Breaking Free: Discover the Victory of Total Surrender

Overview:In Breaking Free, Beth Moore reveals that God has sent her to proclaim a message of freedom to captives:God spoke to my heart and said something like this: "I sent my Son to set the captives free. You will go forth and ring the liberty bell" (Moore, p. 1).Unfortunately, she is not proclaiming the gospel message of freedom from sin due to the finished work of Christ on the cross. In fact, she is taking her message to Christians who are supposedly still in bondage:A Christian is held captive by anything that hinders the abundant and effective Spirit-filled life God planned for him or her (Moore, p. 2).According to Moore, not only are Christians in captivity, but the obstacles in our lives must be "addressed and removed" if Christ is going to be able to visit:These...obstacles are so prohibitive that if they are not addressed and removed in advance the personal visitation of our King will be greatly hindered (Moore, p. 53).These ideas from Moore completely and directly contradict Jesus' promise that He would always be with us:I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (NASB, Matthew 28:20).Moore's teaching is also contradictory to the Biblical message that believers have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit:But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (NASB, Romans 8:11).The foundation of Breaking Free is built on a false premise rather than a clear teaching of Scripture. Moore mishandles the Scriptures when she tries to apply them to her own ideas. She uses verses out of context, reads her ideas into passages, receives new non-Biblical revelation, and establishes new requirements that Christians must live by. Breaking Free is full of her false teaching and defective theology. In the sections to follow many of these false teachings will be addressed. In short, Breaking Free is a book that Christians and non-Christians should avoid. This review will also demonstrate that Moore is clearly incapable of rightly handling God's Holy Word and therefore all of her works should be avoided.New Laws and Works Righteousness:The first major problem with Breaking Free that will be addressed is Moore's repeated imposition of new non-Biblical requirements on Christians. While she will sometimes discuss the freedom we have in Christ, she then seems to take away that freedom by providing a long list of things a Christian must do. In perhaps her most dramatic false teaching on works righteousness, Moore asserts:We know from John 3:16 that God loves the entire world, but He shows love to those who love and obey Him. God lavishly loves every person, but He reserves the right to demonstrate His loving mercy to the obedient. John 14:21 expresses the same truth, Jesus said, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him" (Moore, p. 108).Here she takes verses from two separate contexts--John 3 and John 14--compresses them together and turn it into works righteousness. Romans 5:8-10 says:But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (NASB).Moore teaches that God demonstrates His loving mercy to the obedient. The Bible teaches that God demonstrates His loving mercy towards the disobedient. The contradiction between the Bible and her false teaching is clear. Moore undermines the foundation of the gospel message.These next four examples further demonstrate her poor teaching on Christian freedom and the imposition of new requirements. Note that she writes that we must make sacrifices, respond rightly to God's Word, and repent and rest in order to be liberated in Christ, have freedom, and have salvation--this is legalism.To be liberated in Christ, we've got some sacrifices to make. Make sure He's the one asking for it, but if He is, any sacrifice you make will be wholly consumed by Him as such a sweet sacrifice. He will bless (Moore, p. 5).Rightly responding to the Word of God is our ticket on the freedom train. God's word is the perfect law that gives freedom (Moore, p. 167).Eternal salvation requires that we repent of our sins and depend on the work of Christ. Our need of deliverance does not end, however, once we become Christians. We still need lots of help avoiding snares and pitfall. The same equation applies: "In repentance and rest is your salvation!" (Moore, p. 174).In returning to God and resting confidently in His promises and power, we will continually find salvation (Moore, p. 174).In the following example, Moore claims that our peace and righteousness come from obedience to God:Obedience to God's authority not only brings peace like a river but righteousness like the waves of the sea. Not righteous perfection. Righteous consistency (Moore, p. 45).This is a clear contradiction to the Bible. Biblical righteousness is perfection. Righteous imperfection is an oxymoron from a Biblical perspective. This is why Jesus stated, "No one is good except God alone" (NASB, Mark 10:18). We are not righteous because we are not obedient: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (NASB, Romans 3:23). This is why our righteousness must be given to us by God. Romans 3:22 teaches that we have the "righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe" (NASB).The following are some more examples of things Moore asserts we must or should do. Her assertions are not based upon Scripture, but are merely her opinions. These include: having a supernatural humility, activating Christ's peace, taking breaking free seriously, accepting God's appointment as a reconstruction worker, doing our part by expending a little sweat and tears, in-depth study, giving Him all we have, and obeying God.Humility takes a supernatural strength that comes only to those who are strong enough to admit weakness (Moore, p. 60).We have Christ's peace. It has already been given to