I loved this book! Filled with truthful and beautiful teachings on who the Holy Spirit is and what He does, simply written in quotes.
Here are the chapter headings:
1. Who He Is: God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity
2. What He Does: Leading Us From Glory to Glory
3. Why we Need Him: Imbuing Us With Power
4. Where He Protects Us: Strengthening Our Inner Being
5. How He Transforms Us: Conforming Us to the Likeness of Christ
6. When He works Through Us: Bearing Eternal Fruit
This book is made up of excerpts taken from many of Charles Stanley's writings on the Holy Spirit. Each page contains a quote relating to the chapter as well as a Scripture verse.
Often the Holy Spirit can be over or under emphasized. I loved that this book was balanced and gave us a biblical view of who He is and what He does.
I thought I'd share a few quotes from each chapter here.
1. Who He Is: God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity
"We don't worship three gods. We have one God who exists with three unique functions. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit live in perfect agreement and oneness, with all the same attributes. Each is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, unchanging, equal, and fully God."
'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.' 2 Corinthians 13:14
"The Holy Spirit is not an apparition, floating about here and there and manifesting Himself in a mysterious, now-you-see-Him, now-you-don't manner...The Holy Spirit is the living personhood of God...the full personality and identity of God resident in us as believers."
'Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.' 1 Corinthians 2:11
"The word 'helper' is parakletos, which means, 'one who walks alongside, assists us, and is our steadfast companion.' Scripture teaches that every believer has a constant, unending, faithful companion - that is the person of the Holy Spirit."
'The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.' John 14:26
"The Holy Spirit is not a force. He is as much a person as Jesus is. He is the One who walks beside us, our Helper and Comforter. He is the One who gives us assurance of our relationships to the Father. He testifies to each believer, 'You are one of God's children. you have been adopted into the kingdom forever."
'The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.' Romans 8:16
2. What He Does: Leading Us From Glory to Glory
"The Holy Spirit takes up residency in believers - forever. He doesn't just pass through. He makes us His home. He comes to stay."
'Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body.' 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"Receiving the Holy Spirit is a onetime event - we receive the Holy Spirit when we receive Christ as our Savior...The decision to grow and to keep on growing is a decision that we must continue to make every day of our lives. We must choose to be filled with the Holy Spirit each and every day."
'For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.' Colossians 1:9-10
"The Helper sees the depths of your difficulties. He translates your feelings more accurately than you could articulate them yourself. And He comforts you with the knowledge that He understands what you need."
'The Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.' Romans 8:26
"The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God. And He imparts (that) knowledge to believers."
'We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.' 1 Corinthians 2:12
"The Holy Spirit strengthens your intimacy with the Father by continually drawing you into His presence. However, He does not usher you to the throne of grace simply so you can give the Lord a list of demands. This means He encourages you to share your heart with God but also directs you to pay attention to what the Father is teaching you."
'Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.' Ecclesiastes 5:1-2
3. Why We Need Him: Imbuing Us With Power
"You were saved because God's Holy Spirit moved in you, opened your blind eyes, exposed the Word of God to you, and gave you enough truth by which you could be saved."
'No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.' John 6:44
"You cannot interpret the Word of God properly, you cannot live a godly life, and you cannot serve the Lord adequately apart from the power of the Holy Spirit working in you."
'To us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.' 1 Corinthians 2:10
"None of us can do the ministry God gives us on our own. That is part of God's plan. We must have His Holy Spirit at work in us."
'I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.' Luke 24:49
"When you confront others with the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God speaks through you, taking the Word of God and illuminating their minds to understand the truth. He convicts them of their sins, shows them that the death of Christ was for their forgiveness, and grants them the gift of faith through which they receive Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord. It is not up to you to convince anyone. It is God's supernatural work in them that does so."
'Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.' 1 Corinthians 1:17-18
4. Where He Protects Us: Strengthening Our Inner Being
"Anything that clashes with what is true is not of the Spirit...Therefore, to walk in the Spirit, we must get serious about guarding our minds."
'Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.' Proverbs 19:21
"The sword of the Spirit - the Word of God - is our defense against satanic attacks. When we face battles, we're not to argue or debate with the enemy. We simply say, 'Here's what God says.' and Scripture teaches that when we do this, the Devil flees."
'Take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm...and take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.' Ephesians 6:13,17
"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."
'No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.' 2 Peter 1:21
"Men and women who claim to be doing miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, but who are doing it in such a way to draw attention to the miracle rather than to Christ, are deceivers. Jesus wouldn't have a part of it then, and He will have no part of it now."
'False Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.' Mark 13:22-23
"Although you may be facing a situation that makes you feel isolated, helpless, or directionless, understand that you're never alone. The Holy Spirit is with you, to live the life of Christ through you - helping you face every challenge in a godly, victorious manner."
'The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all...The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.' Psalm 34:18-19,22
"We live under the protection of the Holy Spirit; nothing can happen to us that God does not allow, and we know that whatever He permits - no matter how bad it may seem - He can turn for our good."
'We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.' Romans 8:28
5. How He Transforms Us: Conforming Us to the Likeness of Christ
"Whereas before you had a general sense of right and wrong, the Holy Spirit began renewing your mind to more specific and complete truths...You participate in this renewal process every time you read your Bible, attend worship, memorize a verse, or pray."
'Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.' Romans 12:2
"It wasn't enough for the Holy Spirit to inspire men to write the Bible. He knew each of us would need someone to lead us through the test as well. So every time a believer opens his or her Bible, the Spirit goes to work to illuminate the Scriptures. In that way, He is able to minister to each of us, at the right pace, according to our particular needs."
'Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.' Romans 15:4
"The Spirit-filled life is a life of faith...The Spirit-filled life is not a formula; it is a relationship, a relationship with a Person - the Holy Spirit."
'We are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.' Philippians 3:3
"Once a person becomes a child of God, the conscience takes on new significance. It becomes a divine tool. It functions as a megaphone in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It becomes the means through which the Holy Spirit reveals the will of God to the mind."
'Our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially towards you.' 2 Corinthians 1:12
6. When He works Through Us: Bearing Eternal Fruit
"The people who do God's work God's way don't wait until their efforts fail before they begin trusting Him. They begin their projects as dependent people. And in most cases, they maintain their dependent spirits until the end."
'Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.' 1 Corinthians 3:7-9
"The Spirit-filled life begins when we are absolutely and thoroughly convinced that we can do nothing apart from the indwelling strength of the Holy Spirit."
'Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.' 2 Corinthians 3:5-6
"It is Christ's life pouring into us that enables us to live the Christian life and to bear the hallmarks of character that we call the fruit of the Spirit."
'I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.' Galatians 2:20
"This is the will of God: That He can reveal Himself in and through you as a result of the Holy Spirit living within you. This means that from you flows love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - all the fruit of the Spirit that demonstrates His character."
'My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and prove to be My disciples.' John 15:8
"The Holy Spirit has already been poured in...You have all of Him you are ever going to get. The question is, How much of you does He have?"
'My dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.' 1 Corinthians 15:58
"The Spirit is calling out to us to carry out the ministry God has given us. His responsibility is to prepare the Body of Christ - sending us out, motivating us, and empowering us to do the work of getting this world ready for the Lord Jesus to return. "
'The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come, let the one who wishes take th water of life without cost." Revelation 22:17
I really enjoyed reading through this book. I highly recommend it!
Buy it HERE on Amazon
