Great book!

My Bible study group read through this together at a time when we were all dealing with some big spiritual struggles in our church. Talk about perfect timing! Ben is a great story teller, so there are some entertaining moments he uses for illustrating truth...parables, if you will. 😉 He writes with the ability to reveal big spiritual concepts in practical and applicable ways. I highly recommend this for any Christ follower, no matter where you are on your growth journey.

Motivational books and inspiring messages are good for the quick pick-me-up, but what I need for long-term growth is practical information, and that is exactly what this book gave me. Here are a few of my notes after reading the entire book on my flight from DC to Seattle yesterday:

- For much of my Christian life I had the false expectation that I ought to be mostly free from bad habits and addictions. At times I’ve doubted the power of the gospel because of my shortcomings. This book presents a clear case that God never promised to free me from all snares and lusts, rather He’s empowered me to fight and grow.

- Through Christ, I no longer have to wallow in the stagnation of my carnality. This doesn’t mean I will hop straight from sin to perfection, but I’ve been released on a new trajectory towards holiness.

- When is the moment that my temptation first starts? This is where I need to cut it off and resist temptation. Once I’ve taken the first little nimble of the bait, it’s too late.

- Don’t try to avoid worry and stress, acknowledge it and bring it to God.

- Finding joy in my relationship with God and in wholesome activities, will go a long way to helping me resist temptation.

Helped to slow a busy life

Ben has a gift to communicate biblical truth in surprisingly simple ways with great stories. A great resource for every Christian!

Impactful. Practical. Nourishing to the soul. I haven't made it to the second half of the book, because the first half is so flipping good and I have to reread the chapters to catch another glimpse of the rich gospel truths and practical strategies Stuart lays out. Once I read the rest, I'll update my review. This book provides food and tools for the journey, and weapons for the battle. Do your soul a favor and read this book!

From the book, "God has called you into the good fight of life; step into it boldly, strategically." and Ben helps you do just that. He explains practical ways that you can apply to your own life, looking at it from your own personal view on how to go forward, both boldly (God has already won the war. You are not fighting for victory, but from victory, but you do have to step out into it) and strategically (looking at your gifts and passions and setting up your calendar in a way that helps you step into your specific purpose, as well as looking for the patterns of when and where you are easily tempted to wander off into sin, and how best to guard yourself from allowing that to happen with even more well thought out advice to set you up for real success.) Ben Stuart at his best, in my humble opinion. I also appreciated the very real open and honest assessment of himself that while some of his examples happen to be from real SEAL's and their stories, but how he does and really does not compare. Like when he states he wasn't built for battle. He was built for reading books. Seriously appreciated the very real application that we are designed with a purpose and for a purpose, and that we are not all designed exactly the same. I'll be coming back to this book.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Amazing book and an equally amazing pastor and speaker. It is obvious that he loves the Lord and has a desire to share his knowledge and experiences with people everywhere.

The cover is not inviting for me but my goodness, the content resonated in every way. This quote summarizes it perfectly: “…a field guide, a book of ancient methods of transformation transposed into a modern key that offers biblical and practical guidance” on living the transformative Christian life, making war on what is destructive and resting in the God Who loves you. Ben’s writing style is easy to read for me. The book is not just about strategies but he vulnerably shares his life and his battles that resonate. Both profound and practical. Sound theology. Spirit-breathed. I found it interesting that when he sat down to write it, “the floodgates of crazy were unleashed…”. It is no wonder Satan wanted to sabotage this, because in a sense it is an old classic in Christian living made relevant to our modern battles. I will be re-reading and doing the exercises at the end of each chapter.

This book both enlightened and challenged me and I highly recommend for anyone battling through this life needing guidance and encouragement.