Change Your Life with the Power of the Holy Spirit

UPSIDE DOWN WORLD

Our nation was built on Judeo Christian values that are eroding daily. With the moral decline of our world, (abortion, sexual perversion, etc.) many people are living in fear. “The days we live in are dark, and they only are getting darker. Yet there is a power so great it can help you not only survive but thrive in this crazy world,” shares Stephen. “It’s a power that comes from God Almighty through the third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.”  

Personally, Stephen has seen his share of problems through the years but agrees with the apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:20 who says his life in the spirit has been “exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine.” Stephen uses an example from Fred Price, the late pastor, about scuba gear to talk about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not remove us from the sinful world in which we live no more than using an oxygen tank when your scuba gear keeps you from getting wet. The scuba gear protects you and allows you to experience an underwater environment that would normally kill you. The Holy Spirit in the same way allows you to exist in this sinful world without being entrapped. “The Holy Spirit can give you victory over the forces of evil, help you stand strong when the culture wants you to compromise, and provide tools to help you prosper in spirit, soul, and body,” reveals Stephen.

Stephen shares a word from the late Jack Hayford’s book entitled, Spirit Filled Life Bible, “The world will know we love the Lord and are empowered by the Holy Spirit when they see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Spirit-led living is a call to character more than to the charismatic gifts,” shares Jack. “When the Spirit fully controls the life of a believer, He produces these graces: the first three (love, joy, and peace) concern our attitude toward God. The next three apply to how we deal with others (long suffering, kindness, and goodness). And the final three have to do with our conduct (faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).”

SPIRIT-LED LIVING

Stephen defines Spirit-led living as, “Knowing who you are in Christ and having confidence that the Holy Spirit within you is greater than anything you face in this world. It is knowing God intimately, which results in learning to hear His voice. Spirit-led living is following God’s leading so you can fulfill every bit of potential He has designed for your life. And Spirit-led living is the peace of knowing that no matter what following Him costs, it will be worth it.” Some of the ways you can live in the Spirit include:

•    Learn to Hear God’s Voice – God speaks to us and guides us through His Holy Spirit. He speaks to us through supernatural wisdom, the Bible, through impressions, dreams and visions. 

•    Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit – Stephen shares how he received the Baptism of the Spirit at age 11. Even though this experience was real for him he started rebelling at age fourteen and was up and down in his walk with the Lord until age 20. Although he never turned his back on the Lord, he did wrestle with his carnal nature during the hippie era. He finally cried out to God for help during what we now know as the Jesus movement. He was discipled and never looked back. Stephen says, “Being empowered by the Spirit in this unique way gives Christians a far greater chance of staying true to their commitments and overcoming stubborn sin habits.”

When Stephen was 30 years old, he was invited to a leaders’ meeting at Oral Roberts University in 1981. After the meal, President Roberts went around the room laying hands those in attendance and praying for them. When he got to Stephen he said, “Never doubt the gift that’s within you.” At the time Charisma magazine, which started with humble beginnings, was growing quickly to have a much larger national audience. Stephen had been raised to take a risk in business. President Roberts' word was encouraging and confirmed the path God set for Stephen’s business.

•    Deliverance – The Holy Spirit will break off any bondages or hinderances keeping you from reaching your destiny in Christ. 

•    Surviving End Times – The Holy Spirit can give us discernment about all that is happening in the world as well as fill us with joy and contentment in the midst of it. 

•    Fulfill the Great Commission – When Stephen stopped running from the call of God on his life as a college student, he came to know the Holy Spirit who empowered him to overcome sin in his life and have the boldness to witness to other students about Jesus. "Living a Spirit-led life is the secret to moving forward successfully in this world and accessing the fulfilling life God has planned for us,” shares Stephen.

ABOUT STEPHEN

Stephen began his journalism career in 1973 with the Sentinel Star (now the Orlando Sentinel). In 1975, at twenty-four, his passion for the growing Charismatic movement led him to found Charisma. He believes, “The Holy Spirit empowered him and his wife, Joy, to create a platform that has influenced millions and given him influence he would have never dreamed possible.”

Charisma Media is best known for its magazine, Charisma, but its book group, now called Charisma House, has grown rapidly in recent years with seventeen New York Times best-sellers, including Jonathan Cahn. The company is moving boldly into digital products that include a free Charisma News app, online news service, electronic books, many e-newsletters, a robust website and digital editions of its magazines that have readership in the top tier of digital magazines nationally. The company has become known as the leading Charismatic/Pentecostal publisher in the world. In addition to writing hundreds of articles in print and online Stephen also hosts the Strang Report podcast.

Purchase a copy of Stephen Strang's Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World here: https://stevestrangbooks.com.