Book Review: Lioness Arising (Wake Up and Change Your World) by Lisa Bevere

“I wondered, Could it be God wants to awaken something fierce and wild within his women?“

The book Lioness Arising: Wake up and Change Your World was my first introduction to the ministry of Lisa Bevere and I most definitely was not disappointed. I’m beginning to think that the name Lisa must mean “gifted encourager.” I say this because one of my favorite authors, Lisa TerKeurst, has a beautiful gift for making women feel seen and understood (in even their worst seasons) and encouraging their hearts with hope (check out her book, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget). I feel like Lisa Bevere picks up the message from there and empowers us to find our inner strength and voice and move from beautiful woman to spiritual warrior!

I was first introduced to this book by a dear friend of mine who sent me an excerpt from the book that she thought so beautifully spoke to the season that I was in at the time:

“As I wrote and researched my book Nurture, I noticed the lack of biblical examples of sisters doing life together strategically. In fact, I was disheartened, wondering where I could find a model for women who were friends and confidantes. I was desperate to know. You see, we will not rise like lionesses unless the Spirit of God guides us through the process.

While I searched the Scriptures for an example, I sensed God’s Spirit whisper, The chapter of the daughters is being written right now. Tell my daughters to write their lives well!

I don’t want to run the risk of you not knowing how crucial and integral your contribution is. Do you understand what this means? We are individually and cooperatively writing the story of God’s daughters, a related company of sisters who gather to write their lives well and who make each word, action, and choice count. With this gathering I see his lionesses rising in fierce strength, grace, and skill.”

On that note, I picked up the book and found myself both encouraged and empowered by page after page of Lisa’s little gold nuggets. She is not only a champion of each individual woman, as evidenced by the entry letter on her website seen here…

You were woven for this moment. That’s why I’m committed to helping you find your voice, make meaningful connection, and walk forward in everything God has for you.

… but she is also a powerful endorser of women rising together, encouraging and uplifting one another as God intended us to do. And she doesn’t just preach it… she lives it. The chapters were filled with stories of her travel to places like Cambodia, Thailand, and India, where she was working to bring hope to the most poverty-stricken areas where women were (and still are) enslaved by the horrific sex trafficking industry.

Throughout the book, Lisa gently challenges us and calls on us to rise up to our God-designed and Holy Spirit-led potential; to be “dangerously awake and fierce.” To be aware of the world around us, aware of the lioness within us, and to rise together and make a difference in the lives of each other. To move in God’s calling to shake the Kingdom, armor up, go to battle, and share One heart, His heart, as we boldly walk into His calling for our lives.

“The world needs you, lovely lioness sister, not to merely wake up, but to give expression to your God-given, fierce side. What does it look like for a Christian woman to be fierce?”

Lisa answers her own question with a quote from Laurel Thatcher Ulrich… “Well behaved women rarely make history.” We are called to, as Lisa puts it, “live what is within you out loud!“

I think one of my favorite parts of the book is when Lisa unapologetically challenges the sometimes-traditional messages of “religion” and the boxes that it places around the role of women in ministry. These boxes are so damaging, and they hold some of the most beautiful and bold women back; women who have incredible gifts to share and whose voices should be honored, celebrated, and encouraged!

Considering much of my blog is ministry-based, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I echo her position on this issue. All women in ministry should be encouraged to find their own unique God-placed gifts and shine bright in just the way that they were divinely designed to shine, not held back by a man-made box but rather launched forward by a God with whom no boxes even exist! I want every woman to feel empowered. We are not only lionesses… we are royalty! We are daughters of the Most High King and we have a beautiful and purposeful place in His Kingdom!

I think one of the most beautiful parts of the book is how incredibly genuine Lisa’s message feels when she speaks of us doing life together as women, as sisters; women who are walking through life in all different phases, seasons, and lifestyles coming together to build each other up. She speaks of looking back after a difficult season and encouraging another with hope; pausing to make sure that no sister is left behind in a moment of brokenness, discouragement, or fear, but rather that we all rise together, holding, supporting, and lifting one another. Even when our lifestyles or situations look drastically different, we can find a common place to meet, a place to start, and then begin to grow in love, grace, honor, and hope. On her website, she uses a beautiful quote by Matthew Arnold, “If there ever comes a time when the women of the world come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it will be a force such as the world has never known.”

But equally as encouraging and empowering, Lisa also reminds us that while we all benefit when we join arms and commit to rising together as sisters, we must always remember that our true power source and identity is not found in the ultimate understanding or acceptance of others, but rather in listening to the whispers of our Father and leaning into what He says about who we are and where He is calling us to go…

“Hushed tones carry profound and intimate pronouncements to those who will quiet themselves enough to hear. In this stillness our spirit hears the adoptive whisper of a Father. Each of us longs to hear God’s whisper. You were created to hear your Creator. Allow him to speak into the depths of your soul and fulfill the longing of your heart…

Learn to listen to and for yourself. Don’t ask others to tell you what you alone can hear. In doing so, you give them power over the God-whisper within your heart. Honor what God whispers and take the time to listen what he imparts in excellence to you…

It doesn’t matter what others see for you. If God has spoken, believe him. Go where he tells you to go; listen to what he speaks to you. Follow this lion as he leads and trust the ‘knowing’ even when others might not understand.”

And on that note, I’ll wrap up this book review with my final few notes:

I enjoyed this book, my friends. I was encouraged, challenged, and empowered by this book. At times, I found myself jogging and feeling a roar stir inside me as I listened to the audiobook. At other times, I found myself leaning in and quietly listening for the whispers of my Father in between the pages of my hardcopy. I loved having both formats, but listening to Lisa read her own book stirred my spirit in ways that the hardcopy book simply couldn’t. You could quite literally feel her passion, her genuine spirit, and her tender heart as she poured through each chapter. She did not write this book to fulfill a quota. She wrote this book to fulfill her Father’s call. And that’s powerful stuff.

If you want to find additional details on this book, you can check it out on Amazon (click here).

As is always my prayer for you, have a beautiful and blessed day, my friends!

Yours Truly,

Shannon