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From the Stack of 2023

Joshua 1:8 (AMP) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read (and meditate on) it day and night, so that you may be careful to do (everything) in accordance with all this is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.

At the beginning of the year I pull out a stack of books to read. Often as I read, I will purchase more due to the recommendation of the author. Including in my books are devotions, Bible Studies, and (not pictured) my Bible. I was asked to pull some nuggets from some of my favorites. Here is what I read in 2023:

3 Bible Studies:

  • Ephesians by Joyce Meyer
  • Finding I Am by Lysa Terkeurst
  • Steps to Freedom in Christ by Neil Anderson & Steve Goss

6 Devotionals:

  • Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
  • From Faith to Faith by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland
  • Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer
  • Jesus Calling for Christmas by Sarah Young
  • Awaken by Priscilla Shirer
  • Live in Grace, Walk in Love by Bob Goff

20 books:

  • The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller
  • Humility, the Joy of Self-Forgetfulness by Gavin Ortlund
  • A Woman’s Walk with God by Elizabeth George
  • The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
  • The Well Watered Woman by Gretchen Saffles
  • No Back Doors, The Charles Graham Story
  • What Every Believer Should Know About Spiritual Warfare by Marcus Warner
  • The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson
  • Understanding the Wounded Heart by Marcus Warner
  • Setting Your Marriage Free by Neil Anderson
  • The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
  • The Nature of God by David Yonggi Cho
  • It’s Not How You Look, It’s What You See by Lisa Bevere
  • Loving God with All Your Mind by Elizabeth George
  • The Awe of God by John Bevere
  • God Still Speaks by John Eckhardt
  • Setting You Church Free by Neil Anderson
  • The Answer to Anxiety by Joyce Meyer
  • Becoming a Discipleship Making Church by Neil Anderson
  • Killing Kryptonite by John Bevere

Finding I Am (How Jesus Fully Satisfies the Cry of Your Heart) by Lysa Terkeurst: Lysa Terkeurst is one of my all time favorite authors. Of all the Lisa’s she is the one I have not seen speak in person. I have seen Lisa Bevere and Lisa Harper, but have yet to make it to a conference to see Lysa Terkeurst. Finding I Am was a study I did in 2020 and I decided to bring it to the ladies of my church for a small group. This study takes you through the seven “I Am” statements of Christ. What I love is that it even shows Christ at the beginning in Genesis. My favorite “I Am” statement is “I Am the Vine”. In John 15, Jesus tells us that we are to be connected to the Vine to bear much fruit. In order to bear fruit, there must be times of pruning, and that is actually when the gardener (or God) is closest to us. The pruned branches of the vine resemble a cross and that is us transforming more into the image of Christ. I have to choose to remain in Him on a daily basis.

Love Out Loud, 365 Devotions for Loving God, Loving Yourself, and Loving Others by Joyce Meyer: Joyce Meyer is another author favorite of mine. Her testimony of overcoming bitterness and anger from her childhood trauma is inspiring. Love Out Loud is a devotion that I have read over and over for the past few years and have decided to retire to start another one of hers. The heart of Loving Out Loud is to be intentional. Matthew 22:37-39 (AMP) And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’

Awaken: 90 Days with the God Who Speaks by Priscilla Shirer: This was a recommendation by a friend. Priscilla Shirer also wrote Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God is Speaking that I read in 2022. This devotion reminds you of the importance of God’s Word. An excerpt with her prompt: “When you’re tempted to put yourself in a better position by bending a biblical principle, stay anchored to the right path. When the Spirit alerts you to a ground rule (which feels in the moment to be unnecessary and inconvenient), don’t recoil in rebellion. Deny yourself and follow Him. Run to win. Trust your Father to keep you on the winning trajectory, the one that leads to hearing ‘well done’ and enjoying the long-lasting satisfaction of eternal accomplishments – the only achievements that really matter anyway.” What are some basic, biblical guidelines you’ve gotten away form prioritizing? Ask the Lord to bring them to mind. “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22 CSB

The Well-Watered Woman: Rooted in Truth, Growing in Grace, Flourishing in Faith by Gretchen Saffles: This book was recommendation from my Amazon shopping due to the other books I have ordered. Some quotes:

