I actually forgot to review this book when I read it. It wasn't my favorite book.

I believe this is the only book I've read by this author.

Jentezen always hits home with his books! Another great life changing book. Each chapter he brings out nuggets of truth that will inspire you and give you the tools to make your life better.

I cannot recommend this enough. I've read it more than once and have recommended it to more people than I can even remember. Especially in the unsettling time coping With Covid, Pastor Graham's words are not only uplifting but provided me with so much hope. The "dry bones" of our lives can be turned into "acres of diamonds" if we only stick with God and keep working on maintaining our faith walk. Particularly good for these times, but perfect for this or any season.

I received an ARC from Chosen Books, via NetGalley. This review is my opinion.

Pastor Jentzen Franklin, has an uplifting and encoring message. He talks about the importance of staying and praising God where we are, to not wait for our situation to change so we can have a different perspective. That is in those hard times, when we have the opportunity to reach God-like never because we feel alone, left behind, or burden by many trials. Pastor Franklin center his book on how we believe, press forward, trust God even in the most unexpected and painful situations. Trials our allowed by God and He is Sovereign He is still on the throne, that we have two choices. To do things our way or to surrender to God’s will and time for our lives. I like that the book is easy to understand, well written and many can relate to the situations we find here. I recommend this book for everyone because we all need to understand this powerful truth about how God didn’t make us incomplete, that by His grace we will finish well the race.

Acres of Diamonds is rich with wisdom. Put intended. In fact, I loved the way this book started so much, that I paused and read the Acres of Diamonds by Russell Crown who Franklin mentions at the beginning—where he heard the original story from. It was short but it was also very inspired—just from an entrepreneurial perspective.
Then I came back to this ready for more spiritual wisdom, and it was full of it. Full of wisdom for not only financial wisdom—as in how to find biblical ways to make money and fund the kingdom—but even ways to be grateful and to notice more of what we have in our hands and in our life.
This is only the second book by Franklin that I’ve read, but his writing style is very easy to get into and to connect with. That is rare for me in books like this.
I loved that he combined stories from history along with stories of people in his church, his friends, and his own personal experiences. It gave for a very well rounded perspective while also being incredibly inspiring.
It reminded me of the acres of diamonds in my own backyard, in my own home, and in my own heart. Highly recommend.

The story of Acres of Diamonds is already familiar to me even before Pstr. Jentezen started sharing it in his church, Free Chapel. I consider Free Chapel as my second church because I join them live every Sunday through their youtube streaming. I live in the Philippines so I can't attend their services. That said, I'm familiar with Pstr. Jentezen's sermons and I love listening/watching him preach. His style in preaching is also used in this book.

So even though the story that this book is based on is not new, it still has a personal touch from Pstr. Jentezen. His narrations are so easy to read and make it easier to understand all the thoughts/lessons he wants to convey to the readers. And of course, all the lessons are all valuable and I must say perfect for the situation the world is in right now. We are all sufferings with coronavirus and lockdowns. It's important to remember that there can be diamonds where are right now. And that, this hardship can produce diamonds for us at the end.

I highly recommend this book to Christian and non-christian readers who need inspiration.

Jentezen Franklin’s book, “Acres of Diamonds” is very inspirational and motivating.

From the first word, this book had me hooked. I found it difficult to put down. Each page is full of wisdom and inspired me to be all God wants me to be.

I love that there are lots of stories included and Bible stories as well. Pastor Franklin has a gift to be able to paint a picture with his words.

I am reading it a second time--this time a little slower so I can absorb all the truth spoken inside its pages, and I'm reading it with a few of my friends too.

"Acres of Diamonds" is a must-read, especially for this historical season with COVID-19. This book highlights how to press through and find purpose and vision despite the current circumstances. It will help you feel empowered by God to continue the journey!

Thank you, Jentezen Franklin, for writing this book.

A simple, common-sense approach to being more receptive and grateful for what God is doing in your life. Straight forward and unapologetic, but simple enough for a new Christian to relate.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jentezen Franklin, so I didn’t know what to expect. Overall, I think it has a positive, inspirational message. I found truth in it, and felt like several times, the words were speaking directly to me. Acre of Diamonds, doesn’t offer any new revelation, but Franklin does a great job of reminding us what God says about our lives. The Scripture he uses to illustrate his points is very pertinent. We certainly can get so bogged down with doing life that we forget God’s got it. He has prepared believers to “outlast” their toughest seasons, even when those seasons are of our own making. In short, this book is about grace, forgiveness, restoration, and perseverance.

Jentezen Franklin draws upon experiences from his own life and those close to him. This book will provide what we’ve come to expect from Jentezen Franklin, it’s well written, humble and funny. This book is like a life changing conversation with the best kind of friend.

That old cliché about blooming where you are planted has always confused me, I’m often left asking “Ok, but HOW?”

jentezen Franklin not only shows us he understands the struggle, but like a wise save he shows us the path and walks with us as we figure out how to bring our purpose to fruition.

“When you stop undervaluing where God has you, you ,will start to see the hidden potential of where you are.” This book is filled with nuggets like this. Anyone who has liked his previous books will enjoy this new book as well.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher Via NetGalley for the purpose of reviewing it. The opinions I have expressed are my own honest review.

