Review of Experiencing God's Love Through the Gifts and Healing Powers of the Holy Spirit

[Whitney Sweet]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Experiencing God's Love Through the Gifts and Healing Powers of the Holy Spirit" by Marco Benavides.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Experiencing God’s Love Through the Gifts and Healing Powers of the Holy Spirit by Marco A. Benavides, tells the story of the personal journey the author went on to accept God as his guide through life. He tells us about his experiences with a traumatic brain injury, a difficult childhood, mental health struggles, the passing of a friend, and his alcohol addiction. Through his struggles, he works to accept God as a guide, leaving behind his lack of faith.

What I enjoyed about this book was that the author was revealing many vulnerable parts of his life story. Readers will be able to connect with this because we are all presented with struggles in life. The author is honest in that he doubted God and himself along the way, but he overcame this doubt, which has led him to a life of service and community. I also enjoyed the author’s thoughts on how our struggles in life give us the gift of being able to help others through their struggles. The messages of helping others and building community are my favourite parts of this book. The book is also well edited.

What I found challenging about this book is that in the final chapter, the author discusses how, with the help of God and faith-based therapy, he has been able to leave behind being medicated for his mental health disorder. The author details how vital medication is for many people, and that a doctor should be consulted if one chooses to stop medication. This caveat is necessary; however, I feel that the need to tell the reader that the author left behind his medication due to God’s support seems to feed into the stigmatization of mental illness. The author could have chosen only to discuss their faith-based therapy and its benefits, and left the conversation regarding medication usage entirely out of the book, thus eliminating the tone of judgment that ends up being painted over the subject.

The author could have delved more deeply into their journey to finding God. This book is a testimonial, which is fine. It would be worth reading several times for someone seeking guidance, so the wisdom can be better absorbed. Benavides has lived through many struggles, and I think an opportunity to dig deeply into what happened, how it felt, and how the changes felt when he found guidance through God would have been even more powerful. As the book stands, it feels like the author keeps the reader at arm’s length by not revealing the nitty gritty details. This, of course, would take a willingness on the author’s part to relive painful memories, so I understand why he chose to write the book in the way it is presented.

I rate this book four out of five stars because it has a positive message overall. You might find solace in reading this book if you are a seeker. However, I had to deduct a point due to the tone presented regarding mental health medications.

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Experiencing God's Love Through the Gifts and Healing Powers of the Holy Spirit
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[Neto Onuoha]

“Experiencing God's Love Through the Gifts and Healing Powers of the Holy Spirit" by Marco Benavides is another good Christian book that talks about challenges the authors faced and how the author navigated it with the help of his faith in God. And this is especially inspiring to those who are really going through various challenges and need something to hold onto.