us if we have received Christ. We just don't always know how to activate it (Moore, p. 41).God is going to get very personal with us if we take breaking free seriously...How do I know? Because I've been on this journey! (Moore, p. 78).We must accept God's appointment as a reconstruction worker (Moore, pp. 101-103).If you do your part for one generation, He'll do His for a thousand...The blood's already been shed. Isn't it worth a little sweat and tears? (Moore, p. 109).Freedom from strongholds is serious business. In-depth study and deliberate application of truth are not just helpful but absolutely necessities for those who choose liberty...When we offer a trusting heart and an honest, open mind to God, renewal is on its way (Moore, p. 221).We love God with all our strength when we give Him all we have, however little, however much (Moore, p. 250).Once we've obeyed God, we can do nothing more. We then wait on Him to bring the victory, knowing that the consequences of our obedience are His problem and not ours (Moore, p. 175).But we do NOT obey God. Even as Christians, we are incapable of truly obeying God fully. Even our righteous deeds are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) when compared to the righteousness of God.False Gospel of Pragmatism, Self-Improvement and Prosperity:In Breaking Free, Moore proclaims a false gospel of pragmatism, self-improvement and even prosperity. The gospel of pragmatism and self-improvement views Christianity as a way to get a "better life" and overcome your problems. Self-improvement is a common teaching in Moore's books, but in Breaking Free, she goes beyond mere self-improvement to suggest that we can have our dreams fulfilled and receive great wealth. Moore is not as bold as most of the health and wealth prosperity gospel teachers, but in Breaking Free she employs many of the same ideas and the same language--dream big, believe it, claim it, reinvest it, and God will bless you.I have the invitation from Christ to rise to a new life--a more compassionate life, a wiser life, a more productive life. And yes, even a better life (Moore, p. 135).I fear that many of us have almost despaired of ever seeing two things: the fulfillment of our childhood dreams and a solution to the wickedness that haunts our hearts....He [God] is leading us to a land of fulfilled dreams and victory over our sin nature (Moore, p. 137).I believe practically every little girl has at least four dreams ... (1) to be a bride, (2) to be beautiful, (3) to be fruitful (which we usually define as having children), and (4) to live happily ever after...Satan wants to destroy our dreams. God wants to surpass them. He gives us dreams so we'll long for His reality (Moore, p. 146).Psalm 37:4 ... promises that if we delight ourselves in the Lord He will give us the desires of our hearts (Moore, p. 157).Each of us has dreams; and, if we trust Christ with all our hearts, nothing can disable God from surpassing our childhood dreams with His divine reality (Moore, p. 161).Now, we must claim these blessings from God that come because of our obedience:Believe that blessing ultimately follows obedience (Moore, p. 184).Believe it and claim it! Obey and see that you can trust! (Moore, p. 185).Finally I realized God's blessing would come when I did what He said (Moore, p. 187).However, God does not promise to fulfill our dreams or give us earthly blessings in this life. Rather the Bible teaches that we can expect trials and suffering:Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (NASB, James 1:2-3).The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him (NASB, Romans 8:16-17).In Breaking Free, Moore clearly implies that it is possible to believe God will bring us wealth (possessions, gold, silver, and costly stones) if we take the plunder and reinvest it with God:When God delivers His children, they never have to escape by the skin of their teeth! The Israelites were impoverished slaves, but when God delivered them they left with the riches of the Egyptians...What about you? Did you come out of your Egypt, your time of slavery, with plunder from your enemy? ... He wants to bring us out of our times of captivity with possessions! ... Let God bring you forth from your time of slavery with gold, silver, and costly stones ... the Israelites reinvested the plunder by offering it back to God--a God who can take a few simple fish and loaves and multiply them to feed thousands, a God of awesome returns. How can a person reinvest the plunder she or he brings out of captivity? Have you already had an opportunity to offer your plunder to God as reinvestment and see Him bring greater returns? (Moore, pp. 261-262).As an example of this reinvestment of plunder, Moore uses the example of her life being used by God to reach others who may have suffered from problems similar to those that she has overcome in her life. However, to someone reading that text above about gold, silver, and costly stones and looking at Moore's wealth, the implication can certainly be drawn that she is also referring to material wealth. In the following passage, Moore's writing could even give the impression that Jesus had great wealth which is also claimed by some prosperity gospel teachers:I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. (John 17:9-10). In this context, Christ used the word glory to indicate wealth and riches He had received. No matter where you are on the journey to the glorifying, liberating life in Christ, you are His treasure (Moore, pp. 34-35).Wrong. In the context of John 17 the "glory" is not the wealth and riches Jesus received. It is also not about us being Christ's treasure. Christian Bondage:Typically in the context of Christian theology, the issue of bondage is in reference to fallen humanity being in bondage to sin. In Romans, Paul writes:For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin (NASB, Romans 7:14).Making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (NASB, Romans 7:23-24).Paul recognizes his bondage to sin, his need for freedom, and then the source of that freedom:Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord ... Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (NASB, Romans 7:25-8:2).Unfortunately, Moore sees Christians as still in bondage and wants to teach us how to free ourselves. The idea of Christians in bondage to various sins is a key tenet of Breaking Free.If anyone had told me Christians could be in bondage, I would have argued with all the volume a person can muster when a yoke of slavery is strangling her neck. I was the worst kind of captive: a prisoner unaware (Moore, p. 1).A Christian is held captive by anything that hinders the abundant and effective Spirit-filled life God planned for him or her (Moore, p. 2).We are going to see how important the Holy Spirit is to freedom in Christ. Second Corinthians 3:17 will become a vital truth to us. It tells us that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (Moore, p. 20).Moore uses the 2 Corinthians 3:17 verse to discuss her idea of freedom from strongholds. However, she is reading this into the passage. The context is our freedom from the Old Testament Law as recorded in the writings of Moses. Verses 15-16 that directly precede verse 17 say, "to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (NASB). Christ has freed us from the requirements of the Law and the bondages of sin. Moore is using 2 Corinthians 3:17 as a proof text for her message even though the context does not support her assertion.Likewise, several times in Breaking Free, Moore incorrectly and repeatedly uses Galatians 5:1 as a proof text for her idea of Christians in bondage:Saved people can still be in bondage (Gal 5:1) (Moore, p.21).Speaking specifically to those who had been set free, Paul warned the Galatians, "Do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Gal 5:1) (Moore, p. 56).We are the free; our liberty is a fact. But according to Galatians 5:1, we can return to a yoke of bondage. One of the primary goals of this study is to help us learn to cease cooperating with the enemy and start living in the reality of our liberty (Moore, p. 105).However, the real message of Galatians 5 is a warning to not add works to faith and thus be severed from Christ. Paul is pointing us back to the real gospel of salvation by faith alone, not how to live our lives.Generational Sin and Bondage:Several chapters of Breaking Free are devoted to the non-Biblical ideas of generational sin and bondage. This is a special subset of her general teaching of Christians in bondage to various strongholds. Moore presents the idea that we have specific sins or bondages that have passed down from our ancestors. She is not referring to the general idea of our fallen nature that we inherit due to Adam's sin, but specific types of sin that are passed down our family tree.Can you think of any ruins in your life that have been in your family line for generations? (Moore, p. 83).Anything passed down to us that inhibits the full expression of freedom we should have in Christ qualifies as bondage (Moore, p. 85).To understand generational bondage, let's risk the discomfort of taking a look at generational sin (Moore, p. 90).We will focus on some of the enemy's schemes because he is deeply involved in matters of generational sin and bondage (Moore, p. 95).When I refer to something that we may have inherited, I mean anything we may have learned environmentally, anything to which me may have been genetically predisposed, or any binding influence passed down through other means. Again, I don't come to you on the basis of science or psychology but on behalf of a statement declared emphatically in Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Moore, p. 86).There again we see her misuse of Galatians 5. She presents the following example of generational sin and bondage:Claire found refuge in Christ as her Savior, but she never let Him rebuild her life. Claire died before her granddaughter and great-granddaughters ever knew her. They were never orphaned nor beaten by a spouse, yet all but one of them battled a distrust and fear of men that they hardly recognized, let alone understood (Moore, p. 85).While Moore makes a lot of assertions about her beliefs in this idea of generational sin and bondage, she does not present any contextually accurate support from the Bible. While our genetics and our environments can clearly influence the types of sins we may struggle with, the idea of these special "binding influences" being passed down from generation to generation is not Biblical.Non-Biblical Personal Revelation:Personal revelation plays less of a role in this book than in some of Moore' other works. However, she still made it clear from the beginning of the book that the revelation she received outside of the Bible was a key foundation to her message:God spoke to my heart and said something like this: "I sent my Son to set the captives free. You will go forth and ring the liberty bell" (Moore, p. 1).If God spoke to her heart, it would be nice if she shared the actual message rather than that it was "something like this." Later, Moore demonstrates why her new "revelations" are not really from God and thus should not be trusted:God kept repeating a word over and over to my heart: unbelief. Unbelief! I kept sensing Him saying, "My people are suffering from unbelief!" At the time I felt that this word was a separate message from the material He was beginning to give me for Breaking Free ... As clearly as a bell, God spoke to my heart through His Spirit and said, "The answer to your question is the sin of unbelief." ... Suppose I