God's Prosperity
by Michaela Cooke
Trafford Publishing

book review by C.D.

While it's not often we see literary credit bestowed upon an ethereal entity, Colorado housewife and mother, Michaela Cooke seems happy to share the limelight of God's Prosperity as she indicates her writing is primarily a conduit for the words of the Holy Spirit.

Cooke is undoubtedly a woman extremely familiar with the Bible. In an effort to explain that God's promises will give us a way out of our troubles and lead us toward prosperity, the author draws upon a vast amount of Old and New Testament scriptures and references them to substantiate God's laws and teachings. Cooke sees scriptural understanding as key, thus she boldly offers interpretations and discusses analogies that explain and convey the significance of these messages. In one such reflection she speaks of God's comparing our hearts to a garden. Our sins, likened to rocks in the garden, must be removed if we are to allow God's words to manifest in our lives.

While there is much repetition throughout this book, the author effectively uses the emphasis as a smart tool intended to seal the truths of the scriptures into our consciousness. Quoting several passages that reference a familiar concept, such as "with God all things are possible," Cooke also suggests the need to "take heed when scripture facts repeat more than one time," as this often can indicate God's warning. Specific psalms and proverbs are also cited, for readers to meditate upon in the interest of addressing particular problems such as marital discourse, family issues, health concerns, and the like. Here it would seem prudent to have a Bible handy, to help facilitate the referral toward a complete reading.

As Cooke's overall vision is to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us God's purpose, hopefully for those readers open to it, the final gains will not only be of a physical nature, but more importantly of a spiritual nature as well.

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