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Rest and War: Rhythms of a Well-Fought Life
Struggle well. Fight for progress. Know the one who has fought for you.
You don’t have to live in this world long before discovering that the pursuit of intimacy with God occurs within the context of adversity. It is a fight. Yet it is a fight in which our King has won the decisive victory! You have been set free…into a raging battle!
But there’s good your struggles do not mean you’re doomed, rather they’re actually a sure sign that you are alive. Now you must learn to struggle well, for Jesus did not free you from the fight, he freed you for the fight.
Rest & War is a field guide for the spiritual life; a book of ancient methods of transformation transposed into a modern key. Borne out of pastor Ben Stuart’s personal life-experiences and decades in ministry, Rest & War offers biblical and practical guidance
Battling what’s holding you back while building what will propel you forwardTrading patterns of thinking that diminish intimacy with God for ones that encourage itFighting sin and cultivating an environment that allows you to flourishDesigning your everyday schedule based on your God-given purposes to bring more meaning into your routinesGod has called you into the good fight of life; step into it boldly, strategically. Flee evil and pursue intimacy with your Creator. Uproot what is broken and cultivate what is life-giving. Make war on what is destructive, and rest in the God who loves you.
Are you ready to walk elegantly through the battlefield of life?
You don’t have to live in this world long before discovering that the pursuit of intimacy with God occurs within the context of adversity. It is a fight. Yet it is a fight in which our King has won the decisive victory! You have been set free…into a raging battle!
But there’s good your struggles do not mean you’re doomed, rather they’re actually a sure sign that you are alive. Now you must learn to struggle well, for Jesus did not free you from the fight, he freed you for the fight.
Rest & War is a field guide for the spiritual life; a book of ancient methods of transformation transposed into a modern key. Borne out of pastor Ben Stuart’s personal life-experiences and decades in ministry, Rest & War offers biblical and practical guidance
Battling what’s holding you back while building what will propel you forwardTrading patterns of thinking that diminish intimacy with God for ones that encourage itFighting sin and cultivating an environment that allows you to flourishDesigning your everyday schedule based on your God-given purposes to bring more meaning into your routinesGod has called you into the good fight of life; step into it boldly, strategically. Flee evil and pursue intimacy with your Creator. Uproot what is broken and cultivate what is life-giving. Make war on what is destructive, and rest in the God who loves you.
Are you ready to walk elegantly through the battlefield of life?
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 25, 2022
313 people are currently reading
4185 people want to read
About the author
Ben Stuart
12 books193 followersBen Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church, Washington D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served for eleven years as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries, a weekly Bible study attended by thousands of college students on the campus of Texas A&M. Ben earned his master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Ben and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
April 5, 2022
One of the better books I have ever read about the Christian life. Afraid it was going to be a typical self help book of a three step process to get better. Instead, I found raw honesty mixed with wisdom and challenges that were super helpful.
I think often in our comfort crazed world, it is an unspoken rule that if you have struggles or doubt something’s wrong with your Christian walk. What a lie I buy into every day. Maybe we were made for “uncomfort”, maybe we were made to doubt, to challenge, to wrestle with what we believe. If so, why do I hate where I am? Growth is the constant pursuit in life, yet I can’t name one time that growth came from a place of utter comfort, so why is that all I chase?
Fav quote: We have not been set free from the fight. We have been set free for the fight.
I think often in our comfort crazed world, it is an unspoken rule that if you have struggles or doubt something’s wrong with your Christian walk. What a lie I buy into every day. Maybe we were made for “uncomfort”, maybe we were made to doubt, to challenge, to wrestle with what we believe. If so, why do I hate where I am? Growth is the constant pursuit in life, yet I can’t name one time that growth came from a place of utter comfort, so why is that all I chase?
Fav quote: We have not been set free from the fight. We have been set free for the fight.