heard God correctly. (I have certainly misread Him before!). Why do you think not believing God personally and lavishly loves us could be a sin? (Moore p. 211-212).Take careful notice of the contradictions in her statement above. The message from God was as clear as a bell, but she has misread God before and is worried she may have misread Him again. How does she misread a statement that is as clear a bell? Simply put, if she has spoken a single statement that was declared to be from God but was not really from God, than she is a false prophet. This is extremely serious. Moore does not take seriously the danger of proclaiming that she is speaking the words of God. In the Old Testament, anyone who shared a false word from God was to be put to death:But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die (NASB, Deuteronomy 18:20).Because we are no longer under the Old Testament judicial system, this is not an argument that Moore should be put to death. Rather it shows the seriousness of her offense. Moore needs to repent of these false prophecies and quit claiming she is getting messages from God. Everyone should completely avoid her false teaching. Glorification of Humanity:In these following quotes from Breaking Free, Moore demonstrates a very high view of humanity and a low view of God.From our perspective, it's all about Him. Thank goodness, He is the center of the universe. So how can we live with such a God-centered mentality? Freely! Because from God's perspective, it's all about us (Moore, p. 181).Sorry, but even from God's view it is all about Him. For example, in Isaiah 43:7 we read that God created, formed, and called the nation of Israel for His glory.Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made (NASB, Isaiah 43:7).The following statement borderlines on blasphemy for its incredibly self-centered view of mankind:I think heaven will be heaven because He [God] will be there, but He thinks it will be heaven because you will be there (Moore, p. 213).He is obligated to keep us dissatisfied until we come to Him and His plan for complete satisfaction (Moore, p. 161).God has no (zero, zip, zilch) obligations to us! We are the clay and He is the Potter. He can do whatever He wants to us whenever He wants. Thankfully, He is good and unchanging, so as Christians we can rest on His promises to save us from our sin because of the blood of Christ that has redeemed us.At least I was drawing close enough to God that Satan couldn't build a wedge between us. I haven't always responded rightly at times of insecurity; but when I have, Satan has failed to gain an advantage (Moore, p. 228).That statement not only has a high view of mankind, but a low view of Satan. Satan is far more powerful than we are. It is God that protects us from Satan, not our own works in drawing close to God and responding rightly.Wherever God is welcomed, His Spirit is loosed. Wherever the Spirit is loosed, so is His love. And whenever you find His loving Spirit, you find freedom. How is the Spirit of God loosed? Through confessing or agreeing with His Word (Moore, p. 205).The Holy Spirit is not in bondage. He is not loosed through our confessions or agreement with His Word. These final two passages further emphasize Moore's mankind centered focus.If you've agreed to go the extra mile with God and do whatever freedom requires, He is proud of you! God always loves us lavishly, but imagine God being proud of us and having the privilege of boasting about us (Moore, p. 252).God is so proud of you. You are someone God wants to boast about (Moore, p. 275).Miscellaneous False Teachings:Moore consistently misinterprets fundamental Christian teachings and the text of the Bible. We have already addressed a number of major false ideas espoused by Moore in Breaking Free. The following is a sampling of other serious errors Moore made throughout Breaking Free. It is by no means an exhaustive list.For example, the Bible teaches that we have peace with God because of Christ's death on the cross. Moore takes this Biblical idea of peace with God and then reapplies it to our peace of mind. In a discussion of our peace of mind, she misapplies Isaiah 53:5 which states:He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him" (Moore, p. 42).Jesus' death on the cross brought us peace with God. That prophecy was not about Jesus coming to merely give us peace of mind. She makes the same error in the following:...in Luke 19:41-42. As Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem, He wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes." I believe Christ still grieves when He sees hearts in unnecessary turmoil (Moore, p. 43).Jesus was not grieving about the turmoil of the people of Jerusalem, but that they were enemies of God facing His coming judgment. Jesus was bringing peace with God through His sacrifice. Jesus was not bringing them peace of mind.Another common error in Breaking Free is improperly taking historical narratives from the Bible and making them allegories about us. A large section of Breaking Free is based upon Moore taking the history of the kings of Israel and allegorizing them. Here are a few examples:Each of the kings [during the life of the prophet Isaiah] embodies the problems we too must encounter on the trail to freedom. By learning how they wandered into captivity, we can begin to see ourselves ... [and] begin to spot the first clues to how to escape captivity (Moore, p. 11).Pride can lead to captivity (Jer. 13:15-17) ... Uzziah's tragic end signals our first warning. Pride will be an obstacle every believer must face on the freedom trail ... Jotham serves as the poster boy for another path to captivity. To be free in Christ, our high places will have to fall (Moore, p. 13).Next we consider the fourth king and a remarkable phenomenon that is highly