Image: I Declare War by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 6 out of 10. A book on Christian living with a growth-oriented focus on addressing insecurity and working to develop mindfulness skills.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD, author of unJoy / 1.29.2022; No. 72
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Star Rating – 6 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Levi Lusko
About the author
Levi Lusko is a speaker, best-selling author of several books, leader of Skull Church, and the founder and lead pastor of Fresh Life Church, an expansive Christian ministry with a mission to “make Jesus famous and teach the Bible in a way that people could understand – utilizing every form of technology possible to communicate a message of hope.” Fresh Life Church started in 2007 in Kalispell, MT, and currently has locations across Montana (Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, Whitefish, and Polson), Wyoming (Jackson), Oregon (Portland), and Utah (Salt Lake City). Regarding his religious training, Levi Lusko attended Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California.
General description
I Declare War is a book on Christian living with the theme of improving and eliminating aspects of your thoughts and behaviors that you do not like. The author shares biblical principles while covering important topics, such as addressing feelings of insecurity and working to develop mindfulness skills. Topics covered in this book include:
The four keys (or “cards”) to “winning the battle with yourself”
Declare War on What you Think
Declare War on What you Say
Declare War on What you Do
Phantom Power (The Help You Need to Win This War)
The “Four Squares for a Better You” exercise
Analyze
Extrapolate
Prioritize
Navigate
Three ways to “Grow Your Grit”
Four ways to “let Jesus daily spot clean your heart”
Unique and most important aspects
I Declare War is a Christian book that has the feel of Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz but contains more practical advice. The title, cover/illustrations, and a minimal amount of the text loosely reference the card game War. The subtitle of this book, which is 4 Keys to Winning the Battle with Yourself, is more reflective of what the reader will find in the text.
I rated this book lower, because I have a dislike for books on Christian living that have an aggressive, militaristic, or weaponized theme. This is due to my concern that language that is combative or attacking tends to fuel anger and nurse hatreds rather than uplift or inspire people to lead with love. I also found the cover and title of this book to be a barrier. This book isn’t about attacking others, however, it has consistent use of aggressive language, examples, and metaphors, which appeared to increase in the book’s final section, titled “Phantom Power.”
Despite some of the elements which detracted from the book, I appreciated the author’s mindful and growth-oriented approach and enjoyed his humor and popular culture references throughout the book. I also found the author’s candid stories about his challenges, strategies, and successes to be engaging.
Best quotes
“I am my biggest enemy, and I desperately want and need to get out of my own way.”
“You are declaring war on the version of yourself that you don’t want to be.”
“Don’t misunderstand me: I don’t believe in positive thinking as a replacement for God but as a response to God.”
“Positive thinking isn’t evil; in fact, you will see just the opposite in Scripture. It’s not offensive to God; it’s obedience to him.”
“…when it comes to being fake as a way of covering over your insecurities, you’ll never actually make it. If you fake it, you’ll have to keep faking it.”
“In the last moment before taking the stage, I always say the following:
I am a son of the king.
I have the spirit that raised Christ from the dead.
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
I am as bold as a lion.
Forcing these words to come out of my mouth, whether I feel them in the moment or not, causes me to step into what is true about me. It puts me into the frame of mind in which I am not trying to impress people but am sent by God to bless people, a mind-set in which I’m seeking to give a gift, not to receive one. This stops me from looking for validation by reminding me I am already valued. You don’t need to earn what you already have.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in an entertaining and engaging book on Christian living that focuses on confronting yourself about thoughts and behaviors you want to change would likely enjoy I Declare War.
Who would not enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in an unconventional book on Christian living and would be turned off by the regular use of aggressive language and themes are unlikely to enjoy I Declare War and, instead, would likely enjoy Donald Miller’s book Blue Like Jazz (See Len’s Book Review).
Conclusion
I Declare War is a book on Christian living with a growth-oriented focus on addressing insecurity and working to develop mindfulness skills.