A Faith That Will Not Fail: 10 Practices to Build Up Your Faith When Your World Is Falling Apart

by Michele Cushatt

Beloved author and Bible teacher Michele Cushatt offers ten practices to strengthen your confidence in God's daily presence and power and build a faith strong enough to endure even the toughest seasons. Life can be hard. Although there are moments of beauty and goodness, more often than not, life is marked by fear, struggle, disappointment, and loss. And we don't know what to do with it. We've tried to find hope and security in various people and places--but each has proved unworthy of our trust. We need more. Something--or Someone--who won't fail us when our world falls apart. In this book, beloved author and Bible teacher Michele Cushatt presents a better way. By exploring powerful personal, historical, and biblical stories of people of extraordinary faith, she curates and shares ten practices to help you deepen your confidence and certainty in the God who can be trusted with your worry, questions, confusion, and grief. As a woman who has been through immeasurable suffering, she writes with both deep compassion and practical insight as she guides you There is hope in your hardship and a God who is both with you and for you. These ten practices point the way to the only One you can truly trust, and ultimately, to a faith in him that will not fail.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Religion, Self Help, Christian Living, Personal Development, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2023

About the author

A lover at heart, Michele Cushatt communicates with a rare warmth and transparency that draw people in. Within minutes, men and women feel like they’re hanging out with an old friend, often laughing one moment and tearing up the next. A three-time head and neck cancer survivor and parent of “children from hard places,” Michele is a (reluctant) expert of trauma, pain and the deep human need for authentic connection. Thus, she’s absolutely committed to sharing her honest struggles, experiences and questions, so you know you’re not alone in yours.

As an experienced communicator, Michele has spoken internationally to a wide variety of audiences including LifeToday TV, Compassion International, Hope House of Colorado, Women Of Faith, Ziglar Family, Focus on the Family, Proverbs 31, She Speaks, Family Life Blended, Dynamic Communicators International, as well as numerous other corporate and ministry events and various podcast, radio, video and audio recording mediums.

From 2014 to 2016, Michele joined leadership expert and mentor Michael Hyatt as the weekly cohost of his popular podcast, This is Your Life With Michael Hyatt. In addition, she and Michael produced Get Published, a 21-session audio program for aspiring writers. Currently, Michele can be found weekly with her buddy Kathi Lipp on their hilarious and practical Communicator Academy podcast, “helping writers and speakers become the communicators God made them to be.” And, coming Fall 2018, Michele will launch her brand new This Undone Life Together podcast, a series of honest conversations about real faith and real relationship in the hard places.

Since 2007, Michele has worked closely with Ken Davis and the SCORRE Conference, filling multiple roles including emcee, presenter, and coach. With a solid understanding of what makes for excellent communication, Michele coaches multiple leaders and speakers to discover, develop, and deliver powerful presentations. In addition, she leads the intensive, application-based Inspired Life Mastermind for women who desire to live their best life—in business, relationships and personal growth.

Pulling from her uncommon life story, Michele released her first book, a memoir titled Undone: A Story of Making Peace With An Unexpected Life, with Zondervan Publishers in 2015. Her second book, a devotional written in the brutal months after her third round of cancer, is titled I Am: A 60-Day Journey To Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is, and it released January 2017. Currently, she is neck-deep in researching and writing two more books, slated to release in 2019 and 2021.

Michele and her husband, Troy, live in Colorado with their six children, ages 11 to 26. She enjoys a good novel, a long hike in the mountains, and a kitchen table filled with people.

And donuts. Lots of donuts.

Reviews

[Jodi Rosser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you ever struggle with what to do when your world is falling apart? When life seems to flip upside down, do you wish you had a friend that would come alongside you and say this is what helped me in the middle of my suffering and my hard times? This is what I love about this new book by Michele Cushatt. She wrote it from a place of “I understand.” The subtitle of the book is 10 Practices to Build up Your Faith When Your World Is Falling Apart. It is very practical, and she gives great ideas you can start that will help you during those tough seasons. In fact, I think these are great practices to start even when you are not in a tough season, so when those hard times come, you are already prepared. I highly recommend this book!

If you want to hear more about this book, you can check out my conversation with Michele on episode 171 on the Depth Podcast: https://jodirosser.com/depth-podcast-...

[Nancy Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

This was a fantastic book! I've read a few of the author's books previously so I knew her background and the personal experience she brought to the topic. I loved the format of the book as it was focused around ten practices, giving five days of short readings for each one as well as a "Five-Minute Faith Builder" with suggestions for application. I also loved the way in which she used everyday life experiences to reveal spiritual truths. The ten sections of the book do not need to be read in order, although I did this first time. For now, the ones that spoke most to me were the sections on lament and perspective. I'm sure that I will return to the book in the future and fully expect that other practices will be at the forefront for me then. Highly recommended!!!

