Book Review: Kris Vallotton’s Spirit Wars

Yesterday I explained that Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing, sometimes sends me an e-mail asking if I’d like to review their books. Today, I review Kris Vallotton’s Spirit Wars.

Right away you can guess this isn’t light reading, and that it deals with things some might define as charismatic interest. I get that, and I’m okay with that. I know Kris Vallotton is a name that brings immediate reaction, and when I’m called on the carpet about reading books like this, I respond that I follow Kris or Bill Johnson or whoever as much as I follow Beth Moore. Meaning, I read their books. I might not agree with everything, but I don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. I use the Bible as my guide and take what I can use from those books, and leave out the rest. Simply put, I follow Jesus Christ, not man.

That said, I was intrigued to read Spirit Wars. Although I know it’s easy to find spiritual warfare even in burned toast, I am a prayer warrior who can testify I have gone up against things that were not of God, and I called on Christ’s authority and prayed against forces I know were the real deal in spiritual warfare.

Spirit Wars is a book where I learned a little, underlined a bit, and agreed with some of the principles and experiences he shares. However, the author seems conflicted. He admits a severe burn out and what it took to get out of that pit. He confesses to taking medication and seems apologetic to even admit it. He talks about Joshua and Nehemiah, but a lot of the book is his own story, which I don’t feel he’s very comfortable in talking about–almost as if there is more for him to deal with, and he’s not there yet.

There are some doctrinal issues that I can’t get on board with, and like I said, I won’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, but I can’t say I agreed with every single thing in the book. I did not.

My opinion is he needed to write either a personal experience kind of book, or a how-to using Joshua and Nehemiah as his guide. Using both didn’t work for me, and it is a shame, because I have enjoyed his other books.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive look at spiritual warfare, I recommend Chuck Pierce’s Time to Defeat the Devil. That’s a book that is dog eared and underlined so much the ink bleeds through the pages. Spirit Wars? Only a few underlines, no dog-eared pages.

Worth reading, but not as the top book on the subject.

You know the battle is raging–but are you fighting the right enemy?

Just as enemies fought Joshua in the Promised Land, and Nehemiah faced opposition as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, our enemy will fight us as we approach the spiritual terrain God has promised us. Most Christians retreat at the first sign of conflict because they fail to recognize the true nature of the battle. But you can prevail in freedom and joy.

Sharing his deeply personal story of demonic bondage, torment and ultimate deliverance, pastor and bestselling author Kris Vallotton turns the idea of spiritual warfare as we know it on its head. He reveals the diabolical lies and strategies of the enemy–attacks and traps so subtle and deceptive that we may find our souls and hearts imprisoned without even knowing it.

No more! Now you can win the invisible battle against sin and the enemy. Victory is within your grasp. Will you take hold?

Purchase here.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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