FAMILYFANS Books & Comics

EVERY MAN'S BATTLE

by Stephen Arteburn & Fred Stoeker

(WaterBrook Press)

 

Reader Appeal: Male adults, mature teens

Genre: Christian Living

 

We’re living in an age of unbridled sensuality and desire, when almost nothing is taboo, and ideas such as morality, purity, sanctity, and respect are considered highly subjective concepts. Though temptations of the flesh have always been with us - and always will be with us as long as we have the old sin nature inside – it has never before been harder for men and women alike to control their thoughts, minds, and dare I say it ….hormones. 

The battle for purity of mind, thought, deed, and heart has escalated to a fever pitch, and countless of men and women alike have hurt others and been hurt by others in the areas of sexual purity.  Television ads, billboards, magazine inserts – even in the once harmless Ladies Home Journal – promote life-styles and standards of living that open even the best person to thoughts and desires that, if left unchecked, can run roughshod over good intentions and the way we’d like to live.

Men, in particular, have suffered greatly in this area; and though it’s not entirely their fault, the rising numbers of divorce and extramarital affairs inside the church – even among those who have served long and faithfully in the ministry - speak very loudly and clearly that something is wrong.

Every Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, is one of the best devotionals targeting men and the battle for purity that I’ve come across in quite some time. It’s practical, down-to-earth, and both authors “roll up their sleeves” and get right to the nitty-gritty details. It has a two-pronged approach: though it affirms men struggling with purity that they’re not monsters, mentally ill, cursed, or alone in their fight; it also pulls no punches when it comes to their admonition to clean up their thought lives and behavior patterns.

Every Man’s Battle also goes into great depth analyzing the male perspective and thought process – even going into biological detail as to why it’s so hard for many men to keep pure – without succumbing to the age-old excuse, “boys will be boys." Much of what they discuss makes a tremendous amount of sense on a simple, everyday level, but at the same time they back everything with Scripture.

This book is very practical, and it doesn’t just talk about the struggle for sexual purity and give enthusiastic exhortations and admonitions, it lays out and devises easy-to-implement action steps for any men to clean up their lives and obtain purity. In the battle for sexual purity, this isn’t just a “Recon & Intel” report, it’s a battle strategy aimed at one goal: to win, under the power and strength of God.

Finally, the best part about this book is the fact it’s been written by two Christian men who have fought long and hard against the very beast troubling so many men. Other devotionals and books I've read about sexual purity and temptation have been on the ball and scripturally accurate, but they always read a little flat because you got the idea that though they were well researched and written, none of the authors really spent “time in the trenches”. These guys have, and they aren’t only recommending “good practices they’ve researched”, but battle plans that saved their purity and marriages.

FAMILYFANS RATING: A

--KL

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