100 books like The Upside of Down

Current events have caused people everywhere to become abruptly aware of the existence of good and evil, and the forces that influence our daily lives.

Derek Prince explains the reality of the forces and the power of blessings and curses in a way that is not “spooky.” He has helped me literally take command over many life adversities that I thought I had to accept as part of life and take hold of the hope for my future God intends.

As a Christian, I’ve been frustrated by the lack of demonstrations of faith in our day compared to the early Church.

Jesus said Believers after Him would do greater works than He did, (John 14:12-14), so why don’t we see evidence of the Believer’s authority and power, especially in these current evil days, when we need Christ’s solutions? As Dr. Kraft reveals, it’s because we are unaware of the authority and power we have in Christ.

Clearly satan has successfully prevented Christians from knowing the full extent of the authority and power they have. The Church has been marginalized because we’ve accepted wrong teachings. This book has helped me redirect my frustrations and experience increasing victories in my everyday life and will you too.

This book has helped me learn, while we are asking “Where is God in all this?” God is asking “Where are My people?”

Learning to pray with power and purpose consistent with God’s will produces God’s ways on earth! God wants us to be the vessels through whom He works to produce the abundant, victorious life Christ died to give us. I love how Dutch Sheets takes the reader through their personal life, then into their sphere of influence, all while teaching us God’s intended broader realms of influence and authority He wants us to experience into the whole world.

This book is great for helping us understand and wield the authority we have in Christ.

After making it through the difficult extended season of life, I needed to regroup.

The “Ten Keys” the author presents are to unlock the Kingdom of God within each one of us to embrace our God-given purpose. “Start, vision, goals, courage, teamwork, excellence, the ability to fail, perseverance, joy, and giving it all away” provided not only ten keys to success, but a path forward.

Anyone who leads and works closely with others will benefit from this book which helps us capture God’s vision, know our mission, and helps others replicate the process. Any person who is struggling to stretch an area of his or her life in a positive direction is a peak performer if we simply stay engaged in the process.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve walked through layers and layers of trials – including chronic illness in myself and all four of my children, special needs in one of our kids, a degenerative ankle that has led to six ankle surgeries, depression, and several seasons of financial struggle. During times when I haven’t had much capacity to read in large chunks, I have found Beside Still Waters to be a comfort and encouragement. Charles Spurgeon writes with profound insight and eloquence, but in a down-to-earth way.

This book is a must read for anyone who has either experienced loss and grief or knows someone who is experiencing grief.

It equips all readers with everything they need to know to come alongside their grieving friend or loved one. I appreciated this book so much because in my story of loss, I’ve experienced exactly what Guthrie says that really helps and also all the things she mentions that really hurt.

Can’t recommend this “grief guide” enough. It’s not only practical, but it also comes from a rich biblical lens.

When I became a widow, I wanted to find books that would help me work through my grief, but it was so hard for me to find the energy to pick up even a small book. The physical and emotional effort required to read sometimes seemed like too much. I was in a bookstore when a stranger saw me looking at the depressingly small shelf dedicated to grief and grieving, and recommended Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations For Working Through Grief. When she handed me this book and I saw that it had short daily meditations, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. While a full-sized book was too much, this book filled with quotes and short daily meditations was exactly what I was looking for. The author's insight, provided daily in a few small paragraphs, gave me the support I needed without overwhelming me.

After my daughter died, I wrote her hundreds and hundreds of letters. Sometimes it felt like she was the only one who could understand me. Other times, as I struggled to put one foot in front of the other, living up to what my dead daughter might have wanted for me was what kept me going. I was still deep in my grief when I first read Song for Sarah, a memoir composed of D’Arcy’s letters to her own lost child. A dear friend asked me how I could possibly read about another mother’s grief when I was so lost in my own. The answer, simply, was that D’Arcy made me feel seen. 

Sometimes the pain of our suffering is multiplied because those around us act as though grieving is a sign of weakness and lack of faith. Although we live in a world with many wonderful things, we will all experience suffering at some point. And trying to numb or avoid our pain doesn’t make our hurt and grief disappear. For that reason, I’ve been helped and encouraged by Mark Vroegop’s book because it teaches us to lament, which is acknowledging our grief and pain to God, giving ourselves the space and time to grieve while holding onto hope at the same time.

Licensed Counselor Esther Smith masterfully offers an impressive Christian devotional for chronic illness sufferers that takes only a few minutes per day to read. I find myself referring back to it for strength, wisdom, and biblical insights. The chapter for each day includes a Bible verse pertaining to a topic, a faith-based discussion, reflection questions, and suggested actions.   

There is so much to love about this book: it is practical, relatable, quick and easy to read, and comforting.