In case you forgot, I love to read.  Stacks of books seem to pile up all over the house — most of them half read.  Other women buy shoes; I buy books.  For 2012,  I am purposing to be a bit more intentional about my reading plan.  I hope to read 12 books and post a “Net Out” here on the blog using a  format similar to Michael Hyatt’s.

Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk About God’s Deliverance by Beth Moore is packed full of Scriptural truths to help the believer live a victorious Christian life.  Applying the principles outlined in the text will transform a ho-hum, stagnate, or defeated believer and provide the spiritual ammunition needed to walk forward in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Moore shines a bright light on the dark pits that sin and suffering create  and offers us a rope to help us climb out and stand on firm ground again.

Here are some “take away” truths that captured my attention:

• Choosing to forgive sets us free:  “Forgiveness is not passivity, dear one.  It is the ability to withstand the pressing, quaking gates of hell.  Take this power and wield it.  It’s your right as a child of God.  In the power of Jesus, first you will it and soon you’ll feel it” (p 33).
• The enemy uses distractions to entangle us and lead us to destruction:  “Anything that becomes a bigger preoccupation in your mind than the truth and knowledge of God, anything that dwarfs His truth and knowledge in your imagination, is a stronghold” (p. 61).
• Sometimes we have to wait for deliverance — it’s a season God hopes we will draw closer to Him and grow to know Him more intimately:  “While you wait for God to work and to manifest your sure deliverance, you wrap yourself around Him as tightly as you possibly can.  Ask Him to make you  more God-aware than you have ever been in your life.  Bind yourself to Him with everything you’ve got so that you will ultimately–inevitably–go anywhere He does” (p. 155).

I am so thankful that I read this book — the Scriptural truths found here are now part of my defensive arsenal.  I know that I will return  to this book again and again.  I plan to keep it handy.  If you are feeling defeated or discouraged in your walk, I highly suggest that you pick up this book and grab a highlighter.

Up next will be Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan, a book that unpacks how the unconditional love of God breaks through and radically changes our lives.   Want to read it with me?  I will be posting about it on June 22nd.

I would love to hear about what you are reading.  Feel free to share in the comment section below to be entered in a Giveaway — I will be giving away a copy of each of these 2 great books.

One additional entry can be earned for each of these:

• Follow @3dLessons4Life on Twitter. Leave a comment indicating that you did.
• Tweet or Retweet about this contest giveaway.   Leave a comment indicating that you did.
• “Like” 3dLessons4Life’s Facebook page.
• Use the box on the top of the sidebar on this page to subscribe to this blog. Leave a comment indicating that you did.
• Grab the 3dLessons4Life button from the sidebar and add it to your blog. Leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can connect!

Just make sure to enter on or before June 1st to participate.  Thanks for stopping by!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Karen Sue and Karen.  You are the winners!!! 🙂

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