April 24, 2023
What made this book so great was the fact that for every chapter he spent on fighting sin he spent another 2 chapters talking about Jesus, His power against sin, and how to rest in him. I didn’t leave the book feeling more ashamed or like i by myself can use the tools in the book to conquer sin. I left the book taking my sin more seriously but also with more hope and confidence in the power of the cross.
October 9, 2023
Loved this book! My aunt sent me this book and I couldn’t be more grateful! Ben Stuart walks through helpful tactics of fighting the good fight that is the Christian faith. What sets this book apart from other Christian discipline books imo is the deep connection to scripture and practice of praying through scripture and askinng deep insightful questions at the end of each chapter. Even more, Ben writes about how “true spirituality is not the simple execution of disciplines; it’s the cultivation of intimacy” with God !!! To be honest, this is where I always get tripped up in my time with God or in ministry. I simply execute and am not intimate with God! I am so thankful for this book and it’s wisdom that stems from a man who has/is fighting well to know and love God more. If you made it to the end of this your a real one and challenge me to cultivate intimacy more so than execute disciplines! 10/10 recommend!!!!
November 23, 2022
One of the best Christian books I have ever read. I almost always struggle finishing Christian books but this one captivated me and spurred me on to love God more.
“No matter how strong you are, you will arrive at a moment when your storehouse of energy is depleted. Even after learning and applying all these principles, you still may slip and fall and careen headfirst toward a cliff. Even then, Jesus will be there—not to condemn you but to catch you. This is our King.” 🥹
“No matter how strong you are, you will arrive at a moment when your storehouse of energy is depleted. Even after learning and applying all these principles, you still may slip and fall and careen headfirst toward a cliff. Even then, Jesus will be there—not to condemn you but to catch you. This is our King.” 🥹
June 1, 2022
Such a solid and quick read. Tactical, Bible-centric wisdom on how to thrive in this age of noise and anxiety. Each chapter was saturated with biblical truth and there were enough relatable stories to keep me engaged throughout.
Also, it must be a necessity for any sort of Christian Living or secular self-help book to quote Viktor Frankl lol.
Also, it must be a necessity for any sort of Christian Living or secular self-help book to quote Viktor Frankl lol.
February 20, 2025
Ben rooted the book in scripture and wasn't trying to express any new ideas about the Christian life but instead, re-presented the call to make war against your sin, rest in the Lord's sanctifying work, and embrace the freedom & rest offered now through Christ’s life and the Spirit. Overall, a really good, encouraging, & practical book!
July 14, 2025
Ben is such a solid communicator and very practical!
I love how he set aside a whole chapter to talk about doing things you enjoy week to week and how that is healthy and from the Lord!
He even talked about accountability with others with the sin we struggle with. Excellent book, definitely worth a re-read!
I love how he set aside a whole chapter to talk about doing things you enjoy week to week and how that is healthy and from the Lord!
He even talked about accountability with others with the sin we struggle with. Excellent book, definitely worth a re-read!
May 26, 2024
Happily surprised to find this resource so gospel centered. It’s essentially Atomic Habits from a Christian perspective. I found the end of chapter questions to be thought provoking and for the most part helpful. Consider my affections for Jesus stirred 🥲
May 6, 2025
"This is the aim of the Christian life: to become increasingly good at being close beside the Lord, to really know and love him."
This is a book that every Christian should read! It contains the questions and answers to a lot of things believers wrestle with daily and it shows in a unique and beautiful way how we should live our lives with Christ.
Other quotes I liked:
God wants to equip us to ascend to heights we cannot reach on our own. However, we must realize that there are no shortcuts to a truly spiritual life, no life hacks to avoid the hard parts.
Many of us honestly do not feel a hunger for God or sense of purpose in life; those feelings are muted by the static of low-grade guilt over our besetting struggles, always humming in the background of our entire story.
The best fighters are those who know that they have been fought for.
