Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Revised and Expanded [Paperback]

Henry Blackaby (Author), Richard Blackaby (Author), Claude King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

The Experiencing God ministry is even more vibrant today than when it began. As it continues to rise, and the world continues to change, the Experiencing God book has been revised and expanded with more than seventy percent of its material newly written. A modern classic that has sold millions of copies worldwide, Experiencing God is based on seven Scriptural realities that teach us how to develop a true relationship with the Creator.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Henry Blackaby is founder and president emeritus of Blackaby Ministries International, an organization built to help people experience God. He and his wife Marilynn have five children and fourteen grandchildren and live in Rex, Georgia.

Richard Blackaby is president of Blackaby Ministries International and the oldest child of Henry and Marilynn Blackaby. He holds degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dallas Baptist University. He lives with his wife and children in Canada.

Claude King is editor-in-chief for undated resources at LifeWay Christian Resources. He holds degress from Belmont College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and lives with his wife in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books; Rev Exp edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805447539
• ISBN-13: 978-0805447538
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Can Lead Christians to Experience God But Can Also Lead Them Astray, September 9, 2010

By 

Fr. Charles Erlandson (Tyler, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Revised and Expanded (Paperback)

"Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby and Claude King (and now also Richard Blackaby) seems to be a book for which reviewers find no middle ground. Almost all of the reviewers give the book 5 stars (with one 4 star book) and one 1 star review. I find that the book has the potential to lead many to a deeper, more meaningful experience with God but also has the potential to lead many into false views of how God works with His people today.

On the positive side, the book can be profitable as a devotional book that leads people closer to the heart of God. Blackaby is on target when he teaches that God is always at work around us, that He pursues a love relationship with us, that He takes the initiative, that He invites us to join Him in His work, and that God speaks to His people. He's also right when he emphasizes that joining God requires major adjustments and obedience. Reminding people of these truths and teaching them to look for a personal encounter with God is a good thing. "Experiencing God" can help God and the Bible become more personal in the Christian' life.

This new, revised edition also has additional chapters on "Experiencing God as Couples," "Experiencing God in the Church," "Experiencing God in the Marketplace," and "Experiencing God in His Kingdom." These are helpful to the degree that they help Christians realize that God is present in every area of their lives.

However, I find that Blackaby's presentation of how we experience God is misleading in some ways. For the reasons I list below, I can only give the book 3 stars. Although Blackaby includes a number of ways that we may experience God (the Bible, Prayer, Circumstances, and the Church), his fundamental approach is an individualistic one. Such an approach, without proper checks and balances, can often go astray. This is especially true because Blackaby teaches that "God gives specific directions." While this may be true in some circumstances, it is not true in most cases for most people. This is a problem in two ways. First, I've experienced too many Christians who claim God told them specific things that were not true: what check was there on this false interpretation? I've seen the most lawless Christians claim that God speaks to them quite specifically about the smallest details of life while many of the godliest Christians I know make no such claims. There is too much emphasis on what amounts to individual, subjective experiences with God. Second, what happens when you pray and act faithfully, and yet God doesn't speak specifically or act miraculously? You end up either blaming God or yourself when neither is to blame. (Or, perhaps, you could realize that He may be working in other ways in your life.) In general, Blackaby presumes that God will be following some script that I find He often doesn't follow.

These errors proceed from a fundamental error in biblical interpretation: the belief that God will speak specifically to us the way He did through the patriarchs or other biblical figures. Again, this may be true at certain times, but this is nowhere taught in Scripture as the primary means God speaks to His people, or we would have seen it taught a lot more directly, for example, in very personal Paul's letters. I'm also wary of stories where God tells people to go out and do something they are unprepared to do, only to find that God miraculously delivers them. Do I believe that God can and does do such things? Absolutely! But I've seen too many Christians act presumptuously and foolishly in the name of God on this basis. Furthermore, I've seen too many Christians become addicted to God's miraculous deliverance in their lives when what He really wants is a day by day, moment by moment faithfulness - even when the miraculous isn't present.

Of course it's not necessary that such errors will proceed from reading "Experiencing God." But because of an overemphasis on and distortion of certain ways in which God deals with us, Christians who follow such an approach should also be aware of some of the ways that such an approach may, in time, lead them astray.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book!, May 4, 2009

By 

Mary Singer Wick (Raleigh, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Revised and Expanded (Paperback)

I absolutely loved reading every word in "Experiencing God". The examples of how a life of surrender to God's will can be used in such a powerful way was such an encouragement to me. I go back to this book every couple of months to be inspired and challenged as I want the Lord to use me for His glory in the world! You can't help being moved to draw closer to Jesus by Henry Blackaby's story. Mary Singer Wick, author of "My Heart's Desire: A Journey Toward Finding Extravagant Love".

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personalized Lord & Savior, January 24, 2009

By 

David H. Squires "D. Hunter" (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Revised and Expanded (Paperback)

Yes this is a hard-core Christian book, which, of course, I make no apologies for ;-) This book made me get on my needs and pray to God that I would never try to do anything for him again, that's right. You see when I got out of grad school I thought I was going to be this super missionary and save the world of everything, including poverty and hate. Needless say it made me realize that much of my attitude was based on pride and arrogance, not realizing that the only thing my creator wanted from me was intimate love and devotion...not my "skills & plans". I literally cried and prayed with my Savior after my brother in Christ, Blackably, helped me realize this. Needless to say it was a very illuminating and personal experience for me. And yes, from my personal love relationship with God, I do have a strong desire to be apart of His Kingdom on earth and share in its work - which sure beats trying to do things for Him that I think he wants. David H. Squires