More from Charles' Stanley's book on the Spirit-filled life

Over the last two weeks, I have read Charles Stanley's The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life. Over these last days of 2009, I am using this blog to share some of the actual comments from the book.

The Change Agent: The life of Christ in you has the potential to produce all kinds of change in your life. "Wait," you say, "I've tried to change, and I can't." Exactly! You are not equipped to produce change-only bear it. Your new life produces change. You are simply the vehicle through which it is expressed, as a branch is the vehicle through which the fruit-producing life of the vine is expressed. You are a bearer, not a producer. Branches are totally dependent on the vine for fruit. And we are totally dependent on the Holy Spirit. (page 66)

Radical change is possible. We have everything we need to become all He wants us to become. By abiding in Him and Him in us, we have the potential to produce a consistent harvest of fruit, the kind that makes the most skeptical unbeliever sit up and take notice. (page 66)

Our part is simply to plug into the new life that indwells us. We are to draw upon His life in us. How? By faith. (page 66)

When it comes to righteousness - whether for salvation or for living- we must allow God to do the work. Producing righteousness falls outside our job description. The Spirit-filled life is a life of faith. It started by faith, and it runs on faith. It is faith from start to finish. (page 76)

Through the years, I have met dozen of believers who have a testimony similar to mine. Like me, they entered into the Spirit-filled life years after their salvation. They, too, went through a period of struggle and defeat, and eventually led them to the point of desperation. In their own way, each of them threw up the white flag of surrender. Their yieldedness and brokenness cleared the way for the Holy Spirit to take control. (page 67)

There is a tendency on the part of some to label this experience. Some call it the second blessing. Others call it the baptism of the Holy Spirit or the second baptism of the Holy Spirit. I have heard it called other things as well. Since the Bible doesn't label or title this experience, we shouldn't, either. Doing so only confuses things. (page 67)

My comment: I agree over the confusion of a label. That's why I say, "Not all works of the Holy Spirit in a person's life are of equal value." Thank God for the deepening work of the Spirit.