Life abundant?Jesus promised it and we long for it, yet few Christians seem to have it. Blending lively anecdotes, commentary, and teachings from the Bible, Dr. Charles Stanley introduces you to the Holy Spirit. "A big part of the Spirit-filled life is learning to recognize the fingerprint of the Holy Spirit. Once you know what to look for and once you begin looking for it, you will be amazed at how real the Holy Spirit will become to you. Learning to recognize the Holy Spirit is the first step in learning to live the Spirit-filled life."
Dr. Charles F. Stanley is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta, founder of In Touch Ministries, and a New York Times best-selling author who has written more than fifty books, and has sold more than nine million copies. He demonstrates a keen awareness of people's needs and provides Christ-centered, biblically-based principles for everyday life.
Charles Frazier Stanley was born September 25, 1932, in the small town of Dry Fork, Virginia. The only child of Charley and Rebecca Stanley, Charles came into the world during a time when the entire nation felt the grip of the Great Depression. To make matters worse, just nine months later, his father Charley died at the young age of 29.
However, Charles refused to let the Great Depression or the difficulties of his life define him. Instead, like his father and grandfather before him, he clung to God’s Word and took up the mantle to preach the gospel to whoever would listen.
Dr. Stanley’s motivation is best represented by the truth found in Acts 20:24, “Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love.” This is because, as he says, “It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes people’s lives.”
Dr. Stanley’s teachings can be heard weekly at First Baptist Church Atlanta, daily on “In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley” radio and television broadcasts on more than 2,800 stations around the world, on the Internet at intouch.org, through the In Touch Messenger, and in the monthly, award-winning In Touch magazine.
I listened to the audio rewrite of this, entitled, “The Spirit-Filled Life” (book description the same). Just... wow. Stanley goes from doctrinal explanations of what the Holy Spirit is to how we can live everyday by the Spirit. I appreciate Stanley’s practical, down-to-earth, and approachable manner. This book was very refreshing to read (or listen to) and I imagine that I will listen to it again.
The only small point with which I remember disagreeing with is that he basically says, “It doesn’t matter which version of the Bible you read.” (I personally think that some translations/paraphrases are dangerous to read) But like I said, it was simply one comment in the entire book.
I definitely recommend this for believers who are both newly saved and have been saved for a while.
One of the most powerful, life changing books I have ever read. Having walked with Christ for 30 years, there are truths here that I wish I had understood earlier in my faith journey. There is great freedom and rest in understanding the role and the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. They are truths that are often overlooked in the church for various reasons. I have recommended this book to soooo many people.
This is one of those books that you need to read over and over to glean all the gems written here. Dr Stanley was a very gifted Bible Teacher. The teaching is clear and so insightful. This book should be read and thoroughly digested by all Christians. An absolute classic.
After reading of Dr. Stanley's stepping aside as senior pastor of FBC Atlanta, re-reading this book brought many thoughts of thanks for his wise teaching. His books are simpler in ways than his preaching, which I always found very meaty. But this is a wonderful reminder to read about.
God bless you, Dr. Stanley, as you move into your next work!
This book is amazing and transformational. I’ve been a believer for 13 years, walking closely with God, and there were many things I didn’t know or corrections needed in my thinking. I’m so thankful for this book and grateful for the life of Charles Stanley. So sorry to hear that he passed away recently.
This is a must read book if you are a Christian, especially for new believers. Knowing and understanding the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives enables us to actually live lives for God.
One of the best, easy to understand, profound books I've ever read to help me with my relationship with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Dr. Stanley. You wrote this with a great sense of consciousness toward your readers. Praise be to the God who gave us the Holy Spirit as a gift!
This book is better than it has any right being. That is not to say that there aren't problems with this book, and there are quite a few, but this book actually has a lot to offer the reader. As someone who reads a fair amount about the Holy Spirit, it is probably a bad thing to be surprised when someone has something worthwhile to say [1]. There are at least a few notable aspects about this author's approach to the thorny subject of the Holy Spirit. For one, he seeks to balance the practical and the theoretical approach, an unusual balancing act in this particular subject, even managing to discuss some elements like the conscience that are seldom discussed by Christian authors. Additionally, the book both strongly eschews a self-directed pulling yourself up by your bootstraps approach to moral growth but points out the importance of the Holy Spirit in living a victorious life. This is a book that simultaneously avoids a gospel of works and also the ragamuffin gospels that are so popular in our time and so harmful of the reputation of Christians as moral exemplars.
