Book Review: Girls with Swords

Girls with Swords: Why Women Need to Fight Spiritual Battles by Lisa Bevere

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Publication Year: 2013
Pages: 222


Girls with Swords:  How to Carry your Cross like a Hero is Lisa Bevere’s latest book.  I wanted to like this book.  One of my “book buddies” at church loves her husband’s books, so I started into this book hopeful, only to soon feel she was stretching to reach her analogies.  For instance, she uses the fact that the word sword is found in the words “God’S WORD”.  To me this means nothing except she is trying to find anything to make her points.  I would be much more impressed if that was the case in Greek as that was the language in which the New Testament was written.

I also disagree with her statement on pages 68-69:

“I don’t think the rulers of that age were particularly suprised that Jesus rose from the dead.  They had seen the dead raised before, and Jesus had told everyone he would rise after three days.”

When it says in John chapter two:

19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.  20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple and the building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?  21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22 When there he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they belied the scripture and the word which Jesus had said.


I don’t believe that when Jesus’ own disciples did not understand until after the Resurrection that it was going to happen that the rulers had more spiritual insight than Jesus’ disciples. 

She also quotes generously from The Message which is not the most accurate Bible translation available.  It’s good for a devotional, but I prefer a more accurate translation.

I felt the theology was a bit off as well.  Of course, I don’t agree with a lot of Pentecostal theology and this book seemed to be of Pentecostal persuasion.   I did read the entire book, and there were sections I enjoyed.  I liked when she told personal stories.  I would have enjoyed this book much more if she would have talked more from her life and less about swords, as I think it’s a stretch to say that the cross is a sword.  I believe there are better books on spiritual warfare and living the Christian life, but if you are a Lisa Bevere fan, you will likely enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own.

You can purchase it here:

You can read a sneak peak here:

   Girls With Swords by Lisa Bevere (Sneak Peek) by   WaterBrook Multnomah