Book Review: Experiencing God as Your Provider

Experiencing God as Your Provider

By Brian Kluth

Best For:  This book is a must read for every Christian believer. I highly recommend it!  I suggest women read it because we give every day in many ways. In addition, we also can greatly affect the decisions our husbands make on our family’s behalf.

Overview:   In this book, Brian Kluth goes to great depths to detail God’s perspective on provision, finances, and generosity. He separates the book into three parts:  “recognize God’s provision,” “receive God’s principles”, and lastly “respond to God’s plan.”  Right in the very introduction he brings a challenge that there are about “2,350 verses in the Bible on these subjects that affect our lives every day”. Kluth goes right to the heart when he shares that “studies would show that Americans (including Christians) have built their lives on consumerism more that contentment, greed more that prudence, leisure more than labor, and debt more than diligent savings.” The truth hurts sometimes!

            Author, Brian Kluth, describes numerous true stories and testimonies of people putting God to the test with their money because as he so accurately reveals that we are simply just stewards or managers of the money that comes to us-not owners. He encourages giving first to God, living debt free, saving, being generous, and investing in eternity. There are so many valuable and wise words written in this book, it is very difficult for me to not write it ALL down in this review.

Few Quotes:

“Transfer ownership of all we are and all we will ever have back to God… once we do this, we become managers and stewards of whatever God entrusts to us to utilize in the various seasons of our lives.”

“We need to learn to be Jesus with skin on. We need to be the answer to someone’s need and prayer. Not only should we learn to receive from God, but we also need to learn how to be God’s agent of blessing for someone else...whether it’s by your time, efforts, resources or whatever”

 “How we handle money is a leading spiritual indicator of our faith. If we hold tightly to ‘our’ money, it’s a clear sign of spiritual trouble.”

Application:  I was personally challenged by a true story he told about a time when he pastored a church and shared with his congregation Isaiah 45:3 from the Bible:, “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name am the God of Israel.” He was telling the people that money comes into our hands from unknown sources that we don’t know about or expect, and the key is that we must seek God about that for what is His purpose for it? Kluth was asking his church to be sensitive to God if they get money in the following ninety days; they had a deadline to purchase a massive new church building worth 2.2 million for only $500,000. One man was irate the pastor (Kluth) said these things and this scripture from Isaiah. He told Kluth how he felt after church. The next day he was at work and was called upstairs into the office, which always meant you were getting fired. The boss handed him an envelope and inside was a five hundred dollar bonus! In all the years he’d worked there he had never heard of them doing this. When he walked back to his work area the Bible verse Kluth shared at church came to his mind and God touched his heart. He knew what had just happened was like the Bible said, it was true. He signed over the whole check to the church.       

Honestly, I had never heard this scripture before and was quite jealous of this man’s experience. I wanted something that blatant to happen to my husband and me! I had been reading this book and so challenged in my giving that I asked my husband if we could give some money to someone because I knew that person was in great need. He quickly agreed and we gave it. About eleven days later we received a check in the mail that we had NO idea about- a refund check from a property closure many years ago! It happened to us! We knew right away this was like that Scripture in Isaiah and prayed what God would have us to do. We tithed on it and waited what God would have us do. Then an urgent need came to our attention that we were able to help out with. Looking back we can see that check was definitely for that purpose it got used for. We are so thankful we asked God what to do and did not spend it all right away. Also, I want to give a testimony and thank God because since this time my husband has received an increase in his pay at work (he works another job besides being the pastor of a church).

My Thoughts:  This book is a reference point in my life in the area of giving and being generous.  Author Kluth challenges people to be “open handed in a tight fisted world”…which happens to be the title to another one of his books.  I really believe that as my husband's wife, I can greatly influence our financial decisions for good or bad. My husband wants to hear my opinion on matters before he decides. My attitude and heart can affect many things-one of the main areas being money (how it is spent, how it is saved, how it is given). I’m so thankful my husband desires to give to God and others. 

 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

 ~ Psalm 1 from the Bible

Book Review: The Time of Your Life

The Time of Your Life

(Finding God’s Rest in Your Busy Schedule)

By: Susie Davis

Best For:  Women that would like to hand over control of their time over to God and to recognize their rest comes from being with God and doing what He says.