In terms of its contents, this book it a little over 200 pages and is divided into three sections. The first section is a matter of looking up towards God, with five chapters that take up about 70 pages. The second section shows the author looking in to the relationship of the Holy Spirit and the believer, taking seven chapters to cover about 90 pages or so. The third and final section has five chapters on looking ahead that show the Holy Spirit as a guide to a believer who has a "neutral" heart with the four markers of its action in believers: peace, the conscience, the Word of God, and wisdom. After a brief conclusion, the book also includes three appendices on such matters as spiritual gifts, the supposed "sign gifts" in focus, and some suggestions for further study and reading. Throughout the book the author blends biblical exegesis of uneven quality with a lot of very interesting personal stories that really reveal a great deal of the author's own heart and his own struggle to understand the Holy Spirit. It is striking that the Holy Spirit is such a difficult matter to understand for writers, something that ought to make us ponder.
To be sure, this book is not perfect. Among its many flaws are some terrible discussions of the Holy Spirit in the Gospels and some terrible assumptions about the Holy Spirit in the Hebrew scriptures. On top of this, the author shows a great love of Baptist in-speak that does not translate well to those who are not familiar with it. He even winds up getting caught up in the problem of Eternal security and fobbing it off by recommending another book on the subject rather than trying to extricate himself from a mess of his own making. In the larger sense, the author shows himself interested in what he sees as the plain sense of scripture without having a sense of the need of tota scriptural and not only sola scriptura to define one's understanding of it. Yet although this book is not a perfect one it is still an enjoyable one to read and has a lot that is worth saying. It presents a challenge by pointing out that it is not we who produce the fruits of the spirit in our lives but rather bear the fruit that God grows inside of us through His indwelling Spirit. And that is a lesson we could all serve to remember.
Although this is an older book, it translated fairly well to our times. Stanley combines the theology of the Holy Spirit and the practical influence and impact on our lives in an easy to read text that also manages to challenge to action - a unique and appreciated approach. I appreciated the comparison of the fruit of the spirit versus the gifts of the spirit, and the thought that the fruit is a natural outcome of "abiding in the vine" - not something we work to produce ourselves. I read this in conjunction with a study by Francis Chan and found this book a fuller study of the topic.
One of the best Christian books I have ever read. As someone who was raised Assembly of God, and now attends a Baptist church, I believe this book defines the role and the power of the Spirit very clearly and biblically. I 100% recommend this to anyone confused or unclear about the person and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The best book written about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is never talked about and I loved learning about one of the ways God speaks to us. Also enjoyed all of his life stories, some about his personal life and some about others. Highly recommend this book to a true Believer.
An excellent book about developing a relationship with the Holy Spirit, as relevant today as when it was written. Biblically-based, theologically sound, well-organized chapters. This book added a richness and new depth to my relationship with The Trinity.
Great insight into the workings of the Holy Spirit. Author often gets caught up in telling his story and makes the book much lengthier than it needed to be because of the added "fluff". Still a good book.
I love Charles Stanley books, they are so easy to read. He is so honest in his own very personal experiences that they jump of the page and helps the reader. Very practical and full of Spirit Filled wisdom to live a Spirit Filled life. KDJ
I came to my first true understanding of the Holy Spirit by reading this book. I felt like it was written just for me. I am so thankful for Pastor Stanley's faithful service to the Lord...because he wrote it in a way that spoke to my heart and made my small seed of faith grow with leaps and bounds!!!
If you are having trouble understanding the Holy Spirit this books is for you!! After reading this I went back to my Bible and re-read the New Testament books where I had been struggling. The scriptures about the Holy Spirit just jumped off the page to me...it brought me such JOY to read and understand what I was reading...my eyes and heart were opened and I truly felt the Spirit's presence working in my life. That was back in the spring of 2010, and to this day just thinking of my experience after reading "The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life" brings me Great Joy!!!
God's Word says for us to ask God for what we need -- Matt. 7:7-8 “Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. 8 Yes, everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
This book was in answer to my prayer for knowledge and understanding. My Bible reading is so much more enjoyable now that I've read it.
From the book" “The Holy Spirit convicts, illuminates, teaches, guides, assures, intercedes, directs, and warns. Page: 15
“The Holy Spirit has been sent by the Father to assist you in all the practical matters of Christian living. He is your number one Helper.” Page: 16
“The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God. And the Holy Spirit imparts knowledge to believers. The Holy Spirit, then, is not simply an impersonal force. He has knowledge, and He has the power to impart knowledge.” Page: 18
“When God looks at you, He sees the Holy Spirit within you. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a spiritual reminder of God’s promise to finish what He has begun in you. It is a sign to the spirit world that you belong to Someone else. And as long as you belong to the Father, the Holy Spirit will be there, living in you, signifying His ownership. When He moved in, He moved in to stay.” Page: 33
“I had made the Spirit-filled life much more complicated than it really is. Like every other aspect of the Christian life, the Spirit-filled life is a life of faith. I had been approaching it as if it were a formula. But the Spirit-filled life is not a formula; it is a relationship, a relationship with a person—the Holy Spirit.” Page: 41
“The length of time it takes to catch on to this relationship depends on us—not God. The more willing we are to confess our inadequacy; the easier it is for us to fully surrender to His will for our lives.” Page: 49
“As the branch draws its life from the vine, so we draw life from Christ. To abide in Christ is to draw upon His life. His life is made available through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in us.”
