Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart

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Book Review: Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart

“Every now and then we get a break from reality. A glimpse into the other world that is more real than the reality we live in 99 percent of our days. The Bible is about a world of demons and angels and great evil and even greater glory.” - From the Publisher’s Description

This book is a contemporary fiction novel that explores themes of spiritual warfare, as well as healing, restoration and freedom. You will encounter a seasoned Christian (Reece Roth) who, as a young believer, was prophetically told of great things that he would accomplish in his life. His immaturity at that time led to a hasty decision that had devastating personal consequences. He still believes the prophecy, but his battle to forgive himself and ward off accusing voices has led to many wilderness years. Finally, the appointed time for the prophecy to come to pass arrives. Fulfillment of the prophecy would hold great victories for he and his friends, but it would also require each one to individually embrace the call to battle for themselves, one another, and others they have yet to meet.

This story was an engaging and suspenseful read for me. It has been a long time since I have read fiction that dared to delve into the supernatural, especially incorporating the realities of demonic opposition against believers to prevent them from becoming all that God would have them to be or accomplish for His own glory. "Soul's Gate" does this wonderfully by keeping the focus on the superior power and ability of the Holy Spirit to aid the believer to battle and overcome. I was especially pleased to read about characters who did not hesitate to call upon the name of Jesus and put faith in the protection that His blood affords. These are themes that many churches do not teach on even in this age where demonic activity is more blatant than ever. There are many leaders either not willing or equipped to equip their flock in this way. However, this book is not a manual for spiritual warfare and does not claim to be such. There are truths interwoven to be sure, but there are equally fantastical and imaginative concepts (such as entering the soul of others).

The plot was developed well and I enjoyed the fast-moving, short chapters. Each character was not developed at the expense of another so there was a sense of balance to what we know about each of them and they were each quickly identifiable upon reading dialogues. Scenes were described well and it was easy for me to imagine the places described.

At times the prose felt a little too stilted and I also came across a few typographical errors such as personal names that were not capitalized. There were no more than five, and they did not detract from the story or annoy, but it would always help to have these corrected.

Overall, this book is book entertaining and challenging. It caused me to ponder the question of whether or not we really believe that all of God's word is true - in the same way that the characters had to. If we do believe, why do we not experience more than the ordinary? It raised the question of whether or not we are ready for battle in our real lives. Are we as vigilant and prayerful as Scripture commands us to be? Or have we gotten used to regarding everything as normal, everyday life, to be dealt with using no more than normal methods and limitations? There is a discussion guide at the end of the book and I think it is a useful 'extra' especially if this is used in a book club.

I would recommend this book and I would definitely explore more from this author. "Soul's Gate" would be a good tool to introduce and launch into more serious discussion of realities of the spiritual realm (and how they converge with our everyday lives) using the Bible itself.


BookSneeze® provided me with a complimentary e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review only.

Cool stats on topical teachings of Jesus in the Gospels

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Teachings of Jesus in the Gospels
Did you know? There are...

- 323 verses on the topic of last days and judgment
- 198 verses on sin and forgiveness
- 123 verses on the kingdom of God
- 52 verses on money and treasure
- 44 verses on marriage and family
- 34 verses on Jesus' death and resurrection
- 25 verses on the deity of Jesus
- 717 verses on spiritual life

— Infographic from the NIV Quick View Bible
http://thequickviewbible.com/

I found the above infographic snippet and stats at the NIV Bible’s Facebook Page. This type of additional information interests me and I know a lot of others would think it worth knowing as well. It makes me wonder what kind of other cool stuff is in that Bible. I may have to get one!

Start reading and giving

I am a hopeless book aficionado. That’s why my Kindle library never stops growing and my wooden bookshelf can’t hold many more titles. I am grateful to my father for making sure that my siblings and I had a varied and extensive library when we were younger. As a result I was reading theological works and non-fiction, as well as novels and classic fiction, that was considered way beyond my age from early childhood. In fact, when my father took me to the public library just out of my toddler years, not knowing the library had an age regulation and I was too young, the sympathetic librarian decided to give me an impromptu reading test which I impressed her by breezing through. I was thereafter a regular at the library.

I would wish that I worked at the library, or at least that I could get locked into it after closing hours and have the entire time to read and browse to my heart’s delight. As a college student I did have the opportunity to work at the library one summer. And much to my dismay, actually having to work did not leave time for reading on the job! Nevertheless, the influence of books has definitely had a big impact on my success at school at every level, as well as my general knowledge, and my ability to interact with a wide variety of people and topics of discussion. Encouraging a love for reading quality books is truly one of the greatest gifts you could ever give your child.

On that note, have you heard about the We Give Books initiative? We Give Books is a fantastic resource for parents, teachers, and anyone who loves to read children’s books. They have a free online library of over 150 outstanding children’s books available at www.wegivebooks.org, including well known titles your children are bound to love. The best part is, your reading will directly impact the great work of non-profit organizations around the world! At the time of writing this post, your reading can help bring relief to those affected by Hurricane Sandy which brought wide-scale devastation to Northeastern parts of the US in November 2012. Head over to www.wegivebooks.org to join for Free and find out more about this wonderful initiative. Start reading and giving!


I am publicizing We Give Books on my personal blog at my own initiative, simply because I believe in what they’re doing.

Procrastination

I am really struggling with procrastination right now. I realize that everything I struggle with is ultimately a spiritual matter if it features elements contrary to God’s will, no matter where it starts and how it looks . I started a study on “self-control” from the Bible that really encouraged me and turned on light bulbs: (1) Procrastination is not God’s will for me; it is evidence of low self-discipline and lack of temperance (fruit of the Holy Spirit and characteristics of a ‘spiritual’ believer); and procrastination can dangerously lead to unfruitfulness (2) Procrastination can be conquered; I don’t have to be ruled by anything because of what God has done for me in Christ - a new nature, and the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the living and active Word of God!

I thought I had ‘gotten’ it after those bible study notes, but after a couple days of doing well with my time management, I went askew again. The sting of failure, at what should be so basic, is even worse than if it were something more serious. People struggle with addictions to blatantly harmful things…here I am, not keeping my study-work-leisure time in balance. I truly feel I have some new insight, somehow, into what the no-longer-willing addict goes through. We are really at the same place, needing to walk in freedom and fruitfulness. The weight in the scales is different, the consequences are not equivalent, but there is some similarity in lack of self-control there.

I used to be very, very organized - to the point of rigidity. In my teens I had a self-made study schedule that even allotted a specific time slot for when I would eat, shower, brush my teeth etcetera. It worked for me back then. (Of course, back then I was not distracted by internet, social media, ebooks, smart phones and the plethora of online activities I now find myself caught up in). Today it seems I am a whole other person.

What I’ve realized is that while procrastination is easy to joke about, it really isn’t a laughing matter. I can’t enjoy a lot of good things simply because the time spent procrastinating and dilly-dallying on one or two diversions, when necessary tasks abound, leads to a landslide of panicked and late night work. If I had followed a list of priorities, I would accomplish more - necessary tasks, with time for some diversions; I would feel better and sleep better; I would be practicing and growing in self-discipline and temperance - fruits of the Spirit. I would probably even have more time to be flexible in a healthy way. After all, when I’m trying to get a project done in the eleventh hour, I’m not flexible in the least bit and calamity would occur were certain unforeseen events to take place.

I am not going to give up on me though. And if you’re reading this, feel free to keep me accountable. Pop in and every now and then at any of my social media places and ask me if I accomplished anything on my list of priorities today. I will only be better for it!