Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Moody Publishers (2014), Edition: New, 144 pages
Description
Christian Nonfiction. Religion & Spirituality. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML: OVER 300,000 COPIES SOLD! Why won't God reveal his special will for my life already? Because he doesn't intend to... So says Kevin DeYoung in this punchy book about making decisions the godly way. Many of us are listening for the still small voice to tell us what's next instead of listening to the clear voice in Scripture telling us what's now. God does have a will for your life, but it is the same as everyone else's: Seek first the kingdom of God. And quit floundering. With pastoral wisdom and tasteful wit, DeYoung debunks unbiblical ways of understanding God's will and constructs a simple but biblical alternative: live like Christ. He exposes the frustrations of our waiting games and unfolds the freedom of finding God's will in Scripture and then simply doing it. This book is a call to put down our Magic 8-Balls and pick up God's Word. It's a call to get wisdom, follow Christ, be holy, and live freely. To just do something..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member enygren
Flying can be an extremely convenient means of travel, but one of the downsides has got to be all the waiting around in the airport. This week I flew back home from a conference I had been attending. I had brought books to read and I had packed my iPod full of music. Fortunately I also had a few
At just right around 3 hours of listening time, Kevin DeYoung’s book Just Do Something seemed to be a workable choice for my downtime. Narrated by Adam Verner, Just Do Something had me engaged from the book’s introduction. DeYoung tackles a question that every Christian finds himself or herself asking at some point along their spiritual journey: “How can I determine what God’s will is for my life?”
Listening to the book, I couldn’t help but think how Just Do Something would make a great gift for the two high school seniors at our church that will be graduating this year. DeYoung makes the argument that while the easy answers to life’s questions can’t always be found in the pages of Scripture, the principles are certainly there. The book seems geared for college and post-college aged Christians, but the decision making wisdom offered will be helpful for other generations as well.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Christianaudio as part of their Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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good audiobooks stored that I wanted to listen to as well.At just right around 3 hours of listening time, Kevin DeYoung’s book Just Do Something seemed to be a workable choice for my downtime. Narrated by Adam Verner, Just Do Something had me engaged from the book’s introduction. DeYoung tackles a question that every Christian finds himself or herself asking at some point along their spiritual journey: “How can I determine what God’s will is for my life?”
Listening to the book, I couldn’t help but think how Just Do Something would make a great gift for the two high school seniors at our church that will be graduating this year. DeYoung makes the argument that while the easy answers to life’s questions can’t always be found in the pages of Scripture, the principles are certainly there. The book seems geared for college and post-college aged Christians, but the decision making wisdom offered will be helpful for other generations as well.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Christianaudio as part of their Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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LibraryThing member deusvitae
A treatise on God's will and the ability of believers to understand it.
The author takes aim at the popular conception of "God's will" as often perceived among Evangelicals: trying to beg God to have Him tell them precisely what decision they should make between various options. Instead, the author
The author is a confessed Calvinist, and so the predeterministic view comes out at times. On the whole, however, the book does well at showing the relationship between the believer and God's will. Certainly worth a consideration.
The author takes aim at the popular conception of "God's will" as often perceived among Evangelicals: trying to beg God to have Him tell them precisely what decision they should make between various options. Instead, the author
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demonstrates how God's will involves the sanctification of the believer, and therefore, when it comes to many major life decisions, it is more important to serve God in whatever circumstance the believer finds himself. Rather than, say, worrying about whether living in city x or city y is "God's will," one should seek to do God's will while living in city x or y.The author is a confessed Calvinist, and so the predeterministic view comes out at times. On the whole, however, the book does well at showing the relationship between the believer and God's will. Certainly worth a consideration.
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LibraryThing member PaulM
This is the first book I've read in quite a while that, as I was reading it, I was thinking of all the people I'm eager to recommend it to. Everyone between the ages of 15 and 35 ought to read this right away, and everyone older would probably enjoy reading it at some point.
The book deals with the
The Kindle version has some editorial errors and layout issues but is a great value at ~$6.
