I read Unchained by Noel Jesse Heikkinen in exchange for honest review from Litfuse. The book is Christian-based. The book's subtitle if If Jesus has set us free, why don't we feel free?. Guilt. I am a Christian and I have felt guilt over many things, even years after I asked for forgiveness over and over again.
The author discussed how Christians walk around with heavy chains on, worrying about how many mistakes God is adding up. For me, one of my heavy chains is my sexual past. The author said "there is no joy in sin and I felt trapped." I have felt that way many times after having one sexual encounter after another. I was sexually free, but not truly free with God. Freedom should tell the world you are Christian was one of the most powerful lines in the book.
Another topic, which hit me hard was about prayer schedules and reading the bible. The author discussed how people have good intentions to read the bible and pray every day, but then things get in the way. The idea of reading and praying becomes more important than following Jesus. It is like when I took a bible course on purity years ago. Some days, I forgot to log in, so I tried to double up and triple up the next day. Completing the course became more important than trying to improve my spiritual life. When I did complete the course, I was more happy I finally finished though I barely learned anything.
The author said the problem with man-made rules is the rules place yokes, which require more than the bible commands. The man-made rules changes how we think God feels about us and when we fail, "we don't feel free."
I also liked the section on the law (biblical law, aka the old testament). The author discusses how people place different levels of importance on different laws. Is it a better sin if we steal some paper from work versus robbing a bank? How important is keeping the Sabbath? When was the last time we truly kept the Sabbath?
The section on the law was my favorite section in the book.
The book has discussion questions at the end of each chapter. The book was an amazing read.
You can purchase the book using the link above. The book comes in Kindle and Hardcover format. The book is prime-eligible.
Thanks for sharing your review and how the book impacted you!
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