Customer Reviews

The Life God Blesses: The Secret of Enjoying God's Favor

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Similar in size and format to the popular Prayer of Jabez. Contains excellent examples of God working in the lives of Bible characters and also in people who Jim Cymbala knows.

A couple of key thoughts for me...

1. "God is not interested in how many seeker-sensitive churches there are, but how many seeking churches there are..." (p. 73)

2. "We had better quickly discover whether we have mere religion or a real religious experience with Jesus, whether we have outward observance of religious forms or hearts that beat in tune with God." (p. 129)

I'm an associate pastor in a large Baptist church and believe that this book will make a major impact on our community.

This little gem is brief (154 pages) yet contains many good spiritual points, including:

1. God deeply wants us to have listening hearts.
2. Show tenderness and mercy to those who wound us and
leave them in God's hands.
3. Waiting on the Lord is the key to being blessed - let
Him bless you in His time and way!

I particularly like the way Cymbala writes with a pastor's heart instead of the professionalism that seems to pervade ministry today. For example, the author sensitively uses the lives of King Uzziah, King Josiah, and Hannah to illustrate important spiritual points and how their lives serve to remind us of God's love and willingness to bless us if we only wait on Him instead of trying to "flesh it out" ourselves.

All in all, an excellent read for the person who needs encouragement and assurance that waiting on God is best for those who love Him!

Having reread Bruce Wilkinson`s Prayer of Jabez many times,this book proves despite world circumstances,true inspiration of the Holy Spirit permeates today,and did not end with the Book of Acts.The authors wife Carols newly released book "He`s Been Faithful"is a third illustration of specific testimonies of lives redeemed thru faith in Christ. You will not put this on the bookshelf without having your faith renewed!

I love Jim Cymbala's writings! He is so honest, broken, and sincere. Every page oozes warmth and Christ-like generosity. This book is one of his best! I will definitely read it again for inspiration and encouragement.

I have never written a review before, but this book gave me the heart to do it. It is a must read! I can't say enough about how it has truly inspired me to step out in faith and trust in God. I want to read all of the other books that he's written as well.

This is a book all Christians should read. After reading this book, I was compelled to confess all of my sins throughout my life, which took quite some time. I awoke at 3:49am with the secrets to a blessed life; 3 C's for a blessed life Conviction, Confession and Communion.
May God bless you

God is looking for people who have a heart that is completely devoted to Him. This paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 16:9 is the thesis of this book by Pastor Jim Cymbala. Jim refers the reader to texts such as 1 Chronicles 28:9 and Luke 16:15 and 1 Samuel 16:7 to further demonstrate God's concern that we have a heart for Him.

Chapter one describes the sad story of a televangelist whose preaching had become judgmental and shrill, and whose life was careening out of control. He refused to listen to wise counsel, and he ended up in sin and shame. Cymbala relates this to the experience of King Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25, a man who totally obeyed God at first, to his great benefit, but a few verses later, he inexplicably started worshiping the gods of the Edomites. When the was warned by the prophet, he wouldn;t listen, and he and the people were routed by the northern kingdom and came under God's awful judgment. We must have a heart that is completely devoted to God all the time no matter what.

The next chapter talks about how we sometimes imitate our sports heroes, but that we should really be imitating God, the greatest hero of them all (Ephesians 5:1). We should be like David, a man after God's own heart (1 Sam 13:14). Cymbala also refers us to the beautiful verse in 2 Chronicles 26:5: "As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success." The stories he tells are beautiful but they do not always make the point that we are to be imitators of God. The chapter starts out with this theme, but it then goes on to talk about seeking the Lord rather than imitating the Lord. He does get back on track somewhat with the story of a young man who was brought back to the Lord because of the godly example of his dad.

The next chapter is about looking up to God in prayer. Jim describes a woman named Silvia Glover who prays passionately for him and his ministry, and who seems to be able to read his mail, for her prayers her always right on the mark for the needs in his life. He reveals that her rough background has taught her to lean on the Lord for everything, and this is why she is such a passionate person of prayer. That is her true gift.

