I first became aware of this book a few years ago, as its release was timed to coincide with the movie, War Room. Shirer is a well-known speaker and author, published by Lifeway, and Lifeway capitalized well on the movie release with separate books and church-wide Bible studies focused on prayer. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s available on Amazon and you should definitely watch it.

Despite knowing about the book, I didn’t pick it up to read until recently, when a sweet friend gifted me with a copy. I love how God puts books in our hands at just the right time! I’ve been working on writing a new devotional called Just Pray, and in the process, I’ve been very convicted that I don’t spend enough time praying. (Nothing like trying to write about something when you feel very unworthy and ill-equipped in the topic!)

The subtitle of the book is A Woman’s Battle Plan for Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer. After an introductory chapter explaining the fact that we are at war with an enemy of our soul who desires to destroy our lives, Priscilla outlines ten specific strategies he targets to keep us from what God intends for us. These include our passion, our focus, our identity, our family, our past, our fears, our purity, our pressures, our hurts and our relationships. These ten areas came to the top in her research of asking women to tell her the primary ways the enemy attacks. I believe they are right on.

There are several things I love about this book.

It’s Biblical. Shirer’s teaching is firmly grounded on scripture, both in the descriptions of how the enemy attacks and the scriptural basis for our prayers against those attacks.

It’s practical. Each chapter includes a “call to prayer” filled with scriptures to pray over that particular topic. Also included in the back of the book are several pages of tear-out cards where you can write down the scripture and prayers for each area of focused prayer. Shirer encourages us to really use the book – to write in it, underline it, highlight it, prayer over it, weep over it. It’s not a pretty book to read once and then put back on the shelf. It’s a battle plan – a war manual.

It’s personal. Shirer writes like she’s sitting across the table from you in your own kitchen. You know she’s speaking from the heart, and she doesn’t hold anything back. It’s not a speech, it’s a conversation, and you are pulled in, encouraged, convicted, and motivated.

The book is written by a woman, to women, but the principles and truths are applicable to everyone. Highly recommended, and I’ll be re-reading it throughout the year. As the back cover says, this is a hands-on, knees-down, never-give-up action guide to practical, purposeful praying.

Get your copy here (not an affiliate link).