Five Spiritual Growth Book Suggestions for the Christian Girl

Hey y’all!  Confession time: I am very picky when it comes to what I read.  Unlike many writers, my desire to devour books for pleasure just isn’t there.  Especially fiction.  There’s a couple golden series (hello Anne of Green Gables!) that I enjoyed when I was a little younger, but otherwise, I struggle with enjoying fiction.  Other genres like romance or mystery were completely foreign to me.

Since I don’t read any of the typical genres, people ask, what do I read?  I’m all for reading – I think it is fantastic!  It’s not that I don’t like it.  To many peoples’ surprise, when I pick a book off the shelf for pleasure reading, I almost always choose a spiritual growth book or a missionary biography.  Today I’d like to share with you some of my top picks in this nonfiction category.

Passion and Purity by Elizabeth Elliot.  This is a fantastic book for teenage Christian girls to read.  This book is full of short chapters; honest, down-to-earth talks from Elizabeth Elliot discussing purity and trusting God, specifically in her relationship with Jim.  I would recommend this book for girls who have at least reached their teens years.  I read this book for the first time several years ago, and had a hard time connecting with it and understanding it, but this past year when I read it again, I thought, WOW.  It made so much more sense and I gleaned so much from re-reading it at an older, more mature point in my life.  I hope to read through it again sometime in the near future.

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.  I have talked with others who did not get as much out of this book as I did, but I do believe the message of doing hard things is one the teenage/preteen generation desperately needs to hear.  Even in Christian circles, I’ve seen so many young people waste their talents, give into laziness, and basically just help maintain the insanely low standards and expectations teenagers have come to be known for.  Do Hard Things was a call in my own life to step up and do “hard things” for the Lord.

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.  I’m pretty sure y’all have heard me mention this one before.  It is just SO GOOD!  So much mind-boggling information and evidence to support the Biblical gospel accounts.  This book was such a faith-builder in my own life.

Girl Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird.  Both Girl Defined and Love Defined are favorites sitting on my shelf.  The way Kristen and Bethany discussed Biblical womanhood in Girl Defined boosted my confidence in knowing my purpose as a girl, and learning to rejoice in it!  If you have ever wondered, “Why did God make me a girl?” or “What is my purpose as a woman?” this book is for you!

Hearts of Fire by VOM.  Reading these heart-breaking, amazing stories and miracles was a faith-deepening, eye-opening experience.  It led to many deep thoughts and prayers.  The stories in this book are far from easy to take in, but I think they are so important for us to read and know.  I would definitely caution certain audiences – younger girls, or those with especially tender hearts – because of some of the descriptions and circumstances these ladies had to go throw.  However, I do believe this book provides an important, needed challenge to those who experience very little real persecution.  Not everyone has the spiritual freedom we in America do.  This book is a natural call to fervent prayer for the persecuted.

That’s all I’ll elaborate on for now.  I’d also recommend you check out some of these titles…

Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis.

Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors.

I Dare You by Isabella Morganthal.

Love Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird.

Of Courage Undaunted: the Story of Isobel Kuhn by Gloria Repp.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.

Through Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot.

I'd love to know!
Have you read any of these books before?
What are your favorite spiritual growth book suggestions?