[Kathleen Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can your faith be resilient enough to bend and not break, even when grief and pain almost shatters you? It's never easy. And Michele Cushatt's book won't give you "5 quick tips to fantastic faith". It's born of her own pain and suffering. Questions that don't always go answered in the way we'd like. This faith comes with practice - intentional practice. The kind that builds a real relationship with the real, living God. We never know when these times will come. It helps to be ready - like doing fire drills to prepare for a fire that may never come. So when the time comes, going to him is second nature.

[Donna T. Hollenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I needed!

I love everything written by Michelle Cushatt. I love her humble and vulnerable honesty. This book came to me in a season of dealing with my own personal health challenge and brought me so much encouragement and strength. My faith grows more every day and my fears grow less. Thank you Michelle!

[Stephanie Mckeever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michele guides us away from placing our hopes in circumstances and looking towards a better away — someone who won’t fail us. Through her own life and biblical truths she leads us step by step how to place our faith in Jesus when the hard days come.

[Dorina Gilmore-Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michele is a trusted voice shepherding us through life’s trials. Her lived experience and beautiful writing come together in a powerful volume that guides us home. I especially appreciated her time in these 10 spiritual practices.

[JoDee Collick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an impactful book. I read it on Kindle, have ordered a hard copy and will reread almost immediately to avail myself of all the "Five Minute Faith Builders" throughout the book. The author has weaved her story with the Word in a beautiful way. I highly recommend this book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible honor to be given glimpses into someone’s story. I appreciate the honesty and refreshing reminder that we are all still in process. So helpful to read God’s promises and how they are currently playing out in someone’s life, not all neatly in past tense but the messy present tense. He is able to do more than we can hope or imagine. Thankful for His perspective overriding my own - may it be only more so every day!

[Kj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational, real, and practical. Listening to the audiobook, you can tell by her altered speech that she has walked a trying road, making her an authentic voice on this topic.

[Darnell Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format would be good for small group study as well as daily devotional

[Lori Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.) Friedrich Nietzsche claimed. And Michelle states. Ease and comfort don’t produce results. Resistance does. Do any of these statements relate to you? They all do to me. Life can and will be hard. This book goes into detail how to build a Faith that will not fail!!!

[Michelle Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very encouraged in my faith after reading this book a friend recommended. I had been struggling prior to reading this book. I had allowed myself to get caught up in the hard things of life and let the light of my faith dim. Each devotion is rich with both clear reminders of the truths In scripture but also with the real and raw stories of difficult and debilitating life circumstances. I highly recommend this book as it helped to point me back to my first love, Jesus. I believe I will return to this devotion and not just because of her words or her story but because of His words and His story on these pages.

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short easy to read chapters, but also makes you stop and think.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book after I heard Michele on the Crystal Paine Show. She is just so inspiring! Then I won a copy of the book in a raffle done by Crystal Paine on her instagram account, @themoneysavingmom. This book is a 10-week devotional and presented 10 practices to build your faith. I took so many notes and can’t wait to continue the generosity I was shown and pass this along to someone else.

I want to save a quote Michele Cushatt said in the podcast episode I mentioned above:

“We can handle anything as long as we know two things: 1) We are not alone in it. We have the presence of God with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. If I’m still here, he still has purpose for me. 2) There is meaning or purpose to be gained from it. This does not mean that everything happens for a reason, that’s garbage. What it means is that even the worst things will not be wasted when they are square in God’s hands. Suffering does not get the last word. God is still in control and the promised land is coming. There is purpose in pain. “

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely, helpful, very practical book, from someone who has clearly suffered deeply in many ways. Grateful for my mom buying it for me after hearing Cushatt speak, and for the way Cushatt is using her experiences as a three-time cancer survivor to encourage and strengthen others. Many parts of what she shared resonated with me, and the sections at the end of each chapter with suggestions for small, practical applications are really helpful in starting in on these different faith practices rather than just thinking about them.

[Rv. Rustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as a church community

I found Michele’s life illustrated throughout this book to be a beautiful journey to lead our congregation through during Lent.

Michele’s authenticity and vulnerability were palpable with every turn of a page. The practices that frame the book give people a clear way to process the depth of trauma, pain, shame, beauty, and care that the book illustrates.

The way the book is laid out creates an easy pattern to use in community and leads to powerful discussions about what happens when our world is falling apart.

While I don’t see eye to eye with all in this book (see our daily Lenten podcast series on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9...) I recommend it highly for use in communities of all kinds.

