Book Review: Raising Giant-Killers by Bill Johnson (Releasing Your Child’s Divine Destiny Through Intentional Parenting)

“As parents, we are builders of families, individuals and legacies. It is vital to live with an idea of what we are building, that we might be more intentional.” -Bill Johnson

Something powerful stirred in my spirit this year. It was something that both challenged me and simultaneously encouraged and empowered me. You may have even seen my blog post on the topic… The Prophetic Destiny of Our Children … about the ever-so-important role that I play in helping my son understand his beauty, his Father’s unconditional love and grace, the power and authority that he carries within him, and the calling that will one day be pressed on his heart.

As a parent, it often feels overwhelming to face the responsibility that I carry in making sure that he grows to understand all of this, his God-given identity and his beautiful place of belonging in our Father’s Kingdom. I immediately recall all of the times that I made big mistakes, lost my temper, set a poor example, or totally dropped the ball, and it’s easy to think I’m failing big. But then I hear my loving Father reminding me of the same lessons that I am teaching my son… love, grace, hope, and faith… and I stand up and dust off and begin the work again.

You see, I know that my hope is not well-placed when it is planted in my efforts or my ideas of perfection, but rather it is deeply rooted in the incredible God that we serve. He alone can take what I pour in and bring forth fruit from it. My faith is in my Father and I can find peace and rest when I lay my son’s heart in His good and faithful hands.

So, as I begin another day as an imperfect mom, I’m encouraged by God’s unwavering promises that He will be with me, He will lead me, He will pour in patience and grace, and when I fall flat on my face, He will hold me, wipe my tears, and remind me who I am again (and again, and again).

And when I take an intentional pause regularly in my parenting journey to seek His wisdom and guidance, my beautiful, bold, strong, and spirited son will be given the priceless opportunity to build from my healing. My ceiling, the place to which I rise, will become the foundation from which he will begin to build his own beautiful life. And what a ride it will be!

So, if you are a fellow mama, parent, or guardian out there feeling discouraged or lost, take heart… God is in this and He is good. He will be with you. He will be with the little hearts that you so diligently pray over every day. And He will be faithful in His promises. You are doing a beautiful job. You were crafted and created for this moment and you are a perfect fit. Lift your head, lift your heart, dust off, and begin the work again. You are beautiful!

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It was the stirring in my spirit that I shared above that led me to the book, Raising Giant-Killers by Bill Johnson (Releasing Your Child’s Divine Destiny through Intentional Parenting). I was/am hungry for guidance in helping my son understand the beauty of God’s kingdom and God’s heart. Having been through an incredibly difficult and life-changing season, I know the unforgettable power of your first God-encounter, and I know the paradigm shift that takes place when you begin to truly understand and experience the Holy Spirit in your everyday life. And although that is a very personal experience that is God-designed and directed, and not by my own doing, I want to set my son up to expect and understand the incredible Father that He will always have, no matter the mistakes he makes in life; to be sensitive to the whispers, nudges, touches, and love that can bring light into even the darkest of seasons. And it was with that heart that I began the journey through Bill Johnson’s book.

Let me start off by saying that I absolutely loved this book! I needed this book! I found so much meat, encouragement, guidance, and new ideas all throughout each and every chapter. It both empowered me and challenged me, at times. There are books that I find myself highlighting key points that I enjoy here and there and then there are books like this one with countless highlighting spread all throughout the pages like confetti! I’ll say it again… I loved this book! Now, all that said, I will add a fair warning to this review as well. As with any book, you may find pieces that either do not agree with you or do not work well for your family. I think it’s okay to approach the book with that in mind. I wouldn’t expect to pick up any parenting book and agree with everything, so there’s that little nugget just as a personal piece of advice. However, there was so much insight, Kingdom-minded direction and encouragement, and just great parenting stuff in this book that I would absolutely give it 5/5 stars personally!

I don’t know where to start on this review to even begin to do it justice, so I’m going to simply begin where I usually end, book excerpts. I believe that these may give you more insight into why I love this book than my words could ever accomplish. So, here are some of my favorite excerpts from the book Raising Giant-Killers:

By Kingdom-oriented, I mean parents who raised their children with the values of God’s world and who worked to build something in their children that only faith could envision.

“If God allows a Goliath in front of you, then He knows there is a David inside of you.” James Goll

If we want our children to become giant-killers, we must face and destroy our own giants. Our example and momentum will become their inheritance.

As the Great Redeemer, God is good at treasuring what people reject.

Outside Christ, people perform to create an identity so that they might be accepted. The longing of everyone’s heart is to belong. It is vital. But in Christ, things are different. We start out accepted by God. From that place of acceptance, our identity is formed. And it is out of our identity that we perform. When we model and teach that approach to life, it will enable our children to skip years of unnecessary crisis and engage fully with who God made them to be.

I wanted to connect them to their eternal purpose, over and over again. Becoming a giant-killer does not happen by accident. Killing the giants of impossibilities happens when we see that the heart of God is for us.

There are some things we must obtain in the fight, in the pursuit and in the trenches. They will not come to us. I must cry out and go after these things in faith.

A culture of honor celebrates who a person is, without stumbling over who he or she is not.

Our job is to plant the seeds in our children’s lives, and then cover their lives with prayer. Prayer brings the water, so to speak. And it is God who will bring forth fruit from the seeds we have planted. The point is, we are always responsible to plant in hope, knowing that God is able to make up for our lack of parenting skills. Our children become giant-killers purely by grace. And that grace is activated through the power of God’s Word over their lives.

It is creating a momentum that will make sense once they have their personal encounter of God…. We help create a momentum that God honors with an encounter. And those encounters change everything.

If I require something from my child, it must be found in my life first.

By giving Him thanksgiving and praise when things are difficult, we develop the “faith muscle” that enables us to live and see beyond our immediate emotional state.

Any area of our life for which we have no hope is under the influence of a lie.

Start early in creating an environment for your children where they will expect to hear from the Lord.

It really does not matter what others think or say. They are my children, and I must fight for their success and not sacrifice them on the altar of public opinion.

Those who are bound by the fear of man have great difficulty taking a stand, as too much of their identity is wrapped up in the approval of others.

I take a promise from God about any area of life and pray it, confess it quietly, declare it loudly, and sing it. I sometimes type it on a page in my iPad or put it on a 3×5 cards to carry with me. The point is, I surround myself with what God is saying.

But oftentimes, God speaks to us about the issues of life and gives us a promise that requires our participation.

Whenever we bring encouragement to people, we are simply reading the poetry of God that He is writing on the pages of their lives. It is an ongoing masterpiece, and we have the privilege of reading it while it is being written.

One of the greatest tools of the believer is the ability to recognize the Spirit of God at work in any given situation.

Your agreement with people is not a necessary requirement in order to show them love.

Loving people, regardless of their issues, is our number one assignment. Agreeing with their opinions or lifestyle is not necessary in order for us to show them real love.

It is extremely important that we learn to think in a biblically sound way, without demonizing those who differ. By doing this well, we create a momentum for our children where they can learn to value truth, while at the same time loving those who think differently.

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Those are just a few of my favorites, but I hope that they gave you more than just a sneak peek at the heart of the messages pouring all throughout this book. Identity, purpose, value, honor, love, and truth… a truly Kingdom-minded approach to parenting with all of this in mind (and more!) If you’re looking for a copy of this book, you can find it on Amazon (click here).

Blessing to you on your journey ahead!

Yours truly,

Shannon!