Besides the Bible, what ONE Christian book do you think every Christian woman should read? I asked this question on my Facebook page recently and was floored by the responses. Books have changed my life. There are a few best Christian books that I consider essential reading. They have all changed me in some profound way. So here they are pretty much in random order. I welcome you to share your top Christian books for women recommendations in the comments! Lots of good Christian book suggestions in the comments section below! My husband and I met Bro. Yun in passing one day in a parking lot. At the time, we had no idea who he was. Did you feel the same thing?! I would describe Bro. And reading through this book? Can I just say that reading through it is amazing, convicting, profound, faith building, and life changing. You will not regret reading this book. And this particular title? Oh my goodness, it truly is a must read, fiction or not. Francine tells the story of Angel, a young girl sold into prostitution and hardened by years of abuse. But then an upright and kind farmer marries her and redeems her from the life of a prostitute. He gives her a chance for a new life. She stays for awhile, then leaves him to return to prostitution. My guarantee with this book? Challenged to give thanks. Told in a riveting, poetical way. I believe Ann delivers a God-given message in this book. Have you ever had mediocre expectations starting a new book only to be absolutely blown away by how God shows up and moves you through it? Particularly when I read Bridges description of the workers in the vineyard Matthew 20 and the skill he used to describe the grace based system God operates on. But I did on this one. Two things stand out about this book. First, the simple truth that we women are susceptible to believe lies while thinking they are truth. Until reading this book, I had never really questioned any of my internal dialogue. Never questioned what others said about me. Never questioned my internal chatter. I never realized that I was probably, in some way, listening to lies. This book changed all that. She has done so much legwork in helping us identify common darts of the enemy who is out to deceive us. I am very susceptible to false shame and think many women are. But as one who really struggles with the sinful temptation to listen to shame and let it silence me, I can say that many of the messages we hear are fluff. They are devoid of any power to truly slay the spiritual force of darkness behind ungodly shame… and there is a godly shame, by the way, the sort that leads to repentance and cleansing. This book by Ed Welch gave me solid biblical truth to deal with shame, both the godly kind and the ungodly kind. It gave me truth to know how to differentiate between the two. It is not a quick gloss-over message to just love yourself because you are great Whee, smiles, hooplah!!! Rather, it is solid truth rooted in the work and words of Jesus. Seuss and snuggles on the couch with our favorite people. It reminds me that there WILL be hard things in life. There WILL be times of great loneliness and times of facing my deepest fears. There will be hangups and mess ups and dark alleys and long stretches. There WILL be times of waiting…and waiting. But Truth still stands and truth is, Jesus has Overcome. Seuss says so, either. Yes, I recommend reading it and letting it remind you of Truth… especially with a little one in your lap. So Chuck Black writes for young adults but a little secret? His writing is riveting for all ages. My younger kids enjoy his books and my husband and I do too. We first listened to this book on dramatized audio while taking a road trip. No one wanted to stop for bathroom or lunch breaks!! Chuck has a way of using story to communicate deep spiritual truths. What I found so profound about this particular book is the topic of self-doubt. We all struggle with it to varying degrees and Chuck does an incredible job of showing how we are trained to battle it through the Word of God. I was undoubtedly late to the party on this one. And no, I had no idea I was rigid and legalistic! Then this book ran free on Kindle. Yep, you guessed it. I grabbed it, started to read it and ended up devouring it. If your soul needs healing from religion, this book is balm for your soul. This book has a morning and evening scripture compilation reading. Each one is only a couple paragraphs long and the content is pulled from all over the Bible. This one little book has perhaps ministered to me most out of all books other than the Bible itself. I guess that is to be expected since it is the Word of God, just in a different format. Tell us what Christian books for women you would recommend every woman read? Redeeming Love and One Thousand Gifts are both my favorite books. The same one with One Thousand Gifts, I cried while reading it and it definitely changed my life. Ann Voskamp has a way with words that always holds such beauty and grace, though. They speak of such important topics in a way that not only made me want more of these two, but also gave the ways how to pursue these. Just not a fan of the author. Perhaps that says something about my mental aptitude??? Redeeming Love was A-MAZING!! I need to check out some of the others. Thanks for the list. Leah, I love you! Thanks for the smile! Arabah, I have heard so many good things about the majority of this list. I really need to start reading books more often and not just commentaries and encyclopedias! Its a wonderful picture of how sorrow and suffering are taken by the Lord and used to transform us into the women He created us to be. He is not afraid to deal with the very, very difficult issues. Thank you for your list; I have some reading to do! Hinds Feet on High places is amazing and ministered to me so much. I got it for my friend for her birthday and she