Gods At War by Kyle Idleman

In gods at war, Kyle Idleman, bestselling author of not a fan, helps every believer recognize there are false gods at war within each of us, and they battle for the place of glory and control in our lives. What keeps us from truly following Jesus is that our hearts are pursuing something or someone else. While these pursuits may not be the 'graven images' of old, they are in fact modern day idols. Behind the sin you're struggling with, the discouragement you're dealing with, the lack of purpose you're living with is a false god that is winning the war for your heart.

According to Idleman, idolatry isn't an issue---it is the issue.

By asking insightful questions, Idleman reveals which false gods each of us are allowing on the throne of our lives. What do you sacrifice for? What makes you mad? What do you worry about? Whose applause do you long for? We're all wired for worship, but we often end up valuing and honoring the idols of money, sex, food, romance, success and many others that keep us from the intimate relationship with God that we desire.

Using true, powerful and honest testimonies of those who have struggled in each area, gods at war illustrates a clear path away from the heartache of our 21st century idolatry back to the heart of God -- enabling us to truly be completely committed followers of Jesus.

My review:
   Every once in while I read a book that I think "man, everyone needs to read this". This is one such book. It is a convicting book when you consider how easy it is to put anything above God in our lives and how careful we need to be, yet it isn't a hard driving hell and brimstone type of book. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I like his style. He writes with humor, yet is serious in his approach to showing how easy it is to have idols in our lives.

 I really don't read enough non-fiction, but if all non-fiction was as easy to read, I would read more of it. And though it is an easy and interesting read, it is not a shallow book by any means. It is challenging and convicting, and is truly a book all Christians should read.

About the author:
   Kyle Idleman is the Teaching Pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, the
fourth largest church in America. He is the author of the award-winning and best-selling book not a fan. He is also the presenter of several video curricula, including not a fan, H2O, and the newly released study gods at war.

Gods At War is available from Zondervan Publishing.