Book Review: All In by Mark Batterson

All In by Mark Batterson will challenge those Christians that believe they are living their lives following Jesus. . .when they aren't "All In" for the Gospel. He calls it the inverted gospel in our culture--instead of following Jesus, they have invited Jesus to follow them. We've made Christianity to convenient and comfortable. Read page 21 and you will see that those early Christians didn't live that life of convenience by any means. In this book, Batterson challenges Christians to fully surrender their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. . .to "Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Jesus didn't die to keep us safe."

Vivid illustrations from the Bible, history and from Batterson's own church and life show how we can better live our lives "all in" for Him. One example that really spoke to me was of Abraham and Isaac. Batterson says that we all have our own Isaacs to lay down. . .things that could become bigger than God, idols of sorts, if you aren't willing to lay them down, give them back to God and see what He will do with them.

Batterson feels so strongly about living 'all in" for Jesus that he says on page 29,  "What risk do you need to take? What sacrifice do you need to make? This isn't a book to read. It is a decision to be made. If you read this book without making a defining decision, I wasted my time writing it and you wasted your time reading it. At some point, on some page, you will feel the Holy Spirit prompting you to act decisively. Don't ignore it. Obey it." Wow.

In my own experience, I think God has been calling me to give my all. I've been praying circles around some things and we will see how God works. . . I bought this book to learn and grow and I felt that with this book, prayer and the Bible, that it has challenged me to do more than that--to live consecrated to God. From the start of this book, to the end, I would read, put the book down, pray, and then pick it up and read some more. I have used most of a pack of Post-It page markers so I can re-read and study some parts better when I need to. According to Batterson, The Circle Maker is the prequel to this book. . .and that book has already changed my prayer life. (I would encourage you to get a copy of  the Circle Maker if you haven't read it.) All In will release on September 24--when it comes out, I'd encourage everyone to read it.

I received this book from Booksneeze at no charge. I was not required to write a positive review.