Clutter-Free Christianity: What God Really Desires for You

by: Dr. Robert Jeffress

Published by: Waterbrook Press

Reviewed by Sharron Stockhausen

This book is for Christians who struggle with pleasing God in a world filled with requirements dictating what it means to be a good Christian, a good Christian spouse, a good Christian parent, a good Christian employee, and a good Christian citizen.

Dr. Jeffress encourages us to cut through all those requirements (also known as clutter) and focus on experiencing a transformed heart, and thus a transformed life.

Jeffress reminds us we have a model for what God wants us to be and that model is Jesus. He suggests that if we thought like Jesus, we would be worry-free, for we would know God is in control. If we embraced the attitude of Jesus, we’d have no ill feelings toward anyone, the way Jesus held no animosity toward those who crucified him, as evidenced by his asking God to forgive them.

According to Jeffress, what God really wants for us is a complete transformation of our lives. We get that through obedience to God. He challenges us to ponder how often God enters our minds—hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly.

Obedience begins with saying yes to God, but Jeffress says that before we can say yes, we must overcome two barriers—deciding God’s relevance in our lives and determining how much we trust God. Either barrier can keep us from the freedom available to us through God’s love.

Jeffress supports his points with scripture and with stories. Some of his comments reveal his humanness and are unexpected. But they enhance his credibility because he doesn’t hold himself above the reader. He shares his insights and reminds us that God doesn’t make suggestions—God gives commands. It’s up to us to clear out the clutter and obey those commands if we’re to live as God wants.

If you struggle with clutter in your Christian life and you feel frustrated because you can’t finish all the things on your spiritual to-do list, give yourself a gift by reading this book. Be sure you have a pen handy because you’ll want to underline sections so you can find them again.

Armchair Interviews says: Dr. Robert Jeffress is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Dallas. He has written other books also hosts the weekly television and radio program, “Pathway to Victory”, which is aired on 1,200 television stations, and dozens of radio stations around the world.

Author’s website: http://www.firstdallas.org/about-us/podcast/our-pastor