Satisfy Your Soul

                                        Satisfy Your Soul

Author BRUCE DEMAREST

Publisher NAVPRESS

ISBN 1-57683-130-4

First published in 1999 and still available new today Dr Demarest, a man of wide experience both in a university setting and as a missionary in Africa gives us a book about spiritual growth, what the Bible calls sanctificationand a book mainly based on his own experience and progress in understanding and walking with God.  There are some excellent Biblical foundations to be found here along with his own personal insights.  He takes us back into the classics of Christian devotion throughout but concludes the book with some pointers to authors  and spiritual classics both old and more recent that will help us on our journey.  At the end of each chapter he includes a list for further reading, worthwhile following through on some of these also.  There is an immense wealth to be found in the books he commends to us, they focus us on being conformed to the Image of the Lord Jesus.  Actually Demarest begins his book by indicating how superficial and shallow is early understanding that many Christians (at least in his experience in the USA) have as regards spiritual growth and what it means to be a Christian.  I think that he is right.  Possibly the best thing about this particular book is the serious effort made throughout to ground things firmly in the Bible.  There are a lot of books on the subject of Christian spirituality that get a bit wooly and are borne along by a questionable enthusiasm for all sorts of questionable practices and these are mentioned here and critiqued as well.  For instance, a chapter on the need for discernment follows on the one on spiritual hunger which in turn follows on the opening one about the path to discovery and transformation.  The subtitle of the book is restoring the heart of Christian spiritualityand I think it well expresses the chief burden of its author.  Knowing God as intimates,” “the Word that feeds the Soul,are chapters followed by the Power of Contemplationthe latter being a subject sadly lacking from the experience of so many evangelical christian believers.  Thus this book moves on to our becoming spiritual helpers to others and a chapter about redemptive counsellingtakes us into language and ideas that we may all sympathise with but perhaps not use that language to define.  All in all a well written book that endeavours to lead us into deepening fellowship with the Living God and to nourish us in the art of becoming a soul growing in grace and being truly useful to others as we follow the Lord.  

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