Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom [NOOK Book]

Unscriptural Empty Promises Slapped Into A "Feel Good" Book and Sold for a Quick Buck

5 HIGHEST - 1 LOWEST STARS: 1 Stars

READ IT OR SKIP IT? SKIP IT

WHO MIGHT LIKE/HATE THIS BOOK?

Charismatic/Pentocostal/Word of Faith believers may like this book. If you are not among these, you will not like or trust a book written by Prosperity Gospel preachers like Furtick, Ed Young, and Franklin.

BOOK REVIEW:

I am glad I did not purchase this book. After learning that Properity Gospel preachers (Name-It-Claim-It scammers) were involved in writing this book, I realized the entire purpose of this shallow book was money in their pockets. I am sure very few will have a spiritual awakening in 21 days. We are either read for one RIGHT NOW, or it'll take some time and prayer to get our ship turned around. This book is full of promises with perfectly selected verses plucked out of context and inserted to make you "feel good". Problem is, most of these promises will come up empty, just like this book does. Example: Author tells you to fast (not to lose weight) but then he brags about losing 60lbs. Clearly, he is trying to sucker you into fasting because of the weight loss benefits, when just previously he claims that is not to be a motivating factor. Some promises and claims in this book are not even backed by scripture - like how fasting turns off our human nature and enables our spiritual nature to rise up. Umm... I thought we are supposed to turn to depend and trust on the Holy Spirit/God and then He will lead us. I'm not sure exactly how fasting is supposed to fit in here. This book felt like a clever manipulation for a quick buck from the author.




Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher Water Brook Multnomah for this review. I am giving my honest review, as positive reviews are not required

1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Highly, Highly, Highly Recommended - a must for all Christians!

This is a NOW book for all Christians. Young, middle aged, ederly, new Christian, seasoned Saint, where ever you are in your Christian walk. It is a simple, obtainable approach on how to get back your spiritual fervor, zeal and passion and keepp it! It is simple, yet powerful! It gives you the tools to start right where you are whether it is your first fast or your fifieth fast and shows you how to find YOUR FASt ZONE! Are you bored with your walk with God? Do you need a refreshing? Do you need Revival? Do you long for more of God? This is the book that will show you how to get that and SO MUCH MORE!

Must read

Very informative for fasting and drawing crosser to God. Highly recommended for every Christian to read and apply God's word to their lives.

Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom

Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom is written by Stovall Weems, and is a very inspiring book. Awakening is all about how to 'un-gunk' our spiritual life so that we can walk more closely with God every day. Weems writes about why we should strive for such a passionate with relationship with God, and he also includes a 21 day Plan to help you "activate the principles that ensure a lasting, vital relationship with God". Also included is a guide to fasting and a small group study guide.

The contents of this book challenged me to re-evaluate what it means to be a Christian, and what a relationship with God should really be like. It also helped me to understand more about fasting, how we should/can do it, and why we do it. I would recommend this book to people who feel as if they have strained their relationship with God and want to come back to Him. It is an encouraging, challenging, and insightful read.

good read

just put down Awakening, written by Stovall Weems, and I must say I am rather pleased. It did, somewhat, seem as though it was more about the nutritional aspect of things rather than religious. I enjoyed the book anyway. It was an easy read, nothing confusing about it. The pages flowed nicely, filled with information to keep any readers attention. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good book.

Awakening is more than just a fasting book.

As the title suggests this book is about having an awakening with God. Stoval walks you through gaining your awakening to God through prayer, giving and mainly fasting. It's an awesome book that you should read if you're interested in Christian fasting.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Decent Book

I've recently completed "Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom" by Stovall Weems. Pastor/teacher types are forever exhorting their congregations and classes to spend time alone with God praying and studying his word. However, one rarely hears these folks include a call to fast in their teaching. "Awakening" changes that. In the book the author shares why he does so and why he thinks it is important for all Christians to do so as well. Specifically, he calls for a 21 day fast to "revolutionize your relationship with God".

