John Bevere - Good or God?: Why Good Without God Isnt Enough

What Leaders Are Saying about Good or God?

Good or God? is a powerful journey through Scripture that will challenge and transform your perspective on what it means to live the good life.

M ARK B ATTERSON , New York Times best-selling author of The Circle Maker

Good or God? is an amazing lesson in discernment that will challenge you to truly seek the Lord for His perfect will in your life.

J OYCE M EYER , Bible teacher and best-selling author

John Bevere is a respected teacher, leader, and author, and beyond all of that he is a good friend and fellow kingdom builder. His desire to see each person live not just a good life but a God life will increase your faith and challenge you to walk boldly into all that Jesus has for you. Johns teaching and personal revelations will give you new insight into the will of God and His very best plans for your future.

B RIAN H OUSTON , senior pastor of Hillsong Church

When I read the stories of people who did unprecedented things out of love for God, I find myself longing to be among them. Good or God? speaks to what happens in the minds and hearts of those who truly embrace Gods bestrather than settling for easier counterfeits. If you share this desire to know and serve God in a radical way, I urge you to read this book.

J OHN C . M AXWELL , best-selling author and speaker

John Beveres book Good or God? will challenge you to never settle for less than Gods best. John does a brilliant job of reminding us that we will find God when we look for Him.

J ENTEZEN F RANKLIN , senior pastor of Free Chapel and New York Times best-selling author of Fasting

Good or God? will shake you to your core. If you want to stick to business as usual, this isnt the book for you. But if you want your perspective to be forever altered, devour this message. It will transform your life!

C HRISTINE C AINE , founder of The A21 Campaign and best-selling author of Unstoppable

Challenging. Clear. Needed. Good or God? is an essential reminder that being good is not the goal. This book highlights the potential for people to move from the mundane life of moral obedience into an exhilarating life that comes from Jesus alone.

L OUIE G IGLIO , pastor of Passion City Church, Atlanta, Georgia, and founder of Passion Conferences

Like a struck match shattering the utter darkness, John Bevere illumines the path toward the manifest presence of God while kindling an insatiable desire on the part of the reader that is satisfied only in intimate relationship with Him.

B ISHOP T . D . J AKES , CEO of TDJ Enterprises and New York Times best-selling author

The goodness of God is all around us, but do we truly understand it? In Good or God? , John Bevere examines what it means to be good and what God has to do with it. As you read through this important book, you will be intrigued, challenged, and motivated to seek Gods best for yourself and to share it with others.

C RAIG G ROESCHEL , senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv and author of From This Day Forward : Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage

Once again, John Bevere has delivered an incredible, life-changing call to action for the body of Christ. In his new book Good or God? , he shows the reader how they can get the most out of their relationship with God and set a higher standard for all areas of their life.

M ATTHEW B ARNETT , senior pastor of Angelus Temple, Los Angeles, California, and cofounder of the Dream Center

In Good or God? , John Bevere challenges us to rethink our understanding of Gods goodness and to recognize areas where weve settled for our own standards instead of His. With keen biblical insight and vulnerable moments from his own experience, John inspires readers to refuse the counterfeit goodness the world offers and to re-surrender their hearts to the perfect holiness of our heavenly Father. Good or God? is a must-read for every follower of Jesus who refuses to settle for less than Gods best.

C HRIS H ODGES , senior pastor of Church of the Highlands and author of Fresh Air and Four Cups

G OOD OR G OD?

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Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Scripture quotations marked CEV are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www
.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Scripture quotations marked NLT
are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Note: Some quotations from the New Living Translation are taken from earlier editions. Scripture quotations marked TEV are taken from the Good News Translation in Todays English Version- Second Edition Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Any italicization or words in brackets added to scripture quotations are the authors additions for emphasis or clarity.

ISBN 978-1-933185-94-1

ISBN 978-1-933185-96-5 (electronic)

Copyright 2015 by John P. Bevere, Jr.

Cover design by Allan Nygren

Printed in the United States of America

S PECIAL M ARKET S ALES

Organizations, churches, pastors, and small group leaders can receive special discounts when purchasing this book and other Messenger International resources. For information, please call 1-800-648-1477 or write to orders@messengerinternational.org.

I dedicate this book to our son

Arden Christopher Bevere

You are diligent, strong, tender, and wise. I am amazed by your sensitivity to those who are hurting.

Son, Im so proud of you and love you forever.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my wife, children, and grandchildren: You are each a gift from God and have brought such richness to my life. I love you forever and ever.

To the team, board members, and partners of Messenger International: Thank you for standing with Lisa and me. We couldnt have asked God for more loyal and true friends to journey with us in reaching out to the nations of the world with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

To Bruce, Jaylynn, Vincent, Allison, Addison, and Loran: Thank you for your diligence to polish up this message with your editing skills. Im in awe of your God-given gifts.

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