Bestselling evangelical author/speaker John Bevere makes a bold statement in his newest work, RELENTLESS, and his passion for communicating this principle is infectious. Bevere openly tells Christ followers that none of them was ever destined to simply “get by.” Rather, infused with the powerful grace of God makes it a “given” that every Christian ought to be living as overcomers (in any and every situation).

"Bevere succeeds in his objective to fire up Christians to live as relentless pursuers of Christ’s best."

In the first chapter, Bevere states a well-known biblical adage on life. “How we finish is more important than how we begin,” citing Ecclesiastes 7:8 (“Finishing is better than starting”) as the foundational text. He then goes on to share that the ultimate best finish for each believer is to have Christ say to him or her, “Well done, My good and faithful servant!” It is on this premise that Bevere works up great enthusiasm in expounding upon numerous Bible passages to help other Christians stay on the path God has designed for them.

Bevere, one might say, writes relentlessly to impart this important truth to an often discouraged, defeated, struggling and apathetic church body. He is concerned that many Christians, after all is said and done, will not finish well, sharing a vision he had of “a river representing the world and a rowboat representing our human body that enables us to function in this world. The man in the rowboat is a believer; his oars symbolize God’s unmerited grace. The party boat depicts those joined in one purpose, and the river’s current represents the flow of this world, which is under the sway of the evil one.” Interpreting this vision for readers, Bevere explains that it depicts three kinds of people.

• The unbeliever just flows with the current, oblivious to the reality of wanting, wanting, wanting.
• The believer must press, press, press in the fight of faith to attain kingdom advancement.
• The deceived hides his or her motive of wanting, wanting, wanting through “Christian appearance” and the misuse of Scripture.

Clearly, Bevere writes, every Christian must test his faith to be certain he or she is not in the last category. To do this, the believer must “relentlessly” and vigilantly pursue the living out of faith. Bevere gives Christians a definite word picture of what “relentless faith” looks like. It is adamant, rigorous, severe, uncompromising, unstoppable, tenacious and even dogged.

In order to fulfill this high calling, Bevere spends considerable space covering the basic armor required to fight and win in this life. Readers will learn how to rule in life by connecting to God’s power source; emulate how Jesus walked on earth; distinguish themselves among their peers; be aware of the spiritual warfare going on all the time unseen; living strong in grace and putting on the spirit of humility; throwing off any weight of the world that encumbers them; resisting the devil; praying effectively; running toward the prize; and living close to the King. Every chapter provides readers with both biblical principles and personal storytelling from Bevere’s life, which he does a nice job meshing together.

The only caution in this resource would be his interpretation of healing and sickness in regards to each person’s level of belief. This section is sure to draw some conflicting responses from others in the evangelical camp who exegete these passages differently. Still, Bevere succeeds in his objective to fire up Christians to live as relentless pursuers of Christ’s best.