Customer Reviews

The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life

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I bought this book for two main reasons. First, I want to know more about the Holy Spirit, and the role it has in my Christian walk. Second, I have heard Charles Stanley preach before, and he seems like a reliable source for helping further my Christian development. This book confirmed both my reasons.

In his book Dr. Stanley does an outstanding job of explaining how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. Although I do not agree with all of his conclusions about the Holy Spirit (most specifically when he talks about the limited availability of speaking in tongues for all Christians), overall, I think this book is right on target. Whether you are a new Christian, or have walked with God for years, I think that this book can help bring new light to a subject that is often misunderstood.

Using a lot of scriptures, and his extensive research on the subject, Dr. Stanley has greatly increased my understanding of the Holy Spirit. I liked the book because he offers a lot of practical advice about seeking God's Holy Spirit. I really enjoyed the fact that Dr. Stanley shares his own struggle with grasping everything that the Holy Spirit has to offer us as Christians. I think that many Christian leaders in his position would perhaps be too proud to discuss their own journey towards a greater understanding of God's spirit. Lastly, I think that this book has helped further my quest for knowledge about the Holy Spirit. Dr. Stanley includes a list of the resources he used while writing the book, at the end of each chapter which will serve as an excellent guide for me in the future.

I highly recommend this book to any believer who is wanting to learn more about the Holy Spirit. If you are like me, you want to learn the truth from a reliable source. I think this book will meet your need, if that is your desire.

The Wonderful Spirit-filled Life by Charles Stanley is one of the most important training books you can have in your private library. It's simple, clear, lucid teaching. It is NOT fanatical or extreme in its presentation of how to have a Spirit-filled walk. It is very direct. Very accurate. If you follow the basic steps, by book's end, you'll have an empowered Christian life. As a Charismatic, there are a few doctrinal points Stanley made that I don't agree with. However, they were not large enough to deter me from growing through this book, nor ordering extra copies to give away. Overall, a very balanced presentation that can take you to a deeper walk with the Master.

In an outstanding, well researched, & documented book, Dr. Stanley identifies key factors contributing to the pervasive misunderstanding of the Third Person of the Trinity. In his no nonsense, yet comfortable style, he separates the wheat from the chaff. Through the use of personal dilemmas, exceptional Scripture referencing & works of noteable authors (such as Billy Graham and J. Oswald Sanders), infused with functional strategies for application, Dr. Stanley presents a clear case for anyone interested in moving in the direction of truth. His logic is compelling. He captures problems with human emotion beautifully. With all of the confusion about the identity of the Holy Spirit, and the unfortunate trend of some to try to "manipulate" Him, for their purposes, this is a giant breath of fresh air. Upon completion one may find himself saying, "Well of course! That makes perfect sense!" As a result of this book, I'm currently reading Hannah Whitall Smith's classic 19th century "The Christians Secret of a Happy Life". Wow! His generous in text referencing has whet my appetite. An amazingly brilliant, insightful, and honest piece of work.

I read this book only two years after believing on the name of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I thought the Holy Spirit was beside me. I never knew He was such an important part of me (inside me). It helped me not to fear the enemy any more. I mean, if the Spirit if within me, how could the enemy have any power over me? I live a victorious Christian Life and this book has helped me tremendously. Since reading this book, I understand how God speaks to me, and that means victory--if you surrender, of course!

Dr. Stanley provides insights that help a Christian to tap into the abundant life described by Jesus in the Gospels by showing them how to apply priciples that work. For example, he writes "you will enjoy exercising your gift. You will look forward to the responsibilities you are given that call on you to use your gift" (p. 137). In other words, being all that God intended you to be is an exciting adventure of discovery. It enables a person to discover who they are and the God who made them.
In making a point about God's sovereignty, Dr. Stanley notes "the Holy Spirit decides who gets which gifts" (p. 134). As a result, the person is seeking to discover what God has already put in place in his or her life. The adventure continues as one uses those gifts for the kingdom of God and His purposes.

Dr. Stanley has written an excellent book encouraging readers to not be content with a self-satisfied life and instead be transformed by God's Holy Spirit and be used for His glory.

The book contains 18 chapters and are almost equally divided into three main areas:

1. Looking Up (A personal journey into the Spirit-filled life)
2. Looking Within (The ministries of the Holy Spirit in the believer)
3. Looking Ahead (The Holy Spirit's role in decision-making)

Stanley's underlying point throughout the book is that the believer can only experience a totally joy-filled life when truly under the leadership and authority of the Holy Spirit.

Read, enjoy, and be challenged!

Learning to walk with Christ is the adventure of a lifetime! It is, indeed, the reason we were made, and makes our lives full of purpose! To know Him intimately involved in each day makes even the trials that come have meaning, realizing that good can come from all that is allowed to touch us. It gives us hope and comfort knowing He is with us at ALL times, guiding and making the way for us, even when we cannot see anything except what is right in front of our eyes. Knowing He has all things under His control gives peace and comfort. He sustains and encourages, because He loves us more dearly than we can imagine and wants only good to come from even the adversities. Growing more deeply into Him, becoming completely dependent as children, makes us ripe for His best use of our lives, as others see Him shine through us. There must be more of Him and less of us. This book has changed my life and led to more answered prayer than I ever dreamed possible, even supernatural interventions that only He could have arranged or accomplished. Thus, I now have intimate stories of my Savior, Who leads me beside the still waters, even through the storms of life. That, and I am presently disabled from a series of traumas, but at peace, knowing I am in the center of His will for my life, surrendered to His Plan.

Charles Stanley touches on every aspect of what the Christian is to experience from the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit. He gives guidelines. He asks important questions, and then answers them. At the end of every chapter he reviews the chapter and asks the reader questions pertaining to his or her life. I would recommend this book to any Christian who is hungry for growth in Christianity. It's like a how to book. Only it teaches how to listen and know when God's Holy Spirit is speaking.

Dr. Stanley writes in the easy way that he teaches on this sensitive subject. He shares his own experience of coming to understand that the more surrendered he was to God in his life; the more he gave up his "rights" and his "will," the more the Spirit could fill him and lead him. The resulting joy and peace will leave you anxious to apply this new understanding to your own life. This book is not a lecture to the ignorant, but a sharing between friends. Inspiring in it's warmth and clarity.

This book is an excellent read! It is both informative and practical as Dr. Stanley walks you through his personal discovery of the Holy Spirit in his own Christian experience. In his trademark conversational style, he helps you to understand why an understanding of the Holy Spirit is perhaps the most important component of your Christian walk, second only to receiving salvation itself. Dr. Stanley provides plenty of scriptural support and uses excellent analogies. He gives many actual, albeit safe, disclosures from from his own life. You almost get the sense that you are having a personal one-on-one conversation with him. One of the things that I really liked is that at the end of the each chapter, he gave a list of resources that a person could go to for additional information, as well as a list of thought provoking "think about it" questions. Those questions make this an excellent book for a small group discussion or personal reflection.