of Habakkuk and how he had to wait on God and he kept asking for help and God answered that the vision would come to pass at the appointed time and it won’t be late. Hakeem shared countless scriptures about patience and how not be anxious about the future or present. We need to pray and give everything to God and to give thanksgiving. 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who is ready to go deeper in their prayer life and they are looking for a new devotional book. I liked how the book was inbound in a leather cover and it’s a smaller style book, which makes it easier to carry around. I immensely liked how Hakeem looked at ten secrets we can learn about prayer and how we can pray to receive our breakthrough and how to overcome what could be hindering our prayers from being answered. I liked how each devotional contained a scripture verse, a short story, reflection questions, prayer declarations based on scriptures, a prayer, scripture study, and activation. One of my favorite days discussed expecting the unexpected and walking in faith and believing that God can do the impossible in our lives. If you’re looking for a prayer book, then read this amazing book! 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.” 

If you would like to purchase a copy of 10 Prayer Secrets, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/10-Prayer-Secrets-Supernatural-Breakthrough/dp/0800799712

Victory Over the Darkness: Realize the Power of Your Identity in Christ by Neil T. Anderson Book Review

Victory Over the Darkness is back with an updated edition of his classic book. In this book, Neil explored the power of darkness, how we can renew our minds, and discover who we are in Christ. He begins the book by sharing how he didn’t know if his wife was going to live or die and they struggled with this for 15 months. She was sick and no doctor could determine what was wrong. Medical bills were piling up and it cost them their house. They had to depend on God’s help during this crisis. During this, he founded Freedom in Christ Ministries. He learned that God is the only one who can free people and that people don’t know who they are in Christ. People are struggling with many different things and they don’t even begin to comprehend that they are a child of God. In the book, he looked at the creation and Adam and Eve and the fall. He looked at all of the negative effects that they suffered because of them choosing to sin. Jesus came to give us life with Him and to have eternal life. In the meantime, we will all face satan’s temptations and he has come to steal and kill and destroy our lives. Neil has included a special “Who I Am in Christ” chart filled with scriptures to remind readers who they are. There is 34 total scripture references and statements. Some of these included, we are God’s child, friend, brought with a price, redeemed and forgiven, free from condemnation, salt and light of the earth, God’s temple, seated with Christ in the heavenly realm, and much more. And he encouraged believers to believe what the Bible tells us who we are and to live free and not bound in chains of addictions. 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who is ready to find true freedom from satan’s power and they are ready to discover who they are in Christ. I immensely liked how he included countless scriptures about what the Bible has declared about us. I really enjoyed the chapter on winning the battle in our minds and how we can truly renew our minds. He shared how a habit only takes six weeks to form and then it becomes a stronghold on our lives. I liked how Neil shared how we can renew our minds and break the power of strongholds on our lives. We can choose to believe the lies of satan or we can choose to believe what God has declared over us. I liked how he instructed believers on how we can break the power of satan’s lie and the way to do this is to expose his lies with the truth found in God’s written Word. This is the first time I have read this book and it’s one that believers need to get and to dive into who they are in Christ. If people would, I believe we would see an increase of unconditional love and the love of Christ would overflow into every area of people’s life and people would receive and walk in freedom. 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.” 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Victory Over the Darkness, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Over-Darkness-Realize-Identity/dp/0764235990