Intercessory Prayer, repackaged edition

Dutch Sheets has written a book that introduces and explains what intercessory prayer does and the role we play in prayer. While this book may look intimidating, trust me, it is not. Mr. Sheets writes with clarity and humor; he writes as if he is having a conversation with you.

Mr. Sheets explains the meaning and power of prayer. He also is very honest about prayer and that when we pray the answer may not always be answered in the way that we want. He also addresses the fact that the answer may not be immediate. I really appreciated these statements because it signified the realness of his writing and true purpose of him imparting these truths of prayer and its meaning to the reader.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about prayer. This book is filled with a lot of in-depth information and will deepen and enrich your prayer life.

Happy Reading!

Note: I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was requiredall opinions are my own.

A few weeks ago, I read Scotty Smith's new book called Every Season Prayers. I loved it so much that I decided to go back through it, much more slowly, and read it again. {And I have been.} But this focus on prayer sort of whet my appetite to study it even more, and that's why I asked to read a book called Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets.

Truth? The book looked incredibly intimidating to me. BUT...it said on the cover that over 600,000 copies of this book have been sold, so I figured if that many people have read it, there must be something of value inside, and I asked to read it.

Truth? It's not a book for the faint of heart. It's not a hard read in terms of being terribly academic. In fact, Dutch is just straight up HILARIOUS sometimes. I love his sense of humor that sneaks in throughout the book and when reading a hard topic, I think you need humor breaks. Reminders that the author is human just like you and has a personality just like you. Having said that, the meat of this book is deep and intense. When the subtitle is "How God can use your prayers to move Heaven and Earth," you probably should expect no less than deep and intense.

Dutch has studied prayer for most of his life and I appreciated the blend of Scripture application and his own personal experiences that he wove throughout the book. I learned so much in these pages. My husband said he was surprised that I was drinking it in like I was, because he knows I love to pray and do it often. I told him that's true, but I think prayer, like anything else you do regularly, runs the risk of becoming something you just plod through, and now and then you need some life breathed back into it.

That's how prayer had become for me. He explained Scripturally-based reasons for things I'd always wondered about prayer - like for my whole life. And in other areas, he was quick to say his explanation might not be the ONLY one, but it was one.

Another thing I really appreciated about this book was his up-front honesty that he comes from a very Pentecostal point of view, but he did not want his beliefs and practices in prayer from that perspective to offend or turn away anyone who doesn't practice prayer in similar methods. {That would be me.} I appreciated both his honesty and his careful attention to the heart of prayer, which goes far deeper than the methods of prayer.

I came away challenged to pray more intentionally and aware that there are multiple ways to pray and what might work in one instance might not in another.

I want to interrupt myself here to say that I am NOT a theologian. I read some reviews {after I had secured my own opinion on this book} from readers who felt like in some areas, the theology of this book was skewed. On my initial read-through, I did not find what I personally would classify as bad theology as much as I would describe it as difference of opinion. Perhaps if I delved further into some parts and really examined closely, I might change my mind. But I wanted to throw that out there to you because if you ARE a theologian, I want you to know those concerns exist. I am simply not theologically intelligent enough to debate them.

I'm thankful I read this book at this point in my journey, because I know God is calling me to be more mindful of prayer, and this was a good reference guide to keep as I make these changes! And as with anything, I will always choose to uphold the Word of God above a book by a man, and if I do feel that something is off as I re-examine it, I will follow what I feel the Lord urging me to practice.

*Thanks, Bethany House, for sending a copy of this book my way in exchange for an honest review!*

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth

By Dutch Sheets

Prayer, what do know about prayer? What is intercessory prayer? Dutch Sheets, a teacher and speaker, has put together a book that will answer these questions. Easy to understood and written to inform people about prayer and why and how the need for prayer is important.. He shares many stories of how people have prayed for many things and definitely seen answers. He does not say that they will be answered in the way you may want them answered or when they will be answered, but that there will be answered. He shares many miracles that he has seen and some that were shared with him. It is a great book for understanding prayer and how God will ask us to pray for many things by using the Holy Spirit and he (Dutch) uses scripture to make his point. The book is one of the best books about prayer that can you can find.

A Biblical definition of intercessory prayer from the book: Intercessory prayer is an extension of the ministry of Jesus through His Body, the Church, whereby we mediate between God and humanity for the purpose of reconciling the world to Him, or between Satan and humanity for the purpose of enforcing the victory of Calvary.

I received this book free from Bethany House for purpose of this review, I was not required to write a positive review, the opinions I have expressed are my own.