Chapter 5 | My Life as a Branch
Does it seem like there is more to the Christian life than you are experiencing? Does God feel distant? Do intimacy and closeness with Him seem impossible? Are you facing the same battles repeatedly—with guilt, defeat, and desperation appearing to be the only outcomes?
In Chapter 5, Dr. Stanley teaches us what it means to abide in Christ by faith and how it sets us free to experience the abundant lives He created us to enjoy. He also shows us how it is the great agent of transformation—the Holy Spirit—who produces genuine change in us.
Charles Stanley Institute is a FREE online learning platform founded on Dr. Stanley’s rich, Christ-centered messages—some of which have not been broadcast in decades.
In each course, you will begin with Dr. Stanley’s sermons and then dive deeper into the spiritual truths he presented through new Scripture-centered materials—instructional videos, Bible studies, and leader guides—that explore his points further.
Chapter 5 | My Life as a Branch
Course Highlights:
Your Instructor:
Anson McMahon
- Founding and lead pastor of Emmaus Church in Buford, GA.
- Helps plant churches all over the world.
- Husband and father of two children.
- Loves college football, reading old books, and traveling.
Flexible Learning
Whether you want to consume an entire course in one intensive session or take your time navigating the content in small, palatable bites, our modular approach caters to every level of understanding and individual time commitment. Your progress within each course, class, and class segment will be saved, and you can return and continue at your leisure.
Lifetime Access to Resources
Your Study Guides, Leader Guides, and Sermon Listening Guides are all yours to download, save, and, most importantly—use! Supporting articles and sermons will be available so you can dig into the topics as much as you like, whenever you desire.
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Info & Materials | The Spirit-Filled Life
Are you curious about the Holy Spirit? Do you wonder why God would send Him? He doesn’t have to be an enigma. Join us in actively discovering and embracing all Jesus wants to do through His Spirit in our lives.
Chapter 1 | A Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life
Is your life different because you know Jesus as your Savior? Or is there little to set you apart from those who don’t know Christ and don’t want to? Perhaps you’ve lived the Christian life through your own determination and effort and have found not much has changed within you or your circumstances.
In Chapter 1, Dr. Stanley examines these issues and helps us understand our need for the Helper God has sent to accompany us on the extraordinary adventure of the Christian life: the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 2 | My First Encounter
Who is the Holy Spirit, and why do you need Him? It might surprise you to know He is already at work in you. However, to live the Spirit-filled life, it is essential to recognize Him and acknowledge His activity in you so you can follow Him in obedience.
In Chapter 2, Dr. Stanley teaches you who the Holy Spirit is, His personality, and how to have a heightened awareness of His work in your life so you can interact with Him and submit to His leadership.
Chapter 3 | The Indwelling Spirit
What difference should God dwelling within you make to your life on a daily basis? How can you tap into the power, wisdom, and strength He offers you?
In Chapter 3, Dr. Stanley discusses the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the other members of the Trinity: God the Father and God the Son. Through understanding the Holy Spirit’s role in the Godhead and how He comes to make His home in us permanently, we discover how He empowers us to carry out His will.
Chapter 4 | D-Day
Have you done everything you know to do to be filled with the Spirit—perhaps praying, bargaining, and even begging God to help you? Are you confounded that nothing you do works?
In Chapter 4, Dr. Stanley details how he realized the significance of believing in what God had already given him, moved forward by faith, and submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit. Because of this, he teaches us the importance of total dependence and complete surrender to the Spirit.
Chapter 6 | The Faith Factor
We know that salvation is by faith. Why, then, do we try to live the Christian life by our own efforts? If we could not save ourselves, we certainly cannot live a godly life on our own.
In Chapter 6, Dr. Stanley defines what faith is and demonstrates how to respond to trials and temptations with focus and complete confidence in the Lord.
Chapter 7 | Keeping in Step
The Holy Spirit indwells us, but how can we be sure we are yielded to His influence and walking with Him? Perhaps we would prefer that He tell us plainly what to do and let us get there on our own. However, the Holy Spirit is a leader who guides us step by step on the journey. Because of this, it’s essential to set our eyes on Him by focusing on the truth.
In Chapter 7, Dr. Stanley explains what it means to follow the positive leading of the Spirit and how He makes us holy through the process. He also teaches us why it is so important to guard our minds and destroy the speculations that distract us from the truth.
