Pacific Northwest evangelist and author Nathan French is known for his prophetic ministry and books in which he shares conversations he has had with God. He has now produced his third book, ONE: The Power of Unity, which continues those conversations.
Nathan begins by sharing his testimony, which readers of his earlier books, NO PRETENDING TO BE A SECRET and Hastening Heaven’s Gates, will be familiar with. He shares how in his youth he engaged in less than godly behavior that led to a suicide attempt, how he survived, and how God began to communicate with him.
Nathan has become a master at learning to listen to God’s still, small voice, but he also knows that God wants to speak to all of us; we just need to listen. ONE: The Power of Unity, like Nathan’s previous books, is a model of what those conversations with God can be like.
In the book’s introduction, Nathan encourages the reader to talk to God by saying:
“My hope has been to uplift and encourage all who will listen… You have been chosen for a specific time in history to gain wisdom and understanding to change the world around you. Spending quiet time with the creator, Himself, is my most valuable treasure, and I hope it is the same for you.”
The book is written in a journal format and provides Nathan’s almost daily conversations with God from May through December 2012. Each day has a subheading that talks about a specific subject or theme. These conversations show how personal the relationship God desires to have with us is. In one entry, God declares:
“You must know by now, My people, that I, the Lord your God, have come to challenge your faith so that it may be strengthened that you may be prepared for greatness. Grow in strength and sing from the joy of understanding so that may you enter My rest. My peace is the fruit of patience. My love must be like an explosion of the expression of glory in which you were destined to participate”.
While sometimes God’s words are for all of us, at other times it is directed specifically at Nathan. For example:
“Remember, it is not what you can do for Me, your God, it is what has already been done for you. ‘It is finished’, means that you have not become a sinner saved by grace, but a saint saved by grace You are a son, NOT a stranger, I welcome you to My royal priesthood!
Throughout the book, God calls us, emphasizing the relationship he wants with us. “Return to Me, My child, and I will return to you. He Walks in renewal and enters My rest, then works from there, consumed by My peace.”
Numerous topics are also covered throughout the book. For example, on Mother’s Day, God declares: “Every mother is very precious to Me because every mother was chosen to be here, right now, to be celebrated. But, without mothers, none would be here. Bless you, My fair, gracious, loving princess mothers, for all you do and for all you have done, you are extraordinary!”
God also gives advice and tells us His will. This advice is to help us live a better life with trust in God and fewer worries, but it is also quite practical. For example, God tells Nathan, “Educate yourself about money and learn to use it as a tool. I want to teach you how to direct your funds so that your lack of funds no longer directs you. Often the people who lack are the who have made an idol of money. Fear of lack, greed, and loss deceive people into faith. And without faith, it is impossible to please Me. Faith always releases with the expectation of good. I want to teach you that He Money is important, and money matters are often avoided, especially by those who abide by it. I want you to be in charge of your money instead of letting your money be in charge of you.”
At other times, God gives advice on how to develop a better relationship with Him. In the section titled “How to Give Me Your Whole Heart,” the instructions are:
1. Leave all worry, fear, anxiety and stress.
2. Listen to My voice often with sensitivity to My Spirit.
3 Give Me your hopes and dreams and I will make them come true with My will to bless your obedience.
4. Give me your dependence by walking in the Spirit.
5. Continually check yourself to make sure your motivation is always pure.
Other passages are very poetic. For example:
Do you want My peace?
Let me develop your patience.
Do you want My wisdom?
Ask for it every day and I will answer you with his blessing.
You want more love?
Give away what has been given to you and it will increase in you.
As a bonus, the back of the book contains testimonials from Nathan about extraordinary events that have happened in his life, reminiscent of God testing Abraham by telling him to sacrifice Isaac. For example, many fine watches have found their way into Nathan’s hands, but never all at once. Once Nathan received a watch, God would tell him to give it to someone else. Nathan was shocked but complied, and then an even better watch suddenly appeared in his life, only for Nathan to give it away as well, and so on. And this happened not only with watches, but also with cars and ships!
ONE: The Power of Unity is a true testament to the amazing things that can happen in our lives when we take the time to not only talk to God but also to truly listen. It will make you want to reinvigorate your own relationship with God, and all it takes is a willing ear.