  • The earth that was made to bear fruit would now also bear thorns and thistles, pain and disappointment, suffering and sorrow. In our struggle with jealousy, thorns grow. In your bitterness against the person who betrayed you, thorns grow. In your desire for something that God hasn’t given you, thorns grow.
  • I have learned firsthand that even if the roots are bad, hope is not lost.
  • The gospel uproots the lies buried in our souls and plants truth in their place.
  • Maybe you feel like weeds and worries are the only things growing in the soil of your life.
  • God can take the Babylon of your life and make it into a beautiful place of revival and restoration. But first you must plant a garden. You must surrender you own plans and purposes to exchange for His, which are far greater than anything that you could conjure up in your human nearsightedness.
  • True success begins in total surrender, in exchanging self determination for Spirit-led discipline.

This books encourages you to get closer to Christ through His Word. Allow the seed of the Word to flourish in your life. Allow it to do the work in you to uproot everything that keeps you from the freedom He desires for you. Replace that root system with Him.

The Awe of God: The Astounding Way a Healthy Fear of God Transforms Your Life by John Bevere: John Bevere is another author that I read from every year. I also ready Killing Kryptonite this year. Everyone of His books are going to point back to the topic of reverencing God and honor. John writes, “The person who fears God doesn’t say within themselves, ‘How close can I get to the line of sin and not fall in?’ No her or she says, ‘ I want to be so close to God, and so far away from that line, that I can’t even see it.'” Another great insight was into the three images we hold about ourselves: “Every human being has three images of themselves: a perceived image, a projected image, and an actual image. Our perceived image is how others see us. Our projected image is the way we desire others to see us. Our actual image is who we really are, and while it can be hidden and unnoticed by others, it’s fully visible to God. If I am self-focused, then I’ll seek to project an image that will cover my known inadequacies. If we succumb to the pressure of comparison, we highlight our shortcomings and in turn self-promote or self-protect, and it all begins in our motives and intentions.” When we realize that it is God who we are pleasing, then it changes how we present ourselves. He already knows the real us. My lack of fear puts out our a projections, my holy fear of Him enables me to live who I actually am. There is freedom.

God Still Speaks: How to Hear and Receive Revelation from God for Your Family, Church and Community by John Eckhardt: This was a book I wanted to read because I had read Destroying the Spirit of Rejection from him in 2022. The way God communicates with me is often prophetically. Did you know that when you are speaking out His written Word that you are prophesying? He also gives me vision and dreams. I do not like to draw too much focus on them because I think we have fancied the prophetic anointing that we lose focus on the Word giver Himself. It is important to have a submissive and teachable spirit. John writes, “As they minister spiritual gifts, it is extremely important for all of the saints of the local assembly to truly remain a submissive and teachable spirit toward their pastor and their local leadership. The pastors and other leaders have been given the responsibility to be shepherds for both the people and for those who are ministering in their gifts. Input and correction given by those in authority should be eagerly received by saints, who should desire to manifest their ministry in a way that will compliment the philosophy of the local church. No prophetic team member should ever assume that he or she does not receive direction or correction form the pastor. (See Proverbs 12:15).” The prophetic anointing is often seen as confrontational. Our desire is to see the body of Christ to be fruitful. They truly do love the church.

Understanding the Wounded Heart by Marcus Warner: I also read What Every Believer Should Know About Spiritual Warfare by this author. In both books he uses the acronym for WLVS (wolves). It is a spiritual term of the enemy, satan. WLVS stands for Wounds, Lies, Vows and Strongholds. “Wounds are like plowed soil. Lies are like seeds. Vows are like vines. Strongholds are the fruit that grows on the vines. Strongholds are unwanted fruit such as anger, depression, anxiety, shame and addition.” What we rehearse in our minds become what we believe as truth. Here are some examples: “My father ignored me, so I believe I am worthless.” John also writes, “If people are going to see real transformation, they are going to have to deal with root level issues.” God wants us to be honest, sometimes that reveals things that we don’t like about ourselves. He can work with that. Christ wants to be what we are rooted and grounded in. What does the devil want, “He gets us to fixate on the facts that ‘prove’ his point, and he distracts us from those facts that might give us a different perspective.” The enemy wants to distract us from the truth of God’s Word.