Men were meant to love and value women as coheirs in the grace of life. Women were made to respect and encourage men. Parents were designed to care for their children and help develop the gifts God placed in them. Communities were designed to foster human flourishing at every level as people work together for the common good. Words were meant to be used to speak to one another in kindness. All creation worships God and he satisfies all. This is shalom, the way it should be, the way God created the world to run.
Enemy-occupied territory—that is what the world is.🔥
The spiritually dead do not struggle with sin. Your struggles, far from being a sign of your spiritual death, are in fact just the opposite. Your struggle may be one of your greatest assurances that you are alive.
For those in Christ, the spiritual life is now one movement with two parts, away and toward:
We persistently move away from ways of thinking and living that discourage intimacy with God.
We continuously move toward ways of thinking and living that promote intimacy with God.
If you are now associated with Christ, the Enemy hates you. Why? Because you look like the One who humiliated him.
Our Enemy’s goal is to get you and me to sin. He wants us willfully engaging in activities that dishonor our Lord, distance us relationally from him, diminish our power to pursue our created purpose, and ultimately prove to be self-destructive.
He cannot succeed in any kind of direct assault against the Almighty, but he can grieve God’s heart by convincing God’s children to distrust and disobey him, the One who gave his all for them. The best way to twist the knife in our King is to convince us to rebel against him by participating in acts that dishonor him and steal our joy.
There is still a part of you that longs for what Jesus came to destroy. We are like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, who both loves and hates the ring. We know sin destroys us, but an insane part of us still longs to indulge in that which kills us. We are addicts to our particular flavors of depravity.
In Matthew 26:41 Jesus advised his disciples, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Notice he did not say enter into sin, but into temptation—the moment when our minds are persistently solicited and our affections constantly stirred by inferior desires. To avoid sin we must avoid temptation. This is where Jesus draws the battle line.
Keep in mind that having tempting thoughts is not a sin. But when you enact your will toward that tempting thought—that is a sin. That is your choice.
Our deepest problems are not rooted in procrastination or workaholism, lust or pride, fear or resentment, or even father wounds or family trauma. The deepest source of our sickness is a failure to understand something fundamental about the nature of our God. We often fail to see God as a Father who gives good gifts to his children. We begin to doubt that he will be someone we can count on. We start to think he will shift on us or suddenly change, or stop being gracious or trustworthy or good.
We believe the lie that launches a million sins—the lie that God is not a good Father who will take care of us.
I love these two passages because they issue the same command, but give us two different motivations:
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV).
“Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
Both of these verses call us to cast our cares upon the Lord. One says to do it because he is strong enough to carry them. The other tells us to do it because he is loving enough to want to.
Keep in mind that if you love someone, you’ll find ways to spend time with them. So pray and ask the Lord what it might look like for you to steal away with him periodically
“People today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.”
You are not meant to just “do you” or try to eke out a modicum of happiness before you disappear. You are meant to exert your God-given gifts on the God-given raw materials at your disposal for the good of others and the glory of God. The living creatures around you are to flourish because of your cultivation, because you exist.
You are meant to do this for yourself too—to exercise dominion over your schedule and allocate your resources so that your gifts, passions, and energies reach their full potential under God.
You and I have been commissioned by God Almighty himself to steward his creation. We need to learn how to be strategic like Jesus was, to set our agenda by priority, to get serious about stewarding what God has given us the very best we can.
How do you know that you are truly a Christian? You love Christ. How do you know if you are saved? You cherish the Savior.
In the name of Jesus, enjoy the world he made and thank him the whole time you’re doing it.
“What do I like to do? When was the last time you saw me truly happy? When was the last time I laughed so hard my sides hurt? When was the last time I cried because of beauty?”
“Command me, Lord, and give me what you command.”
Let hope sustain you all the way home. Remember the words of your Hero: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).