Overview:  In the introduction of the book, the author quickly states that “this is not fundamentally a self-help, ‘get organized’ book.” I agree with Davis, the book is designed to make you think about time through God’s eyes. Do we allow him to direct our time and order our days? Davis is personal; she begins each chapter with an illustration, mostly from her own life. I love the end of each chapter where Susie Davis calls for a “Time Out” offering challenging questions to think about.  For example, “If a casual acquaintance could peer into your life, who or what would they identify as the driving focus of your life?” Davis encourages the reader to do a self examination of our personal “Time Traps”-- issues of our hearts.

Few Quotes:

“Simply put, all time belongs to Him. He lends each of us an allotted amount of time for our use, but our time is ours only to use, not to own. And we’re responsible to the Creator of time for how we treat His gift.”

 “We may think we need more time for ourselves. But what we really need is time with the One who knows us better than we know ourselves.”

“God says rest, and I do everything but. Why? I believe it has to do with the fact that people have a fallen nature that rails against authority. In this case we rebel against a heavenly Father who has our best interest in mind. We think we know better than He does, and we want to do things our way. It’s our time, remember? So we keep on going, driven by the clock, by the expectations of others, and by our own desires, racing along at someone else’s speed other than God’s.”

“The truth is, ‘time deprivation’ is a lie. It’s what I playfully call a stupid Satan trick…Not one of us on this grand green earth is deprived of time. And not one of us can control time either. Each day each of us is given the same twenty-four hours. It’s our choices that limit us, not our time. The insidious thing about time-deprivation thinking is that it implies God has somehow cheated us out of our capacity to be our best. He has handicapped us by giving us too much to do and too little time to do it in.”

Application:  As I went about my day, I began assessing my time and how I spent it. I looked to see if my priorities matched the time I spent on them. I’ve tried to be conscious of the little interruptions-as I call them-in my day.   I have tried to take the extra time to be kind to someone, listen to them, or pray for them.  When my daughter asks me to hold her, I’ve tried to seize the moment and put down what work I’m doing (that I perceive as important) to cherish a tender moment with my child. I’ve made time to be still before God, draw near to Him and be quiet before Him.

Davis talks about observing the Sabbath and resting. I chuckled when I read that she has had the no laundry rule on Sundays because so do I. I don’t work an outside job, but one of my main jobs at home is keeping up the laundry. I decided about five years ago that I would abstain from doing laundry (and all other housework unless there’s an emergency) on Sundays.  It has brought me tremendous freedom and definitely a measure of rest to live this out, although sometimes I’m tempted! When I implemented this on Sundays, I’ve found that I have a lot more creativity to where I can’t even take a nap; and I’m free to hear God’s voice and what He would show me.

My Thoughts: I came away with the absolute fact, the hard truth, the simple revelation that time is not my own. I don’t own it. Susie Davis does a very thorough job covering the issue of time and remembering that it is a heart issue, not a clock issue. I must seek Him every day for His will, casting aside every trap that would rob me of things possessing eternal value. Can I really ever say I’m too busy for God? I hope not. God has so many things planned for those that will seek Him. We will truly be having the time of our lives if we seek and serve Him!

P.S. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME STARTS TOMORROW…time to move forward!

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days,  that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Book Review: The Power of a Woman's Words

The Power of a Woman’s Words

 by Sharon Jaynes

Best For:   All women to be challenged and reminded of the potential for impacting various people with our words.

Overview: The book is separated into three sections-the power we possess, the people we impact (children, husband, friends, believers, the world, and God), and the potential to change. I love the many quotes and scriptures she inserts into the chapters throughout the book. Sharon also includes a myriad of real life illustrations. I really appreciate the ideas at the end of a few chapters, such as for kids and husbands-words to avoid, words they long to hear. At the end of another chapter there’s a list of simple words of kindness to use when speaking with anyone. In the last section of the book on the potential for change, Sharon shares there are at least twelve proverbs that tell how the heart affects our speech-change begins with the heart. Sharon also gives a list on the difference between truly listening and waiting for your turn to talk…great insight!