Chapter 8 | What Does it Look Like?
How can you know when you are walking in the Spirit? How will you act when you’re successfully submitted to God? Are there telltale signs that reveal how dependent you are upon Jesus and how in tune you are with His Spirit?
In Chapter 8, Dr. Stanley explains the fruit the Spirit produces through you and why it is the only standard by which your walk with God can be measured.
Chapter 9 | The Power of the Produce
What is the relationship between the power of God and the fruit of the Holy Spirit? How is the Lord’s divine influence produced through that fruit, and what is it intended to accomplish?
In Chapter 9, Dr. Stanley explains how the Lord works through the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as expressed by His followers to draw unbelievers to Himself.
Chapter 10 | The Giver of Gifts
What part do spiritual gifts play in the Spirit-filled life? It may surprise you to discover that you have been given a vital ability that is indispensable for the common good of the Body of Christ. And it is as you employ that particular skill on behalf of others that you express the grace of God and experience the power of the Holy Spirit to its full extent.
In Chapter 10, Dr. Stanley explains the importance of serving the Body of Christ with your gift, how to discover it, what it means to the kingdom of God, and the benefits you receive in return.
Chapter 11 | Doing God’s Work God’s Way
Whether you realize it or not, everything you do is in God’s service. Christ not only saves every part of you, but He also makes it all His—working through you even in places you may not realize He is operating.
In Chapter 11, Dr. Stanley demonstrates how we are to carry out the assignments we are given under the direction and in the power of the Holy Spirit. He also teaches us five ways to know if we are carrying out God’s work in God’s way.
Chapter 12 | The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and what does the Bible say about it? This topic has confused many throughout the centuries. However, when looking at the whole counsel of God’s Word, a clear pattern emerges.
In Chapter 12, Dr. Stanley examines Scripture step by step to explain what the New Testament writers meant by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and when we receive it as believers.
Chapter 13 | The Holy Spirit: Our Guide
Is God really with you in the details of your day? Does He truly care about the choices you make—even the small ones? And does He actually speak to you regarding the path you should take?
In Chapter 13, Dr. Stanley teaches you about how the Father communicates with you through His indwelling Spirit and why you can trust His guidance.
Chapter 14 | Preparing to Hear: The Principle of Neutrality
When you need to make a crucial decision, how do you proceed? Do you do all your research, think about it for a time, and then ask God to bless your plans? Or do you go first to the One who always knows the best way forward?
In Chapter 14, Dr. Stanley discusses the importance of surrendering your agenda when making decisions and submitting to God’s guidance rather than insisting on your own way.
Chapter 15 | Marker 1: Peace
It is the first way the Holy Spirit speaks within you in every situation—indicating to your heart, emotions, and mind whether you are on the path God has for you. And if you will learn to be sensitive to this fruit of the Holy Spirit, He will work through it to guide you step by step.
In Chapter 15, Dr. Stanley begins explaining the spiritual markers that always line up when God guides us—the first being the marker of peace.
Chapter 16 | Marker 2: The Conscience
Within you is the capacity to discern right from wrong—it’s been with you your whole life. It’s that voice within your mind that says, “You’re headed for trouble if you do that.” But can you trust it?
In Chapter 16, Dr. Stanley explains the second spiritual marker that helps you keep in step with God, the conscience, and how it can become the divine tool through which the Holy Spirit communicates His will.
Chapter 17 | Marker 3: The Word of God
Of all the ways the Holy Spirit leads you, the Word of God is the most objective and, therefore, the most essential. A foundational and irrefutable principle of the Spirit-filled life is that the Holy Spirit will never lead you where the Scripture forbids you to go.
In Chapter 17, Dr. Stanley demonstrates the importance of spending time in God’s Word and gives you tips to help you as you read.
Chapter 18 | Marker 4: Wisdom
God has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us through the fruit of peace, our consciences, and, most importantly, His Word. But how do we know what He wants us to do when Scripture does not explicitly address the issues with which we’re wrestling?
In Chapter 18, Dr. Stanley discusses the fourth and final spiritual marker: wisdom, through which the Holy Spirit applies God's principles, promises, and commands to our unique circumstances.
