I love Lusko's ability to express his own weaknesses and is able to point to the Enemy that fights against us and our lives and show how God wants us to use those weaknesses for good. "Your pain is just the scene, it is not the movie" is probably my favorite line.

So many amazing quotes from this book that I highlighted...too many to even scroll through as I was looking back over it. For me, having read a lot of books like this one, it was fundamental, but also had deep. While the points he made weren't new to me, the illustrations he used were interesting. It didn't detour me from finishing the book just because I've so much of this before. No, studies have shown that it takes 7+ times for something to get grounded in your memory. And even after that, reminders are so important. We don't just read the Bible once and we're done. We continue reading and growing. This is just another growth step.

The book is split up into four quadrants (thus the playing cards metaphor) of things we must declare war on spiritually to overcome the battles we are up against. Thoughts, Words, Actions, Strongholds. Is it a Christian self-help style book? I suppose so. But what wouldn't be? God wants us to continue growing and always striving to become more and more Christ-like. If that's not what the world calls "self-help" then I don't know what is.

Lusko's style is easy-breezy and conversational--much like his teaching style. I will definitely pick up another of his books.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

A lot of times in life we find ourselves getting in our own way. "I Declare War" by Levi Lusko helps the reader to see and overcome some of the battles that we wage with ourselves every day. This book gives hope as we know that all things are possible with the One who fights with and for us - Jesus Christ. This book was well written and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is struggling in life.

I Declare War: Four Keys to Winning the Battle Within Yourself is the book we all need to read. Some may like it and others may not. The point is we all struggle with ourselves. We have those inner voices that want to take control and we can't let them. Levi Lusko writes about his own personal struggles. Struggles we all have encountered. In this book, Levi gives us four weapons we have at our disposal--thoughts, words, behaviors and power, then he gives us illustrations how to use these weapons to pursue victory everyday of our lives.Struggling with ourselves doesn't have to happen everyday. If you are willing to listen to the advice given in this book, we will be able to stop being victimized by ourselves and become the victor.I received a copy of this book for free, all opinions expressed are my own.

What a book! I'm really interested to know how many women really benefit from this book as it is intended. It seems very tactical and aggressive (hence the name, I'm sure). It really gets the blood pumping and makes one feel as though they can defeat anything, and I guess in a way, that's how a Christian should feel! With God, all things are possible. It was so incredible to consider the spiritual world in this light. It was written so well!

This is my first sample of Levi Lusko, but boy can he write! He is engaging, down-to-earth, and very authentic. This book is helpful on a number of levels, with practical steps on how to take back your thoughts, modify your actions, and trust God above it all. Full of grace and wit, Lusko leads us through steps that take us into a deeper relationship with God while setting us up for success in our relationships with others (even though this is not technically a book about relationships).

And he’s got some great one-liners in here as well. Well worth the read!

Rated G

Levi Lusko ask us, with this title, to look at and consider the things that we think, do, and say. I know that it seems like a fairly simple concept. It seems simple, yes, but there are a ton of writings and studies done on the effects on ourselves based on the things we think about ourselves and how we posture ourselves or interact with others. We struggle with our thought lives as well as how we relate to others even still--so, it may be simple idea but we still need to be encouraged by it again. And again. And probably again after that.

We declare war on the way that we think about ourselves.
We declare war on the way that we think about others.
We declare war on the autopilot mentality and take control over our daily actions.

This title asks us over and over again to join God in the battle for who we are by taking our weapons back out of the hands of Satan.

I received a complementary copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Written in both non-fiction and anecdotal format, this book alternates between feeling like a conversation with a buddy and a trip to your counselor. There are several great graphic 'posters' included, for those who are more visual, with sayings and slogans to stick in your arsenal of pick-me-ups. The book is divided into four sections, three that are all about changing your thought-processes and actions, and the fourth which discusses putting your faith and trust in God. It's a book that's easy to relate to and not overly preachy...the author keeps it real and owns up to his own failings and ongoing journey toward defeating his demons.

I Declare War: Four Keys to Winning the Battle with Yourself by Levi Lusko

Wow, wow, wow.

I can’t even begin to explain this book. It’s complex, it’s simple, it’s humorous, it’s serious. It’s raw and real and honest. Levi strips away the masks we like to hide behind, and gets down to business. I smiled and laughed at some of his personal stories; they drew me in and I couldn’t put this book down.

This is a book that goes deep. It is as the title implies: war. War against our enemy. War against the selfish nature within us. Levi takes this seriously, not giving cliche answers but getting down to the heart. I don’t really even have words to describe it except to tell you that it encouraged me, challenged me, and changed my perspective. It is definitely worth the read.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and were not required to be positive.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion – which I’ve done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

I Declare War
Four Keys to Winning the Battle with Yourself
by Levi Lusko
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Thomas Nelson--W Publishing

Thomas Nelson
Christian , Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 30 Oct 2018


I am reviewing a copy of I Declare War through Thomas Nelson-W Publishing and Netgalley:


Ready to Declare War on what you think, say or speak, then I Declare War is the book for uou:!


This book points out that whether or not we recognize it we are at war with ourselves. This book points out that when you put a mask on, you are masking yourself from God’s blessings! We are also reminded that God didn't get stuck with us, that in fact he choose us!


We are at war but all is not lost, if we engage, we can win.


In this book the author shares about his personal battls from moodiness to bullying, suicidal thoughts, night terrors and managing his own emotions. In this book he uses the practical tools he used from God’s word to help himself to help his readers.


I give I Declare War five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Very inspirational and moving. I am not sure how often I would recommend this to my audience, but it will definitely be one mentioned.

Overall, the book was okay. Levi Lusko is honest, and it's a book topic that should be written about. However, there weren't any sticky statements and nothing that I saw as a "take away."

