Book Review: Walking with God

Walking with God: Living the Promised Life by Mindy Ferguson Paperback: 221 pages Publisher: Hensley Publishing First Released: 2007 Study set on Publisher's Website

Source: Review copy of book provided by the author.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Scripture doesn't document events just for history's sake. Every account has a purpose and a lesson. Take Joshua, for example. He was a man who walked with God. His story is recorded because his journey represents yours. His life, and the lives of the Israelites often paralleled the spiritual battles and struggles you encounter as you walk with God today.

If you look closely you might even be surprised to recognize a little of yourself in Joshua. He was passionate, and at times presumptuous. In his many battles he experienced both victories and defeats. He set his heart on obedience, but sometimes he struggled to be "strong and courageous" as God commanded him.

God promised Joshua and the Israelites an inheritance in the land of Canaan. But in order to receive that inheritance, they had to decide to leave Egypt behind and walk with Him into the land of promise. Sometimes they followed Him obediently and without question. Other times they chose their own way. Each decision impacted their journey.

In this study, you'll find that God has given you, too, a designated area where you can flourish as you use your gifts and talents. You'll recognize how He is preparing you for your future, just as He prepared Joshua. You'll see how He can use each experience, good or bad. And you'll learn how, like Joshua, you can walk with God every day of your life.

You'll discover why walking with God means living your faith. It's trusting in Him and Him alone. It's seeing the giants, but stepping confidently into the future because you believe the promises of Christ.

Walking With God is the difference between slavery to sin, and freedom in Christ. It's victory not defeat. It is living the promised life. It is a journey like no other.



Review:
Walking with God: From Slavery to Freedom, Living the Promised Life is an eleven week Bible study that can be done individually (with just the workbook) or in a small group (with a leader's guide, workbooks, and an accompanying DVD lecture series). I did this Bible study individually using the workbook.

Each lesson took me about 15-20 minutes, though some did take longer. It depended on how much Scripture needed to be read for the lesson and how long I spent on the reflection questions or in prayer. While some Scripture was quoted in the book (usually to show how a specific version phrased something), the participant looked up most of the Scripture in their own Bibles.

There were five lessons per week. The first four lessons for each week were mainly focused on passages from the Old Testament (about the promises God made to Abraham, about Moses, about Joshua, and about the Israelites entering their Promised Land). The author also tied in New Testament verses that showed how these promises and events applied to us today as Christians. The fifth and final lesson for each week was a review of what had been learned in the previous four lessons with reflection questions on how to apply what was learned to your own life.

I found the study very interesting. The author pointed out insightful things I'd never noticed before. She also explained the meaning of certain Hebrew words that don't translate easily into English and gave background information to the verses (like where things happened--there's a black-and-white map included). With this Bible study, you send in for a special, free military-like ID tag. It's a "spiritual Identification tag" that will help you remember what you learned in this study.

Overall, I enjoyed this well-written Bible study and learned from it. I'd recommend it to those who feel like they are stuck in old habits and lack trust in God and who want to learn how to break free and live "the promised life."


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: View sample lesson.