Book Review: She Believed HE Could, So She Did

She Believed HE Could, So She Did: Trading Culture's Lies for Christ-Centered Empowerment by Becky Beresford

The choice of this book to read and review came about in two different steps – one was the sale price of maybe $1.99 just after launch and the second was that InspiritEncourage subscribers asked for it when given the choice. Beresford is a seasoned Christian writer and this is her first published book.

She Believed HE Could, So She Did is, as the author describes it, a book about women’s empowerment. The author’s calling for evangelism and empowering women certainly comes through strong. Each chapter of the book addresses a lie or phrase that culture often pushes and shows the reader what God really thinks or teaches biblically about that topic. She covers topics such as being enough, being yourself, believing in yourself, speaking your truth and more. The book is divided into two sections, “She Believed He Could”, or embracing God’s empowerment, and then the second is about “She Did,” or living strong biblically.

The Good

The book is well balanced with personal stories that illustrate the issue with culture’s lies and Bible stories and verses that show what God would have us believe and do instead. This carries through to presenting an equilibrium of what “women’s empowerment” also means – not that one gender is better or over another, but that both are equally necessary, and what it means and how to carry it out.

Beresford doesn’t shy away from addressing those topics not often discussed. In addition to women’s empowerment, she touches on Truth (with a capital T), dealing with the enemy, abortion, and activity of the Holy Spirit. The approachable style and vulnerable stories help break through the potentially sticky topics and speak God’s word to the heart.

The Confusing

I was a bit confused by the chapter titled “You Can Slay All Day.” The chapter made some good points about the Holy Spirit, but I still don’t know what that phrase actually means. And it was worse when the next chapter uses the word in its traditional meaning of “kill.” This may be a case of not living in the USA and not understanding the cultural evolution of phrases. I can guess what it means, but it was italicized as if it needed to be defined and used as the author intended. I found this odd as well because it sounds very much like the phrase “you’re killin’ it,” which is cultural and leans toward “you are doing it on your own.” That would go against the whole premise of the book. If you have read the book, please feel free to let me know in the comments how you would explain it.

I’m a proponent of telling truth to both men and women, so it is too bad that the books is targeted to women. I think men would benefit from it as well. As an author, I get that marketing to the entire Christian population is a challenge, so choose half that population is a valid thing to do. And in this case, the author has a calling for women, so that is underscored in the book and the target audience, as referenced in the text. But, men don’t be wary of reading this too.

Recommendable Book 5/5 Stars

The well thought out organization and Bible passages that addressed each of the cultural challenges made this a solid biblical resource for those who are looking to be or develop disciples of Christ, followers who are open and willing to be lead and changed by Christ, as Beresford describes. The personal stories were relatable and on-topic each time, supporting the point of God and not cultural statements as our foundation of life.