“By the Power of the Spirit” and “Surprised By the Voice of God” by Jack Deere

While these are two separate books (the former written before the latter) they were together in the edition I was lent to read. Wow is my first reaction. There was such a hard truth laced through the words, a truth that is so often ignored by today’s church and believers. I could go on for pages to tell of the things that God challenged me with through this author. Causing me to re-look at scripture that I always used to understand because it was taught to me, not because God revealed it, or I experienced it.

If you are someone who is a Christian, and is wondering if what your faith hold is everything. I encourage you to pick up a copy of either book (or both) and dive in. You’ll be challenged and encouraged, see God as bigger and more glorious, and be more excited about what it means to know Jesus.

I give it a Seven out of Seven rating.

(I like rating things out of odd numbers because then you can’t cop out and give an ‘average’ rating).

Review of “By the Power of the Spirit” and “Surprised by the Voice of God” by Jack Deere

Our Weakness

In general I’ve always felt ashamed of my weakness, it was the reason my eyes lit up the first time I heard the phrase Renaissance Man. He was what I desired to be, a man without weakness, adequately versed in every area. This however is exactly contrary to how God desires to use us. Throughout the bible God uses our weaknesses for His Glory, His Kingdom, and His purposes. Moses was a stuttering fool who was to approach the most powerful ruler and demand he release thousands of slaves… Even the apostle Paul, who was intelligent and respected as a Jew, needed to forget everything He once knew, and pointed to that as a sign of his conversion, and the power of God.

God uses us in our weaknesses and inadequacies. Not because of them, not to make us more whole, but so that we know it is God. To humble us and cause us to dance through the streets screaming praise to the name Jesus.