improbable without God--the righteous son of an unrighteous father (Moore, p. 14).In that previous statement, Moore seems to deny original sin. There are no righteous fathers and no righteous sons. Only through faith can we be declared righteous by God. Here are some more allegories:The captivity Isaiah foretold literally happened to the Jews when the Babylonians captured the people of Judah. We want to apply to our internal captivities the principles related to their physical captivity ... Isaiah spoke of rebuilding, restoring, and renewing ruins that were ancient and cities that had been devastated for generations. Allow the Holy Spirit to meddle for a moment. Can you think of any ruins in your life that have been in your family line for generations? (Moore, p. 83).We can apply something figuratively that applied literally to Israel: Just as God appointed the Israelites to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, He appoints you to rebuild your ancient ruins (Moore, p. 103).Yes, you can apply something figuratively to your life that was literal to Israel, but on what Biblical basis would you? Besides, appointing us to rebuild our figurative ancient ruins is just spiritual sounding nonsense.The Pharisees had a superficial understanding of God and no enjoyment of His presence (Moore, p. 77).No! The Pharisees' problems were not that they had no enjoyment of God's presence, but that they had built up a system of religious works. They believed those works made them righteous before God. They were self-righteous. Then, when God appeared to them in the flesh of Jesus Christ, they rejected the only source of true righteousness.Continuing on, Moore wrongly teaches that:Learning from the mistakes of others is the essence of wisdom (Moore, p. 83).This is inconsistent with the Bible's message that:The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (NASB, Proverbs 1:7).At other times, her teaching is just absurd:His expertise is reconstruction. After all, Christ was a carpenter by trade (Moore, p. 106).Jesus' carpentry skills are not important to our salvation or even to reconstructing our lives.In the following, Moore demonstrates a low view of both Christ and sin:He has been tempted in every way I have. What things have you either done or wanted to do? If I'm reading Hebrews 4:15 correctly, Christ has also been tempted to react just like you were. I find great comfort in knowing Christ doesn't throw His hand over His mouth in shock when I wish I could act in a certain way (Moore, p. 128).This implies that Jesus desired to do wrong and was tempted to react upon those desires just like us. Yet, it is not merely acting upon our desires that is sinful, but the desires themselves can be sinful. Jesus was not sinful, so He did not act sinfully and also did not have sinful desires.You see, the most debilitating loss for a Christian is not the loss of a loved one but the loss of faith. Do you see how the loss of faith could turn into a form of bondage? (Moore, p. 134).A Christian without faith is an oxymoron. Our identity as Christians is based upon our faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.Even the Father and the Son had a Potter/clay relationship (Moore, p. 179).The Potter and clay imagery from the Bible is with regards to Creator and creation. Jesus was not a created being, so there was no Pottery/clay relationship between the two of them.Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? (Isa. 58:6) ... Isaiah 58 speaks of a fasting I believe God may honor most of all. What is God proposing we fast from? What do we have to give up or fast from to reach out to the oppressed? (Moore, pp. 265-266).The above is yet another mangling of the Biblical text. In Isaiah 58 the people were focusing on the religious works of fasting, but ignoring the more important acts of caring for other people. God was not proposing that we need to fast or give up anything. Here is the full context:Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (NASB, Isaiah 58:5-7).The final example of Moore's false teaching is the following statement:I believe Christ's bride, the church made up of all believers, is ill ... Christ's bride is ill with unbelief. We don't recognize the illness because most of us have suffered with it all our lives (Moore, p. 210).The statement makes no sense and is even self-contradictory. The "believers" are "ill with unbelief"? While it is true that as Christians we can struggle with the depth of our faith, it makes no sense to say believers have suffered from unbelief all of their lives. There is a critical difference between struggling with the depth of our faith and having no faith (i.e. unbelief).Salvation Presentation:On a more positive note, Moore does provide a reasonable presentation of the method of Christian salvation:One of the most beautiful elements of salvation is its simplicity. Christ has already done all the work on the cross. Your response includes four elements:1. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself.2. Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and only He can save you.3. Believe that His Crucifixion was for your personal sins and that His death was on your behalf.4. Give Him your life and ask Him to be your Savior and Lord (Moore, p. 27).In a book over 300 pages, it would have been nice to see a more lengthy discussion that also included repentance. However, the Holy Spirit can use even an incomplete gospel message like this. Unfortunately, anyone who comes to saving faith through Breaking Free is likely to come away with many false beliefs from the rest of the text that will need future correction through Bible study. Thankfully, Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith, so we can trust Him to make those corrections through the workings of the Holy Spirit.

