Shirer claims this book offers a plan for specific and strategic prayer. I'm not convinced.

Each of the 10 chapters covers an area of life where we Christians tend to struggle - she calls them "strategies that Satan uses to destroy us" - Passion, Focus, Identity, Family, Past, Fears, Purity, Pressures, Hurts, Relationships.

She gives only one strategy for prayer: the acronym PRAY - Praise, Repentance, Asking, Yes (essentially, claiming biblical promises). So there is a lot of repetition, as she repeats this strategy at the end of each chapter.

Fervent lacks focus. The author touches on so many different topics that she wasn't able to dig deeply into any one of them. The book reads like a very passionate sermon – a lot of screaming and calls to defeat the devil – without actually saying anything. Not to mention, the majority of the text wasn't even about prayer!

Shirer's focus on Satan (rather than Jesus) was disconcerting. The book is littered with talk about us "hitting the devil where it hurts." At one point, she states, "The enemy's going to hate this. Let's do it..." (p. 146) I guess I'd rather do something out of obedience to God, motivated by His love.

She gathers verses at the end of each chapter that supposedly correlate with the chapter's theme – taking many of them out of context in order to make them "fit."

She also seemed to assume that every Christian's struggles are the exact same as hers. For example, in chapter 8, "Your Pressures," she mostly focuses on the problem with busyness and barely gives laziness a passing nod.

There are just a few personal anecdotes included; however, she is so vague in her descriptions that they don't add anything to the book. If an author doesn't want to be vulnerable, that's fine, but then she shouldn't pretend to be! I would have liked to read anecdotes from others, as well.

And one of my biggest beefs with this book (I know, "There's more?!") is her idolization of the nuclear family. In chapter 4, "Your Family," she insinuates that the best thing a Christian can do to fight against Satan is to "marry and raise up a whole other generation of little Christ followers." (p. 81) She contrasted this to other forms of ministry.

As a single, childless Christian, I balk at that. It's unbiblical! Raising children who love Christ is absolutely a worthwhile endeavor, but it is not superior to any other endeavors God calls Christians to. As Stanley Haurwas said in [b:After Christendom|145079|After Christendom|Stanley Hauerwas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385599148l/145079._SX50_.jpg|139984], "Singleness reminds the Church we grow not through biological ascription but through witness and hospitality to the stranger."

She also spends time encouraging the single woman to pray for her future mate "before [she] even knows his first name." (p. 84) Considering that God never promised marriage to anyone, I wish she had spent a lot more time encouraging all believers, regardless of marital status, to pray for each other as family.

The Body of Christ is our true family! I want to be clear, I don't think it's wrong to pray for earthly family if you have them – of course it's not. But instead of praying for a "future" spouse (who may or may not exist), pray for the people who are real and in your life right now. (To me, the concept of praying for a future spouse is a little like praying for wisdom on how to spend the $300 million you might win in the lottery next week, instead of praying for wisdom on how to spend the money you already have.)

There are so many other books on prayer that have been written – I would recommend that readers find a classic work on prayer that has been tried and tested. Fervent deserves to be skipped! ( )

Grace Book Club. Very good strategies for prayer. A few things new - I hadn't head of. Marked up book with highlights and underlines. ( )

You have an enemy . . . and he’s dead set on destroying all you hold dear and keeping you from experiencing abundant life in Christ. What’s more, his approach to disrupting your life and discrediting your faith isn’t general or generic, not a one-size-fits-all. It’s specific. Personalized. Targeted.

So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter will guide you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit.

New York Times bestselling author Priscilla Shirer, widely known for her international speaking, teaching, and writing ministries, brings her new role from the 2015 film War Room into the real lives of today’s women, addressing the topics that affect them most: renewing their passion, refocusing their identity, negotiating family strife, dealing with relentless regrets, navigating impossible schedules, succeeding against temptation, weathering their worst fears, uprooting bitterness, and more. Each chapter exposes the enemy’s cruel, crafty intentions in all kinds of these areas, then equips and encourages you to write out your own personalized prayer strategies on tear-out sheets you can post and pray over yourself and your loved ones on a regular basis.

Fervent is a hands-on, knees-down, don’t-give-up action guide to practical, purposeful praying.