This is a good book on dealing with sin and strongholds in your life. He is an enjoyable author. I did like the focus on declaring war on our sin and unbelief.
I received this book free from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Do you want raw honesty about how to overcome your inner struggles, then look no further than this book. Goodness gracious this is so good. I love the honesty and just the details of what Levi is teaching through his words. We could either be counseled by someone who knows the material or be counseled by someone who has walked through it...Levi clearly has walked through it. So if you want to get real serious about your faith and walk, grab this book...take some notes...and pray through it. Amen.

This book is set up using 4 cards. Each card provides a theme and how to combat them. This is a book that I hope will be read by many. I found the advice very good and conveyed extremely well which makes it very easy to understand.Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review

#I Declare War# is Lusko's way of having us look at the areas that hold us back in our Christian life. Paul talked about how He wanted to do something but was hindered. The book is excellent and very personable. He warns Christians to be ready for the battle like a soldier is ready with his armor. He talked about how your words can be harmful and like a weapon. He shared his struggle with bridling his tongue after having difficult middle school years with bullying. He draws the reader into the book with such personal examples. He talked also about how we must train our mind to be positive like the navy seals are told. They view any obstacle from a positive angle. Lusko goes on to teach keys to overcome the battle with yourself which we all face. There is a DVD series and a study guide for the book. The book would be excellent for a Men's or Women's Bible study group. It would work just as well for reading alone. It would have excellent applications when a group shared how it applied to their lives. I appreciate the time and effort He took to address the fleshly struggles we deal with each day and commended him for what He has done. Are you willing to challenge yourself to declare war on your self?# I Declare War# by Levi Lusko was given to me by netgalley.com for review purposes. I appreciate the publisher for sharing this wonderful book with me so I can review it and share this with pastors, librarians , my blog and others as well including my facebook group.

A no nonsense battle plan to successfully warring against your personal demons and weaknesses. With a seamless mixture of tough love, practical experience, and biblical wisdom the reader is armed and prepared for the battle to reclaim their life.

I received an advanced copy of I Declare War by Levi Lusko from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had previously read Levi Lusko’s book Through the Eyes of a Lion and had loved it so when I saw that this was available to read early, I jumped on it.

I Declare War has a subtitle: “4 keys to winning the battle with yourself”; however, the subtitle does not fail to mention that it’s also about winning the battle against Satan and his demons with God’s help. (This is not a fault because how long would that subtitle be.) Despite that, the whole book is exactly about that.

The book goes through 4 cards, a la the card game “War”. The first card that Lusko discusses is “Declare War on What You Think.” Throughout this section, Lusko combines personal experiences, scripture references, and secular research to discuss how to actually take thoughts captive.

The next card Lusko goes through is “Declare War on What You Say.” He discusses the power of words in a very similar fashion to how he discussed declaring war on what you think. After all, thoughts and words are very much the same at times. However, he discusses the emotional impact that our words have on other people and helps to put more into light the psychological reasons why we want to respond the way that we do rather than seek to understand what the other person actually meant.

He then discusses the card “Declare War on What You Do.” This section discusses how so much of what we do is routine stuff that we ultimately live on autopilot about 55% of the time. With this section, he discusses taking back the control and rerouting bad habits into good ones.

The very final section is the one that is the most scripture heavy as it is about “phantom power,” the acknowledgement that we as humans will always be imperfect and that ultimately we need to be in tune with God for any of this to actually truly work.

While I did like this book, I felt that there was a certain nuance that was absent in discussion of mental illness. While the description of this book mentions specifically that this book is for those that struggle with depression, anxiety, suicide, eating disorders, and addiction (all mental illnesses), the book tends to want to put the blame solely on the person suffering from these or else blame just the spiritual side of things. While this is never outright said, it definitely is implied. This is not helpful to those that suffer with those. A lot of what is told in this book is stuff that many who have a mental illness and believe in God have been told many times before to do to change to become healed. Additionally, as such, it’s a lot of the things that have been used as hurtful words towards the misunderstanding of mental illness especially in the Christian church.

However, if you don’t read this book with those things in mind, this book is fine as is and will challenge you to think about your thoughts and your actions. I just however wouldn’t recommend that anyone with a mental illness go into this book expecting more than what they’ve already been told by many people of Christian faith.

Final rating: 3.5/5, rounded up on Goodreads.

Have you ever sat down to read a book and couldn’t help but imagine you were having a conversation with the author and not just reading his published words? This is how I felt reading Levi Lusko’s latest release ‘I declare war.’

Throughout each chapter it felt like Levi was making me part of his life and pastoring me through the process of winning a battle I didn’t even know I was facing. One he himself walked through.

With clear biblical truth, incredibly vulnerable life moments and applicable lessons for all people Levi invites the reader to understand the battle within and see it for what it is, one we can win. We are not helpless or hopeless in the battle, not only do we have a God who loves us incredibly, and his word given to show the power we have to overcome, we also have each other.

Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed this book. My recommendation comes with a painful truth – we all need to read this book, because we are all struggling with an internal battle. Maybe it’s anxiety, depression, narcissism, self-doubt or some blatant sin, each person has an inward battle being waged. I declare war will put in your hands the tools to guide you through.

*I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. These are my personal thoughts.

This is a book everybody needs to read. It is full of helpful advice to help stop bad thoughts and actions and it's wrote in such a way that it holds your interest till the end. I had a small notebook beside me while I was reading to write down a lot of the stuff he wrote. One of my favorite sayings in this book was "I don't believe in positive thinking as a replacement for God but as a response to God." I will be referring back to this book many times. I've already read it twice. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson--W Publishing for the ARC copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.