Satan You Can't Have My Promises by Iris Delgado

Satan You Can't Have My Promises: The Spiritual Warfare Guide to Reclaim What's Yours by Iris Delgado teaches the believer about effective, "radical" prayer "with tenacity and fervency" in order to claim the promises God has in store for all Christians.  As Delgado states right from the start on page one, "If I took the name Satan and all the scriptures out of this book and made it more generic... I would get a much broader audience to read this book." This statement is basically a response to the countless sterile, ineffective Christian books written on the subject of prayer on the market today.

This small scale, pocket sized book seems  deceptively brief and simple.  Yet in it contains literal power- that is,if you believe the bible is true and have faith in the power of God's word.  The author did all the hard footwork, mining all the scriptural references to God's promises for us about the power of prayer and prayers themselves.  Rather than a wordy, theological discussion on prayer, or an apologetic work in defense of the power and purpose of prayer, Delgado simply lists the scripture passages and verses that speak for themselves.  We do not have to take her word on it- she provides the actual scriptures, and presents them to the reader to illustrate how prayer can overcome any tragic circumstance, poverty, generational curses, addictions, illness and hurdles.  On the surface, some fundamentalist readers might dismiss this work as "prosperity" preaching- which in essence is a false gospel of materialism without any heed to sin and personal responsibility.  But the author offers a convincing argument that prayer is effective and it is not limited in any way.  The words of prayer are powerful and empower the reader to change his or her life circumstances. 

I found this book is more than just a manual on effective prayer, and more than an exhaustive  reference book of God's promises, but a resource to return to each day. After I read it the first time, I thought it worthwhile to read a second time- to absorb and meditate on the countless promises God has in store for us- not just for eternity in heaven but on earth right now.  There is so much material in this book- a treasure of biblical promises and prayers specific enough for every need for the reader in easy reach for every hardship imaginable- illness, poverty, addiction, fear, loneliness and grief.  Even if one does not believe in literal modern day miracles, this book shows the supernatural power of prayer- and that is not a doctrine that conflicts with any believer.  The power of prayer is biblical, but it is something may Christians simply overlook or never think about. This book is very straightforward and mysterious sounding concepts such as generational curses and the power of the blood and the idea of binding Satan are explained in light of the scriptural context. 

One thing to consider when reading this book-  common with Charismatic Christian writers such as Delgado, are anecdotes about literal, actual possession.  Coincidently, these authors always seem to come face to face with victims possessed by demons. Such accounts may seem a bit theatrical for some readers, but they reflect the author's belief in literal, modern day possession - a belief that not all biblical churches or believers share.   Some Christians may be just as adamant, just as grounded in their faith yet believe that "spiritual" signs like possession and other supernaturally classified miracles ended in the ancient days of the early church. Nevertheless, other than the brief reference to the demonic episode at a seminar, there weren't too many possession stories in this book. And the power and effectiveness of prayer is not simply a theatrical exploit limited to charismatics, but rather a fact that all believers need to meditate on. It is regrettable that many mainstream churches reject the real power to prayer due to a perceived negative association with charismatic churches. The author speaks from personal experiences on how prayer can overcome deeply rooted generational curses, and impossible situations.  For the author, as a survivor of childhood abuse the promises of God were sufficient in turning her life around.  There is a reason dies for us- for our sins.  And the power of Jesus' sacrifice still stands today for all believers to grasp.  Satan is a real being- that threatens every believer in ways that may even be overlooked.  This book gives the tools to fight back.  This is a very empowering book that is certain to encourage even the most apathetic of readers to act.

 As a blogger for the Booketeria I received this book published by Charisma House for the purpose of writing this review.