So keep running, friend. You’ve got this. Because he has got you.😭😭🤍🤍
This is a book that every Christian should read! It contains the questions and answers to a lot of things believers wrestle with daily and it shows in a unique and beautiful way how we should live our lives with Christ.
Other quotes I liked:
God wants to equip us to ascend to heights we cannot reach on our own. However, we must realize that there are no shortcuts to a truly spiritual life, no life hacks to avoid the hard parts.
Many of us honestly do not feel a hunger for God or sense of purpose in life; those feelings are muted by the static of low-grade guilt over our besetting struggles, always humming in the background of our entire story.
The best fighters are those who know that they have been fought for.
Men were meant to love and value women as coheirs in the grace of life. Women were made to respect and encourage men. Parents were designed to care for their children and help develop the gifts God placed in them. Communities were designed to foster human flourishing at every level as people work together for the common good. Words were meant to be used to speak to one another in kindness. All creation worships God and he satisfies all. This is shalom, the way it should be, the way God created the world to run.
Enemy-occupied territory—that is what the world is.🔥
The spiritually dead do not struggle with sin. Your struggles, far from being a sign of your spiritual death, are in fact just the opposite. Your struggle may be one of your greatest assurances that you are alive.
For those in Christ, the spiritual life is now one movement with two parts, away and toward:
We persistently move away from ways of thinking and living that discourage intimacy with God.
We continuously move toward ways of thinking and living that promote intimacy with God.
If you are now associated with Christ, the Enemy hates you. Why? Because you look like the One who humiliated him.
Our Enemy’s goal is to get you and me to sin. He wants us willfully engaging in activities that dishonor our Lord, distance us relationally from him, diminish our power to pursue our created purpose, and ultimately prove to be self-destructive.
He cannot succeed in any kind of direct assault against the Almighty, but he can grieve God’s heart by convincing God’s children to distrust and disobey him, the One who gave his all for them. The best way to twist the knife in our King is to convince us to rebel against him by participating in acts that dishonor him and steal our joy.
There is still a part of you that longs for what Jesus came to destroy. We are like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, who both loves and hates the ring. We know sin destroys us, but an insane part of us still longs to indulge in that which kills us. We are addicts to our particular flavors of depravity.
In Matthew 26:41 Jesus advised his disciples, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Notice he did not say enter into sin, but into temptation—the moment when our minds are persistently solicited and our affections constantly stirred by inferior desires. To avoid sin we must avoid temptation. This is where Jesus draws the battle line.
Keep in mind that having tempting thoughts is not a sin. But when you enact your will toward that tempting thought—that is a sin. That is your choice.
Our deepest problems are not rooted in procrastination or workaholism, lust or pride, fear or resentment, or even father wounds or family trauma. The deepest source of our sickness is a failure to understand something fundamental about the nature of our God. We often fail to see God as a Father who gives good gifts to his children. We begin to doubt that he will be someone we can count on. We start to think he will shift on us or suddenly change, or stop being gracious or trustworthy or good.
We believe the lie that launches a million sins—the lie that God is not a good Father who will take care of us.
I love these two passages because they issue the same command, but give us two different motivations:
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV).
“Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
Both of these verses call us to cast our cares upon the Lord. One says to do it because he is strong enough to carry them. The other tells us to do it because he is loving enough to want to.
Keep in mind that if you love someone, you’ll find ways to spend time with them. So pray and ask the Lord what it might look like for you to steal away with him periodically
“People today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.”
You are not meant to just “do you” or try to eke out a modicum of happiness before you disappear. You are meant to exert your God-given gifts on the God-given raw materials at your disposal for the good of others and the glory of God. The living creatures around you are to flourish because of your cultivation, because you exist.
You are meant to do this for yourself too—to exercise dominion over your schedule and allocate your resources so that your gifts, passions, and energies reach their full potential under God.
You and I have been commissioned by God Almighty himself to steward his creation. We need to learn how to be strategic like Jesus was, to set our agenda by priority, to get serious about stewarding what God has given us the very best we can.
