Winter is coming. Days are shorter, evenings are longer, and it’s the best time of year to curl up with a good book. With Christmas approaching, books also make thoughtful and faith-building gifts. If you know an avid reader, why not bless them with a title that will encourage their walk with God?

This past year I read voraciously, and I’ve gathered my 10 favorite Christian books from my reading list in 2022—spanning inspiring true stories, biblical fiction, spiritual growth resources, and marriage enrichment. My prayer is that you’ll find one that blesses you personally or gives you the perfect gift idea for a friend.

(Note: Each book title links to Amazon for your convenience. I do not receive any compensation if you purchase through these links.)

True Stories that Inspire Faith

Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown, by Eric Blehm

This book gave me an entirely new concept of God’s calling on people’s lives. For the first time I understood that God gifts people for special callings, and it is not limited to pastors, teachers, doctors, or nurses.  God obviously gifted and called Adam Smith to be a highly trained special forces soldier.

Adam Brown was fearless and fiercely protective from the moment he started walking. All through school he defended the weak, befriended outsiders, and inspired his teammates with courage. But after high school, he went from being a well-known leader in his small hometown to a complete unknown on a large university campus. That identity crisis caused him to lose his way and ultimately led him into meth addiction. His downward spiral drove his parents to seek the Lord and lean heavily on their new church family. Through the combined prayers of his parents and their community, Adam experienced a powerful conversion and developed a firm reliance on God.

Through God’s power, family support, and the devotion of his wife, Adam overcame his addiction and ultimately rose to serve in the elite Navy SEAL Team Six. This gripping story not only provides an inside look at SEAL training and missions, but also shows how faith can redeem the most shattered life. If you enjoy biographies that combine raw honesty, spiritual redemption, and heart-pounding action, this one will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

Nerves of Steel:  How I Followed My Dreams, Earned My Wings, and Faced My Greatest Challenge, by Captain Tammie Jo Shults

Tammie Jo Shults dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot in an era when women were not welcomed into the fraternity of military aviation. Her story reveals how dependence on God gave her the courage to persevere until the Navy finally allowed her to begin pilot training. But the road was filled with potholes, setbacks, and constant obstacles.

When she was treated unfairly or faced discrimination, Tammie Jo chose not to respond with anger. Instead, she poured her frustrations and disappointments into a journal addressed to God, leaving them in His hands. In doing so, she lived out the biblical principle: “Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.” Time and again, the Lord used the very things meant to hold her back as the very tools that prepared her for what was ahead.

That preparation reached its climax on the day she faced her greatest challenge—safely landing a Boeing 737 after a catastrophic engine explosion sent shrapnel tearing through the fuselage, shattering a window, and causing rapid decompression. Because of her disciplined training, her steady faith, and her habit of turning to God for strength and wisdom, she was able to land an aircraft that technically should not have been flyable.

Her story is not only well-written and captivating, but also a powerful reminder of what it means to truly rely on God in life’s most difficult places. If you enjoy biographies that combine aviation, perseverance, and faith, Nerves of Steel is a delight to read and an inspiration to trust God with every challenge.

Jumping Through Fires: The Gripping Story of One Man’s Escape from Revolution to Redemption, by David Nasser

David Nasser and his family escaped Iran during the religious revolution of 1980. The violence and oppression he witnessed left him bitter and angry, convinced that religion was destructive. When his family resettled in the United States, David faced the double challenge of learning English and trying to fit into a culture that was, at the time, strongly anti-Iranian.

The long and painful process of adjustment left him feeling isolated and adrift, eventually leading him down the path of drugs and alcohol. But then something unexpected happened: a group of Christian youth reached out and surrounded him with genuine love and acceptance. Through their consistent friendship and care, David encountered the truth of the gospel and discovered a relationship with God that changed his life forever.

He tells his story with candor, balance, and hope. His honesty about struggles, combined with humor and humility, makes this book not only compelling but also deeply encouraging for anyone interested in evangelism and soul-winning. David’s eventual conversion and journey into successful pastoral ministry provide powerful insight into the way God uses ordinary people to lead others to Christ.

Never preachy but always real, Jumping Through Fires is the kind of story that lingers in your heart. It’s so good that I actually read it twice.

Biblical Fiction

Dividing Sword, by Katrina D. Hamel

Beth and Reuben grow up together near the Sea of Galilee as best friends, but their lives take very different paths. Reuben chooses to become a Pharisee to escape the life of a fisherman, while Beth is drawn to Jesus when He begins His ministry and finds herself following Him on His travels around Israel.

Reuben, on the other hand, sees Jesus as a direct threat to everything he has worked for—his reputation, his education, and the religious system he believes should unite Israel. As their choices unfold side by side, their relationship becomes a vivid illustration of Jesus’ statement: “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Well researched and thought-provoking, this novel weaves biblical history with compelling storytelling. It challenges readers to consider how following Jesus often brings division, not only in first-century Israel but in our own lives today. And the ending? It will surprise you and leave you pondering long after the last page.

Biblical Studies in Everyday Language

Genesis, Broken Planet: Grace, Mercy, Judgement and Justice in a Fallen World, by Elden Miller

This book was a surprise. I expected a complicated theological treatise on the book of Genesis, full of academic language that would be hard to follow. Instead, I found it to be engaging, insightful, and refreshingly easy to read—even though it tackles some really challenging concepts.

Elden Miller explores Genesis with clarity and balance, showing how God’s grace, mercy, judgment, and justice are revealed in a world broken by sin. His writing makes weighty truths accessible, presenting them in such simple, direct language that they are easy to grasp and a pleasure to reflect on. It is evident from the deep and powerful insights he draws from the stories from creation to Abraham that Miller spent years studying and meditating on the book of  Genesis.