No Back Doors: The Charles Graham Story: Charles is a long time friend of my husband’s family. I first met him as a teenager. Before we married, we would travel to California, and my husband would stay with Charles. He took us to the Six Flags and Universal Studios while we were there. He sang at our wedding and stayed at our apartment when we were on our honeymoon. He spoke at the service that changed leadership from my husband’s parents to us, for the church we now pastor. Charles has always been the model of hospitality. When I read No Back Doors I was more enamored of the love of Christ that Charles really exudes. It is not fake. Charles grew up in rural Arkansas on a farm that his family worked on. He grew up when they desegregated schools. God took him from rural Arkansas to travel the world to minister the gospel, not to mention the tremendous voice he has to sing. He now owns the mansion that farm is on. He really demonstrates the love and forgiveness of Christ.

Becoming a Disciple Making Church: A Proven Method for Growing Spiritually Mature Christians by Neil Anderson: I read four books by Neil Anderson this year. This was my first. In reading his books, it was recommended to read the books by Marcus Warner. Everyone of his books also points to his study, The Steps to Freedom in Christ: A Biblical Guide to Help You Resolve Personal and Spiritual Conflicts and Become a Fruitful Disciple of Jesus, of which I lead small group this year for my church in the spring. Neil writes, “New believers must first become firmly rooted in Christ in order for them to grow in Christ, and live freely in Christ.” There are different levels to growth. They all must point to Christ. Chart on levels of Growth from the book:

The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming Negative Thoughts, Irrational Feelings and Habitual Sins by Neil Anderson: Neil writes, “God never designed the soul to function as its own master.” Denying ourselves and submitting to Christ brings us out of bondage. We are all tempted in three areas: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. “There is no way you can cleverly word a prayer so that God must capitulate your will. That not only distorts the meaning of prayer, it is an attempt to manipulate God. The righteous will live by faith in the written Word of God and not demand that God prove Himself in response to their whims or wishes, no matter how noble they may appear to be.” When we are screaming for God to do something in our lives for change to happen, we must take an inward look. “Whose responsibility is it to submit to God and resist the devil? Whose responsibility is it to put on the armor of God, take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, stand firm in faith, and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its lusts? “ At the end of the book he takes you through the steps to Freedom in Christ as he does in his study. The biggest hurdle for most is that of forgiveness. He spends a lot of time in all of his books on this topic.

It is hard for me to just pick a few books, or just a couple. I love to read. I am sure you can see that. Why read books like this? I glean from others revelations. When I read His Word, He brings back to remembrance other things I have read. It brings a fullness to who God is. What do I do with the books when I am done? I put them on my shelf and pull them out again. I have pulled out The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller and Humility, the Joy of Self-Forgetfulness by Gavin Ortlund to read again this year. I have also pulled out X: Multiply Your God-Given Potential by John Bevere to read for the third time. My prayer is to always grow deeper in His Word, but also be a doer of His Word. People are important. When I grow myself, I desire to see growth in others also. Discipleship is not about making time for people, it is about making yourself available. I do not want to just make time for God, I want to make myself available to Him.

Lord of Lords, Kings of Kings, Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, You are who reigns above it all. You are Worthy of Honor and Praise. No other Name is above Yours. Thank You for sending Your Son to be the Lamb, the Root of David, the Word made flesh. We are walking in righteousness because of You. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit now dwelling in us. We now can walk in the fullness You created us in. We repent for not standing on the truth of Your Word. We have fallen in the trap of lusting after our own gratification. We choose to surrender to Your Word, Your Will and Your Ways. As we read Your Word, let it be a Light and Beacon of Freedom. We choose to walk in Your statutes and precepts. We are casting off any exalted thought that does not line up with forgiveness and has misaligned us to take on jealousy, envy, bitterness, resentment and anger. We choose freedom this year. We choose joy this year. We choose hope this year. We choose love this year. Grow Your Love in us, so that it is all that flows out of us. We choose surrender this year. In Jesus Name, Amen.