Book Review: Got Guts Get Godly By Dr. Roger Barrier with Brianna Barrier Engeler
Got Guts Get Godly
This book that I am about to write a review on is very near and dear to my heart. The author was my Pastor in the very first Church that I went to (Casas Adobes Baptist Church). I went to that Church throughout my entire childhood, up until I was 18 and joined the Army. The Pastor gave an altar call when I was a teenager and I was saved that day when I accepted Christ into my life as my Lord and savior.Pastor Roger Barrier baptized me in front of a crowd of thousands and from the moment that I was saved, my life was changed. I lived a life where God was the center and he led me where he wanted me to go. It was a decision that I cherish to this very day and will for eternity.
Main Idea and Theme
This book was written around a personal tragedy that Pastor Roger Barrier faced when his daughter, who was just an infant, passed away. My pastor and his wife were very hurt by this event and he asked God what the reasoning behind this was. My Pastor told God, "[that he] has served him and has been faithful to him for years and asked him if this is how God treats his people." My pastor then heard God speaking to his heart and told him,I wanted you to know just a little bit about how I feel when my children never grow up. When I read that it impacted me to an incredible degree.
Pastor Barrier then goes on to write about Christians who are saved but they never grow into maturity. Salvation is only the beginning. Like the birth of a child who has their entire life ahead of them. We are designed to grow, both physically and spiritually and when we stay spiritual infants, it hurts God very much. He has given us so many gifts and tools to build his kingdom, but many of us never grow up and use them.
In essence, this book taught me that we should always be striving to get closer to God and become more like Jesus. We should never plateau and say “I’ve made it.” God made us eternal beings. That means there is no finish line; it is a constant uphill climb. This is the same in all aspects of personal growth.
Spiritual Maturity should be every Christian’s aim. In this book, Pastor Barrier explains that the Christians who have made the biggest impact in enhancing the kingdom are the ones who are adults in their spiritual lives. It takes time to grow and cultivate your spiritual muscles to reach this level and it is a choice that every Christian has to make during their lives.They either choose to grow or they choose not to. Not choosing at all also means you chose not to.
To become a spiritual adult, my Pastor explains in a very simple prayer but with a huge outcome. “Dear Lord, make me a spiritual adult at any price.” This prayer, if prayed from the heart, will bring on a lot of adversity, trial, lessons, and struggle, but these are some of God's greatest tools to develop us and make us who he designed us to be. Before you pray this prayer, make sure you are committed because God is going to take you on a journey unlike anything you could imagine. However, the rewards far surpass anything that this world could provide for you.
Recommendation
I went to Church for over two decades before reading this book and within its pages, I learned things that have been invaluable to my relationship with God and his son Jesus that over twenty years of faithful Church attendance didn’t teach me. I highly recommend this book to Christians who are saved and who are looking to move on to the next level.
Purchase
Get your copy of Got Guts? Get Godly on Amazon
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