Walls by Ryan Rush

Walls divide. Walls separate. Walls can be built, but walls can also be broken through.  That is exactly what Ryan Rush wants people to know.  People need to realize that they do not have to remain stuck behind the walls that have been erected in their lives -- walls that keep them from experiencing all that God intends for them to know and experience.

Often people think their problems and circumstances are the walls that hold them back, but Ryan Rush sees it differently.  He believes it's not the circumstances themselves, but rather the mind-set in those circumstances that really is the barrier.  Do we possess a mind-set of faith and belief in God's promises, or are we overcome by doubt, fear, anger, or resentment for example?  Those, Rush would say, are really the walls that need to be broken by using the promises of God that address those issues.  It's believing the truths of what God has said in His Word, that brings us through to the other side.

The author used the analogy of the Berlin Wall as well as his personal testimony of his experiences dealing with the difficult situations involved in raising a daughter who has special needs to illustrate his ideas. He directs his readers to focus on God's promises as they deal with life situations in order to be drawn to a closer relationship with God, rather than allowing walls to go up that will keep them from the very thing that would help them.

Personally, I felt the book was a little slow at the start, as he tried to explain exactly what the walls were not, but as I continued reading, I began to understand the point he was trying to make. He made mention, many times, about a website, http://www.faithbreakthroughs.com/, where more information and people's testimonials could be found, but I was a little disappointed with the limited information found there unless you registered (for free) and logged in, which I did not choose to do. Overall it was a fairly helpful book, though I wish there was bit more "practical" help in providing God's promises that relate to various walls people may be facing rather than continuously pointing the reader to the "testimonials" on the FaithBreakthroughs' website. It almost sounded like an infomercial at times!

If you are reading this book in a small group setting, there are discussion questions following each chapter for personalizing the concepts that were presented.

 
I was provided a free "advance reader copy" of this book from Tyndale Publishers in order to write this review.