How do you know that you are truly a Christian? You love Christ. How do you know if you are saved? You cherish the Savior.
In the name of Jesus, enjoy the world he made and thank him the whole time you’re doing it.
“What do I like to do? When was the last time you saw me truly happy? When was the last time I laughed so hard my sides hurt? When was the last time I cried because of beauty?”
“Command me, Lord, and give me what you command.”
Let hope sustain you all the way home. Remember the words of your Hero: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).
So keep running, friend. You’ve got this. Because he has got you.😭😭🤍🤍
February 1, 2022
Ben Stuart is a gift. Rest & War is a great word on finding order, encouragement, and peace in the midst of our chaos. One of Ben's greatest strengths as a pastor, leader, and writer is his ability to empathize and relate to others - that strength is on full display here. The progression of Rest & War is centered around believers reflecting & reorienting from a life of passivity to one of activity.
"Structure for the sake of flourishing. Form for the sake of fullness. Order that is conducive to the flourishing of life. This is the calling of a man and a woman... You are meant to do this for yourself too - to exercise dominion over your schedule and allocate your resources so that your gifts, passions, and energies reach their full potential under God."
"Structure for the sake of flourishing. Form for the sake of fullness. Order that is conducive to the flourishing of life. This is the calling of a man and a woman... You are meant to do this for yourself too - to exercise dominion over your schedule and allocate your resources so that your gifts, passions, and energies reach their full potential under God."
March 25, 2023
10/10! was such a great book that helped you process the importance of Godly rest and how it helps prepare us for the war against worldly things. Ben Stuart is great a giving practical examples of how to make changes but mentally and physically to better steward your resources in a godly way. a commons thing throughout the book is “what we think/do forms who we become” and how make practical changes to focus what your think and do on God. i would recommend reading a physical copy of the book. i listened to it on audiobook and regretted not being able to take notes while listening to it! great read for times of life transition and change!
April 6, 2024
10/5 stars for me. Probably the best book I will read this year- talks about how to have true rest in Christ as well as waging the war against the enemy. It talks about walking with the Spirit in such great/practical ways and resisting temptation to avoid sin in your life. Growing up a Christian i can find myself jaded to some Biblical stories but Ben reveals a deeper understanding of these stories and taught me a lot of great stuff
June 5, 2022
Ben Stuart does it again. Finished this book so excited to not live passively but rather in step with the Spirit, ready for the daily battles we face. So practical and encouraging!
“We were made alive by the Spirit; may we walk by the Spirit too.”
“We were made alive by the Spirit; may we walk by the Spirit too.”
July 30, 2023
I love Ben Stuart! His writing is so applicable and understandable for our generation. This book has a lot of foundational truths that we often forget in our walks with God - especially loved the chapter on the Spirit.
May 26, 2022
I would read this book if I were you. Also, coffee with Ben Stuart has officially been added to my bucket list - he seems pretty cool.
January 31, 2022
Combine a love for Ben Stuart and a topic I am interested in and boom you have a great book! Louie Giglio said it well in his review: “profound yet practical”
May 18, 2023
really i give it like 3.7 stars. some really cool insights that spoke to many but too many war references (sorry abo)
September 24, 2022
Amazing insight to an allusive practice
This book has helped me greatly! The context is fresh and helpful. It does not drag on but is to the point. The activities at the end of each chapter are something I will come back to time and time again!
This book has helped me greatly! The context is fresh and helpful. It does not drag on but is to the point. The activities at the end of each chapter are something I will come back to time and time again!
January 10, 2025
lil bit all over the place at points but I really liked this one!! Kinda like atomic habits with an emphasis and spiritual disciplines. Felt like it lost the flow at some point but some very very good chapters.
May 13, 2023
such a practical read for Believers!! one I wish I had my sophomore year!! thankful for Ben’s honesty and desire to proclaim truth!! a very good read!!
