The Lifestyle of a Prophet, by James W. Goll

BOOK DESCRIPTION:  This unique, hands-on 21-day guide helps all believers develop intimacy with God so they can hear his voice clearly--and then proclaim his words faithfully.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Dr. James W. Goll is the President of Encounters Network, the Director of Prayer Storm, and the Director of God Encounters Training – an eSchool of the Heart. He is a member of the Harvest International Ministries apostolic team and an instructor in the Wagner Leadership Institute. With great joy James has shared Jesus in more than 50 nations teaching and imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry, and life in the Spirit.

MY THOUGHTS:  Written as a 21-day devotional, this book is subtitled A 21-Day Journey to Embracing Your Calling.  The author uses Old and New Testament prophets as well as his own life to illustrate key points in the journey to become someone God can speak to.

Although I have a slightly different theological view of prophecy than the author, I enjoyed working through this devotional.  The principles apply to any person wanting to be used of God--the struggles he will face, the highs and lows of ministry, danger zones to avoid, and ways to strengthen your spiritual life in order to be available and effective in kingdom work.

In Day 4, which deals with character development, I highlighted this quote, which seems to summarize the point of the book:

"God does not want us only to give a message:  He wants us to become a living word."

The book is divided into three sections with seven chapters each:  The Lifestyle of Intimacy, The Lifestyle of Wisdom, and The Lifestyle of Revelation.  Each chapter deals with a different, very practical topic, including stories, scripture, questions to think through, and a prayer.

Don't pick this book up thinking you'll do a 5-minute read-through as your daily devotion each morning.  The chapters are thorough and full of things you'll need to reflect on, sift through.  At the end of this very introspective, personal devotional, the reader should be able to identify his own strengths and weaknesses and have a plan for working on those.

**I received an copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, courtesy of netgalley.com.