The book deals with the
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epidemic of indecision that exists among young people (35 and under) in the church today. DeYong's advice ("do something") is as Biblical as it is helpful. It's a delightful read full of laughs and sound counsel.The Kindle version has some editorial errors and layout issues but is a great value at ~$6.
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LibraryThing member m-andrews
While I can fully understand DeYoung's intentions, the book is incredibly repetitive. What could have been said in the course of two or three chapters is dragged out for an entire book. I also gather the impression that he is preaching to the converted – his book would have been so much more
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helpful if it had been written for Pentecostal and charismatic brothers and sisters, rather than the Reformed who agree with him anyway. Finally, while I completely agree that we should not rely on any of these things to find out God's will when we have the Bible, I cannot fully deny that the Holy Spirit, may if he wishes, work in other ways: we should always test these things using the Bible and should never see them as being infallible, but he does not dwell on these things at all. We should not expect these things, and yet, they do at times happen. Wittily written and with plenty of healthy anecdotes. I would read more of his books. Show Less
LibraryThing member Admiralcreedy
This book is brilliant. It blew me away, blew apart some of my life, and is possibly my most unexpected but useful and awesome book of the year. I reread it three times before writing this review, am rereading it again, and would encourage you to.
The book, to give it its full title of 'Just Do
The basic premise of the books is that if we are living in a resurrection life, praying through stuff, living in step with the Spirit, and so on, then faffing about major decisions is foolish and unbiblical. The book is filled with biblical references to provide a backtrack for the argument. It demonstrates that God has shown us much of his will, and that we do need to just get on with it alot of the time. However, rather than carry on ranting, I will furnish you with some of the really resonant stories, anecdotes and quotes from the book. Then, when you have finished reading this, GO AND BUY A COPY. Well, maybe not, but you should.
'we need to be careful that we aren't using God as the trump card in all our decisions. Just because you pray doesn't mean your decisions are beyond objection... If we say "God told me to do this" or "God's leading me here", this puts our decisions out of reach from criticism or concerns' - This is brilliant to point out because this is very common, and God rarely does this. So we should stop hiding behind it.
'I'll never forget my poor beleaguered roommate talking with me after he took a risk and told a nice young lady that he liked her... He was pretty sure she would reciprocate his declaration of affection. But it turned out she wasn't interested. She was a sweet girl, a good Christian. She didn't mean to have bad theology. But instead of just saying "I'm not interested" or "I don't like you" or "Quit stalking me" or something she went all spiritual on him. "I've been praying alot about you", she demurred, "and the Holy Spirit told me no." "No?" my confused roommate asked. "No ... never", she replied. Poor Guy - he got rejected, not only by this sweet girl, but by the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Trinity took a break from pointing people to Jesus to tell this girl not to date my roommate... God's will is frequently employed as an excuse for difficult relationship decisions... If you aren't interested in dating or courtship or marriage or whatever, just say "No Thanks" or "Not now", but please don't make God the bad guy in your relational messes'. - This section had me cut to the core. So common to my own situation, to my own experience, and that of many around me. This book is right on the money.
'God's will for your life is not very complicated. Obviously, living a Christlike life is hard work, and what following Jesus entails is not clear in every situation. But as an overarching principle, the will of God for your life is pretty straightforward: Be holy like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God'. - Amen. And wow.
(Regarding special revelations and visions) 'When he [Paul] did experience a special revelation, seeing a vision of a man calling him to Macedonia, he obeyed. But the special revelation of God was a rare and unique experience, even for Paul... Special revelation came at a time when God wanted to lead them apart from the normal ways in which His people make life choices'. Spot on. So brutal. So simple. So rational!
I leave you with the close of the book, one of the most liberating things I have ever read, and something that resonated in me to the core.
'So the end of the matter is this: Live for God. Obey the Scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else you like, with whomever you like, wherever you like, and you'll be walking in the will of God'
WOW.
Cheers Kevin. Cheers God. Lets get on with it. Maybe you need to do something. I just sent a message to someone. What will you do?
