The final words of Jesus as He was dying on the Cross are a spiritual journey for us to explore. In Seven-Mile Miracle, Pastor Steven Furtick uses the words of Forgiveness, Salvation, Relationship, Abandonment, Distress, Triumph, and Reunion as 7 mile markers we can use in our relationship with God. Furtick says that we are more than Believers - people with faith in Jesus, more than Disciples - pupils who learn from Jesus, but also Followers of Christ. These words are an opportunity to follow Jesus closer than ever as we move forward. Pastor Furtick has a writing style that is very captivating. Scripture, personal anecdotes, and other stories are used to bolster what he is trying to convey, and it is laid out simply so that anyone, no matter if they are on the first steps of their spiritual journey or have traveled the path for decades, can understand what he is explaining. The story that stood out the most for me in this book was the 2 followers who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It's just one of those I have read numerous times, but became more vivid to me as I read the book.
As with any book concerning spiritual growth, you will want to compare it with God Word. When doing a quick turn-around for a review, there is not as much time. But I did get a lot out of it and found it a good reminder of the significance of the words spoken on Good Friday. There is much to be learned as we travel a spiritual path and we should all pause to remember what we have learned along the journey. Seven-Mile Miracle is a good companion book to read as you reflect on the final words of Jesus and dig deeper into your Bible. Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book at no cost to myself from Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.
Steven Furtick is the bestselling author of Sun Stand Still, Greater, Crash the Chatterbox, and (Un)Qualified.
He is also the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church, based in
Charlotte NC, which since its founding in 2006 has grown to multiple
locations across several states. He preaches around the world and holds
the Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary. Steven and his wife, Holly, have three children and live near
Charlotte, North Carolina.
Crashing the chatterbox = Overpowering lies of insecurity, fear, condemnation, and discouragement with the promises of God.
“I
used to think that someone who struggled with the kinds of weaknesses I
deal with daily was useless to God. I felt so often like I was drowning
in internal dialogue I couldn’t control. It had been the soundtrack of
my life for as long as I could remember.
Yet everything changed when I began to realize God has given us the ability to choose the dialogue we believe and respond to.
And once we learn how, we can switch from lies to truth as deliberately
as we can choose the Beatles over Miley Cyrus on satellite radio.
This
is the key to pressing ahead and doing God’s will anyway, even as you
are bombarded with thoughts, feelings, and even facts about why you
can’t do it.
I’m now awakening to the reality that we can access
the power of God’s promises to constantly crash the system of our
broken beliefs. I’m learning how to overpower the shouts of the Enemy by
bending my ear to the whisper of God’s supernatural truths about my
identity in Him and His strength in me.” -STEVEN FURTICK, from Crash the Chatterbox Crashing the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others by Steven Furtick
My Review: This isn't my favorite of Furtick's books, but I do like it. I enjoy his style of writing because I find it easy to relate to many of the stories. He creates a visual that comes alive, and often triggers my own memories of similar situations. "Chatterbox" is a perfect description of that voice of negativity that seeks to block out all other voices...or amplifies the negative, both real and perceived, that you hear from others you encounter. A simple comment morphs into a criticism; at least that is what the 'chatterbox' wants you to believe. Pastor Steven says that the four key areas that can be so debilitation are Insecurity, Fear, Discouragement, and Condemnation. That voice has the power to make you lose the confidence to do what you were made to do, and more importantly, to prevent you from listening to the promises of God.
The book is divided into 4 sections: God Says I Am, God Says He Will, God Says He Has, and God Says I Can. In each, Furtick uses both personal anecdotes, passages from the Bible, and his insights. There is no simple solution to how to crash the chatterbox, but I would distrust him if he said there is. This is more of a reminder that we will struggle, sometimes the battle will be tougher than others, but that we can ignore the shouts of the deceiver and learn to listen to the quiet, soothing whispers of God. He promises to be with us in all things no matter how discouraged or afraid we may feel. God allows us to be part of His plan, but it is not as dependent upon us as we sometimes think. The book ends with a series of discussion questions that can be used for your personal study or as part of a small group.
Steven Furtick is the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church, a multi-site church based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pastor
Steven has been privileged to minister to a global audience, speaking
at conferences and churches around the world including Catalyst
Conference, Hillsong Conference, and the Willow Creek Global Leadership
Summit. He is the author of the New York Times® Best Selling book,
"Greater", "Sun Stand Still", and his most recent release, "Crash the
Chatterbox".
Pastor Steven holds the Master of Divinity degree
from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.
Greaterby Steven Furtick is a book that challenges you to overcome fears, failures, and self-perceptions that you aren't good enough and to do greater things for God. One quote that I really liked was, "Most believers aren't in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They're facing a danger that's far greater - wasting them." Using the Biblical account of the prophet Elisha, Furtick demonstrates how a life that was ordinary is made extraordinarywhen Elisha chooses to abandon all ties to his former life when he is chosen as successor to the prophet Elijah. Throughout the book, various details and stories of Elisha are shared to encourage one to not settle for good enough, or be overwhelmed with grandiose dreams of greatness; simply offer God what you have and see Him use it and you!
Since I truly loved Sun Stand Still by this author, I was excited to see another book by Steven Furtick. I was not disappointed with this one either. So many books paint such overwhelming portraits of doing for God, and often by means that I can't do. While this does mean stepping out in faith and expecting God to be able to use you, it is by offering what you have, even if it seems insignificant. The verse spoken by Jesus on the back cover, "I tell you for certain that if you have faith in Me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father." (John 14:12), really stood out to me as a promise by God that we often overlook. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who wants to fully embrace their faith and not just plod along in the mundane.
Founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC), Steven Furtick, is a young man with a passionate message to share. "Sun Stand Still", subtitled What Happens When You Dare To Ask God For The Impossible is based on Joshua 10:12-13 "On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
"Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and moon, over the valley of Aijalon." And the sun stood still and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. Isn't this written in the Book of Jashar? So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed its setting almost a full day."
I admit to being just a tad skepticalwhen I selected the book. If this was going to be another formulaic, 'name it and claim it', 12 easy steps to prosperity-type book, I wanted no part of it. While I am very familiar with the power of prayer, I also know that Christians are definitely not promised that life will be easy. So, I was glad to see that this is a well thought out reminder that we serve the same God as Joshua, Elijah, Moses, and the other people of faith we read about in our Bibles. These are not merely stories, but actual accounts of people who God used to demonstrate His glory and power.
Steven gives several examples of the power of "audacious faith" from both Biblical events and personal eyewitness. He also clearly admits that some prayers have a delayed answer and that sometimes the answer is "No". Many books make me feel inadequate because they are often about people who are successful...at least by worldly standards. I read this feeling that my prayers are no more nor less valid than any other who is willing to ask God for the seemingly impossible. We all have areas in our lives that only God can handle. This book encourages you to boldly ask for the impossible (& not selfishly), and to put your faith in action. Don't just sit idly by while you wait on God to act. I was also glad to have him stress that we should examine our motives and our sins. Instead of being just another young, 'rock-star' preacher spouting off the latest craze in feel-goodism, I found this to be a book that I can use to grow spiritually. I certainly do recommend it to others.
"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review".
