Leighann McCoy

In Christian circles, spiritual warfare ranges from being unheard of, to being ignored, to being embraced in a mystic sort of way, and everywhere in between. In Spiritual Warfare for Your Family, Leighann McCoy aims to educate the reader regarding what spiritual warfare is, the importance of spiritual warfare, and how to successfully fight to protect yourself, your family and other loved ones.

There are several chapters that explain the basics of spiritual warfare – what it is, why it happens, where it happens, etc. She addresses some hard questions like, “Why did God create the devil?” and “Why do we still struggle with sin if Jesus has already won victory and empowered our lives?” I felt most of the information was Scripturally sound, though at few things might have been a bit edgy.

After the basics are laid down, McCoy moves into tactics to fight the enemy. Although these lessons are framed as tactics within the concept of spiritual warfare, most of them are basic Christian living principles that people just need to put into practice. Forgiveness, love, prayer, resisting fear, surrender to God, etc.

Lastly, McCoy offers several chapters that address particular life stages and common issues in homes. These down-to-earth principles offer suggestions on how to try to prevent situations from happening as well as what to do if they have already happened. I appreciated her honesty as she shared her own failings and what, in hindsight, she believes she should/could have done differently.

Some of the lessons I gleaned from this book included: 1.) Confess your worst fear. Then focus on God, not you. 2.) Give up your own will completely. 3.) Tear down the “High Places” in your life.

McCoy points out that she isn't a prosperity preacher advocating health and wealth if you serve Jesus. Living the Christian life is often more about surrender and sacrifice than pleasant desires and luxuries. Even the basic principle of forgiveness can be terribly difficult if the wrong has been severe enough. I think that most Christians would find parts of this book challenging to put into practice, but the application of difficult principles can lead to spiritual growth and victory in the spiritual realm.

Overall, I think Spiritual Warfare for Your Family by Leighann McCoy is worth the time to read. I plan to keep it and read it again in the future.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."… (más)

Unfortunately, this book was not helpful to me. Every Christian wrestles with doubt at one time or another... or possibly all the time. So, I was looking forward to this book giving me good insight into the problem. It didn't happen.

The book's synopsis claims you will learn to recognize God's voice, to be able to hear Him when He responds to your prayers. The author's theories and explanations did nothing to help in these areas. She also seemed to lean a lot on quotes and ideas from other authors.

If you're looking for a book to help with your prayer life and your doubts, I'd have to recommend you try a different book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Worthy Publishing for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.… (más)

Spiritual Warfare for Women is written by Leighann McCoy – a pastor’s wife, women’s minister, mom, and cancer survivor. Having survived her own personal struggles with the enemy, she has drawn much of the material from her work from her own life and her experiences in ministry.

McCoy covers general spiritual principles such as God’s love for us, and who the enemy is, before digging into women-specific targets that the enemy tends to focus on because they mean so much to us: marriage, children, friendships, health, and church. She then closes with encouragement by reaffirming our position in Christ – asserting that we are already victors!

Every chapter draws strongly upon scripture to support its teachings and closes with encouragement to dig into specific sections of the Word to gain further understanding, a prayer suggestion, verses to memorize, and tips to make that memorization happen. Of course, McCoy liberally sprinkles the book with her own experiences to lend real life examples and context to her teachings.

Solid as the book is, somehow it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. It certainly does cover a good range of entry-level topics and core knowledge one needs to enter into the battle with their eyes open. Though it’s hard to exactly pinpoint, I felt like something was missing a bit – as though the book was a bit lighter and fluffier than I was expecting as opposed to giving me the real, nitty-gritty goods. That could just be my perception, but for some reason I was expecting something a bit different.

Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com… (más)

NCLA Review: This book has a lot of good things to say if it is approached with an open mind. The author contends that Satan, the Enemy, wants to destroy our relationship with God. He does this by sending troubles our way with the hope that we will become discouraged. The author knows whereof she speaks; in a few months time, she was diagnosed with cancer, her church was flooded and her eldest daughter left home—not by mutual consent. The book is full of messages of God’s love and power, with many Scriptural quotations and the retelling of some stories. It is warfare, but we can be victorious. The book is directed to women because it deals specifically with issues that affect women including marriage, children and friendships. Each chapter ends with four sections: questions; a prayer; “Sharpen Your Sword,” which is promises from the Bible; and suggestions for memorizing scripture, which provides ammunition for the fight. The author is women's minister at a large Southern Baptist church in Tennessee where her husband serves as pastor. Rating: 2 —JC… (más)