Book Review: Priscilla Shirer's Fervent

Prayer. It works. I've seen it happen time and time again - in my own life and in the lives of others. But I know all too well that sometimes prayer becomes something that we should do and something that we don't usually do. Yes, life gets in the way, things get messy. But you know what can fix the mess and help you take control of your life? PRAYER!

There are two things in my life that really increased my prayer time:

-becoming a mother

-Priscilla Shirer's book FerVent

First, I need to back up and tell you that if you have not heard of Priscilla Shirer, then you need to google her and watch some you tube videos. This lady is passionate and KNOWS HER STUFF. She is one of the most inspirational people I have ever had the privilege of hearing. She and God are tight! And one thing that I love about Priscilla is that she isn't a neat and clean and quiet Christian. No, this girl gets in the mess with others and she prays BIG. She believes our God for Big things and expects Him to deliver because He has promised us that He would.

So let me tell you about her new book FerVent. What immediately caught my attention was a list she included at the very beginning of the book. She listed strategies that the enemy uses to attack you and your character in your daily life and you may not even know it. Some of these things I am experiencing right now, and seeing her include this list has made me more aware of what was coming up against me. Just having this simple knowledge has helped me seek out scripture when forces are battling and helped me pinpoint what I need to be praying.

Here is the list of the enemy's strategies against you:

-Against your passion

-Against your focus

-Against your identity

-Against your family

-Against your confidence

-Against your calling

-Against your purity

-Against your rest and contentment

-Against your heart

-Against your relationships

Through the book, she focuses on each of those strategies and uses a ton of scripture to show you the truth. To show you exactly what it should be and not what the enemy wants you to think. Sometimes (and I am guilty of this myself), we are so quick to get mad at God because things aren't going our way. Or we even get mad at ourselves. But what about the enemy? Do we get mad at him? We should!

Here is an excerpt from her book that I had to share:

But what makes you think it's somehow all God's fault? Or your fault? Or everybody else's fault? But never the enemy's fault? Why aren't we equally as quick to recognize the telltale marks of his darkened ideas and initiative?"

Priscilla is quick to remind us that God convicts us, the enemy condemns us. She uses scripture to point us to the grace and empowering mercy of Christ, all throughout her book. And after she has walked us through each strategy that the enemy uses against us, she gives us a guide to start writing our prayers to overcome all of the strategies. She instructs us to have our prayers include part Praise, part Repentance, part Asking and a whole lot of Yes.

FerVent teaches us the truth and helps us put our words and thoughts into prayerful action. I've often found myself saying a quick prayer ("God please fix this situation") whenever I'm in need and letting that be it. Thanks to FerVent, I'm given practical ways to create my strategy and have my words mean something when I'm talking to God. I'm partnering with God like never before.