About the Book

Book: Divine Intentions

Author: Doug K. Reed

Genre: RELIGION / Christian Living/Personal Growth

Release Date: January 7, 2020

Divine Intentions takes readers on a journey of self-discovery through four key concepts: rescued, restored, relabeled, and redirected. Most people, even Christ-followers, are wounded at their core, with soul-level injuries that affect their identity. They may be hurting from past circumstances or feel trapped in their current ones. Basic discipleship sends believers on a journey…but it’s tough to take those steps while you’re hurting. Doug K. Reed offers healing for those who are searching for answers to their identities in Christ while struggling with wounds from the past or present. He shares his own personal story of restoration from pornography, pride, and other issues, helping to lead readers into the light of God’s love.

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About the Author

Doug K. Reed is a full-time writer and speaker who travels to conferences and churches both in the U.S. and internationally. He is the president of Partnership International, a non-profit organization dedicated to completing meaningful projects in some of the world’s poorest environments. Partnership International has hosted thousands of people on short-term mission trips with a goal of sharing the love of God with the neediest among us. In his over thirty years of ministry experience, Doug has also served as a senior pastor and on staff at large churches.

More from Doug

DESIGNED FOR A PURPOSE

Woodworking has been a hobby of mine since childhood. When my wife, Jeanne, and I were engaged, I created a wooden jewelry box for her that she still treasures and uses to this day, thirty years later. Every time she uses it, she’s reminded of how much I love her.

That jewelry box was designed with a speciﬁc purpose in mind. If, God forbid, I ever got mad at her, removed her jewelry, and put my ﬁshing lures in there, the gift that once brought joy would now cause pain. And that jewelry box would make a lousy tackle box because it was not designed for that purpose. My creation would fail to fulﬁll my original intention.

In a similar way, we have been lovingly designed by God for a speciﬁc purpose. We can ﬁll our life with lesser things, but He lovingly designed us to hold the treasure of destiny. He created us with the capacity to fulﬁll all He has planned for us.

Far too many books are written to advanced leaders without considering where the majority of people find themselves. The goal of the book is to meet people where they are. The book dives into their pain and to honestly and authentically address it. My own story is the constant backdrop in the book which adds greatly to its relatability. The combination of storytelling and deep content make this book unique.

My Review

Writing with a direct and sympathetic tone, Doug Reed shares his insight into how readers can come to understand the life they’ve been given and how they can seek to glorify God in it. The most important thing, by far, to remember when contemplating our identities is that the Lord created us and planned our lifespan and every detail long before we were born. No matter how many mistakes we make, there is nothing that can separate us from God if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord. It is once we recognize our priceless identity in Him that we can move forward and become the godly Christian men and women whom God has called us to be—true light bearers. As Reed asserts, “We begin our new life of seeking God’s divine intentions for us by acknowledging that we are individually inadequate, desperate, and sinful, and recognizing that we don’t have the ability to save ourselves. In short, we admit our need for rescue.”

Divided into four main sections, “Divine Intentions” speaks to the brokenness in each of us by addressing how, through Christ, we are rescued, restored, relabeled, and redirected. Because of the redemptive work of the cross, we can rejoice that “Our God is a God of forgiveness and He also is a God of restoration.” Much of this book consists of the author’s personal accounts, which not only illustrate his points but also demonstrate practical application. Brief, summarizing quotations taken from the text itself appear on each page, and there are Discovery Questions at the end of each chapter, with spaces given for writing responses. As either a guide for personal study or for group use, “Divine Intentions” is a compassionate, versatile book with a focus on healing and restoration.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.