“When Paul said to be filled with the Spirit, he was not commanding us to sit around passively and wait for something to be poured into us. The Holy Spirit has already been poured in. If you are a believer, you have already been filled with the Holy Spirit the way men and women in Acts were filled. He has taken up permanent residence in your heart. You have all of Him you are ever going to get. The question is, How much of you does He have?”
“That is Paul’s point in Ephesians 5:18. He was calling for total surrender to the gentle—yet firm—promptings of the Holy Spirit. To be filled in this fashion is similar to being filled with fear or sorrow. When we are filled with fear or sorrow, the emotion takes such preeminence in our lives that all other thoughts and feelings are pushed into the background.” Page: 46
“CAUTION: Stay clear of any teacher, preacher, or anyone else who encourages you to do something, read something, or say something to harness the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s power cannot be harnessed. His power cannot be used to accomplish anything other than the Father’s will. He is not a candy dispenser. He is not a vending machine. He is not a genie waiting for someone to rub His lamp the right way. He is holy God.”
“The fruit of the Spirit is the most effective evangelistic tool we have. Nothing is more powerful than a life characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The most powerful sermon in the world can’t match the power of a fruit-filled life. Why? Because unbelievers are not nearly as impressed with what we believe and preach as they are with how we act, especially under pressure.” Pg: 118
“Consistent victory in my life is never the result of my trying to become more self-controlled. Think about it. How can self be more self-controlled? Can a wild animal tame itself? Would a puppy ever give itself a bath? Of course not. There things run contrary to natural instinct. In the same way, self is never going to deprive self of something desirable.” Page: 120
I thought this was a fine work about the function of the Holy Spirit in the believers life. I have read a couple other books from Mr. Stanley..but this was the best.
My faith background is one founded more on doctrine and less on an active Holy Spirit residing in me. Sure I believed in the concept, but I did not really internalize that belief. This book came to me in a very unique way that I cannot ascribe to anything or anyone but the Spirit of God. That being said, I learned much from this book. The writing style was simple and full of practical examples. He was not overly heady or academic, but still approached Scripture in a level headed way, not "proof texting" as it is sometimes called.
All in all, if you are struggling understanding what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, this book is a great resource for you to learn and deepen your walk with Jesus. It is not all inclusive, but it is a beginning, and a good one at that. I recommend it.
Charles Stanely does an excellent job getting Christians more familiar with the Holy Spirit who is sadly enough the neglected member of the trinity...at least for me. Everyone knows God the Father and Jesus His son but the Holy Spirit is often a mystery to us. Stanley goes step by step through what the Holy Spirit is and what the Holy Spirit is there in us to do. He also backs it all up with God's Word.
I loved the release of learning that I don't have to DO anything to avoid sin and to produce fruit. God does that through the Holy Spirit which dwells in me. I have rarely prayed to the Holy Spirit but that stopped with the reading of this book. Very good.
An amazing book. Charles Stanley takes you into the scripture to describe the holy spirit as a person. Like many, such as himself at one point knew the holy spirit as an it. But it's a Him! The king James puts it as "it" but that's incorrect. He later testifies to his growth in the Lord after years of defeats and struggle by realizing that the spirit filled life is wonderful once we let Christ live it for us! Not our performance, but by faith and keeping His word on our hearts. Anyways read this book, and it'll change your perspective and increase your faith in almighty God!
I used this book as a study with a friend. We were able to bounce ideas off each other, plus have an accountability partner. Doing it this way caused me to begin to put principles into action and I have to say it's been life-changing! I'll be working on these things the rest of my life, but can already see attitude changes in myself. Yes, I learned a lot, but it all has practical value.
Apart from a view overtly Calvinitic comments that I am unable to agree with, I found Stanley's work to be insightful and convicting. Every Christian would do well to walk in closer step with the Holy Spirit of God.
This types of book are always difficult to review. Overall, I enjoyed this one and Stanley's insights into the Holy Spirit. As to be expected with this type of book, I related to some chapters more than others.