This book really isn't that long. Weems uses scripture and personal experience to explain how and why Christians should spend time in personal study and worship, including fasting. The chapters are readable and most conclude before they get boring. Each one ends with a personal testimony from a member of Celebration church who tells something of how God used the 21 day fast in his/her life. These testimonies of God's activity are really neat. Another thing I enjoyed about the book is that Weems is really passionate in his love for Jesus and that comes through in the writing.

Overall this book was like many I had read before which sort of disappointed me. Maybe it would be useful for someone though who hasn't read many books like this. Overall I am giving this book a 3 out of 5 star rating.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...]: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Awesome book! Buy it now!

"This will be your best year ever- IF it is your best year spiritually." ~Stovall Weems

Have you ever wished there was some kind of caffeine for your spiritual life? You know, something to wake it up, and propel it forward? In this awesome, easy to read book, Pastor Stovall Weems shows the keys to "Awakening" a slumbering spiritual life. He does this effortlessly, weaving together all the components of a alive, refreshing, and vibrant spiritual life. He shows you how to "de-junk" your spiritual system, cleansing and removing the toxins so that your life can be made more vibrant through fasting and praying.

I absolutely loved this book! It is not a usual thing for me to find a book that I am willing to read through slowly, chewing and digesting the contents. I could not believe how great this book was! I agreed with all of Pastor Weems theology, and I believe I am going to do one of the fasts in the back of his book in a couple of weeks or so. Criticisms? The only one I could think of is that he hasn't written any more!(That I know of :) I absolutely loved this book, and I am going to have to read it again! I never knew what a grand effect fasting had on the human body. It was awesome!

I would recommend this book to anyone, just so long as they can read! One thing that helped when I was reading this book was that I did not just read it straight through, I read a little bit every day until I finished. When reading this book, you would be best served to read it in small portions to start with. I highly encourage you to read it, and make sure to let me know if you do!


By the way, Waterbrook Multonohmah gave me this book for free to review honestly.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not the greatest read, especially not for a new Christian

I reviewed this book for my husband, who has been reading alot of Christian literature books for study, so he can understand more about the faith. Most of the books he's read so far were great, he couldn't put them down, this one, however, he couldn't keep in his hands. I don't recall what his comment was, but he read a couple chapters, like he does with all the books he reads before he knows whether he'll get into it, but this one he didn't care much for. I personally didn't read it yet, but I know that if he didn't like it, I won't. I don't like putting up a review like this, but sometimes you have to.

Good Resource for those new to Fasting

I was hesitant when I first picked up Awakening by Stovall Weems. Not because it was about fasting (I had become accustommed to the idea of fasting by exploring the Eastern Orthodox faith, as well as being encouraged to do a Lenten fast by my family), but because the cover proclaimed "21 Days to Revolutionize you Relationship with God". I am immediately skeptical of claims to acclomplish specific spiritual tasks in a specific time. It seems to threaten to put God in a box, or a formula: "f you do a, b, and c, God will do x". Faith just doesn't work like that.

However, once I started reading, I found the book pushing my spiritual boundaries. It doesn't read like a thick, theological treatise, but rather a friend giving you advice from his personal experience. It put me off because I am not an emotional person by nature, yet this book emphasizes the fact that we need to be emotional in our relationship with God.
I was also surprised to find that this book illuminated God's grace in a way that struck me deeply. It contrasted God's grace with the legalistic view of attempting to garner God's approval by performance. I am so glad I didn't write this book off as too "touchy-feely".

All in all, it was a good book, although very different in style from what I usually prefer. I cannot say whether the 21-day fasting devotional plan is affective, because I have not tried it (I will when I am no longer nursing). However, I heartily reccomend it to anyone who thinks fasting is too Old Testament or severe. I truly think it will help revitalize your relationship with God, even if you don't experience some of the miracles described in the testimonials.

Do You Need An Awakening?

Do you need an awakening in your life? Well, Awakening by Stovall Weems is the book for you! In this book and twenty-one day plan following, Weems gives a new approach to faith, fasting, and spiritual freedom. I took a while to read this book because there was so much information and things that helped me personally. Passionate Christianity should be the norm for every believer.. not the exception, and "PASSION IS THE ESSENCE OF AN AWAKENING."