If you’re looking for a deeper study into Genesis that will also strengthen your faith in God’s redemptive plan, Genesis, Broken Planet will not disappoint.

Crazy Faith: It’s Only Crazy Until It Happens, by Mike Todd Jr.

Faith is such a key topic for Christians and yet can feel so nebulous. To be honest, I’m still digesting this one—I’m already on my second time through it.

Mike Todd presents faith in a way that is practical, biblically grounded, and at times downright funny. He has a unique ability to take ordinary, everyday experiences and use them to illustrate deep spiritual truths. Just when a concept feels hard to grasp, he tells just the right story to make it click.

If you are looking to better understand what it means to live by faith and want encouragement for growing your relationship with God, this book will speak to you. Crazy Faith reminds us that what looks impossible to the world is often the very place where God loves to show up and work.

The Refiner’s Fire, by Gavin Anthony

Gavin Anthony draws on his own Job-like experience to explore the theme of affliction, pain, and disappointment in life. With solid biblical research and well-chosen anecdotes, he invites readers to see suffering through a new lens—not as meaningless hardship, but as the refining fire God can use to shape us more fully into His image.

His writing combines depth with personal vulnerability, making the book both relatable and challenging. Instead of offering trite answers, Anthony wrestles honestly with questions of why God allows suffering and how He works through it. The result is a thoughtful resource that will encourage you to embrace trials as opportunities for spiritual growth rather than stumbling blocks to faith.

Well worth the read, The Refiner’s Fire offers hope and perspective for anyone longing to take their spiritual life to the next level.

Strengthen Your Marriage with God’s Help

Jeremy Camp—best known for his song “I Still Believe”—and his wife Adrienne share with honesty and vulnerability about their struggles in marriage and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. What makes their story so valuable is not that it paints a picture of perfection, but that it shows how keeping God at the center of a relationship makes it possible to overcome deep differences and grow together.

In Unison: The Unfinished Story of Jeremy and Adrienne Camp, by Jeremy and Adrienne Camp

The book includes practical tools and reflection questions designed to help couples evaluate their own marriage and invite God into the process of healing and growth. Jeremy and Adrienne highlight that a successful marriage is possible only as both husband and wife fully submit to Jesus and seek His will above their own.

Reading In Unison inspired me personally to seek God with my whole heart—not only in marriage, but in every relationship. If you’re looking for a Christ-centered, hope-filled resource on marriage that combines real-life testimony with practical guidance, this is an excellent choice.

9 Thoughts That Can Change Your Marriage, by Sheila Wray Gregoire

I wish this book had been available when I first got married. Sheila Wray Gregoire offers a powerful and practical resource for helping marriages thrive by addressing the way we think. She identifies nine common negative thought patterns that women often fall into—and shows how replacing them with biblical truth can bring fresh life and freedom into a relationship.

What I appreciate about Sheila’s writing is her honesty and warmth. She writes as a woman who has wrestled with these same struggles, and she speaks directly from her heart to ours. While the book is primarily geared toward women, I believe men can benefit from the insights as well.

This isn’t just a book of tips; it’s a perspective shift. By changing how we think about ourselves, our spouses, and God, we open the door for Him to transform our marriages. Whether you are newly married, preparing for marriage, or have been on this journey for decades, 9 Thoughts That Can Change Your Marriage is both practical and encouraging—a book that could truly be a game-changer.

Marriage Under Cover: Thriving in a Culture of Quiet Desperation, by Bob & Audrey Meisner

I first heard Bob and Audrey Meisner’s story when they shared their testimony on one of Priscilla Shirer’s programs. Captivated by their honesty, I went looking for a book that told their full story and detailed their journey of healing.

Both Bob and Audrey were in full-time ministry and assumed their marriage was secure because of it. But during a season of intense busyness and ministry pressure, Audrey had an affair. What followed was a season of raw brokenness and painful honesty as they chose to remain together and do the hard work of rebuilding their marriage.

Their story is not easy to read, but it is profoundly moving. What shines through the most is God’s amazing power to restore what seems beyond repair. Through counseling, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to let God have control, their marriage became not only whole again but a living testimony of His grace.

Marriage Under Cover is not light, recreational reading—it is soul-searching and convicting. But it is also a powerful reminder of what God longs to do for each of us: save us from ourselves, redeem our brokenness, and restore our relationships. This book is good for your walk with God, good for your marriage, and good for renewing hope when it feels like there is none.

Books That Shape Our Faith Journey

Books have a unique way of speaking into our lives. Some inspire us with real-life testimonies of God’s power, others help us see Scripture in a fresh way, and still others give us the tools to strengthen our relationships. As I look back over these ten favorites from 2022, I see a common thread: every one of them points us back to Jesus—the true source of courage, faith, healing, and hope.

Whether you enjoy biographies that stir your faith, biblical fiction that brings the Gospels to life, studies that deepen your understanding of God’s Word, or marriage resources that offer real-world wisdom, I hope this list has given you something new to read—or even to share as a gift. Each of these authors, in their own way, reminds us that God is present in every part of life: in our struggles, our questions, our growth, and our relationships.

Your Turn: What Are You Reading?

Now I’d love to hear from you. Did you read a book this past year that strengthened your walk with God or encouraged you in a practical way? Share your recommendations in the comments below so we can continue building a community of faith-filled readers. Together, we can discover even more life-changing books to keep us growing in Christ.