Voices. Many, many voices. Voices of praise. Voices of discouragement. Thoughts of worthlessness. Voices of sorrow. Thoughts of inferiority. Voices of criticism. Our lives are filled with the voices and thoughts that are competing for the prime real estate that is our mind. Every day we must decide which thoughts and voices we will give attention to and which ones we won’t. The choices we make here may determine how effective and productive we become in life. In his new book, “Crash the Chatterbox; Hearing God’s Voice Above All Others”, pastor and author Steven Furtick exposes the reader to the enemy’s continual and strategic barrage of negative and harassing thoughts whose purpose is to cripple the believer’s confidence and effectiveness. Furtick refers to these thoughts as a “chatterbox”. The chatterbox is the collection of lies that that keep us from reaching out full potential. Furtick writes, “But let’s think together about the possibility that 80 percent of our thoughts are not only devoid of any power to help us but actually work against us. When we allow thoughts to go unchecked, a steady drip of lies cements the wrong patterns within our minds, building a Berlin Wall of bad beliefs.”

The scaffolding for “Crash the Chatterbox” is four confessions that are, in the author’s words, “meant to function like noise-canceling headphones for your mind, heart, and soul. These are truths about God and truths about you that come straight from God’s Word.” These confessions, which also make up the book’s four sections, are:

Confession #1: God Says I Am – Overpowering the lies of the enemy in your insecurities.

Confession #2: God Says He Will – Overpowering the lies of the enemy in your fears.

Confession #2: God Says He Has – Overpowering the lies of the enemy in your condemnation.

Confession #4: God Says I Can – Overpowering the lies of the enemy in your discouragement.

These four confessions are meant to revolutionize the way we think and to help us respond to the thoughts and voices that mimic an irritating Facebook feed. Each of the four sections is built around a particular category of chatter and the confession relating to God’s dealings with it. In each section, Furtick uses personal experiences powerfully and God’s Word ultimately to show how each believer can possess the victory over the enemy’s crippling chatter. Each section has its own strengths and highlights. However, Chapter Nine, Counterfeit Conviction, is the most powerful one and is worth the book’s price itself. Furtick sums up the purpose of these confessions with this statement, “The change the confessions will make n out lives are revolutionary. Not because the confessions are fancy or brilliant, but simply because they are powerful. And they are God’s truths.”

Cleverly titled and simply written, “Crash the Chatterbox” is a great work. Furtick’s writing style is unique. It is a mixture of flamboyance and passion tempered with heart-felt transparency. Of his previous works, Sun Stand Still and Greater, Crash the Chatterbox is by far the best. It is obvious that Furtick’s writing comes from the overflow of what God is doing in his life. Read it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”