*experiencing surrender
*experiencing passion for God
*experiencing God's goodness
*creating space for God to fill

These are the steps of awakening that we as Christians should follow daily. We are constantly thrown things by the world that demands our attention. One can easily lose spiritual focus and settle for artificial substitutes if we do not fight for a lifestyle of awakening. Some of us need to rediscover grace and realize that God will meet us wherever we are on our journey. We do not have to "do" better than everyone for God to be pleased with us. He wants to fill us, and He will not force Himself on us.

Prayer and fasting is key in an awakening as explained in this book; oftentimes, Jesus and His disciples did just this. Through effective prayer we grow in intimacy with the Father, and through fasting we get rid of the junk that is in our system physically and spiritually. Stovall then explains the various types of fasts and how to succeed and do them properly. The last part of the book is a "21 Day Plan" for those serious about it. A guide to follow as you are fasting from food, television, and even possibly Facebook. . Though difficult, and though Satan will do everything he can to jeopardize your efforts to grow in the Lord, you can succeed! I recommend this book to anyone ready to have an awakening experience with God and become passionate about serving the Lord... though it may be dangerous.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual ferver, serving the Lord. -Romans 12:11, NIV

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Incredible

I was not sure what to expect when I received AWAKENING by Stovall Weems. I recently reviewed a book on fasting that, well, left a lot to be desired. As I freed Weems' work from the media mail envelope and settled down it was with a hint of skepticism.

Stovall Weems is the lead pastor of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida. According to awakeningbook .org, the church began with just 7 people in 1998 and now serves over 10,000. This interested me, thinking that they must be doing something right. Stovall said something early in AWAKENING that might hold the key.

"This will be your best year ever if it is your best year spiritually."

Made sense to me. I was in. What I found in this book was a comprehensive guide to biblical fasting combined with real world testimonies of it's effectiveness. Stovall explains in detail the benefits, both physical and spiritual, of a break from the norms of a world "gunked up". Reader beware, however. The Awakening fast is not your standard issue "hey I gave up worrying for Lent." It's the real deal. Weems does outline different forms and methods of fasting, but he himself participates in an annual 21 day fast obtaining from virtually any food at all. That's hardcore, but his results are amazing. Just reading about the breakthroughs and renewal in his relationship with God has me gearing up for a fast of my own. You can too, and this book is a fantastic guide.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended - please check it out!!

Stovall Weems book Awakening is a guide to a closer relationship with God through fasting and details the difference between Old Testament fasting and New Testament fasting. He provides ideas on different fasts, a devotional and a small group study guide. I would recommend this book to all who want to create a space in their hearts for God to dwell. I am sure your relationship with God will flourish and "when" troubles come your way God will be there leading you through. "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A good introduction to prayer and fasting

Okay, somehow when I ordered this book I missed that it was on fasting. Ooops! The book is titled Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom is subtitled 21 Days to Revolutionize Your Relationship with God. The book is a short and quick read (about only 150 pages for the book itself, then it follows with 21 daily devotionals), but definitely worth the time.

Weems puts a lot of time into developing what he terms the "awakening experience" and laying the groundwork for the need for a 21 day fast. He also does an excellent job - perhaps the best I've read yet (and I've read a lot) - on the difference between fasting under the Old Covenant in the OT and the New Covenant in the NT. His final conclusion is spot on: we fast not to get something from God but to draw closer to Him, and a reminder that God is a filler, not a forcer, but in order for God to fill something we need to first create a void which needs to be filled.

One of the highlights of the book is that each chapter (there are only 12) ends with "An Awakening Story", or a personal testimony from someone who has undertaken the 21 day fast and grown as a result of it. Some of the stories were the predictable, miraculous ones one would expect, but others were more down-to-earth. But all were a reminder that God does work in peoples' lives in miraculous ways. The only point of contention I might have with Weems is the huge emphasis he places in the book on the importance of feelings in our walk with God. Too often feeling are deceiving, and I got the impression at several times that it would be easy to mis-interpret or mis-understand what Weems is saying about following our feelings to justify getting off-track. But this is a minor issue, and, when viewed through what he says in the rest of the book regarding following the Word of God and setting up boundaries, I believe it would be a gross misrepresentation to twist his emphasis on feelings to justify sin.

