Handle With Prayer by Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley's book Handle With Prayer: Unwrap the Source of God's Strength for Living, originally released in 2000 is a great book for any believer. He write this on the back cover, "Prayer is essential to the life of every believer. It connects us with our heavenly Father and opens the door for Him to move in our lives, to impact our circumstances, and to help us make wise choices. Yet few of us would claim to enjoy a satisfying prayer life. So how can we begin to cultivate a prayer life that truly makes a difference?" Personally this is an area that I struggle with. The concepts and insights that Charles Stanley has definitely come from a life that is cultivated by prayer. Stanley tackles multiple areas in this book, including 1) How to pray with authority, 2) How to receive answers to prayer, 3) Why prayers can seem to go unanswered, 4) How to pray in God's will, and 5) How to pray for others. It's definitely not an easy book to go through, and it's one I'm sure I will come back to. A lot of times I find myself reading fast through some of these books and then feeling like I didn't get a lot out of it when I'm done. I once again felt that way with this book, but it's not because of the book but because of me. I can say though that throughout reading this book, I was constantly thinking about how my own prayer life was stacking up to what Stanley is talking about. I can tell you that I've been convicted that my prayer life is not where it should be. This book can and I believe will serve as a catalyst for people to take a long, hard look at their prayer life and act on it; either continuing in their life of prayer or like me, learning how to cultivate a life of prayer. In the back of this book, Charles Stanley has provided a resource for large or small group settings. Prayer is private and corporate and as this book affects those who read it, the chance to gather with others and continue to grow together in community will further cultivate a life of prayer in the lives of those in the study.

Special thanks to The B & B Media Group, Inc. and David C. Cook for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

How to Reach Your Full Potential for God by Charles Stanley

As I closed this book after finishing it, I found myself glancing over the title once again on the cover. Originally I thought this book was going to be a kind of "how-to" manual and in a way it is. However as I thought about the title again, I found myself putting it in the form of a question. Then thinking about that question, the only answer I could come up with is God. I realize that may sound cliche, but it is also the ultimate answer. Then reflecting upon the content of this book, everything we do should be based upon Him and His Word.

One thing that I really liked about this book is that we are all different, which is the way that God made us, yet even though this book is in a way a "how-to" manual, it is applicable to every single one of us. Even though God is the basis of everything we do, I can't forget the question the Lord asked of Charles Stanley at the beginning of the book, "Do you want to reach your full potential?" We are still a part of achieving that full potential. Granted what we bring to achieving that, God has already given us, but it is the gifts that we have, the desires that we have, and the goals that we have that are still pointing us to that potential. Using all these in light of God is what makes it full. The seven essentials Charles Stanley works through in this book are exactly what is needed to keep God in the center of achieving our full potential:

Essential #1. A Clean Heart
Essential #2. A Clear Mind
Essential #3. Using Your Gifts
Essential #4. A Healthy Body
Essential #5. Right Relationships
Essential #6. A Balanced Schedule
Essential #7. Taking God Approved Risks

Another thing I appreciate in this book is how he backs up what he is saying with scripture and uses examples of people and what they're going through and have learned to help illustrate again what he is talking about. God is the key in reaching our full potential. It begins and ends with Him and this book is a fantastic reminder of that.

Special thanks to Thomas Nelson and the Book Review Bloggers program for providing this complimentary book to read and review.