Editorials, Volume 12

The Size of the Soul

Principles of Revival and Spiritual Growth

by A.W. Tozer, 1992
The Size of the Soul

The twelfth collection of editorials written for Alliance Life (formerly The Alliance Witness/Weekly). Compiled by Harry Verploegh.

  1. The Size of the SoulSmall sins are not a sign of a person who is basically good, they are the sign of a small soul. But even a small soul can be enlarged by the Holy Spirit.
  2. What About Revival?—Part I — There will be no revival as long as we choose to overlook sin in our midst.
  3. What About Revival?—Part II — Revival starts in the individual heart. Great numbers are yet still indivduals each responding to God in their own soul.
  4. What About Revival?—Part III — Prayer is useless where there is no obedience.
  5. What About Revival?—Part IV — Ten ways to prepare your soul for revival.
  6. The Use and Abuse of Good Books—Part I — The best books are mere spring-boards of ideas, sending the reader off into the depths of thought where the Spirit of God may meet him and teach him.
  7. The Use and Abuse of Good Books—Part II — A list of helpful and harmful books which many Christians may find more than a little surprising—and convicting.
  8. The Use and Abuse of Good Books—Part III — The importance of reading comes not in speed or ability to recall, but in the effects on the reader’s life.
  9. The Use and Abuse of Good Books—Part IV — Reading well-written books will improve our own skills in the use of language.
  10. The Use and Abuse of Good Books—Part V — Why it is utterly essential to read books written by the devout Christians of times past. Books that are too hard—books that make you think—are the only ones capable of pointing a seeker towards the deep end of the spiritual pool.
  11. Who Does the Work of God? — God does His best work when we stop trying to run the show and simply let Him give us our cues and feed us our lines.
  12. Not Too Many But the Wrong Kind — A description of the kind of Bible teachers and church members that injure new converts by disillusioning them and taking away their simplicity.
  13. Words without Meaning Are Idle Words — A list of worship words that have lost their meaning in the minds of many Christians today.
  14. A Needed Reformation — We tend to emulate those whom we admire. Who does the church tend to pattern itself after? Christ or the world?
  15. Perpetual Sacrifice or Perpetual Efficacy? — A discussion of the important difference in theology between a sacrifice contually offered and a sacrifice constantly effective.
  16. The Corrosive Effects of a Fretful Spirit — Having a spiritual burden leads a person to repent, pray, and call brothers and sisters out of their sinful ways. Religious irritation, on the other hand, just eats away at us and worries us over the apparent triumph of error over truth.
  17. No Sin Is Private — Each man’s sin affects those around him, no matter how well he tries to hide it.
  18. Zeal: What Does It Prove? — Zeal can be misdirected. The reason for zeal and the effects of that zeal are more telling as to the quality and usefulness of it.
  19. Religion: No Substitute for Action — Christlike conduct is the purpose for the Christian faith. All that does not lead a person toward that goal is mere religious observance.
  20. Hope: The Universal Treasure—Part I — Our hope is based on the reality of the character of God and the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
  21. Hope: The Universal Treasure—Part II — False hope leads only to bitterness and despair while hope based on reality makes earth bearable and its fulfillment an eternal beatitude.
  22. The Church Wins a Pyrrhic Victory — The atheist movement of the 1920’s and 30’s petered out, not because the church convinced or converted her opponents, but because she became too much like them.
  23. Let No One Rob You of Your Christian Confidence — Stand firm in faith and humility and refuse to be shaken by any preacher who demands an all-or-nothing Christianity.
  24. The Causes of Religious Confusion—Part I — Confusion comes from intellectual pride which thinks that truth can only be apprehended by the mental faculties.
  25. The Causes of Religious Confusion—Part II — The Spirit illumines all loving hearts to the same truth. A heart that is lacking in love will twist the truth into confusion.
  26. The Problem of Numbers — Increasing the number of converts by lowering the standards of the Christian life still results in failure.
  27. Not Papal Infallibility, But the Witness — A portion of what is meant by the inner witness. For a more extensive discussion of the topic, see Kenneth E. Hagin’s How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God.
  28. The Gifts of Prophetic Insight Imperative Today—Part I — It is imperative that we have people who know the times we live in and what God is trying to say to the people of our times.
  29. The Gifts of Prophetic Insight Imperative Today—Part II — Like a physician, a prophet diagnoses spiritual ills and prescribes appropriate repentance and turns people back to God for a cure.
  30. Optimist or Pessimist? — How about neither?
  31. We Are All Heretics by Nature — We are all subject to error. Intellectual pride will lead us into a dogmatic insistence on agreement with our own opinions. True conviction persuades people with humility and love that they are following the wrong path.
  32. The Shadow of Consequences — We must not fail to do right because of a fear of what the results might be.
  33. It Is Essential That We Think Like God — We tend to filter what we hear through the context of everything we think we already know. But with a diligent, humble heart that is open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, He will get the truth through to us.
  34. The New Birth Is a Mystery — There is no explanation to satisfy the mental faculties, no formula for getting closer to God. Repentance and faith into Christ is just the beginning. God will take it from there according to His will.
  35. Christian—Or Only a Student Christian? — Do you live in obedience to Christ, or are you relying on your knowledge of church doctrines?
  36. A Word About Superstition — Religious beliefs which come from half-truths and error amount to nothing more than Christian superstitions.
  37. More About Superstition — Wrong ideas about God come from a lack of knowledge of His character and lead to a superstitious religion of trying to please an imaginary god.
  38. Thankful? Yes, But to Whom? — Are we thankful? If so, do we truly thank God, or do we shy away from it?
  39. Not Peace, But a Sword — Christ calls for separation, not through bigotry but rather by consecration and love.
  40. Root out of a Dry Ground — A Christmas message about Isaiah’s prophetic image of Christ.
  41. Strength from the Indwelling Spirit — Tired? Worn out? Fatigued? Perhaps you have been expending your own natural energy rather than using the spiritual reserves God provides for His own works.
  42. Divine Love Is Neither Blind Nor Dumb — Humility is not the same as timidity. Our writing and preaching must not stem from a fear of offending.
  43. What Easter Is About — It is the resurrection that made our salvation effective. Anyone can die. Only Jesus rose again.
Also by A.W. Tozer:
Success and the Christian
Renewed Day by Day
The Quotable Tozer I
The Counselor
Faith Beyond Reason

Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional
Valid CSS!