Book Review: God Is More Than Enough

Lately my church has been going through a fascinating, encouraging book during Sunday school called God Is More Than Enough: Foundations for a Quiet Soul by Jim Berg. This book goes along with Berg’s video series Quieting a Noisy Soul; we’ve been watching the videos during Sunday school and then reading the correlating chapters during the week in preparation for Wednesday night discussion.

When I come across a real gem, I like to let others know about it—and this is one of them. And in the spirit of “approving excellent things” (Phil. 1:10), I like to share the blessing.

I must admit that I read few nonfiction Christian fiction books because so many I’ve read (or tried to read) were so simplistic, I felt insulted. Or they tried so hard to be novel that the content flirted with false teaching or waded into psychobabble. This is not one of them.

The book is meaty and sourced solely in God’s truth. Jim Berg, dean of students at Bob Jones University, my alma mater, tackles some tough life issues but always bathes everything in God’s Word and is unafraid of challenging the reader to venture into deeper truths. I benefited by Berg’s previous books—Changed into His Image and Created for His Glory—and this one is a great addition to my shelf.

What Is This Book About?

Here’s its simple description:

In God Is More Than Enough, Jim Berg offers practical wisdom for overcoming the stresses of life and finding God’s peace. This book is for Christians who have reached the end of their own strength and are ready to take God’s hand. As you read it, you’ll get a closer look at the heart of God: His love, His mercy, His faithfulness, and His power to help those who are suffering. This book is adapted from the Quieting a Noisy Soul Counseling Program.

How Has This Book Helped Me Personally?

It has shown me that pretty much every spiritual problem in my life comes from unbelief, from not taking God at His Word or not seeing Him accurately, as Scripture describes Him. This may seem like a no-brainer, but one’s view of God (whether accurate or inaccurate) will affect how he or she views and lives life. Have a wrong view of God at your own peril.

“Noise,” as Jim Berg defines it, frankly comes from the lies and distortions that originate from the world, the flesh, and the Devil. But they can also come from our minds when we fix them not on certainties, such as God’s attributes and promises, but on uncertainties, such as “What if my car runs out of gas?” or “What if I don’t have enough money to pay that bill?” or “What if my house burns down?”

The noise of fear, anger, and envy—of sin—can crowd out the peace God wants each of us to experience in our relationship with Him.

Among several powerful truths in this book is this: People generally depend too much on their feelings and not enough on clear thinking. We need to push feelings aside, evaluate our thinking based on God’s Word, and then function based on biblical thinking. This doesn’t mean feelings are necessarily evil in themselves (they serve an important purpose) but that we are unwise to let them serve as the compass of our lives.

Another life-changing truth: Dissatisfaction in life comes from thinking I need something more than I have—that what God has given me isn’t quite enough, that I need something more. This is a lie from Satan. If I’m a believer, God has already given me everything I need for life and godliness. God is enough. I don’t need more than Him and what He has already provided.

When I accept this truth, I can live in peace.

What’s the solution? Get to know God better, not as we like to think of Him, but as He truly is. That means studying God’s Word, learning more about His character (His love, mercy, immutability, power) so we have an accurate picture of who He is. It also means aligning our lives to His so we can become experts at identifying and purging unbelief—noise—from our hearts and repenting of sin. That’s how we can eliminate “noise,” the distraction of sin, from our lives.

The book is really about identifying sinful thinking in our lives and learning how to align our minds (and therefore our lives) with the mind of Christ.

On a practical level the book has taught me to filter my thoughts and feelings, and steer them back to God. When I have discouraging or depressing thoughts, I can tell myself, “That’s just noise. What has God promised me?” Then I redirect my thoughts (and therefore my feelings) based on what God has said in His Word.

Do mounting bills depress me? What has God said? He will meet my genuine needs. Does the sinful direction of our society discourage me? What has God said? He is in control. No one in the White House or in society can thwart His plans. God’s truth gives peace.

Some Memorable Quotes from the Book:

“If we are going to quiet the noise in our souls, we will have to track our thinking not our feelings, and then we must evaluate those thoughts against the Word of God.”

“If God is not enough to satisfy you, then nothing will be enough for you.”

“A renewed mind sees God in every situation and thus responds to the challenges in a way that honors God and brings stability to life.”

“Discontent is the dissatisfaction of not having what we have decided in our unbelief that we must have in order for life to work.”

“Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”

“God says, ‘I intend for you to wake up every morning aware of My faithfulness. I do not change.’ Because of God’s unchangeableness you and I can respond to life’s ups and downs with steady confidence that God is working out these circumstances for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28–29).”

“Your soul will rest when you know that God’s love is more than enough for you.”

For More Information About the Book

Amazon
BJU Press
Jim Berg’s Website

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