loved it too. One book that really challenged me was The Way of Agape by Nancy Missler. Its also quite practical, and full of the Scriptures which I like. After dinner, my Dad pulled it out and read aloud verses, just like my Grandpa did before him. It is geared towards children, but I certainly think it could be applied to anyone, especially women. I grew up, like so many other women, thinking I had to be like everyone else, in order to be liked. We women compare ourselves to other women and think they are better than us. It makes me cry EVERY time I read it to my children. His adult books are wonderful too!! Your list is awesome, a few of my favorites are on there. Redeeming Love was hard to read but I am so encouraged by the story of Hosea that I pushed through. We are huge Chuck Black fans. If you can, get the audios, they are AMAZING. In His Steps is top on my list and Rees Howells: Intercessor is a close 2nd, with Stepping Heavenward close to that. I can read them over and over, which is not something I do often. I bought multiple copies and started handing them out to my mom-friends. It literally changed how I view motherhood and life. It would definitely be in my top 10 books as well as my top five. And it would be the first one I share on both lists. If you ever want a personal encounter with the life giving God we serve — savor and chew on every word-morsel of this book. If you enjoyed Chuck Black, you would love the Dragon Keeper Chronicles by Donita K. She uses a well-crafted fantasy story to tell a wonderful Christian analogy…. I read these as an adult and learned loads about my Christian faith. These books have touched my life immeasurably. I highly recommend this series. I have read a few of the above mentioned…absolutely love reading Francine Rivers especially Her Mothers Hope and Her Daughters Dream spanning over about 4 generations. After that I read the trilogy on the Mark of the Lion. This past year I finished a devotional called HOPE by Nancy Guthrie and I would recommend it highly. This will be a devotional that you will buy for others, especially friend who need hope and comfort in life. I loved seeing what you put on your list- especially since so many of the books you listed are also books that have ministered to me in special ways so jealous that you met Brother Yun! I will be adding them to my books-to-read list. I am married and have been married for almost 5 years now. The books I would like to recommend is Understanding the Purpose and Power of Woman by Dr. It has helped me greatly in understanding myself as a woman, as a wife and learning about my purpose. The other book is Total Forgiveness by R. As I was dealing with many hurts from many different people in my life this book has opened my eyes to a freedom and peace I longed for for such a long time. Thank you Arabah for the list!! My aunt frequented the Christian shelf in the local bookstore and introduced me to Elisabeth Elliot, Catherine Marshall, and Corrie ten Boom when their works were first published. For Elisabeth, I would begin with Through Gates of Splendour. As for Corrie, read anything and everything by Corrie ten Boom. One of my favorite novels is The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers. This novel tells of how God uses us in unimaginable ways. Reading this novel helped open my eyes that when we listen and open our hearts to Gods truth and Gods will, unexplainable things happen for the better. This novel has helped me realize that when we truly listen to God and his instruction he blesses us beyond comprehension in our lives, earthly and spiritually. Thanks for the list and descriptions. Even just one page could take you through weeks of thought. Excerpts from his sermons that challenge the mind and have led my mind and soul to the Lord, especially in physically challenging seasons. THANKYOU FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL SITE. I CANT SEPARATE BETWEEN THE TWO FAVOURITE BOOKS THAT HAVE TRULY IMPACTED MY LIFE. THIS BOOK SHOWED ME THE WAY OUT OF CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AND IN PART AN EATING DIS ORDER. YOU WILL NEED THE ORIGINAL EDITION WHICH IS THE FULL TEXT UNABRIDGED VERSION THE ONE WITH THE IMPORTANT CHARTS MY FRIEND WHO SUFFERED FROM SEVERE PARANOID SCHIZOPHENIA WAS SHOWN THE WAY OUT LARGELY THROUGH THIS BOOK. I was so relieved to see this response here. It read like soft porn to me. I understand the metaphor, but felt the author overstated her case. The Bible gives us real people and real sin, no whitewash, and I will take my lead from there, not fiction books. In light of all the false and humanistic Christianity in our culture, I am very vigilant about what i allow in my mind and heart. Books that have had an impact, after the Bible: anything by John Piper or David Platt, J. Nola, I appreciate your perspective and definitely understand where you are coming from. This book may not be appropriate for some. Some of us had our hearts and minds brutally filled with evil against our will at a very young age. This story has helped paint a picture of redemption to many such women. Christ came to seek and to save the lost and Paul became all things to all people so that he might win some. This book enters into some of that mess and I have no doubt it is a tool that reaches certain women with the message of hope in Christ. Thanks for your comment! It feels miraculous to have made it through the publishing process! I love your list, too. Secrets of the Secrrt Place by Bob Sorge. Anything by Corey Russel from IHOP KC. Def The Heavenly Man- Brother Yuhn. A truly Anointed, Loving, man of God. That book wrecked me for weeks!! I believe this book is essential for every christian, male or female. It helped me so much when I was struggling with anxiety and people pleasing. I was overwhelmed and exhausted mentally, emotionally, physically and tapped out spiritually. It was a perfect timing for me. It is even a little humorous. We definitely need to laugh on this journey also. Thanks for this list! Even some I saw in the comments sound great. A few of my favorites are The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyers. Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy. And Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. I am so blessed by this list and all the recommendations! I love this post. This book brought me back to Jesus when I was suffering from depression and chasing after ungodly relationships. Hallesby, and the Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee. I also heartily endorse the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. Oh for the heart of a Hadassah. May I add to your list a couple of suggestions from my little library? No kidding here, it changed the way I view getting offended. It has stayed with me for nearly 15 years now, and I can honestly say my walk with Christ is better because I read this book. This one took me a couple of pages to get involved in, but when I did take careful stock of my words issued forth from my mouth… well, lets just say I had some confessing to do. Thank God He has gifted so many wonderful writers, and we have access to such wonderful helps. I suggest The autobiography of Darlene Diebler Rose, called Evidence Not Seen. I love Christian fiction of all kinds, but there is just something about having real-life Christian heroes. I recommend every Christian woman read this book. But this book is the next one I am going to read and you might find as the book says yourself falling in love with One who changed everything. The author is James Merritt, PhD. If anyone has already ready it please let me know how you felt about it. My favorite books aside from the bible of course are; 1 The Shack William P. Baxter AJ I loved Redeeming Love so much I read it twice and would read it again! I love Dr Seuss and love reading YA! One book I read recently was Praying the Bible by Donald S Whitney. This book was life changing especially in my prayer life where I was struggling so deeply! God has used this book to remind me of the power of praying HIS truth! This book has helped me while walking through several years of trials. The book reinforces the scripture from Joel 2:25 that declares that God will restore the years of the locusts. The Prayer Box, by Lisa Wingate is right up there as another a fabulous read!! You will want to reread 31 Days of Praise each month!! The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer!! There are so many books to share!! And yes, Calm My Anxious Heart is also one of my favotites! Hello, I was wondering if you could recommend a book. I have a friend that I have known for about 35 years now. I pray for her continuously. She has gone from one bad relationship to another and never been married. She does have two beautiful daughters about to hit the pre-teen years. She just turned 40 and I know she is ready for a lifetime partner. She just found another guy and has only been dating him for a couple of weeks. I so want her to find someone that she can share her life with and be there for her girls. Unfortunately, I live half way across the country and that makes it very hard to talk with her. I was wondering if you could recommend a book that could lead her to Salvation and help her in finding joy in Him before him? Thank you and God bless, L Loved reading your list and all the comments of recommendations! Here are just a few of my favorites: 1. Ministry in the Image of God- Stephen Seamands 2. Instruments in the redeemers hands- Paul David Tripp 3. Uninvited- Lysa Turkuerst 4. When Godly people do ungodly things- Beth Moore 5. Hope Heals- Jay and Katherine Wolf 6. Another one of his books that I go to a lot is called The Journey, Living by Faith in an Uncertain World. I am going to look for numbers 5 and 6 on your list and read them. Thank you for this amazing list. A Praying Life is one of my staple books that I recommend to everyone. I know you only chose 10 books but I was still shocked to not see this book on the list because every woman should read it, in my opinion. Priscilla gives you scripture that you can use and there is room to write in the back with tear out sheets. This book is so good it was even named 2016 Christian Book of the Year! Please do yourselves a favor and not only read this ladies, but work it and live this. It frees you from your stuff!! In the book Marie shows you step by step how to tidy up your home. Tidy up means going through your entire home, cloths, books, papers, miscellaneous, nick nacks, art, hobby supplies etc and last is mementos and only keeping what gives you joy!! After I did it two of my friends did it. Everything in my home has a place to be, and there are no storage boxes anywhere. Besides the Bible of course. Will be looking for some of these. Did I see there is a book of the month to read together? To add to this list, I highly recommend Psalm 91 for Mothers by Peggy Joyce Ruth. Your list is probably very different from mine because of our age difference. I am 74 years old. I have read 5 of your 10, however, and certainly applaud your choices. To that list, I would add The Bait of Satan by John Bevere. I am so encouraged by you and others in your season of life who are pouring out encouragement and truth to your generation! I know this is an old post, but I just stumbled across it. Nonfiction: The Fantasy Fallacy by Sharon Ethridge. Fiction: The Princess by Lori Wick. It has a little of everything, and some good lessons can be gleaned from it. A place called Heaven by Dr. I wanted learn more about where my son is. The other one is The Sacrament of Happy by Lisa Harper. Learning that God is happy with me! I definitely plan to read several of the books on the list this year!