July 8, 2022
Ben Stuart presents his readers with a host of practical ideas with helpful advice to wrestle well against sin and to live purposefully to the glory of God. These methods and strategies are accompanied by entertaining anecdotes and vivid illustrations gathered from his life and study which, on the whole, reads like a modern sermon clothed in the cover of a book.
If this were a chapter in one of Paul’s epistles, it would assuredly be under the “imperatives” over the “indicatives,” nestling itself in the back half of Paul’s epistle. Books on imperatives are quite helpful as long as they are supplemented with books on indicatives. I rate this book highly recognizing its purpose yet knowing other books must come first, not least the Scriptures.
The ideas and exhortations throughout are both ancient and Biblical, reminding man to “Know Thyself” (be a student of yourself); to follow thoughts to their logical conclusion (look downstream, paddle upstream); and to spend appropriate time in music (read, study), gymnastics (exercise), and rest. Each of these and many others covered in this book are helpful reminders for man to reflect upon in the pursuit of a flourishing, meaningful life. Stuart is careful to submit that this flourishing is always in terms of God’s glory and done by God’s grace revealed in Christ.
I recommend this book to any Christian who feels stuck in their current pattern of life (or spiritual/physical battlefield of life) and would benefit from a stirring reminder to take heart, to turn from sin, and to turn toward Christ to fight the spiritual fight well.
If this were a chapter in one of Paul’s epistles, it would assuredly be under the “imperatives” over the “indicatives,” nestling itself in the back half of Paul’s epistle. Books on imperatives are quite helpful as long as they are supplemented with books on indicatives. I rate this book highly recognizing its purpose yet knowing other books must come first, not least the Scriptures.
The ideas and exhortations throughout are both ancient and Biblical, reminding man to “Know Thyself” (be a student of yourself); to follow thoughts to their logical conclusion (look downstream, paddle upstream); and to spend appropriate time in music (read, study), gymnastics (exercise), and rest. Each of these and many others covered in this book are helpful reminders for man to reflect upon in the pursuit of a flourishing, meaningful life. Stuart is careful to submit that this flourishing is always in terms of God’s glory and done by God’s grace revealed in Christ.
I recommend this book to any Christian who feels stuck in their current pattern of life (or spiritual/physical battlefield of life) and would benefit from a stirring reminder to take heart, to turn from sin, and to turn toward Christ to fight the spiritual fight well.
November 8, 2025
objectively this is a 4-4.5 star read. he is so abundantly clear about the evil of sin & harmful affects it has but also the power the gospel & the person of jesus christ.
for me personally, this book is a 3 star. theres a few reasons for this — mostly that if you read one book on rest, you’ve read them all. to be honest, i found this book to be so similar to ruthless elimination of hurry & live no lies by john mark comer. also, while not intending to, this book felt like it was written to men. so many of analogies & examples & stories were centered around men or references men would tend to understand more than women. i felt this way with stuarts other book too but his writing style is just not my favorite. it tends to lean a bit more aggressive & logical rather than compassionate & emotional. i think you need a balance of both in a compelling christian nonfiction.
i think this book would be ideal for discipling young men, not necessarily a read for everyone.
for me personally, this book is a 3 star. theres a few reasons for this — mostly that if you read one book on rest, you’ve read them all. to be honest, i found this book to be so similar to ruthless elimination of hurry & live no lies by john mark comer. also, while not intending to, this book felt like it was written to men. so many of analogies & examples & stories were centered around men or references men would tend to understand more than women. i felt this way with stuarts other book too but his writing style is just not my favorite. it tends to lean a bit more aggressive & logical rather than compassionate & emotional. i think you need a balance of both in a compelling christian nonfiction.
i think this book would be ideal for discipling young men, not necessarily a read for everyone.
February 22, 2022
Was blessed to be pastored by Ben while living in DC. This book is a reflection of his preaching on a regular basis. Great story’s that practically translate to profound biblical metaphors.
