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Read and pray, every day.
By Kaitlin Kaiser — Written on Dec 22, 2019
Each new year successful people think about what books they want to read. As a woman, you might aim for Christian books recommended by others for improving your personal life, or giving hope and encouragement. Amazon has lots of books to buy that come highly recommended and it's easy to download a title to your phone app or pick up a hardcover to carry around.
So what's are good book recommendations for Christian women?
For the avid reader, we know that all books, no matter the subject matter help us to grow, and deepen our way of thinking.
When you read a novel, you are welcomed into the mind of a fictional character and we deepen our imagination.
When we read a memoir, we are learning what is in the author’s mind, and heart, and it deepens our sense of empathy.
When reading non-fiction, or informative literature, it deepens our knowledge and understanding of different topics and events.
But where do we turn when we want to deepen our faith? What do we read when we want to deepen our love and trust in the Lord? When we want to deepen our understanding of the bible, and how to best live our lives according to the word of God?
With so many different ways to take in information, reading can sometimes feel antiquated. Why read when you can watch a video, listen to a podcast, or even go hear someone speak?
Reading helps you to focus. It is an active way of understanding, where listening alone becomes more passive. It is also a way to take in information more personally.
It is a way to see words written on a page and take them in the way you need to hear them. When listening to someone speak, they may brush over something that resonates the loudest in your heart.
Below is a list of the best books to read as a Christian woman in the modern era, and links to where you can purchase them:
1. The Pursuit of God
Of Tozer's many books and other writings, The Pursuit of God is his most famous and widely read. The Pursuit of God, in particular, has reached all the corners of the world. This book is considered a Christian classic and is still read and listened to by many faithful Christians to this day.
It was written and published while he was a pastor in Chicago. In The Pursuit of God, Tozer writes about why people pursue a relationship with God and how one can best go about doing so. Much of Tozer's doctrine can be found in this book.
Tozer writes, "We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts." In chapter 1, Tozer explains that the reason one desires to pursue God is that
God gave one that desire. God gives one the impulse, but one must "follow hard after him." Tozer implores readers to strip to the "bare essentials" and present themselves before God without any efforts to impress him.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
2. 50 Women Every Christian Should Know
Throughout history, countless women have boldly stepped out in faith and courage, leaving their indelible mark on those around them and on the kingdom of God. In lively prose Michelle DeRusha tells their stories, bringing into focus fifty incredible heroines of the faith.
From Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Anne Hutchison to Susanna Wesley, Harriet Tubman, and Corrie ten Boom, women both famous and admirable live again under DeRusha's expert pen.
These engaging narratives are a potent reminder to readers that we are not alone, the battles we face today are not new, and God is always with us in the midst of the struggle.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
3. Redeeming Love
California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep. Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal.
Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside. Then she meets Michael Hosea.
A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael Hosea obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation until despite her resistance her frozen heart begins to thaw.
But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she can no longer deny.
Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael Hosea does…the One who will never let her go. A life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
4. Good News For Weary Women
Are you exhausted? Women today really do feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. Every morning we are greeted with a long list of to-dos: get the kids up and out the door on time.
Of course, a Christian woman must have a meaningful quiet time, put in a full day at the office, spend an hour at the gym, prepare a healthy and delicious meal (organic and locally grown, of course), and make sure the sink sparkles before you go to bed.
Oh, and don't forget to look great and smile while you're doing it. These are all good things to do, of course. But the bigger problem occurs when we start to feel as if our worth is measured by our to-do lists.
And the messages we receive at church, on Facebook, and from the media only perpetuate these unrealistic expectations, creating a relentless cycle of exhaustion.
As Elyse Fitzpatrick has traveled this country, she has seen increasing evidence of this weariness epidemic invading our churches and communities.
And she has good news for women everywhere: there is hope! God doesn't judge us by our to-do lists. Instead, He calls us to faith. Free yourself today from the endless stream of bad advice and discover the true rest God offers.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
5. Women of the Word
“Jesus loved women in a very special way and spoke of their importance to God.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God has made abundant provision for women, treating them with care and gentleness, divinely intervening on their behalf.
As a woman of the Word, you too were skillfully formed in His image and have a special place and calling in God.”
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
6. Satisfy My Thirsty Soul
Women have an innate thirst for true, genuine intimacy. Author Linda Dillow believes that this desire is created and can only be satisfied by a relationship with God.
This 12-week devotional Bible study encourages you to move from concept into practice and establish a lifestyle of worship.
Find rest and freedom from stress and grief in God's forgiveness. Includes discussion questions.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
7. Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman
She seeks to answer both the "hows" and the "whys" of living beautifully.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
8. The Radiant Midnight: Depression, Grace, and the Gifts of a Dark Place
“In The Radiant Midnight, you will find not merely abstract ideas about the essence of darkness or how to go about facing it. You will also find humor, Wisdom. Honesty.
You will find Melissa’s very bone and blood…it is here, then, in reading rather, perhaps, listening to her words, that your heart, trapped as it may feel in its own midnight, begins to see the first signs of dawn.” — Curt Thompson, MD, author of Anatomy of the Soul
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
9. Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be
Every woman needs a little jump start in life. Donna Partow knows how to make it happen. In Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be, author Donna Partow shows women how to reenergize their lives in 90 days.