One area I wish he would have spent more time in would be when he actually defines and describes beginning a fast. Weems does a fantastic job for the first 124 pages of establishing the need for prayer, fasting, and Bible study, but then devotes only 20 pages to actually describing the 21 day fast in any detail and only 7 pages actually going into detail about types of fasts and actually deciding how to fast. Over all, I'll give this book 4/5 stars.

One disclaimer, I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review, but am not required to post a complimentary review in exchange for it. Even if I had not received it for free it would have been worth paying twice what it cost.

Fasting for the 21st century

"Awakening; A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom" by Stovall Weems will do just what the cover says, "Revolutionize your Relationship with God".

Has your relationship with God come to a stand-still? Have you hit a plateau? Are you going nowhere fast? Do you find yourself so busy tending to the cares of this world that you are neglecting to spend time with God?

Then this book is for you. Read it, learn it, live it. Weems shows us a completely new way to look at fasting. Rather than suffering through a fast, he shows you how to enjoy fasting. That's right I said "enjoy!" fasting. After learning about "The Awakening Lifestyle" he takes you on a 21 day journey of fasting in various ways that will bring you closer to God.

After 21 days you will have developed a pattern or habit that you can continue on with indefinitely . You will experience the "Awakening" that you have always yearned for, but didn't know how to obtain.

I would love to put a copy of this book into the hands of every Christian who wants a deeper more meaningful relationship with their Saviour.

FTC Disclaimer - "I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review".

Great 21 days!

This is a powerful devotional book at a crucial time in the history of the church.

Weems brings a challenge to "revolutionize your relationship with God" for believers whose relationship with God has become stale. There is no doubt that much of the church has been lulled to sleep, so-to-speak, by the abundance and ease in which we live.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this book is a call for Christians to implement the basic disciplines of our faith out of a desire to draw closer to God. Weems does a great job of challenging without condemning, incorporating scripture without preaching, balancing doctrinal and practical principles, while weaving several real-life testimonies throughout the book.

Not only are the principles practical, but the author has also included some helpful tools for implementation of these principles such as; several sample types of fasts, devotional materials for a 21 day fast, and a small group study guide to share these principles with others.

This is an excellent resource that can "reset" a believers relationship with God, and bring back the passion and excitement it is meant to have

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Incredible read! Are you awake?

Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom

Every find yourself in a season of spiritual stagnation? Do you ever long for a fresh wind of the Spirit of God to blow into your life? In an instant age, it is far to easy to reduce the answer to these questions to a quick user-friendly formula. In his book, Awakening, Stovall Weems powerfully communicates how a continually fresh walk with God is not only possible but available.

Weems engages the reader on multiple levels by sharing his experience of spiritual awakening and then practically giving insight into a lifestyle that encourages spiritual intimacy. The final section of the book (of which I am still working) is a challenging 21-day guide to experiencing the spiritual awakening God has in store for us.

"Regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey, Awakening, will take you to the next level in your relationship with God." This is a must-read for anyone prepared to experience God like never before.

I give Awakening 5 out of 5 stars.
_______________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A New School of Fasting

After reading Awakening I can't wait to start planning my next fast. For many years I've practiced the discipline of fasting, but after reading Stovall Weem's insights on the subject, from now on I will celebrate the discipline of fasting!
Weems brings a new school of thought regarding an old school discipline and brings the joy back into a practice that should be as enjoyable as worshipping, praying, meditating, reading your bible, serving and being a witness. With biblical principles and many practical tools, Awakening will guide you through a fast that will lead you into a personal spiritual awakening in your relationship with God.
Connected to this book is Awaken 21, a worldwide fasting campaign that calls the church to create a culture of fasting and prayer. We discovered the Awakening late in the game in 2011, but were able to join the last 10 days. As a church, we were really impressed with all the resources that are made available to those participating.
Awakening is much more than a book, it's a movement!
Rank This Book*

Highly Recommended! I didn't know that passionate christianity was for me too!

I have a new appreciation of fasting and prayer. I have been a member at Celebration for years and my understanding of prayer and fasting has just exploded.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No text was provided for this review.