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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Book Review & Giveaway

The Necessity of an Enemy
by Ron Carpenter Jr.


I was recently given the opportunity to read & review this book. I am so glad, because it turned out to be an excellent book with a message that I definitely needed to hear.

I was unsure if I would benefit from this book. After all, I don't really have any enemies, not in the human form anyway. But i do at times battle addiction, fear, anxiety, depression... would this book help me understand God's purpose for our own internal struggles?

The answer is yes. Anything you face - any person, any struggle, any weakness - may feel like an enemy. But sometimes your enemy is your best opportunity. ALL things work together for good! God may use an enemy to bring about your great purpose & destiny. But it is all worth it in the end! 

From the back of the book: Congratulations! Your Goliath has arrived! Enemies often get in the way of our plans, leaving us discouraged and disoriented. But what if these obstacles are a part of God's plan for us? Our enemies can become a stepstool to new breakthroughs in life, if we leverage the opportunity. Just as David's encounter with Goliath transformed him from a delivery boy to a national hero, our enemies can be a blessing in disguise - if only we recognize & face them head-on.

Life can be hard. It seems like we have barely made it through one battle, when we're facing another. But this book is a great encouragement & testimony to the fact that God is with us & sees us face our enemies. He knows, and it isn't him punishing or being angry with us! He is actually just using these trials to promote us to the next level.

I think this book was well-written. I also liked how it was broken down into short chapters. It made it seem like an easier read that way! Ron Carpenter used personal examples, too, which was very helpful in knowing that He has been through some HARD TIMES as a pastor but that God truly brought him through it!

Here are some things I highlighted in my copy... 

The unrighteous hate the righteous. The lazy despise the diligent. People want what you have, but they don't want to do what you did to get it. They simply are more comfortable hating you because you have what you have; it's a safer alternative to challenging themselves to rise above their mediocrity. 

The battle is over your position and identity in God's eyes, the purpose you're called to fulfill. Most of the time, your enemy knows and recognizes your potential better than you do. 

If your enemy knew all he was doing by making you greater by bringing adversities in your life, he would back off. Because all he is doing is bringing about God's intentions and being used as a pawn of God, a catapult to propel you towards your destiny. 

The enemy knows that if you ever uproot and defeat the enemy within, you'll be free to help others win the same battle. 

Some people could be delivered by tomorrow if they would quit giving their flesh so many opportunities. Ouch!

A stronghold of darkness is established when you believe a lie to be a truth. 

In any area of life where we don't know the Word of God, we're vulnerable to enemy activity. 

Bad thinking that sticks will take our lives in the opposite direction of God's plan for us. Bad thinking is a weapon we must constantly battle as new situations in life bring opportunities to choose between believing what we hear from darkness and believing God's promises about us.

I could go on & on, but I think you got the picture. If not, you are welcome to read Chapter One for free! :)

I would like to give my copy to one of you! Please leave a comment if you want this book for free! I will pick a winner next Wednesday at 7pm Central time. Once I announce the winner, you will have 24 hours to contact me, or i will pick a new winner.

{I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.}

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