MoonglotexasFrom the start of The Spirit-Led Heart by Suzanne Eller, my mindset started shifting, I knew it was happening as I could feel myself struggling with the concept of talking to the Holy Spirit, thanking Him, asking for His help, it all felt so foreign. The more I read the more my understanding grew and, as with most shifts of this kind, my actions started to change as well! Each of the chapters has a call to apply it my life as well a prayer and a verse. The end of the book has challenging questions to direct me back into the word and ruminate on the concepts shared.
Suzie writes with equal measures of heart-breaking honesty and a wonderful sense of fun!. She sheds amazing insight on even the verses I can quote, it’s the linking of them to a larger scheme of the understanding of the faith and the stories she shares alongside them, both hers and those in the gospels, which bring the truths to life.
The concept of a spirit-led heart is so inspiring! The book opens with the manifesto and it’s such a beautiful aspiration:
“A Spirit-Led Heart Manifesto
A woman with a Spirit-led heart
…trusts that God can use her, even when her knees knock
…believes that when she speaks to God, he hears
…reaches for truth as a weapon and isn’t afraid to use it
…tells her story, for she has walked with Jesus
…is not lost in the valleys or on the mountaintops
…fights for others, because Jesus fought for her first
…isn’t a know-it-all, though she longs to know all there is to know
…doesn’t have time to be distracted by drama with no eternal value
…believes that God loves her, and freely loves him back.”
The inspiration runs throughout and Suzie really poses some tough challenges such as this one:
“We may choose inaction over doing it badly or falling on our face. We tell the world that God has a plan for us, but doubt it privately. This is where we might lose our way. We are so busy mulling over our fears or doubts that we fail to understand that God sees it differently.”
It is chockablock full of information, both into scripture and life. Suzie calls on us to walk in the shoes of the gospel writers and absorb how we can remain filled with the faith they so often exhibit:
“We are filled as Jesus followers. What does that look like? It might be an appropriate or Holy Spirit response at the right moment. It is patience when ours is thin. It’s wisdom that allows our brain to catch up with our emotions, so that we can deal with the real problem rather than create more. It is faith in an impossible situation. A Spirit-led, empowered heart believes that his power is greater than a right-now situation and right-now feelings.”
I am so grateful to have read this book. It has changed my perception of the Holy Spirit, encouraged me to look anew at familiar verses and improved my daily life. I am working on so many elements of the Spirit-led heart but am wholeheartedly sold on the vision Suzie has painted and feel equipped by the tools she has provided. It’s a five out of five and I recommend it to those who are looking to take their understanding of the Holy Spirit to a new level and engage in developing the fruits of the spirit.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
