Books that change you, help you.

[Aleksander]

Let us hear about the books that you reading, or read before, that helped you somehow. Books that you like. Books that God maybe used in your life to help you somehow.

I can name a few books but I am just going to tell you guys how this one book

The Losing And Taking Again Of The Town Of Man-Soul (The Holy War Made By Shaddai Upon Diabolus, For The Regaining Of The World)

by John Bunyan

helped me.

I just recently got back to reading this book again and in the light of hardship that I went through(and going through right now still sort of), this book is a GREAT blessing to me. Reading the chapters again(I read it before once or twice) and seeing the authour describe the almost identical state of despair and hopelessness that I was in, it the book was a miracle that I needed. It was like reading about what I am going through. It made me cry at times when I kept realising how much God loves, watches over me, safeguards me and cares for me still, even if I loose my way. Even when it feels like there is just too much negative to deal with, too much guilt from the past sins and failures, too hard of the situation to pull through, there is ALWAYS hope. There is always hope of His help, His care, His love and forgivness. No matter the situation, no matter the shadows that surround us, He is with us untill the end, untill we come out victorious over the temptations and doubts that just hit us so hard that they seem impossible to overcome.

Through the past few weeks I felt like I was alone. I felt like God didnt hear me and my cry for help. These past few weeks were a real nightmare for me. I came to realize how much I had slipped from God and His will for my life. I am a born again Christian since 2003 but I had lost sight of the life that God meant for me to have as His child when I accepted Him as my saviour. Around August I lost my job. Thats when things started going downhill and I begin to feel like God didnt hear me, like as if He had withdrawn from me. The hardship that I went through since than, it felt like I was not going to pull through. Whats worse is that by this time I had almost stoped reading the Bible altogether.

But in the middle of all this, I remembered who I am; someone who God loves so much that he died on the cross for me. I slowly came to waking up from the state I was in. Holy Spirit worked in my heart to bring all my failures and sins to light. He kept on showing me all that was against Gods will in my life. I came to realise how much I had lost my way in the midst of the chaotic life I lived outside His will. I attended church, but my heart was not in it. He helped me re-think some things I did and didnt do. A long conversation with my pastor, sleepless nights when my heart was overtaken by fear and doubts, God kept working in me. I felt like His all consuming fire of conviction kept burning me inside and out. And even though I realised that God is working with me, I still had this feeling like God is far away. At the same time I was under satans attacks full of doubts and fears and I felt like God didnt hear my cry for help in my struggle against the doubts. It was a horrible experince, I think worse than anything I went through before.

But through all this, I kept my sights on Him somehow. By His grace I didnt give in and kept on crying out to him, like the citizens of the city in Bunyan's story. This was about the time when I came across this book and started reading it again.

And the story in the book, it seemed to perfectly reflect my state of being. Holy Spirit used that book to let me hear exactly what I need to hear.

Of course, all the glory is to God for all the work that He did and still is doing in me. The book is a big blessing because I came across it right now, and this is exactly the time that God knew I would need it most. He showed me that the time that I spend not reading the Bible but in front of my computer instead, thats what made it hard for me to pull through the temptations. Because of me not reading the Bible enough, God had to use this book to help me pull through.

Anyhow, thats the story. Thank you Lord for this book that I came across at the time that I need it most. I am sorry I did not dedicate more time to reading The Bible.

But enough about me, . Lets hear about the books that you like to read and re-read.

[damo1]

damo1

high wel for me the books that have inspired me and made me think on what christ did for me would be

1 the heavenly man by brother yun we should know of the many christians who are suffering in china

and what the chinese goverment is doing to the in house pastors and how many have suferd and are

stil suffering under an atheist goverment that wants nothing but full control of its people

this book realy impacted my life as a friend of mine lent the book to me and i plan to by this book to add

to my collection what got my attention is how our brothers and sisters in china take hold off everything ;

that we take for granted when god grabbed hold of brother yun his hole life had changed to the point

wear he was eating on every single word of god this man then began to move in the gifts the spirit passed

on to the apostles and soon began to see miracle after miracle happen right in front of him i mean he even

shared how he prayed for his first bible he shared how people had to read from one bible and had to even

hide their bible and keep very silent about their conversion

what got me is this he was sharing how this pastor was killed in front of his own village he preached in

he was placed on a crane and the goverment force or security had a rope around his neck they took this

pastor half way up in the air and then they said you are to denounce your faith if not we wil kill you

he did not denounce his faith but instead they ended up killing him i could not stop crying every single page

i read tears wear just flowing down my eyes this book realy opend my eyes up to what christ did for me

on the cross

another book i just finished reading was by john Eldredge wild at heart i would reccomend this book to men

and to women as this showes women how a man thinks how a man feels inside john eldredge of wild heart

ministrys in colorado springs colorado fellowship helping people to discover the heart of god is a man after

my own heart

yet my very first two book wear by nicky cruze the cross and the switch blade and run baby run

this guy is a mighty man on fire for god nicky cruze does not play around he stands up for those like my self

as i was also from the streets and had a similar life style but the diffrence was i worked for the criminals who ran t

the strip clubs in sydney he is a man that wil stick up for those that others like to put down i would also reccomend

his books

well these are the books that have made an impact in my life but many more which i wil not list due to respect of

the op as i do not want to clog up this thread but end it hear

god bless from your brother in the lord damien

[Leonard]

Plutarch's Great Lives of the Ancient World, Irving's Biography of George Washington,

Churchill's History of the Second World War.

These are not specifically Christian books, but books which lead to the building of great moral character.

[Afal]

One of the main books that has helped me is:

Startling Beauty - My journey from Rape to Restoration.

It is written by Heather Gemmen who herself was raped. It shows that there is hope for victims of rape.

[mrs]

Living the Cross Centered Life by C. J. Mahaney

It will change your Christian walk and set you free from a lot of legalism and entrapment as he shows you, from Scripture, that your security is in Christ and not in your actions. Highly recommended for all Christians.

Humility by Andrew Murray

A classic, every Christian should own this book. Very powerful and convicting. Murray shows throughly and deeply why humility should be the chief pursuit of a Christian, and how by total surrender to God and dependence on Him, we find the truest contentment and peace.

In His Steps

Another very convicting classic. It follows the fictional but real-life possible decisions of a group of Christians who decided for one year to do nothing but what Jesus would have done in their situation.

[Northern lass]

"Finding God" by Larry Crabb and any other books by him. Finding God is about working through our problems to find God, not to solve them. He talks about the various ways we use to solve our problems which are in fact sinful if that is the focus rather than seeking God. I find all his writings extremely challenging.

[Northern lass]

Damo, I've read The Heavenly Man too! It's so powerful! It made me feel I should never complain about my lot again!

[EricH]

1. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

2. Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard

3. The Covenants of Promise by T.E. McComiskey

4. How Long O Lord? by D.A. Carson

5. The Navigators Bible Study Handbook

6. The Gospel of the Kingdom by George Eldon Ladd

[Trusting Jesus]

Wow, there are so many that have made an impact. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I read this when I was a teenager, and now almost 40 years later I still think about it.

Last year as a part of my daughters homeschooling we did a devotional study on A Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. It was great. I had never read this book before, and doing it as a study/devotional was very enlightening.

Taking Back Astronomy by Dr. Jason Lisle.

Frozen in Time by Michael Oard

Faith Undone by Roger Oakland

There are many more, but these are the ones that come to mind right now.

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Nathele