9 Books About Women Facing Adversity and Overcoming Through God’s Power
Each of us has faced some form of adversity, whether brokenness, grief, anxiety, fear, rejection or any other type of suffering. As women of faith, we have great examples of women in the Bible and even those among us today who have experiences demonstrating God’s faithfulness in the face of suffering. We encourage you to read the Bible stories of Deborah, Hannah, Ruth, Rehab, and Esther, to name a few.
Despite difficulty, God continues to show up in our lives. While today’s stories are not recorded in the Bible, they are told in memoirs and books to remind the world that God is still trustworthy and knows what He has in store for us.
We’ve shared a list of books written by women of faith on their experiences with adversity and how God’s compassion, grace, and healing set them free. We hope these books will encourage, motivate, and enable you to trust God when facing adversity.
Wounded by Alicia Searl
Wounded was written out of a wounded heart. Alicia Searl shares relatable heartfelt stories of how she is constantly seeking truth to set her free to be the mom God is calling her to be. She realizes that failure is always an option, but with Christ, defeat doesn’t have to be.
Critical Takeaways:
These 30 devotionals invite you into a conversation with a real mom struggling to stay the course. Alicia realizes her story is nothing special, but with the richness of God’s goodness, He can take our ordinary and make it extraordinary for Him.
May you discover:
· That God’s plan is always the best plan
· Your view may be flawed, but God’s view is flawless
· How to make time for your husband when you have so many demands
· With a peaceful and forgiving heart, relationships can heal
· How to take time out for yourself and just breathe
· The joy and hope that comes from knowing you have a Mighty Savior on your side
No matter what season you find yourself in as a mom, may God open up your heart and move in a way that reveals His amazing love for you. Be encouraged to know that God can make you a better mom and mend your wounds and heal you from within.
Issues this book will help readers with: Depression, anxiety, fear, comparison, hurt, loneliness, self-doubt, hormones, among many others.
Scarred 4 Purpose On Purpose by Shonda Boyd Brown
From bitter to better! GOD has a way of setting you up. He has orchestrated every scene of your life as the executive producer. He is aware of all the plot twists. You will have no clue whom He will use, what He will use, or how He will use the who or the what, but you will find out the why when you surrender to the crushing process. For Shonda Boyd Brown it was in her marriage that God used to process her for purpose. GOD will take the wounded areas of your life and use them for your good. Every wound will eventually turn into a scar. Scarred 4 Purpose On Purpose.
Critical Takeaways:
* Yield to plan of the producer{GOD}
* There is wisdom in your wounds
* Accept where you are, something greater will emerge
* Know that God causes and allows everything for a reason
* What you value others will value
* know your worth
* Your wounds are for you and your scars are for others
* Pain to purpose
Issues this book will help readers with: Adversities, forgiveness, marriage/dysfunctional marriages, miscarriages, brokeness, trust, resilience , preseverance, hope, loneliness, suffering, struggles, process , purpose, grace, healing, wounds, scars, disappointments, frustration, rejection, abandonment…
Teenage Mom To Empowered Woman by Dr. Coylette James
Teenage Mom to Empowered Woman chronicles the stories of 10 women who overcame the stigmatism of being a teenage, out of wedlock mother to rise to prominence in their related fields. They are proof that with God, there is nothing you can’t overcome.
Critical Takeaways: Readers will discover that life will take many unplanned twist and turns, but not to give up because of them. If they stay the course, even the toughest situations will work themselves out and God will never leave them nor forsake them. The other lesson is to not allow the shame of your past keep you from your future. – Dr. Coylette James
Issues this book will help readers with: Doubt, adversities, and brokenness.
The Diary Of A Curly Haired Woman by Julia James
This book reveals many yet relatable curly-kinky colors, joys, and raw pains of Julia’s life through poetry, prose, and short stories. From racism, poverty, family issues, illiteracy, abuse, and trauma to how she used tools to face her circumstances and overcome them. You may even find your reflection.
Critical Takeaways: The Diary of A Curly-Haired Woman will help readers with their outlook in life and help them see it from the lenses of fortitude and grit and will encourage them to have a growth mindset. This book also shares tools within the stories to forgive, heal, and overcome, all while knowing life can go one way or another. – Julia James
Dormant: Bring Your Own Shovel! by Niadu Allen
Dormant! Bring your own Shovel is a book that deals with real life for Niadu as she writes from her own blood-bought testimonies. Things that happened to her in life that should have kept her disfigured and down, she uses her own shovel to make major shifts throughout her journey. If you have ever questioned or doubted your own life, then maybe it is time you also pick up your shovel and live!
