Review: Let your faith soar with renewed hope
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 12, 2013
I have finished this book, took a long breath, and as I exhaled I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that God's word clearly tells us that in this world we will have trouble.  Not a surprise to God, not a welcome to man, but certainly how we process it and it plays out in our life seems to be predicated on our own free will choosing.  Author Heather Bixler says that we can choose to be a victim or obedient to God.  In her book Hope, she's not only familiar with pain and trials but lives today, not like in the past in the valley of defeat, but with a stronger resolve in God's grace, love, and good will toward her even when circumstances have not changed.  She has learned to cling to God as never before and in the process has found what her heart shares fully in this book- that God alone is sufficient for all our needs.If you find yourself in any of these struggles I encourage you to grab hold of the contents contained in this book.-Difficulty letting go of control and surrendering your will to God.-Frightened of the current circumstance you find yourself in and feel immobilized.-Buried your dreams because situations seem so contrary to what you envisioned.-Struggle with hopelessness and despair and see no way out.-Have shut down your heart in pressing in to the things of God.I have been victim several times of shaking my fist at God and though perhaps we have all done it sometime in our lives, know that there is remedy for a tired, weary soul.  In author Bixler's book, I found it to be a healing balm as she uses her current situation to share truths she has gotten in the Word and in the things God has been teaching her through the physical challenges her husband endures.  The greatest glory in pain, she has discovered, is that hope can emerge but not until trials, suffering, perseverance, and character are first forged.  She declares the following, "It takes great faith to trust that no matter what happens, God is still good."I have found through the beauty of this book, that God doesn't waste the things we go through, but uses them to bless others and perhaps mentor many in not repeating the same mindsets once adopted that was unfruitful in our lives.Take the "hope challenge" this book offers and in each of the 4 weeks of study you too will find your hope rising, new-found faith in God, and a more settled assurance that He cares and will see you through.