Renew Your Hope! by Pamela Christian

This is the second book in a series. The first book is Examine Your Faith! Finding Truth in a World of Lies. That book helps readers understand Christianity as the only faith that leads to God.

In this book, Christian deals with how to have effective faith, faith that allows us to overcome our circumstances and experience personal breakthroughs. “Effective faith is a matter of deeply comprehending God's truth, then practicing what we have learned.” (xiv) This includes knowing how to appropriate His promises.

Christian reminds us this takes an act of the will. While there is not a formula for experiencing a victorious life, there are principles and conditions we can learn and actions we can take. She gives four steps that comprise the process of developing effective faith: understanding, accepting, believing, receiving.

She makes a good distinction between belief and faith and why our spirit must lead our body and soul. We must also have a right understanding of who we are in Christ and learn to properly function in that truth. We must also know the laws governing the spirit world, working in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, transforming us from the inside out. Our faith is developed to the degree we cooperate with God.

She has a good discussion on Continuationists and Cessationists and argues that the gifts of the Spirit are still in operation today. She also has a good teaching on suffering. “...[W]e are entrusted with the burden of evil … which will be used by God to ultimately produce good.” (203) “God intends us to be strengthened in our faith as we suffer and endure with His help and power.” (206)

This is a very encouraging book. Christian is very positive about the promises of God yet does not fall into the “God will give you everything you want” idea. She has done a good job of showing how God gives us what is needed for us to do His will. While that includes miracles, it may also include suffering.

This is a good book for Christians who want to know how to develop overcoming faith. Christian has included many stories of her own trials and victories and those of others to illustrate the principles included in the book.

Pamela Christian began ministering in the 1990s as a Teaching Director for Community Bible Study. She received invitations to speak across the country, something she enjoys doing today. Her initial writing included developing workbooks for her retreats and conferences. Her ministry expanded to hosting talk shows on Christian radio and television. She has a certificate in apologetics from Biola University. She and her husband live in Orange County, California, near their adult children. You can find out more at www.pamelachristianministries.com.

Pamela Christian Ministries, 282 pages. You can buy the book here.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the author for the purpose of an independent and honest review.