A. W. Tozer: The Holy Spirit

Just Turning the Crank

So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

I say this because it is possible to run a church and all of its activity without the Holy Spirit. You can organize it, get a board together, call a pastor, form a choir, launch a Sunday school and a ladies’ aid society. You get it all organized—and the organization part is not bad. I’m for it. But I’m ...

How can I hear God’s voice and know that He is clearly speaking to me?

Knowing God’s voice, I think, comes mostly from abiding in Christ, as in John 15. Part of that, but not all of it, is His Word abiding in us.

How can I learn to trust God?

Question from a reader:

I've just read your book Dominion to the end. It's a great book. I think that I look a lot like Clarence Abernathy. It's very hard for me to trust God always, to believe that there are things I don't understand, but that God uses things for His plan (Rom. 8:28). I hope you could tell me how I can learn to trust God. I am 14 years old and what people say is important for me—too important I think. Can you help me?

How do I experience God as “Abba Father”?

Though I am assured of my salvation in Christ and have been a believer for many years, I have a hard time connecting with God on an emotional level. How do I experience God as “Abba Father”?

How do I respond to my pastor who thinks the Bible is not “necessarily” God’s Word?

Question from a reader:

My pastor doesn't think the Bible is “necessarily” God's Word. He says the Bible is a record of God's interaction and communication with humanity over centuries and that human culture is intertwined with divine words. He thinks because of such things as patriarchal oppression of women, slavery, etc. the Bible doesn't clearly and purely reflect the mind of God for all eternity. How do I respond to him?

Answer from Randy Alcorn:

I think you should do what you can to get accurate apologetic information to your pastor that shows the Bible ...

How is it fair that God lets people be born knowing that they will choose to go to hell?

Some people do not become Christians, and if God knows what people are going to choose regarding their salvation, why does he let them choose hell? How is that fair? Especially since God loves them. Doesn’t that contradict the plan that God has for humankind? How could that make God not be a failure, allowing people to go to hell.”

This is a classic question, and you are not the first to propose it. The answer is two-fold, one from God’s view, and one from man’s view. However, let me first say that the only place God ...

How is truth defined?

Truth is rooted in the eternal God who’s all powerful and unchangeable. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is Truth” (John 17:17).

Truth is far more than facts. It’s not just something we act upon. It acts upon us. We can’t change the truth, but the truth can change us. It sanctifies (sets us apart) from the falsehoods woven into our sin natures.

As Christ the living Word is truth, so his written word is truth. Though heaven and earth will pass away, God’s truth never will.

Over half the New Testament ...

How to Ascertain The Will of God

I seek the will of the Spirit of God, through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

How will millions of resurrected believers have access to Jesus?

Question from a reader:

On page 174 of Heaven you talk of the thrill of seeing Jesus in Heaven. You say, “Being with him. Gazing at him. Talking with him. Worshiping him. Embracing him. Eating with him. Walking with him. Laughing with him.” But how will millions of resurrected believers be able to do this? Do we take turns?

How Will We Relate to God in Heaven?

Think about the person you would most want to spend time with. Who would that person be? Your favorite singer, author, or athlete? Your best friend who moved away? A family member who’s already died?

Many Christians would say they’d want to spend time with Jesus. They’d want to see the Savior who created them, died for them, and made their life in Heaven possible—the one who loves them more than anyone else.