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Summary: A powerful book with a powerful message of faith..
Review: The Word says if you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed, nothing shall be impossible to you. This book, though authored by Bruce Wilkinson, is written by the Holy Spirit...the third Person of the Trinity. It is no coincidence that this book "happened" to be written at this time. Hasn't the Prayer of Jabez always been in the Bible? Of course it has. I have been a born-again believer for 24 years now and through all of my readings and studyings of the Bible, I had never even noticed this prayer! But the Holy Spirit has brought this prayer to the eyes of the world that we may KNOW His word is true...yesterday, today and forever. Jesus Christ said that there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed. This is the day of revelation for this prayer. This is the day this scripture is being fulfilled in each of your lives who believes. Be patient, heed the words of the prayer, be obedient and PRAY. It is faith in this prayer and the Word of God that will rain the blessings of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your life. There is nothing magical about Bruce Wilkinson either...nor is there anything wrong with what he has done in publishing this book. He is simply an instrument of God, the Holy Spirit. Be still and Know! What is the book that YOU are to write my brother, my sister?
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Summary: wrong emphasis
Review: I have read enough of this book and the reviews to make the following observation: (In the words of a great Christian:)"Anyone who is made to believe he becomes a Christian except as a result of obedience by faith will seldom bring forth the true fruits of a real convert. He will remain just as selfish as always, except his selfishness will now take on a religious form. If he wants something for himself, he will say he "has a burden" for something, or he will say, It is the desire of my heart." He will pray selfishly, desiring blessings for himself and even if he does pray for others, it usually will be for selfish reasons. After all, when he "accepted the Lord" he was told how much Jesus wanted to bless him and how much God had stored up for his account, and how the Bible was like a "checkbook full of promises, just waiting to be cashed!" Such a person always seeks to "feel" good about himself, his own church, his pastor, etc. His whole world is built on feeling blessed. HE WAS NEVER SHOWN HE WAS CREATED TO BLESS GOD....GOD WAS NOT CREATED TO BLESS HIM. (Psalm 149:4, Phil. 2:13)."
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Summary: Results oriented prayer? Why not?
Review: I have read the book and I can see how maybe some people may see the book as promoting "results-oriented" prayer. Well, why not? If we don't pray expecting results, why pray at all? It is interesting that in the midst of chapter after chapter of name after name the writer stops to tell us about Jabez. The writer tells of a prayer of expectation. Jabez didn't say, "Lord, if you aren't busy, could you..." Some mentioned in a review that the conclusion that the prayer wasn't stated as good or bad. I think it goes without saying since "... So God granted him what he requested." Doesn't it stand to reason that the prayer was a good one? - one that pleased the Lord? Some reviewers mention that the book is at fault for not mentioning the Prayer of Jesus. While Jesus' prayer is the ultimate prayer, the book is about the prayer of Jabez. How does the subject matter take away from the Prayer of Jesus. I don't think it does - it's simply a different study of prayer from another point of view. There is no formula to God. God is sovereign - He deals with us has He wills. It is true that God does not answer every prayer according to our wishes and our timetable. But we are not to limit God with a faith of generality. I believe God wants us to pray and I believe he wants us to pray for specifics. God knows what is best for us far more than we know ourselves. To pray for blessings He has specifically for us is Biblical - not just in the prayer of Jabez, but throughout the Bible. David, Samson, Solomon, Elijah, Paul... many specific requests were granted by God. "We have not because we ask not." All Christians can be better Christians. However, if we try to become better with the power of ourselves, we will fail... every time. Only with the power of God within us can we become the Christians that we ultimately could be. This happens when we pray - and pray expecting results.
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Summary: Illustrations are the opposite of what thebible teaches....
