[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free through BookSneeze in exchange for this review.]

Pete Wilson has done a great job of shedding light on the lies that we don’t realize we are believing. These lies are the empty promises that this world offers us that can never fulfill our every desire the way God can. He touches on the promises of approval, power, money, religion, beauty, and dream chasing. All of these things can be good things, but when we put our security in these things instead of God, they can be very unhealthy and lead to bad consequences. If anything, this book will make us aware of these lies and help us to see where they are trying to get a foothold in our lives.

This book challenged me to really take a look inside, and helped me to identify things that are competing with God for my heart. As Pete explained how each empty promise would try to deceive us, he also asked great questions to help me overcome the deception and see the truth in my actions and motives. I think that the hardest part is breaking through the deception. If you read this book and start thinking to yourself that these are not issues for you, that would tip me off that you may have a problem. My hope is that when you read this, that you would carefully consider the possibility that you are being fooled by these lies, even if only a little bit, and be on guard for when they try to invade your heart.

Thankfully this book does not stop with just identifying the deception in our lives. Pete also offers some practical strategies to help fight the ongoing battle for the territory of our hearts. He walks us through his practices of solitude, fasting, scripture, and prayer to show us how he keeps the truth in his heart and the deception out. He says that we need to replace those Idols with God and through daily practices we can have “a living encounter with the living God to keep us living close to the truth.”

Heaven Is For Real is a book about a little boy who visits heaven during a life saving surgery and recounts great details about what he witnessed. I was not sure what to think about this book before I started reading it. I am naturally a skeptic. But I find the detail that the boy gives about heaven and the things that he shared about family members he had never met to be very intriguing. I connected with Todd Burpo as he retells the story of how his son became very sick and his little life seemed hopeless. As a father, I cried with him when I read this part. I can’t imagine what it would be like to go through something like that. I appreciate how open Todd was about his feelings towards God at the time.

Because of that, I made a connection and I firmly believe and am amazed at what Colton Burpo experienced during his surgery. When Colton talks about heaven, it makes me want to go there.  I believe I have a lot left to do in this world, but I hope that when I am ready to leave this place, that I will be looking forward to the place God has prepared.

The book was a quick read for me. I was sucked into the story and wanted to know more with each turn of the page. It was inspiring and encouraging because it showed me what I believe Jesus describes as ‘faith like a child.’ It reminded me what it was like to have that kind of faith and in a way I have it back again.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for this book review. This review is my honest opinion of the book and is in no way influenced by the fact that I received it for free.

Heaven Is For Real can be purchased through Amazon at the following link.

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, Deluxe Edition