Book Review: Life Changing Prayers

Today, I'd like to share my review of a book that made a profound impact on the way I think about – and practice – prayer! 

Read on for my review. 

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Book Title:
Life Changing Prayers: How God Displays His Power to Ordinary People

Author: Michael Youssef

My Review:

This book contains a powerful message on the power of prayer!

Ultimately, the author advises the reader to look at prayer as a way of life.

He addresses issues that many a believer faces such as rushing through your time with God when we really should be enjoying and soaking in our time with Him. The author gives us a reality check in that, the Creator of the Universe is always available for us. Human resources like licensed counselors and crisis lines may have their limits and times when you cannot reach out for help but God is always ready and available to help us!

How do we reach God? Through prayer. How do we pray “life-changing prayers?” The author answers that question throughout this book.

He breaks down his message into a total of seven chapters that each focus on a Bible character (Hannah, David, Jonah, and Mary, to name a few). Though each character’s story is different, they are connected by one common trait—they were “ordinary” people who each prayed a prayer that changed their lives and made an impact on human history!

The author wraps up his message in the epilogue that teaches on the purpose of prayer. He opens the epilogue with mention of a British evangelist and early missionary worker in the Salvation Army. The person’s name was Rodney “Gipsy” Smith. The author says, “Gipsy Smith understood that the purpose of prayer is not to change God but to allow God to change us. The purpose of prayer is to bring God’s power into our lives, to open us up to God’s blessings and God’s power to change us.”

And that concludes my review of Michael Youssef’s book! It’s a powerful, wonderful read that will encourage the heart of the reader.

I highly recommend it and think that it deserves a five-star rating.

*I, (Alexis A. Goring), received a complimentary copy of this book (Life Changing Prayers: How God Displays His Power to Ordinary People) from the author’s publisher for me to read. My opinions in this book review are my own.

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Book Blurb:

They were just ordinary people--a loyal servant, a woman who desperately wanted a child, an old man who still had hope, and a young teenager who couldn't quite believe God's great love. 

Ordinary people who prayed extraordinary prayers to an extraordinary God. They weren't always eloquent. They weren't always the type of person you might think God would listen to. But they trusted God and his plans for their lives, and that made all the difference.

Life-Changing Prayers tells their stories and shares their desperate, hopeful, and gratitude-filled prayers, inspiring and emboldening readers to ask God for the desires of their own hearts. 

Anyone who desires to pray life-changing prayers, as well as anyone whose prayer life has grown stagnant or nonexistent, will find here the encouragement to pray confidently and expectantly to the God who always hears--and always answers.

*Buy this book on Amazon.

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Author Bio:

Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams (www.LTW.org). 

His weekly television programs and daily radio programs are broadcast in 25 languages and seen worldwide, airing more than 12,000 times per week. He is also the founding pastor of The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, with more than 3,000 members.

Dr. Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States. In 1984, he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia, and from Fuller Theological Seminary in California.

In 1984, he earned a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Emory University. He has authored more than 30 books, including recent popular titles End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi, and Jesus, Jihad and Peace.

He and his wife reside in Atlanta and have four grown children and eight grandchildren.

Devotionals for the Heart: Silence

On Quietude and Silence
A devotional by Lisa Lickel

“Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” 
–Habakkuk 2:19-20 (ESV)

In his book, Freedom of Simplicity, Richard J. Foster says, "Silence frees us from the need to control others. One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. A frantic stream of words flows from us in an attempt to straighten others out. We want so desperately for them to agree with us, to see things our way. We evaluate people, judge people, condemn people. We devour people with our words. Silence is one of the deepest Disciplines of the Spirit simply because it puts the stopper on that."

Have you ever been in a meeting or a group activity at which one member verbally overflows and can’t find the shut-off valve? How does that make you feel? For me, I tend to go through the cycle of compassion for the speaker, then boredom about the third repetition, then wrestle with the desire to cut in and state my opinions, then frustration that I can’t get a word in edgewise, then disappointment or even anger if there’s a facilitator who won’t do his or her job and keep the purpose of the meeting flowing.

We tend to be afraid of silence—of the quiet—don’t we? The child who is quiet too long, the space between question and answer, the degree between deciding and decision. Am I wrong? Are they going to make of me? You’re wrong and I have to tell you why.

When we bought the property where we now live, my husband and I had a five-year discussion about where to eventually build the house. He had his reasons and I had mine. Mine had to do with the desire to be far away from the road and not be able to see neighboring houses. His had to do with the expense and work of maintaining a lengthy driveway. It wasn’t a contest and we each won. One of the common observations guests point out is “It’s so quiet.”

Except for the birds and the farm noises of our neighbors and the occasional clip-clop of horses and buggies, and the pheasant who crows at five thirty every morning outside our bedroom window, I think But yes. Exactly. Our home is a refuge from clamor. But there is still that meeting of the volunteer association, Bible study, of neighborhood get-togethers where we run into “motor mouths.” 

As I grow in my refreshed faith, I am learning the practical aspects of quietude at home and in public. I appreciate the positives of what happens when I don’t run off my mouth, or even my thoughts, desperate to get my point across. You know the biggest benefit? I listen much better, and not just like the birds and the clip-clop of horses. I can hear the quiet places in my neighbors’ hearts and appreciate their beautiful made-in-Christ’s-image faces. Quite often, someone else in the group has the same thing to say that was on my heart and has a much better explanation.

We are siblings and heirs, or we need to be. Sometimes the Gospel is best modeled through a quiet attitude, and in silence.

My prayer: Thank you, Father God, for two ears and one mouth, and an open heart.

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Author Bio: 

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. 

A multi-published and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and workshop leader. 

She is a member of Chicago Writers Association and part of Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., mentoring writers from across the U.S.A. and Canada.

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Connect with Lisa:
Website: http://www.LisaLickel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X