"The Necessity of an Enemy" by Ron Carpenter, Jr

"An enemy arising in your life is an announcement that the next stage of your future is about to be born." -Ron Carpenter, Jr

In his first-ever book, The Necessity of an Enemy: How the Battle You Face Is Your Best Opportunity, Ron Carpenter, Jr describes an enemy as any person, mindset, weakness, or situation that Satan uses to threaten or sabotage your passion for God's purpose and plan for your life. The concept behind his book is that these "enemies" are just as important as friends- or potentially even more critical- because they are indicators that God is planning movement in your life, and that transition is right around the corner. 

Despite being about spiritual warfare, The Necessity of an Enemy is a very encouraging book. It views suffering from a new perspective and is eye-opening to some of the reasons that God allows (but does not cause) adversity to take place. Carpenter covers a variety of topics; such as the reason for enemies, viewing enemies through God's point of view, battling back when your enemies rise up against you, and so on and so forth. The book is broken up into 8 different parts that lead to understanding, embracing, and ultimately conquering your enemies. 

Carpenter challenges some traditional views such as "tests and trials are God's way of teaching us something." Instead, Carpenter suggests that tests in life are God's way of measuring what we already know. Carpenter states, "[In] the time of testing, God is evaluating what you have learned during the previous season of your life. And you have to overcome or pass that test, which often comes in the form of an enemy, in order for God to advance you to the next level of your purpose...A test forces us to focus squarely on what we know to be true. The enemies you're facing right now may be there because God recognizes you've lost focus and it's stopping you from accomplishing your purpose." This is one of many perspectives Carpenter takes on viewing hardships in life.

The Necessity of an Enemy is essential for anyone who struggles with the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" This book is chock-full of good insight and wisdom. It's an easy read in the sense that the content is not overwhelming and each of the 8 parts of the book are organized into short and to-the-point sections. I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with any kind of affliction. As Ron Carpenter, Jr states, "If your enemies are loud and the battles are raging, continue to stand, knowing this: Something great is about to dawn in your life."

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. 

My rating: 5/5 stars