Review: The prayer of Jabez seems to be a fade. When the world as whole especially the unsaved world accepts the fades of christianity then Christians need to examine why. The bible says to try and test the spirits to see if they are are of God or not. The illustation of Terry on the Island of Greece. The author asked God to send somebody by so he could enlarge his coast. His neighbor came over to him... on the train he asked God to send and a lady came... Jesus said we are to Go into the world and preach the Gospel. If Christians sit back and ask God to send we will become lazy and not very aggressive for the cause of Christ. When he did get somebody to come by he never mentioned anything about the most important question of the world. Was his neighbor lady, Terry, or the lady on the train saved? What good is it to explain biblical principles without ever asking the most important question first. Also... when he was on the flight between two guys reading pornography instead of laughing how about appling the enlarging his coast and witnessing. These are important doctrinal applications that are taught in the book through his illustrations. It is easier to read this book than to study the scripture and apply it to ones life but then again that is what much of christianity is about. One last thought God answered Jabez's prayer because he was more honorable. He had character within his soul given to him by God. God is not a genie in a brass lamp that we pray to when we want something.
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Summary: The Prayer That Will Change Your Life
Review: The author put the Prayer of Jabez into perspective and praying it will absolutely change your life! DO NOT pray the Prayer, if you are not ready for all the glorious blessings and opportunities that will occur in your life. I question the christianity of any individual with negative criticism of this book and suspect that they have not sincerely prayed the prayer for 30 days, otherwise, their review would be much different. Don't be fooled by the devil! Read the book!
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Summary: Think Different, Christian!
Review: "To all who--like those Christians in the book of Acts--look at who they are now and who they'll never be, and what they can do now and what they'll never be able to do ... and still ask God for the world." (dedication of the book) This book is no Bible commentary, it's not a rigid exegesis of scripture. It does, however, throw down the gauntlet to those who claim to be Christians, yet expect their "god" to be reasonable & practical. The Reverend Doctor Wilkinson springboards off an obscure text in the "begats" to challenge believers to actually =BELIEVE= instead of settling for their own limitations: LITTLE PRAYER, GIANT PRIZE "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.' And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!' So God granted him what he requested." (I Chronicles 4:9-10) As Wilkinson puts it "Things started badly for a person no one had ever heard of. He prayed an unusual, one-sentence prayer. Things ended extraordinarily well." SO WHY NOT ASK? In chapter two, Wilkinson challenges the believer to "think different". Most of us are conditioned to accept limits and never think outside the box. Why not ask God to bless us? Why not ask God to take us beyond the possible and the practical? He reminds us that God's nature is to bless and that His bounty is limited only our lack of asking--not by the constraints we imagine. LIVING LARGE FOR GOD Wilkinson imagines Jabez looking at his circumstances and concluding "Surely I was born for more than this!" He challenges Christians to stop settling for what is simple, what is convenient, what is practical, and to ask God to move the boundary lines, to enlarge their lives for Him. He presents the equation: "My willingness and weakness + God's will and supernatural power = my expanded territory". THE TOUCH OF GREATNESS In this fourth chapter, Wilkinson challenges the feelings of inadequacy that often come after entering enlarged territory. This, he states, is =DEPENDANCY=, being forced to rely on God instead of on one's own wits and resources. KEEPING THE LEGACY SAFE Here Wilkinson teaches that Christians ought not to ask merely for power to overcome temptation, but should ask to avoid temptation entirely. Being delivered from evil means staying well away from sin, not testing borders. A second point he makes is that Satanic opposition is to be expected by those praying and living the Jabez prayer. When believers are oppressed and opposed, this should not be a point of fear, but an indicator that they are on the right path. WELCOME TO GOD'S HONOR ROLL Wilkinson examines the effect of praying the Jabez prayer in his own life. He points out how "expanded territory" leads to praying for even more blessings and brings an even greater territorial expansion. The only thing that can break this cycle of blessing is sin, which breaks the flow of God's power. MAKING JABEZ MINE He concludes the book with this little challenge: Pray this prayer each morning and keep a record on a calendar or chart; write the prayer where you can see it and be reminded of it; reread his book each week for a month (it's handy, 7 chapters of the book, 7 days of the week); tell another person of this commitment; keep a record of changes; start praying the Jabez prayer for family and church. CONCLUSION & CRITIQUE I ran across this book when my spiritual life was being challenged to look beyond the expected and expect the abundance available to me. This is a great Promise Keeper book. It buys into the middle American mindset but challenges it with the evangelical version of Biblical piety. Most Christians that I've known need the challenges in this book. It's too easy to settle for the practical, rather than inviting Divine transformation of your world and worldview. Again, this is basically a 7 part inspirational sermon on paper, it is not a scholarly piece of Biblical exegesis. Those who complain about the context of genocide miss the entire point of the book. I find one basic flaw in the book, however, it avoids important Biblical social teachings. Wilkinson singles out pornography, divorce, infidelity, the American emphases on rights and freedom as defects. While decrying these sins, he avoids the structural injustices that lead to poverty, homelessness, and oppression. While busily challenging believers to enlarge God's territory, he never mentions Jesus' challenge to care for his suffering children: It's 96 pages long. The Amazon price is minimal. If you're an evangelical Christian, you've got no excuse for not reading this little gem (The chapters are short enough to read in the bathroom for goodness sake!)--but will you actually apply it to your life? A prayer on your knees beats an entire bookshelf any day! ((If you'd like to dialogue about this book or review, click on the "about me" link above. Thanks!)