Pastor Jim compares her to Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. It is a reminder that the life God blesses is a life of prayer. He bolsters this point with references to Psalm 4:3, James 4:2, Psalm 86:4, and other verses as well.

The next chapter is about the power of tenderness. Jim relates a story of an accident he and some friends were in, and how the student nurse that admitted them to the infirmary screamed whens she saw them. He goes on to say that how we respond to people and events tells a lot about who we are (I didn't get the point, how did this woman's reaction illustrate this point, and what does it tell us about her? How does this relate to the Life that God blesses?)

Jim goes to explain that Josiah responded to the spiritual crisis of impending judgment in 2 Chronicles 34 with a tender heart toward God. Good scripture, bad opening illustration.

He follows it up by referring us to Mark 3:1-6, where the Pharisees haver hard hearts toward Jesus rather than tender hearts. How often we are like the Pharisees, whose hearts are not soft and pliable before the Lord. Jim says that we need to remember that it was RELIGIOUS folks with hard hearts that put Jesus up on the cross (ouch!).

In the last chapter, Jim stresses that sincere, heartfelt prayer was the way that God blessed his church and it is the life that God wants to bless now.

I liked this book. Not all of the stories matched up real well with the points that were made, but Jim shows a heart to apply the text to the lives of his people. Pastor Jim himself is an example of a life God is blessing, a life of prayer and tenderness toward others and a heart that is completely His (2 Chron 16:9). Recommended.

I stumbled upon this book in my dear friend's car, and having been acquainted with his teaching ministry I was excited and expectant that it would be a great book to read. Now that I have gone through it, great read seems inadequate to explain the experience. Many of us know that King David is described as a man after God's own heart and we love his penned psalms as his passion seems to resonate from the pages of the book to our very hearts causing us to declare in our times of need, `The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want', or melodiously sing `As the deer panteth for the waters so my soul pants for God'. Reading this book however gave me a renewed love for King David and allowed me to truly know why his life was so blessed.
With statements like, "when was the last time you can say we heard from God?" or "God is a speaking, communicating God but someone has to be listening on the other end", pastor Cymbala turns the torch light on your own heart. I continually found myself measuring my `actions with the precepts of God' and challenged to `cultivate a listening ear.' In this book he addresses the question of what was so special about David's heart that allowed him to enjoy God's favor.'
What I really loved about this book is how much you are kept in the word of God. Example after example is taken from scripture so you can glean from the successes and failures of those who have walked the faith walk before us. Coupled with his experience and the testimonies of his church members this book reveals the life that God blesses. I heard a great woman of God once say if your expectation is of the Lord, you will not be disappointed. You will truly discover the secret of enjoying God's favor when you read this book. God's heart still resonates through the pages of his word and it takes the work of a skilled miner like pastor Cymbala under the direction of the Holy Spirit to dig them out. A must read for those who seek to know Him.

I love the author's insightful elaboration on King Uzziah, King Josiah and King Amaziah, and his intelligent quote of scriptures. However, as his true fan who had ranked his "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" and "Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People" to be the first and the third in my Books for Christians" Listmania list here on Amazon, I am obliged to comment that this book is far from his best. No matter whether you had read his books or not, I strongly recommend you to start with or to buy the aforesaid before this.

p.s. Below please find some of my most favorite passages for your reference.

The problem was, God was speaking, but nobody was listening. pg 22

Notice that only the grace of God can teach us to say, "No!" properly and effectively. All the human resolve we can muster and all the well intentioned promises we can make are utterly powerless against the strength of fleshly desires. It is only as God's spirit works within us "to will and to act accordingly to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13 pg 63

Seeking after God is a two pronged endeavour. It requires not only the humility to say, "God, I need you." but also a heart that desires a pure life that is pleasing to the Lord. As long as King Uzziah sought God in both these ways, it was impossible for anyone or anything to bring him down. pg 75

A humble heart is like a magnet that draws the favor of God toward us. pg 87

I know of only two ways to raise large sums of money: Pray and give. pg 151

This is not even near to Jim Cymbala's best book.
Before buying this book I'd get his previous titles:
"Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" and "Fresh Faith" and "Fresh Power".

I highly recommend all three of those titles. They have truly impacted my life.