A.W. Tozer - Gods Power for Your Life: How the Holy Spirit Transforms You Through Gods Word

2013 James L. Snyder

Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

Bethany House Publishers edition published 2014

ISBN 978-1-4412-6744-3

Previously published by Regal Books

Ebook edition originally created 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version. Authorized King James Version.

An important discussion among todays Christians revolves around the topic of power. This is not a new conversation. Many books have been published on the subject of spiritual power, and some are even quite helpful. Dr. Tozer was deeply concerned with this issue; specifically, he was troubled by the obvious impotence, despite all of these books on spiritual power, of the average Christian.

At the heart of the matter is this simple question: Can we trust the Bible? So much is being said and written about Scripture today that some have become confused about the importance of the Bible.

Throughout this book, Dr. Tozer lays down the simple truth that the Bible was never designed to replace God but to bring us radically and directly into the presence of God. The Bible is not a textbook informing us of what we should believe, nor a religious book telling us the proper way to worship. Certainly, those things are in the Scripture, but they are not the primary purpose of the Word of God.

Get on your knees with an outspread Bible, Dr. Tozer encourages us, and linger in the presence of God. How many of us really know what it means to come into the presence of God and linger there? The purpose of this book is to encourage believers to seek God as He desires to be sought.

Nothing in this world is permanent, save the Word of God. When we know thus saith the Lord, we know all that needs to be known. We know what we need to know to delight ourselves in the sanctuary of divine power.

Much of the talk about power today has to do with promoting someones individual agenda. Even some preachers want to demonstrate the awesomeness of their power and draw attention to how spiritual they are. Many speak of the miracles they have done. Now, anybody who has read the Bible believes in the authenticity of miraclesthat is not the question. The question has to do with the purposes for which power is exercised.

The power associated with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit is that power that brings us into the manifest presence of God. You will encounter that phrase over and over in this book. It is a phrase unfamiliar to most Christians today, but the truth is that we must come into the presence of God. God is not an absentee God; He is not Someone up there who likes me. The great delight of our Father in heaven is to have fellowship with the redeemed.

The whole purpose of our redemption was to bring us back into sweet and wonderful fellowship with the Father. Salvation is not just about going to heaven. Certainly, our destination is heaven, but our salvation has afforded us a relationship with God that is personal and intimate right now. How many believers really have experienced the presence of God? How many have felt His breath upon them as they drew near in awesome reverence?

To know God in this fashion is the great delight of the believer.

Many in our generation are caught up in politics and social concerns. Theres nothing wrong with this, but there is something much greater: our fellowship with God. Everything we do needs to flow out of what we are. We are Christiansand that means we are in awesome fellowship with the God of creation.

Gods power, when the Holy Spirit operates through the written Word, thrusts us deeper into Gods presence. That is where we need to go. We cannot get there, as Dr. Tozer admonishes in this book, through education or any other kind of outward manipulation. It is the transforming power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God that enables us to experience God in this fashion. We should not be willing to settle for anything less.

Unfortunately, many of us have been distracted by our culture. So many things compete to occupy our attention that we fail to spend significant time with God. This book can be the beginning of a journey towardor back todeep fellowship with Him. Because I believe this book is important, I would like to give some simple guidelines for reading it.

Often when I get a new book, I cannot put it down until I have completely read through it. Im a little obsessive in that way. However, I do not believe that is the best way to approach this book. Go ahead and read it through at one sitting if you mustget it out of your systembut allow me to give some suggestions so you can get the most out of this book on a second reading.

The first suggestion I would give is to read only one chapter a day so you can concentrate on a small portion at a time. Speed-reading may be fine for some books, but one like this needs to be dealt with in a different fashion.

Dr. Tozer loved quoting Francis Bacon: Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. I earnestly believe that this book falls into the last category. Take your time to slowly chew and digest the truths it contains.

Begin your reading of each chapter with the opening prayer. Slowly read the prayer, and then spend some time meditating on it until it becomes your prayer. Doing so will set up a certain level of expectation for the material at hand.

Digest the truth of the chapter. Personally, I like to read with pen in hand so I can mark certain words and phrases that stand out to me. I guess I am old-fashioned that way. If you are reading this book as an e-book, you might want to find another way to make note of key points. There is something to be said for slowly going over a passage and focusing on words and phrases that at the time speak to your heart. I am not suggesting you bypass your brain, but I am suggesting that you tarry long enough for the truth to penetrate your heart.

The last thing to do is to lovingly meditate on the hymn at the end of each chapter. The chosen hymn succinctly emphasizes the truth found within the chapter. There is something about a hymn that is unlike any other form of expression. We have drifted away from this knowledge, but as you peruse this book, I urge you to pay attention to the hymns.

I am by no means suggesting that this book is on par with the Holy Scriptures. That would be blasphemy. What I am suggesting is that there is truth in Dr. Tozers words that can dynamically change the way a person lives. This book will make accessible to the sincere reader the power to live the Christian life in such a way as to please God.

May this book open up to you avenues of delight in your daily pursuit of God.

Rev. James L. Snyder

GODS POWER FOR YOUR LIFE

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.