God is so good! I’m thankful for the wisdom and encouragement that Beth offers her readers. But in the end, it’s a choice. We must apply what we learn. The chains can be broken. God wants to set you free.

Recently I read a book by Beth Moore titled Breaking Free. In it she tackles the reasons, and why’s strongholds come into our lives, and how we can triumph over them. I enjoyed the way she put the same energy, humor, and zeal for God’s Word in this book as she does in her bible studies and messages.When I first began reading this book I really didn’t think I had that many strongholds to deal with, but with each chapter a new layer was pulled back and I discovered I had things I needed to allow God to work on. In the introduction Beth uses the following as the definition of captivity in her study she says – “A Christian is held captive by anything that hinders the abundant and effective Spirit-filled life God planned for him or her.” In this book she teaches us through the scriptures how we can have victory over the obstacles in our lives through a relationship with God. Throughout the book she talks about the “five benefits” God wants for us. They are:"1. To know God and believe Him.2. To glorify God.3. To find satisfaction in God.4. To experience God’s peace.5. To enjoy God’s presence. "She also goes through common obstacles that can block our path, and hinder our access to the benefits of knowing God. This book taught me that I need to tear down all those lies the enemy told me, and replace them with God’s truth.I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with strongholds in their life. Beth will show you through God’s word how to have victory over them, and be set free.-Melissa G

Outstanding! I can't say enough about Beth Moore's BREAKING FREE. We just started a ten week bible study with a group of ladies using this book. It's amazing how Christ can change the lives of people who just reach out to Him. This book helps regular ordinary folks who may have never thought about developing a closer relationship with Christ, to open their hearts and explore their faith. I have learned so much and am looking forward to each and every chapter I read. "Exhilarating!" "Fantastic!" "It kindles a new excitement for Christ!" These are just a few of the comments I have heard from the people who are now exploring this book. It starts with a comparison of the ruling kings during Isaiah's day and then delves into the benefits of having God's Word in your heart. From there it spends a chapter on each of these benefits and how to achieve them. These include: to know God and believe Him, to Glorify God, to find satisfaction in God, to experience God's peace, and finally, to enjoy God's presence. This book is a wonderful balance between learning more about Christ, His Word, and how His Word impacts your life in everyday situations. It is uplifting and mind opening! I would highly recommend it to any bible study group. And it is not gender specific so it would be great for a mens bible study, or a mix. Thank you Beth Moore for another outstanding effort!

This is a book primarily for Christians, that is, those for whom the language of the faith, and the metaphors of God and Satan have meaning. However, this is a hugely powerful book for anyone, Christians or otherwise, since Beth Moore identifies that the problems many people have in getting beyond past abuses are, a) that they continue to believe untruths about themselves (for example, that they are unloveable) and b) they continue to to hide behind the defences which, at the time of the abuse, were so necessary but which now prevent the sufferer from being in touch with the 'loving world'. This is a brilliant book because Moore is able to demonstrate a strategy (albeit within the idiom of the Christian faith) by which a person can break through the defences (their own) to begin to experience the kind of life they should have had before the abuse. Amen.

With clear explanation the author of this book has highlighted a lot of needed answer required by an individual in their walk of life as a believer

Was a little disappointed...I was expecting Breaking Free"Day by Day" in hard back..

Bought for my daughter who likes the author.

Excellent