"I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit." Jesus spoke these words to His disciples on the eve of His death. His disciples were with Him for three years while He trained them in order to send them into the world. Jesus had every expectation they would continue the mission and bear fruit. This would prove they were truly His disciples. Therefore, are we truly followers of Jesus if we opt-out of fulfilling His mission? Can we say our lives are committed to Jesus if we have little concern for His plan? To answer these questions, we must begin to examine what type of gospel we believe. The gospel we believe will produce the disciple we become. In addition, we will reproduce what we know in the lives of others. Reproducing a false gospel or an incomplete gospel perpetuates an unhealthy cycle. At best, this cycle produces immature Christians and at worst, it produces false converts. It is imperative we begin here. Jesus spoke often of the Kingdom of God, but do we know what this means or why it is important? We should know because the Kingdom of God is the context for the gospel and the Great Commission. Like the gospel, the Kingdom of God is a necessary talking point for all other talking points found in this book. Strive with Me invites women into a process that unfolds with each chapter. It calls women to come with teachable hearts, which are open to honest self-reflection and examination of our Christian women's culture. It invites women to abandon patterns hindering them from fulfilling what Jesus commanded them to do. It challenges women to deconstruct unbiblical cycles, focus their minds on Scripture, and participate in the mission of the Kingdom of God. Challenging books on these topics have been written by some godly men. We need their wisdom. However, it is time we as women take a hard look into our lives and our circles too. It is time we answer the call to abide in the Scriptures, grow spiritually according to the biblical definition, and make disciples. We are responsible to train and raise up the next generation of women. Jesus has appointed us to accomplish this task while there is still breath in our lungs and so prove to be His disciples. Will you answer the call?