Few Quotes:

 “When we become women who expect the best in others and use our words to tell them so, they usually go to great lengths to meet our expectations.”

“I am the product of the power of a woman’s words. Mrs. Henderson’s words to me about Jesus Christ and God’s love changed my life. But it wasn’t just her words about Jesus that made the difference. It was her words about life in general that drew me like iron shavings to a magnet. She made me want what she had-excitement, enthusiasm, and a zest for life.”

“If we want to change the way we speak, I believe the first step is to check on the condition of the heart.”

“Jesus was a very busy man. And yet He was never too busy to offer a kind word to the men and women who crossed His path on a daily basis…they were not interruptions at all. Each encounter was a divine appointment from His heavenly Father, who controlled the moments of Jesus’ days. Could it be that God is sending us out on special assignment each time we cross the thresholds of our homes?”

Application:  I challenged my kids and myself to memorize Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” I want them to know the affect of their own words at a young age. It has been helpful in doing so because in situations I refer them to that scripture and ask them if their words are bringing death or life to someone else. Just by teaching and asking my kids that question helps remind me, too! I think a testimony of this is seen in our kids. Our son Rob was really being complimented for dressing up for church. My husband and I believe that our older son Marcus began to dress up for church as well- for one of the reasons being that he heard the positive praise Rob got for doing so. Positive praise and encouragement have brought an atmosphere into our home that makes it pleasant to dwell in for everyone.

My thoughts: Not only are our words powerful, but this book is powerful! It is vital to read about the power of our words and the impact and affect of them on people’s lives. I highly recommend this book as it challenges, convicts, inspires, equips, and encourages all to think before we speak. Our words can change the course of someone’s life!  After reading this book I desired to pray, for the author states that words are “never more powerful than when we use our words in prayer.” 

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” ~ Psalm 19:14

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie OMartian

               

The main point of this book is that prayer is powerful. What is prayer? Prayer is talking to God from your heart-being honest, open, and humble in your own words you speak to Him. Prayer is not something formal, it's casual. It's sharing your heart with God. One of the many amazing things about God is that He always delights to hear us talk to Him.
Stormie says in the beginning of her book that prayer is “relying on God’s power to transform you, your husband, your circumstances, and your marriage.” The greatest thing I can do as a wife is pray for myself and my husband. Stormie clearly lays out a plan for praying for 30 specific areas (first one being you the wife) to pray for.  When I first saw the book, I thought wow there are so many areas I can pray for my husband that I never thought about. Thankfully, I have been enlightened!

Stormie sets about to pray for one specific area per chapter, but first starts out each chapter by talking about a personal story or example or words of wisdom from the Bible that God has shown her about that area.

Here’s a list of specific areas Stormie addresses:

1.       His Wife

2.       His Work

3.       His Finances

4.       His Sexuality

5.       His Affection

6.       His Temptations

7.       His Mind

8.       His Fears

9.       His Purpose

10.    His Choices

11.    His Health

12.    His Protection

13.    His Trials

14.    His Integrity

15.    His Reputation

16.    His Priorities

17.    His Relationships

18.    His Fatherhood

19.    His Past

20.    His Attitude

21.    His Marriage

22.    His Emotions

23.    His Walk

24.    His Talk

25.    His Repentance

26.    His Deliverance

27.    His Obedience

28.    His Self-Image

29.    His Faith

30.    His Future

I personally wanted to continue to pray for these areas for my husband, so I typed them out and made it into a bookmark in my Bible. So, when I would spend my time with God reading and praying, I would see the list and continue to go through it praying one each day.

Also, I didn’t feel I had to word my prayers exactly as Stormie did verbatim when praying for my husband, but I’m thankful she offers that in her book as a launching pad for my own prayers. It’s not about saying a specific prayer over and over again exactly the same way. It’s about having a right heart about what I’m praying for and trusting God to move in those areas.

A wise word someone shared with me going along with this is, “Don’t pray for others what you cannot pray for yourself!” i.e. Deliver them from pride…I must be willing to pray that for myself.

Stormie is very encouraging when she says, “There is a time to speak and a time not to speak, and happy is the man whose wife can discern between the two.” Sometimes it’s better to be quiet and pray about it!
Happy Praying!