Critical Takeaways: Despite life circumstances, with God, you can continue to live above what was designed to bury you. We may have tried to live life by the blueprint for a successful and fulfilling outcome. We just knew that if we did everything right, followed all of the good advice, did every deed, and prayed every prayer to avoid heartaches/breaks, we would never experience misfortunes. Yet there will be times when what we didn’t expect to happen happens. May my pieces of life help someone else pick up their shovel and live with what and who remains. May we discern what needs to be buried and what needs to live.– Niadu Allen
Issues this book will help readers with: This book is purposed for those who may have given up on their hopes, dreams, and goals in life. In each chapter you will see brokenness wrapped up in resilience and struggles wrapped up in strength. Yet there is a gift of hope that holds all of the chaos together.
Heart Attacks Happen: A Memoir on Love & Relationships by Ebony Nicole
Heart Attacks Happen chronicles Ebony Nicole Smith’s love and relationship life beginning with her father and ending with the Father. The heart attacks Ebony suffered were not physical but emotional and mental, yet just as detrimental. From feeling abandoned to underserving of acceptance helped to shape her views of what it meant to be loved and how to function in a relationship.
Critical Takeaways:
- Being accountable for your actions or lack thereof
- Learning how to submit to God
- Recognizing red flags, faults, and failures.
Issues this book will help readers with: This book is a guide to get you to allow God to uproot any bitterness in your heart and give it the love and care it deserves for His glory.
Goal Get’em Girls! by Dr. Joy Green
Goal Get’em Girls! is designed for women who find themselves stuck in cycles along the journey to obtaining their goals. Goal Get’em Girls exposes some of the innumerable barriers that may hold women back from achieving their goals. The end result is from self-discovery through self-reflection, women are empowered to make their goals a reality.
Critical Takeaways:
- This journal will open your eyes toward goal-getting and not just goal-setting.
- This journal is not just meant to be read but readers should reflect on what they are reading. That way they could get the maximum benefit from this journal.
- This journal addresses the many pitfalls that a lot of us face when trying to achieve our goals while providing wonderful tips to overcome them.
Issues this book will help readers with: Goal Get’em Girls! reveals that self-doubt and not believing in yourself are barriers that may hold you back from achieving your goals. Self-doubt leaves you lacking confidence in your self- worth, personality, abilities, character, or skillset. Self-doubt perpetuates the emotion of fear, which stops you dead in your tracks from taking further action. By having doubts and not believing in yourself, you are interfering with your ability to tap into your maximum potential to reach your goals. Believing in ourselves is kind of like the key that turns the ignition and starts the car. We can’t really go anywhere without it.
Goal Get’em Girls! will have you reflect on if you are allowing self-doubt and not believing in yourself stop you from achieving your goals. If so, Dr. Joy will provide you with tips on how you can push through!
Being Keyana Marshall by Keyana Marshall-Wheatley
Keyana Marshall-Wheatley’s book is her account of how she went from a naive teenager to the commercial sex industry, federal prison, and the sex offender registry.
Keyana recounts that as a 15-year-old babysitter, she was recruited and groomed into prostitution. From ages 15-19, she was aggressively exploited by a madame who owned Anchorage, Alaska’s largest escort service, an illicit massage parlor, and two incall houses. When Keyana was 18, the madame introduced her to an abusive pimp. He exploited her for nearly three years, and then he was indicted by the FBI. Before Keyana could celebrate her freedom from the abuser, she was indicted on federal conspiracy charges.
Keyana shares that this is a survival story reflecting God’s glorious restoration. She was a prostitute addicted to drugs and practicing witchcraft. But God delivered her from a life that could have easily killed her.
Sever the Ties by Kimberly Nelms
Kimberly Nelms has endured several situations that have caused her to have to Sever The Ties. She knows this is not easy, but with God, you can do ALL THINGS! Through God’s grace, Kimberly can share her experiences and point of view with the hopes of helping others get unstuck!
Critical Takeaways: My hope is that you will read my book and be inspired to do what you need to do to reach your Destiny and fulfill your God-Given Purpose. Whoever you are and wherever you may be, I stand with you wholeheartedly, believing what binds you can be severed, and healing is yours. In Jesus name, Amen! – Kimberly Nelms
Issues this book will help readers with: Past Trauma, Generational Curses, Demonic Ties, Relational Ties, Child-hood traumas, etc.