[Ioja Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un ajutor pentru cei deznădăjduiți, un tovarăș de drum pentru cei aflați în momente grele ale vieții. Recomand.

[Kendra Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it were possible to crawl up inside a book and rest, comforted by its loving pages and its lyrical prose, this is the book that would do it. I'm just over 60 pages in, but I'm so calmed by Michele's soft, poetic words that merely glancing at the cover on my desktop slows my pulse and fills me with peace, as it invites me to abandon my to-do list and read just a little bit more.

Michele tiptoes across heavy topics from the past several years—personal, local, international—and I admit, I bristled at first. I don't want to be exposed to news stories I've diligently avoided or revisit those tragedies and traumas. And I certainly don't want to stir up reminders of the divisions my heart is still healing from.

But I shouldn't have worried. I am in loving, safe, capable hands. Michele writes with such grace and care, helping my heart to heal from events that still affect me—even as I try to will my mind to push past them—by leading me directly to the One who saves.

Michele's words may be exactly what I didn't know I needed to move forward whole.

[Julie Sunne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faith is a gift, but suffering has a way of challenging that gift. Michele Cushatt should know. She's faced a lifetime of suffering. And although her struggle is real and continues, she still manages to say, "I believe that God is real, He is good, and He is with me." The ten practices Michele shares in "A Faith That Will Not Fail" are ones she's used to bolster her own faith through her hardest seasons. She's laid them out in such a way as to allow for flexibility in the reading and application and has included 5-minute Faith Builder exercises at the end of each chapter for maximum benefit. From The Practice of Lament to The Practice of Waiting, practical ideas, personal applications, and pervasive hope fill the pages of this book. Michele's writing is stellar and on point, her stories relatable and engaging, her application encouraging and helpful, and her message hopeful and inspiring. In this release, in the midst of our painful stories, Michele helps us find confidence in the only one we can trust, the One who can carry us all the way home.

[Grant Gunston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book, which I’d like to read again, for its depth and nourishment. Facing real life major disappointments and curved balls, the author provides helpful practices that ground and feed our faith. I wish there was more of this kind of input in the rhythms of church life.

Here are the practices, as set out in the Contents. Each is supported with multiple stories and application.

Part 1 The Practice of Lament
Part 2 The Practice of Worship
Part 3 The Practice of Humility
Part 4 The Practice of Relinquishment
Part 5 The Practice of Contentment
Part 6 The Practice of Shalom
Part 7 The Practice of Forgiveness
Part 8 The Practice of Perspective
Part 9 The Practice of Connection
Part 10 The Practice of Waiting

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courageous Cushatt does it again. The author of “Undone” and “I Am” comes with new encouragement to tackle this hard life with honest assessment and practical faith. She brings her conversational style to her anecdotes like she is sharing them with you over a cup of tea. Her themes are fresh and her format versatile. Each practice is short yet impactful, with an additional five-minute faith building exercise when you want to go deeper. This is perfect for topical study, as a personal devotional, or for small group discussion.

[Wendy Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michele Cushatt continues to be one of my favorite inspirational writers of nonfiction. Once again she has written words that deeply inspire. (So much so that I have begun a new journal project inspired by one of her chapters.) If you want a deeper faith that will not shake loose during storms, this is the book for you.

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and helpful book. Normally I read a book once, but this book I've read it twice.

[Darla petty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really opened my eyes and I’ve learned a lot. Thank you Michelle for a great book!

[Ellen P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michele, thanks for writing this book. If someone is hesitant at all, just buy it & read it. Broken up into sections & can be done easily as a 5 day daily devotional. It’s excellent. Well written with life examples, Godly wisdom & a great sense of humor & humility. We read this in my Women’s Bible Study small group & we all learned something & were encouraged. It helped or reaffirmed our faith in a God who loves us., even when life gets difficult.

[Rhonda Richey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michele Cushatt's powerful life-affirming book A Faith That Will Not Fail: 10 Practices to Build Up Your Faith When Your World Is Falling Apart ministered to my weary heart with its healing and radical message on "The Practice of Relinquishment." I needed this message the most in order to grow my confidence in the goodness of God.

One of my favorite quotes from A Faith That Will Not Fail is:

"Remembering God's faithfulness is the rich soil your faith needs to thrive when your world falls apart. It doesn't mean today's circumstances will be easy or pain free. But the same good God who delivered you before will deliver you again. His record is solid. His character true. Remember this. And be at rest."

"The Five-Minute Faith Builders" throughout her book are excellent to share in small groups for spiritual companioning, and open up compassionate conversations and daily examen.

[Sunnye Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most genuine and practical practices to build faith. Ive bought extra copies to share with friends.