A balanced look at spiritual warfare: My review of "Spirit Wars" by Kris Vallotton

ABOUT THE BOOK

You know the battle is raging--but are you fighting the right enemy?

Just as enemies fought Joshua in the Promised Land, and Nehemiah faced opposition as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, our enemy will fight us as we approach the spiritual terrain God has promised us. Most Christians retreat at the first sign of conflict because they fail to recognize the true nature of the battle. But you can prevail in freedom and joy.

Sharing his deeply personal story of demonic bondage, torment and ultimate deliverance, pastor and bestselling author Kris Vallotton turns the idea of spiritual warfare as we know it on its head. He reveals the diabolical lies and strategies of the enemy--attacks and traps so subtle and deceptive that we may find our souls and hearts imprisoned without even knowing it.

No more! Now you can win the invisible battle against sin and the enemy. Victory is within your grasp. Will you take hold?

MY REVIEW

Spirit Wars is an easy-to-read, well-written book that is part memoir and part training-manual pertaining to  issues of spiritual warfare and deliverance. No doubt some readers of this book will be skeptical of the stories the author shares, wondering if such things really can happen in a post-modern society where belief in demons is often rejected as something only the uneducated believe in. However, as someone who is both educated and has had personal experiences involving someone being delivered from demonic oppression, I can tell you that the evil one is indeed at work in our world, and the author provides a powerful book to help us understand how people come to be impacted by the hidden realm around us. I greatly appreciated the author's willingness to open up about his own life and the challenges he's experiences. I also found the book to be very practical, such as how the author shares "counselling tools" or discusses how the gift of discernment operates. However, what I most appreciated about this book is that at no time does the author try to blame demonic oppression for everything that is going wrong in someone's life. Instead, he advises readers to consult with health care professionals, to take care of their physical body, and to visit counsellors trained to deal with mental health issues along with spiritual warfare. I will admit that I am still pondering many things that I read in this book, trying to discern my way through them. At the end of the day, however, I strongly recommend that readers interested in spiritual matters and the demonic realm pick up this book to learn from Kris Vallotton's own experiences and to help inform their own beliefs on such matters. Whether readers agree or disagree with what they read, this is a subject that all Christians should be aware of, and this book is a great place to start!

I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kris Vallotton is the senior associate leader at Bethel Church in Redding, California, where he has served with Bill Johnson for three decades. He has written several books, including the bestselling The Supernatural Ways of Royalty and Heavy Rain. His prophetic insight and humorous delivery make him a much-sought-after international conference speaker, and his personal testimony of deliverance from fear and torment brings hope and freedom to thousands. Kris is also the cofounder and senior overseer of the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, which has grown to more than 1,300 full-time students, as well as the founder of Moral Revolution, an organization dedicated to cultural transformation. He has appeared on numerous media outlets, including The 700 Club. Kris and his wife, Kathy, live in Redding, California.

READ AN EXCERPT

Spirit Wars

BUY THE BOOK