The book, to give it its full title of 'Just Do
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Something: A Liberating approach to finding God's Will OR How to make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky etc', is by a chap called Kevin DeYoung, and the foreword (Which is worth reading on its own!) is by Joshua Harris. Now, that may put you off. But please don't let it.The basic premise of the books is that if we are living in a resurrection life, praying through stuff, living in step with the Spirit, and so on, then faffing about major decisions is foolish and unbiblical. The book is filled with biblical references to provide a backtrack for the argument. It demonstrates that God has shown us much of his will, and that we do need to just get on with it alot of the time. However, rather than carry on ranting, I will furnish you with some of the really resonant stories, anecdotes and quotes from the book. Then, when you have finished reading this, GO AND BUY A COPY. Well, maybe not, but you should.
'we need to be careful that we aren't using God as the trump card in all our decisions. Just because you pray doesn't mean your decisions are beyond objection... If we say "God told me to do this" or "God's leading me here", this puts our decisions out of reach from criticism or concerns' - This is brilliant to point out because this is very common, and God rarely does this. So we should stop hiding behind it.
'I'll never forget my poor beleaguered roommate talking with me after he took a risk and told a nice young lady that he liked her... He was pretty sure she would reciprocate his declaration of affection. But it turned out she wasn't interested. She was a sweet girl, a good Christian. She didn't mean to have bad theology. But instead of just saying "I'm not interested" or "I don't like you" or "Quit stalking me" or something she went all spiritual on him. "I've been praying alot about you", she demurred, "and the Holy Spirit told me no." "No?" my confused roommate asked. "No ... never", she replied. Poor Guy - he got rejected, not only by this sweet girl, but by the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Trinity took a break from pointing people to Jesus to tell this girl not to date my roommate... God's will is frequently employed as an excuse for difficult relationship decisions... If you aren't interested in dating or courtship or marriage or whatever, just say "No Thanks" or "Not now", but please don't make God the bad guy in your relational messes'. - This section had me cut to the core. So common to my own situation, to my own experience, and that of many around me. This book is right on the money.
'God's will for your life is not very complicated. Obviously, living a Christlike life is hard work, and what following Jesus entails is not clear in every situation. But as an overarching principle, the will of God for your life is pretty straightforward: Be holy like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God'. - Amen. And wow.
(Regarding special revelations and visions) 'When he [Paul] did experience a special revelation, seeing a vision of a man calling him to Macedonia, he obeyed. But the special revelation of God was a rare and unique experience, even for Paul... Special revelation came at a time when God wanted to lead them apart from the normal ways in which His people make life choices'. Spot on. So brutal. So simple. So rational!
I leave you with the close of the book, one of the most liberating things I have ever read, and something that resonated in me to the core.
'So the end of the matter is this: Live for God. Obey the Scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else you like, with whomever you like, wherever you like, and you'll be walking in the will of God'
WOW.
Cheers Kevin. Cheers God. Lets get on with it. Maybe you need to do something. I just sent a message to someone. What will you do?
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LibraryThing member chriskrycho
Short and incisive, and dead on target.
LibraryThing member kaitanya64
This could be a useful book for Christian college aged students or younger adults when thinking about decision making. The advice is practical and theologically sound. I gave it a slightly lower rating because the author claims more than once that this advice could be useful for anyone facing major
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decisions, but I think most older readers will find the examples geared to a fairly young audience (i.e. unmarried, childless, probably still in school). Show Less
LibraryThing member Pastor_Doug
The most best, and briefest, book I've read on biblical decision-making. An easy, yet challenging and instructive, read for non-readers. This is a great book for pastors to recommend to others
LibraryThing member tillywern
Brilliant and much needed at this time in the church. DeYoung encourages to jettison our obsession with finding "the path" and rest in providence. Brutally he points out how we seek to save face with others under the guise of being spiritual. Oooo... It hurts to be called out on my lack of faith.
LibraryThing member bhorton
Biblical and practical
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
144 p.; 7 inches