Xealots by Dave Gibbons

Sometimes, deep in the quiet of prayer, I am overcome. I am overcome for people. The warfare is deep and embedded in the human experience. God uses this struggle to direct our lives. I thought the author of Xealots really touched on this with great accuracy. It is funny that he described us as Holy Spirit X-Men, but also completely on par. Through the Spirit, we are supernaturally enabled to accomplish things in warfare that cannot be accomplished by the flesh. It is great and beautiful to align your life with the Spirit as far as you can do so aligned with God's word.

The first three quarters of the book were amazing. I was encouraged and edified in them. The last quarter section was a bit iffy. When the guy started quoting Jayzee, I raised an eyebrow, but still understood the point. He spoke of certain revivals that I'm not sure about and used some cheesy language at the end. I still could pick up on his desire to convey divine impressions in our lives. It was a good read. It encouraged me to stay the course and realize that the things that we endure are to draw us to Christ for the glory of God. I was reminded of how often God has chosen small groups to impact the world for the Kingdom. He has more often drawn people from the margins. I was encouraged that our failure is part of our humanity. It makes confession part of our natural rhythm in Christ. It makes us lean heavy on the the mercy of Christ. I have been reminded of the beautiful work of forgiveness. I have heard the call to keep affirming and communicating the message of grace. I loved this:

"When we forgive, we release the offender, we accept the betrayal, and we sacrifice ourselves--our sense of entitlement--for the sake of another...

We will be freed to live like the Father, giving unconditionally."

My dearest friend Camille recommended this book to me and I truly enjoyed it. Would I pass it on to a friend? yes. 4 stars!

*The X instead of a Z in an allusion to the Greek letter chi (X), an abbreviation for Christ.