Thursday, June 28, 2018

Bethany Partner Review: The Spirit-Led Heart Living a Life of Love and Faith without Borders by Suzanne Eller


Want to be set on a path of empowerment? Learn how to be confident & bold? Be comforted when you are hurt? Recognize that you are equipped and empowered by a helper to live a life of faith and love without borders?  This book will explain and share personal stories of how the Holy Spirit helps each believer deepen her faith, find courage, use her gifts, and handle uncertainty.

It is well written, in a conversational, approachable style. Each chapter shares the Word, a Spirit Led Promise, A Spirit-Led Invitation, and a prayer that challenges or reminds your heart of all that God reveals through the Holy Spirit.

This book is powerful, encouraging, thought provoking, and helpful.  As I started to read, my life was completely upside down as I grieved a relationship that is failed and the uncertainty of determining what is best for a child we've parented and loved as our own for over four years.  So my heart was broken and pouring out.  I had given up the thought that I could fix anything- or rely on myself- but struggling with how to hear God's voice, trust Him fully, and stay focused on His providence, plan, and provision for the immediate needs and every step of the way. 

Throughout this 'primer' on the Holy Spirit and all of the aspects He brings to the believer, I was encouraged, challenged, and able to recognize that the Spirit is with me and God will reveal in His timing and through the Spirit all that I need to know and experience.  So I found peace. I found comfort. I admit I've rested in revisiting head knowledge while taking what I know and learning to live out my faith and belief in my circumstances.

Suzanne Eller's counsel is wise. Her concepts about truth vs a lie or an almost truth, are spot on, and her theology matches the Bible well.  But it's her vulnerability and the fact that the book is written to ''us" or with the pronoun "we".  She has included you in what she is learning to remember, to frame her beliefs, and to explore how to grow and surrender to our Great God, with the Helper directing our minds and choices.

The book is one that I highlighted, starred, and marked up as I went. I love that there are group discussion questions at the back, and hope to re-read it with a group in the future. It's a book I can highly recommend. I love partnering with Bethany House Publishers and getting new books to read and review.

This quote is something I have shared from my reading, and adopted as a clear mantra for me:

I also found empowerment in this truth:
































My recent Holy Spirit connections....

The Holy Spirit- One aspect of the Trinity.  I enjoyed teaching my Sunday School class about the Holy Spirit this spring and all that he adds to knowing God, knowing that Jesus rescues us, and the Holy Spirit lives in us and helps us.   It's a practical promise to really grasp in your heart and mind.  And the Holy Spirit in Acts comes as fire, wind and breathe- with great power and presence, and with five year olds these are fun concepts to act out, discuss, and think about.

So when an opportunity to review a book about a Spirit-Led life came up, it seemed divine intervention that I should read it.  Even the cover is soothing, and brings about a calming feeling as you look at it. 

The Lord brings into our lives often by the work of the Holy Spirit things we need to know, be aware of, respond to, or grow in.  And this book is an amazing tool to help process the role of the Holy Spirit, as well as, to begin practicing the presence of God via the Holy Spirit in your life.   And processing faith based practices, has been something I've been exploring this year as I ask the Lord to RESTORE me as He would use me to glorify Him.