Book Review ~ God's Best-Kept Secret: Christianity Is Easier Than You Think by Mark Maulding

God's Best-Kept Secret: Christianity Is Easier Than You Think by Mark Maulding is a thought-provoking journey into the depths of exactly what it means to be a Christian - and why so many Christians experience a spiritual burnout or feel as though Christianity is just too hard or they can't seem to get it right and find the joy and happiness they believe they should be experiencing.

In God's Best-Kept Secret, Mark leads us through several "secrets" that Christians tend to keep - things like battling depression, pornography, drinking problems, and other sins that are way too frequently occurring within the Christian body, yet seldom revealed, discussed, and dealt with outside of a counseling office or the well-meaning church that believes you could overcome your problems if you just had more faith. A lack of faith isn't the problem. The problem is that we're being taught a list of common misconceptions about what Christianity is and what it isn't, which then affect what we believe a Christian should or should not be or how they should or should not behave.

Mark uses a series of clinical examples from his experience as a Christian counselor, combined with scriptural evidence, to show us that many of the beliefs we hold onto that make Christianity so difficult are formed under the presumption that we're still working operating under the Old Covenant rather than the New Covenant that Jesus Christ brought into our broken world.

So how do we move away from the Old Covenant beliefs that are so heavily weighing us down? We start by ditching the checklist of right and wrong - trusting that the Holy Spirit within us will help guide us, if only we turn to Him instead of clinging to our own flesh. Mark then goes on to show us other concepts that are generally misconstrued in the modern church, including righteousness, the ten commandments, forgiveness, strength, freedom, and the influence our Christianity should have on our life outside of the church and Bible study times.

I found the section on the formation of character and Christian values to be enlightening, and have used it as a base to change my perspective in dealing with my own children on issues such as patience and honesty. I would recommend this book to anyone who finds Christianity to be "too hard" or difficult to maintain, struggles with legalism, or simply finds life to not be the joy-filled blessing it is and needs a change of scenery in their perspective. This book is appropriate for men and women alike, and is perfect for adults of any age. Mature young adults could benefit from a lot of the material, but there is open discussion of pornography and adultery, so discretion is advised. 5/5 stars.

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary print copy of this book from the publisher, Baker Books, for the purpose of this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

BONUS: Make sure to check out the official website for God's Best-Kept Secret, which includes a free study guide in the resources section, perfect for an expanded individual or group study.

About The Author (copied from back cover):

Mark Maulding is founder of Grace Life International, one of the largest Christian counseling and teaching ministries in America. A speaker, counselor, and leadership coach, Maulding is a regular blogger who is passionate about sharing the transforming message of God's grace with a world in desperate need of it. He and his wife, Ellen, have four adult children and live in North Carolina.

Purchase Links:
     Amazon
     ChristianBook