She covers everything from faith and family to fitness and fashion (with lots more) in this comprehensive plan for greater vitality in life and intimacy with God.
This in-depth study of Proverbs 31:10-31 will make women feel in control and on top of things as they study.
You can even memorize that famous passage about the ideal woman of God.
This positive, life-affirming book includes a leader's guide, making it perfect for small group use.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
10. Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship
Face to Face books guide you into richer, more effective devotional times. Dr. Kenneth Boa's personalized adaptations of Scripture turn Bible passages into prayers that bring you face to face and heart to heart with God.
In Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship, select Scripture verses to become personal prayers of intimacy and adoration that allow you to express your heart more fully to God.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
11. Sacred Pathways
Profiles nine spiritual temperaments from their characteristics to their strengths and weaknesses.
This book also explains why some people demonstrate worship through prayer while others engage in other devotional activities, and revealing how to discover one's own natural means of expression. Reprint.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
12. Celebration of Discipline
Richard J. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth is hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality with millions of copies sold since its original publication in 1978.
In Celebration of Discipline, Foster explores the "classic Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith to show how each of these areas contributes to a balanced spiritual life.
Foster, the bestselling author of several books (Prayer and Streams of Living Water) and intrachurch movement founder of Renovaré, helps motivate Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
13. Mere Christianity
Mere Christianity is C.S. Lewis's forceful and accessible doctrine of Christian belief. First heard as informal radio broadcasts and then published as three separate books: The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality.
Mere Christianity brings together what Lewis saw as the fundamental truths of the religion.
Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity's many denominations, C.S. Lewis finds a common ground on which all those who have Christian faith can stand together.
He proves that "at the centre of each there is something, or a Someone, who against all divergences of belief, all differences of temperament, all memories of mutual persecution, speaks the same voice."
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
14. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
It's crazy if you think about it. The God of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor — loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.
Whether you've verbalized it yet or not, we all know something's wrong.
Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions?
God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do’s and don'ts, it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same.
Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
15. Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely
The enemy wants us to feel rejected . . . left out, lonely, and less than. When we allow him to speak lies through our rejection, he pickpockets our purpose. Cripples our courage. Dismantles our dreams. And blinds us to the beauty of Christ’s powerful love.
In Uninvited, Lysa shares her own deeply personal experiences with rejection—from the incredibly painful childhood abandonment by her father to the perceived judgment of the perfectly toned woman one elliptical over.
With Biblical depth, gut-honest vulnerability, and refreshing wit, Lysa helps readers:
- Release the desire to fall apart or control the actions of others by embracing God-honoring ways to process their hurt.
- Know exactly what to pray for the next ten days to steady their soul and restore their confidence.
- Overcome the two core fears that feed our insecurities by understanding the secret of belonging.
- Stop feeling left out and start believing that "set apart" does not mean "set aside."
- End the cycle of perceived rejection by refusing to turn a small incident into a full-blown issue.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
16. Worry Less Pray More
This purposeful devotional guide features 180 readings and prayers designed to help alleviate your worries as you learn to live in the peace of the Almighty God, who offers calm for your anxiety-filled soul.
Inspired by this promise from God's Word: "Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.
It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6-7 MSG), Worry Less, Pray More reinforces the truth that with God, you can live anxiety-free every single day — whether you worry about your work, relationships, bills, the turmoil of the world, or something more.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
17. Wait and See
When waiting on God stretches for months or years, we might begin to doubt His promises. Did I hear You correctly, God? Do You see what I’m going through? Why does this have to be so hard?
In Wait and See, Wendy Pope draws on the life of King David to help us focus on the Person of our faith rather than the object of our wait; prepare for the future by participating in God’s work in the present; view God’s pauses as opportunities to know Him better; gain confidence in God’s plans, even during uncertain times; and step out of the security of the known to find peace in the unknown.
How can we take every opportunity to focus on God and His beautiful future? This hands-on guidebook will show you how to transform a difficult season of waiting into a sweet season with God.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
18. 365 Moments of Peace for Moms
Start your day off right every day of the year with "365 Moments of Peace for Moms" - and refresh your soul with these relaxing thoughts. This uplifting calendar gives a daily dose of relaxation into the hectic, on-the-go lives of moms.
Enjoy a year's worth of inspiration with Barbour's perpetual calendar line. With dozens of unique titles, you're sure to find a perfect fit.
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19. Embraced
Embraced is the beautiful new devotional from Lysa TerKeurst, the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the New York Times bestselling author of Uninvited, The Best Yes, Unglued, and Made to Crave.
Embraced features 100 devotions that will resonate with women in all stages of life by giving them a godly perspective on the issues they face each day.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
20. Healing the Soul of a Woman
Internationally renowned Bible teacher Joyce Meyer draws on her own history of abuse to show women how Christ's redeeming love heals emotional wounds and brings joy to life.
(Check prices and reviews on Amazon)
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Kaitlin Kaiser is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationships topics.
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