Walking in a Minefield: A Sojourner’s Guide to Overcoming Life’s Obstacles
Del Bates
Crosslink Publishing (2021)
ISBN: 9781633573222
Reviewed by Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (05/2021)
Del Bates has clearly written a guide for all Christians today. Her guide is the battle plan that will conquer whatever Satan throws our way. In her book, “Walking in a Minefield,” Bates explores 14 areas and actions our Christian walk needs to fight the spiritual warfare we face daily.
In the first chapter, Bates dives into the truth that Christians are facing a real battle. That battle is unseen to the naked eye, but it is ever present in our lives. She continues in this chapter to encourage us to fight the battle. The rest of this book teaches the reader how to use the armor of God, how to use the power of prayer, and even how to use praise and worship as a means to surviving in the minefield.
Her second chapter is about the minefield of fear and the one that hit home for me. This is a place I am quite familiar with. As I was reading, I was struck by this sentence. “The key to battle is learning how to recognize the bomb before it explodes.” Oh, how I wish I had done just that so many times in my own life. She expresses that fear is an emotion that will rip the joy right out of our lives. We must stand up to it and fight fear by calling on the Holy Spirit.
My favorite characteristic of Bate’s book is that she always brings out the power we have in Jesus. She always reminds us the Holy Spirit is always there. All we need to do is call on Him and listen. With Jesus and the Holy Spirit, there is nothing we can’t overcome. There is no mine we can’t avoid. I also enjoyed the reflections she includes at the end of each chapter. Writing in those reflections made this more than just a one-time read. It gave the reader something to ponder on. Because I love journaling, I liked the journal prompts included as well as the beautiful poems written.
I did not give the book five stars because I felt the stories were too sensational for the average reader. Because I am a pastor’s wife, I see a lot of brothers and sisters struggling with everyday issues. When she spoke of praying through the night and voodoo dolls, I lost track a bit and felt others might not understand the sweet small voice of the Holy Spirit when it comes to their ear. I would like to see more everyday application to the scriptures presented.
Overall, I enjoyed “Walking in a Minefield.” I feel it is an important topic for us today and Christians need to be reminded that spiritual warfare is real. We need to know that we have the weapons to fight and should never give up. I would recommend this book to any of my friends and family.
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