For any Christian who is looking for some element of encouragement during a time of hardship or confusion, "Acres of Diamonds" by Jentezen Franklin could be of some assistance. The majority of the stories that are used from scripture are familiar to the seasoned Christian, but having them in one place and being able to readily reflect on their relevance to one's life could be helpful. Do not anticipate any new earth-shattering observations that will revolutionize your vision of how God works, but there is plenty of encouragement to remind us of His goodness and that He has a master plan.

I really enjoyed this book! It has been a long time since I have been able to read a book from cover to cover.

This is one of the best books I’ve read. Pastor Jentezen Franklin encourages us to stay and quit comparing our lives with others. So many times we miss out on God’s best because we are too busy complaining about what we think we need, instead of seeing we have all we need from Him. The acres of diamonds are all around, but we’re blinded to them because we focus on the wrong things. This book helps us to live in this moment now with a thankful heart full of worship.

This is the first of Jentezen Franklin's books I've read. This one is filled will valuable "gems" for the novice or mature prayer warrior. The focus on gratitude and seeing a new perspective is refreshing. A few chapters are blunt but necessary. Addressing the need to be expectant isn't normally addressed as an admonition but the author weaves storytelling, wisdom, and Scripture together to strengthen each point made. Don't skip past the Appendix! Great read. Super aid to studying how to recognize one's hidden potential.

Such a rich book filled with nuggets of wisdom enriching my life and those who read it. “You will never possess the promises of God until you see them. If you see them, then God can bring them to pass.” Jentzen Franklin

I loved this book. It truly teaches us how to wait on the Lord and His timing. I also was so edifies and comforted by the chapter on Heaven. My mother in law died last week and this chapter gave me joy and peace. I highly recommend it!

If you are struggling in any area of your life, feel like God has abandoned you, your prayers feel empty and your soul feels dry, then Acres of Diamonds is a must read. Jentezen's conversational style makes the book easy to connect to, allowing the truths revealed to settle deep in your spirit and to grow and bear fruit. Jentezen walks you through many areas of life and helps you re-focus on what matters most - the Problem Solver. He encourages the reader to trust God and then leads you through the paces of being able to do so. An excellent read for those struggling in any area, as well as, for pastors and counselors to assist in sessions.

Jentezen Franklin, author and pastor, has come across my view a few times over the years but I have never picked up any of his books. However when I saw the subtitle for Acres of Diamonds “Discovering God’s best right where you are” my interest spiked so I grabbed an advance copy.

I admit at first I thought maybe I was going to be reading about how there is a promise for you to gain incredible wealth or unheard of health in the place you stand. Not because I have any history with Franklin (as noted above) but because of the company he keeps with some well known prosperity teachers.

That said there is some very small moments of this teaching but they do not lean toward it, in fact Franklin repeatedly talks about the truth of life, that it’s hard, that you will face troubles, that sickness is inevitable and you may even face bankruptcy. The truth he wants to bring to you as a reader is that God will take that trouble, and grow you in it. We don’t always go around storms or over them, sometimes the prayer to make the storm go away is answered by the resolve to make it through and on the other side we are stronger for it. I like the statement he made on the topic “Sometimes you have to go through the fire to get Jesus.”

There was some solid research done here with a lot of life stories told, both his and others, which were relevant and inspiring. Franklin also used appropriate scripture to show how God has accounted for what we will face, and how his best can be found in the place we are right now. In this I found he didn’t twist the passages rather his highlighted the truth that existed before he wrote the book.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and found it to be an easy read. The good thing about it, the topic is so standard to each persons life we can all gather some encouragement and reinforced truth from it. I recommend it as a read, regardless the season you are in.

*I received this book free from the publisher (Chosen Books) in exchange for a free review. These are my personal thoughts.

The Introduction of this book was something that I found interesting. It was a good example showing how we need to realize the value of what we already have. The hidden potential of what we have, of where we are.
This book has good scriptural content and it is encouraging. I also enjoyed the way he explained about "strangely wrapped gifts." I'd never heard it put that way before. Going to war over our prophecies was also put in a fresh, newer way. I've heard that scripture many times before about warring over prophecies but this time, the practice went a little deeper.
Opening your eyes to potential, encouragement not to keep bouncing around from one thing to another were also filled with some good nuggets. I liked the phrase and explanation of having a "staying eye."
The author also shares some of his own personal experiences without it overtaking the whole book. I really liked his transparency when it came to at least one time when he failed. An opportunity came up at what looked like the worst possible time, so he passed on it. His ministry was stretched so tight, finances were too so he missed the timing of God. He makes it clear that so often God's timing is so different than ours. As Jentezen looked back, he saw the wisdom of God. There were things at work that would have benefited him if he had just trusted God. Talk about regrets!!!
I think that this book would be good for both newer believers and us "been saved awhile" Christians. I am hopeful that people who are not Christians (yet) could also benefit although they might not enjoy the scripture as much. But Jentezen does make a good point. That there is going to be trials in this world. Whether you are going to have them with Jesus or without Jesus, there will be trials and troubles. That it is better to go through them WITH Jesus. But I also know they have to get a revelation of that.

"I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”