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The Bait of Satan, by John Bevere

The Bait of Satan, by John Bevere

The other day I was down at the local chapter of Teen Challenge to work on some of their computers, do monthly updates, and such.

While I was there one of the managers (not exactly sure of their employee structure and titles, so I'll just call him a 'manager'

and I got into a great conversation.

He and I both experiences some "problems" at churches in the past, that caused us to leave the given churches.

While in the conversation he recommended to me a book he was just reading through called: "The Bait of Satan, by John Bevere".

He said it was really helping him to push through the hard times he was having and suggested I pick up a copy for myself.

Being an active book reader (normally about 5 books a month) I figured when I got home I would jump online and order myself a copy.

So, when I first got home I jumped over to A9.Com and performed a search for it and two results I liked came up. One from ChristianBooks.Com and the other from Amazon.Com

Normally I would buy from Amazon because I'm a "Prime Member" (which means I pay a yearly fee of $79 bucks and get all 2-day shipping for free.. which works out to ordering about 13 items a year, and everything after that is truly free!!), but, Amazon did not have an in-stock so I headed over to the link at ChristianBooks and they happened to have it for $10 bucks (plus shipping).

About The Book:

From ChristianBook.Com:

Are you ensnared by bitterness, seized by anger, held captive by resentment because someone has offended you? Bevere shows you how to escape Satan's grip, avoid a victim mentality, practice forgiveness, experience reconciliation, and remain free in Christ. Features updated anecdotal stories and testimonies, and an extensive study guide for individuals or small groups.

There are four reviews at ChristianBook.Com, three very positive, one very negative. I'll list them here for future reference, and possible discussion:

"As a pastor of over 20 years, I can't recommend this book highly enough to church leaders experiencing conflict in their churches. Most conflict has its root in offenses of one form or another. Bevere here provides a long-overdue resource for Christians who have been sidelined from service due to hurt feelings, bruised egos, unfulfilled expectations, etc. This book is a MUST READ for every church leader, and a MUST BUY for every church library. I've read many Christian books, but I have not found another title that addresses a common root of interpersonal conflict as this one does. I only wish I had read this book sooner. If CBD had a 6.0 rating, I'd give it!"

"I was very impressed with the author's style of writing in ease of readability while conveying essential discernment for the believer in Christ concerning offenses. John Bevere exposes the devil's schemes that too often immobilize the Christian to bring defeat & brings usual flair, mixing measurable theological expertise with established biblical principles."

"As a teacher of the Word, I reviewed this book from a critical eye. I found that not only was John Bevere's oracle and mysteries of the scriptures accurate but also profound. Most Christians still walk very heavily in our flesh instead of employing our walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5 teaches us the fruits of the flesh and of the Spirit and how to walk out of one and by the other. The crux being offense is being examined so thoroughly that anyone not understanding this book is walking in offense, that is in the flesh. In Ecc. 3:18, God in His mercy points out that He will manifest us to show us what beasts we have become. For in the knowledge that we are manifesting in pride, hurt, pain, sorrow, bitterness, offense and the like, we are able to confess and repent before the Lord and get it right with Him. This book is a detailed example of what we do while in the flesh, how we hurt ourselves, how we manifest and become beasts before God and finally, how to get set free from all our old man mentality! This book by far is an excellent discourse and teaching on how to walk in our Spirit without being an offense or being offended by the flesh. Amen Brother Bevere!"

And now, the negative review:

"After reading this book I entered a downward spiral which lasted nearly two years. In this spiral I went from a place of security and peace and advancement in God, to at rock bottom feeling guilty most of the time, that I would drop into hell at any moment, and having urges to do horrible things not fit for this web page. I'm not saying that what happened to me will happen to everyone who reads this or other books by Bevere, but now know that I am not the only one. If you are feeling the same way, I want you to know that you can put this book down and never look back. I believe it was a combination of my weak conscience at the time, and the spirit and errors in this book which allowed this to happen. What is wrong with the teaching in this book is hard to pinpoint, but other reviewers have approached the problem. It uses many scriptures, sometimes out of context to define what an "offense" is, and do so broadly enough that anyone who is honest will discover that they have some. Then, it precedes to show you how horrible offenses really are, that they are the same thing as unforgiveness, and suggest that they will send you to hell. It does also place a large burden on the offended person without offering much if anything in the way of help to overcome this horrible problem. What makes this one particularly tricky is that if you have a problem with the book then you are "offended" and therefore all the more damned. I was finally freed of this problem after "randomly" attending a major conference where the main speaker came out publicly in opposition to the previous book "Thus Saith The Lord?" He proceeded to tell how he had taken the Matthew 18 route with Bevere, and even to the point of having him brought before the apostolic board, but that his concerns were not addressed, and so he had to publicly state that while John Bevere was clearly a gifted teacher that there was something in the book that was clearly not of God."

Normally this last review, the negative one, would have caused me to "think twice" about buying the book. However, having been in a place not much unlike the guy who wrote it, I tend to think that his review is not so much a review of the book, but a review of his own spiritual life at the time he wrote it.

When The Book Arrives:

Once the book arrives (and by then I'll be done with the book I am reading based off a review posted here at ChristianBlog.Com, and which I'll probably put up for sell if anybody wants it), I will start reading it and see what I get out of it, and start writing up a full review of it.

Until then, if anybody out there has already read it and would like to share their own thoughts on the book, please do!!

posted: 01/09/2006 09:13am by abelajohnb View: Backlinks, Permalink Total Views: 14842 ShortURL: http://christianblog.com/2ac6 Category: Book Reviews	Print This Blog Entry
Blog Tags: amazon, christianbooks, church abuse, john bevere, teen challenge, the bait of satan,
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