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Summary: good book
Review: This book was a good read. It is good to follow these principles as Christian soldiers.
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Summary: Invigorating and Interesting Book on Prayer
Review: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!' So God granted him what he requested." (I Chronicles 4:10 NKJV). This prayer is the basis for this short, but powerful little book (hence the slogan "little books, big change"), which records the adventures in prayer of Bible-teacher, author, and founder of Walk Through the Bible Ministries, Bruce Wilkinson. Wilkinson takes the Jabez prayer as a model for seeking God for a life of blessing, strength, and protection in ministry. Woven into his interesting Scriptural insights are accounts of numerous experiences Wilkinson has had of God's blessing in his ministry. I found this book helpful, in that it encourages big (though not necessarily long) praying for God's blessing in our lives. I do not see this in the "health/wealth/prosperity" genre of books. It is closer to the "Christian Hedonism" that John Piper so well unpacks in "Desiring God." Wilkinson is encouraging us to seek God's blessing in our spiritual lives, through service to Him - not in material blessings. Perhaps the book suffers from a few overstatements, like God "always" answers this prayer, etc. Maybe, maybe not. Sometimes God does NOT answer our prayers as we expect, even when they are good. There is also some deviant theology underlying a statement in chapter four, which says that "your loyal heart is the only part of His expansion plan that He will not provide." Strange statement for a book so dedicated to exalting God's power to work through our lives! But despite this, I think the book is valuable.
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Summary: God Knows We Need Him
Review: God knows we need him and that prayers are our strongest communication skills. Maybe they won't be answered in the time we would like or even the way we would like, but eventually he will answer. I strongly believe in prayer and love what the book provides, however, it doesn't havve to be only one prayer or a string of topics focused on any one prayer. Come on, he even knows what we are asking before we ask. In collecting prayers from all over the world, there's a zillion wonderful and in-depth collection to preview, review and pray. But everyday run of the mill heart and soul ones are the very best kind. In fact, I bought a new parenting book called, Mommy-CEO (Constantly Evaluating Others) 5 Golden Rules, by Christian parenting educator, Jodie Lynn, and she has several of the best mom and parent prayers in her own book. I would say Jabez would vote kindly for her outlook on letting go and letting God give us knowledge and the spirit to pray all prayers. As an adult and Christian, who only wants to grow and be guided in the right things to do in life, at home with family and kids and in the secular world, read both these books but never just close your eyes to one segment of prayers. Be open and have the integrity to be honest with yourself, others and the one who guides and controls all, God.
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Summary: Hey! It's a BOOK! Try not to get too worked up!
Review: This is a great book. I'm AMAZED at the number of people that try to defame it because it's not Calvin's Institute of Religion or the Thomistic Summa Theologica -- IT'S JUST A SMALL BOOK, PEOPLE! Yes, he didn't talk about the Lord's Prayer or the dangers of over-praying or...you pick it. What this book says is that God listens to prayer, and that prayer "works." If I can get that into my head, that God moves based on my prayers, then I've gotten a pretty good thing. It's not magic - I agree. It's simply a writer's thoughts about "What would it be like to believe God for my issues?" It's too bad that some people think Jabez had a formula for success. Were that it were possible! It's just that Jabez grabbed on to God. Isn't that the message of the book?
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