MAKE THE CHANGE

A Christian guide urges readers to make changes and embrace their dreams.

Odutola starts off her slim nonfiction debut with a controversial, overly optimistic statement. The first sentence of the book’s introduction is: “If you change things in the realm of the spirit, nothing will stop them from being changed here on the earth, because the spiritual controls the physical.” The author insists that a pure faith in Jesus will allow a person to live “a life of peace with prosperity, perfect health and strength, being fruitful and productive in every endeavour.” Time and again, she insists she’s speaking literally rather than metaphorically about the joys of spirituality. Early on, she tells her readers that if Jesus lives in you through the Holy Spirit, you can “be anything you want to be and can change any circumstance you face to your favour.” The only reason this might not be true is if the faithful haven’t “put the word of God to work in their lives.” Odutola also issues some clear warnings to readers embarking on new paths: “While living in your change, it is important that you must not go back to the old life that put you in the previous mess. You must consciously change the books you were reading previously that made you think negatively, the news you listened to constantly that told nothing but fears and pessimism, you must change the friends you once kept who made you do things that were wrong (1Corinthians 15:33), and of course you must consistently renew your mind with God’s word.” Fortunately for the audience, the book sometimes presents more expansive readings of Christian Scripture. The author can often be encouraging, as when she reminds her readers that “when you give up in life because of a certain challenge you are faced with, you will never reach the full potentials of what God has in store for you.” But while she peppers the text with warm reassurances and comforting advice, she also delivers sentiments like “only the lazy hands make for poverty.” The result is an opinionated Christian-inspiration handbook that some readers may find divisive.

An earnest but uneven Christian manual on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.