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Believing God
by Beth Moore
Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004
Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
We all claim to believe in God, but how often do we actually believe God? Do we take his words to heart, believe in His promises to us, and His ability to make miracles happen? Beth Moore, the director of Living Proof Ministries in Texas, uses the biblical story of the Israelites wandering in the desert for forty years searching for the promised land as a metaphor for our own lives. The goal of "Believing God" is "to encourage any Christian who will listen to move to his or her personalized place of divine promise and to flourish." Moore does not define this "promised land" as a life of ease or wealth, but rather as the place where we fulfill the destiny God put us here to accomplish. As we cooperate with God and God's plan for us, our lives take on greater meaning and we achieve an inner peace.
Moore encourages everyone to make a five statement pledge of faith: "1) God is who He says He is, 2) God can do what He says He can do, 3) I am who God says I am, 4) I can do all things through Christ, and 5) God's Word is alive and active in me." Several of the chapters of "Believing God" are dedicated to exploring each of these statements in greater detail. All five are powerful and have incredible ramifications for our lives, but perhaps the most life-changing statement is "I am who God says I am." As Moore states, "I tend to want to rewrite it, 'I strive to be who God says I am.' Nope. That's not what the Word says. It says I'm already who God says I am." And so, who are we? In Ephesians 1:3-8, we discover that we are "blessed, chosen, adopted, favored, redeemed and forgiven." Moore also maintains that God tends to purposely put us in situations that force us to face our insecurities because God wants to weed them out of us.
After discussing the five statements of faith, Moore turns her attention to helping the reader discover her promised land. She explores the importance of Scripture in our lives. She also encourages us to explore our own history with God in order to discover that God has been faithful to us. Lastly, she maintains that there will be moments of wonderful revelation, but that most days, following God and believing God means doing the basics - prayer, worship, and giving. By living our lives in tune with God we can have confidence in a "long-term victory."
"Believing God" is a powerful book. It forces the reader to take another look at a faith that she may have taken for granted. It encourages all of us to make "faith" an action rather than a noun. Most importantly, it can help us become the people God intended us to be.
Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of The Spiritual Woman Newsletter and author of Letters to Mary from a Young
Mother(iUniverse, 2004). She has a Master of Arts in Applied Theology from Elms College.
© Spiritual Woman Press, 2005. All rights reserved.
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