BOOK REVIEW:

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy, Period! A Practical Guide to Everyday Spiritual Warfare

S.M. Wibberly. Xulon Press 2301 Lucien Way, Suite 415, Maitland, FL 32751, 304 pages, 2010, $18.99.

–Reviewed by Dick Scoggins,  founder of Fellowship of Church Planters in Rhode Island, then Training Director in England working with several miss.on organizations, and now in Los Angeles working with European and American miss.on organizations as well as The Guild (www.uscwm.org/theguild).

I love this book because it mixes strong theology with excellent practice. Steve has lived in several other cultures where he has had to look at his own western worldview and make appropriate changes to fit the new cultures. This helped him discern how to effectively “be” good news in them. His first chapter is on worldview and is suitable for all who are journeying to find a Biblical one that faces up to the hard realities of life.

The author progresses right to Spiritual Warfare where he exposes the darkness of the enemy and our role in this war. From there he goes on to practical ways to live out the life of light in a world of darkness. There are no simplistic formulaic answers, but rather biblical, spiritual practices that help us cooperate with God’s working in the difficulties and shadows of this world. He illustrates these with an abundance of examples from his own journey.

His emphasis on connecting with God through the Word and Worship is excellent. When I got to the sections on Psalms, praise and worship, I slowed way down. I had been exposed to this, but never really “got it”. It was so helpful to read through Steve’s personal experiences and prayers as they enabled me to go much deeper than I ever had in these areas and helped me get to a whole new level of connecting with God.

This book does an excellent job of giving enough direction for the reader to enter into the experiences Steve outlines, that of living above pressures rather than under them. At the same time it avoids the simplistic formulas which are bound to disappoint. It has an excellent mix of the practical with the mystical (personal experience with God). It is useful for personal growth, for member care and for discipleship.

I highly recommend it.

This book is available in paperback and Kindle at https://knowingjesusisenoughforjoy.com/.  All profits from books bought from this website go directly to missions.

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