I relate on many levels to what Ben has fought, overcome, and continues to fight. This book fills a void in the Christian community by revealing a truth that we are in a broken world under constant attack so need to be prepared. His writing is not only packed with stories but supported with truth and credible quotations and challenges to help you flourish in your own life. Rereading the book with an emphasis on myself.
Thank you for this resource Ben!
I relate on many levels to what Ben has fought, overcome, and continues to fight. This book fills a void in the Christian community by revealing a truth that we are in a broken world under constant attack so need to be prepared. His writing is not only packed with stories but supported with truth and credible quotations and challenges to help you flourish in your own life. Rereading the book with an emphasis on myself.
Thank you for this resource Ben!
June 26, 2022
“Rest & War” is such an encouraging read. Not only was it encouraging towards my own walk with the Lord but also to take a step back, seeing a bigger picture that fosters in discerning my actions, my thoughts, and reading exactly how Christ can and has filled these areas. From struggles and temptations to the worldly ambitions we face, Ben Stuart does an excellent job describing how the fight we must face can be fought so well! I highly recommend this book!!
July 12, 2024
A roadmap to seeing the difficulties we face in life through a gospel lens! Thank you benny stewey for this gem.
Our pursuit is a PERSON not a set of practices; execution of discipline doesn't equal the cultivation of intimacy with Jesus. Love seeks knowledge of the beloved. The more we see him, the more we become like him. The more we become like him, the more we fulfill our created intent as image bearers in the world.
Our pursuit is a PERSON not a set of practices; execution of discipline doesn't equal the cultivation of intimacy with Jesus. Love seeks knowledge of the beloved. The more we see him, the more we become like him. The more we become like him, the more we fulfill our created intent as image bearers in the world.
March 10, 2022
“What you think about you will care about. What you care about, you will chase”
I LOVED this book. Stuart made so many relevant points about today’s culture and how the enemy moves and works in the world to move against us. This book came into my life at a perfect time (shout out God) and I think I’ll be re reading chapter 7 for a looooong time.
I LOVED this book. Stuart made so many relevant points about today’s culture and how the enemy moves and works in the world to move against us. This book came into my life at a perfect time (shout out God) and I think I’ll be re reading chapter 7 for a looooong time.
March 31, 2022
I wish that I could adequately put into words how incredible this book is! Thoughtful, helpful, practical, and rich with theological truths! Ben places the focus on our identity in Christ and how that fact positions us as a target for the enemy. With our feet firmly planted in the soil of His amazing grace, we are able to withstand the attacks of the enemy… advance on him, even.
July 3, 2022
I know I’m biased toward Ben (and that listening to him talk for six hours was incredibly nostalgic for me since I attended A&M while he was leading the ministry there), but this was wonderful. It was a mix of great reminders, interesting every-day strategies and implementations, and solid truth. I love Ben, but it was even more encouraging that I continue to love his message and how God is working through him all these years later.
June 25, 2023
I originally gave this 4 stars, but after reading over my notes and the ideas and practices I learned from the book, I added the 5th. It’s a great practical book with different rhythms of rest and war, and Stuart distills lots of wisdom throughout the read.
“You have not been freed from your struggle against sin; you have been freed to struggle. Now you must learn how to struggle well.” (Ch. 2)
“You have not been freed from your struggle against sin; you have been freed to struggle. Now you must learn how to struggle well.” (Ch. 2)
April 7, 2024
Ben Stuart is a seriously gifted communicator of the Word of God. He makes complex topics accessible to audiences through his effective and eloquent teaching.
This book is full of quotable remarks. My favorite was - “praying doesn’t free us from having to make decisions, but it frees us up to make good ones.”
audiobook!
This book is full of quotable remarks. My favorite was - “praying doesn’t free us from having to make decisions, but it frees us up to make good ones.”
audiobook!
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