Inspirational Quotes by A.W. Tozer
“Twenty minutes on your knees in silence before God will sometimes teach you more than you can learn out of books and teach you more than you can learn even in the church.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“It is the passion of the Christian to grow, but the focus of our growth must be Christ. It is wonderful to know all the things around us, but to know Christ is the epitome of all knowledge. This is the passion of the Christian.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“The human heart has a thirst for God. God created us, and something in us relates to something in God. Until these two are brought together, which happens at salvation, there is restlessness within the human heart that can never be stilled. This restlessness is seen in the world around us. The heart of the world is pulsating in a restless effort to discover the purpose of life, but it is always going in the wrong direction, away from God. God created us with a passion for himself, and it was the fall of man in the garden of Eden that hijacked that passion and brought man down to the level we find him today. Only through redemption—accomplished by Christ dying on the cross and rising the third day—can we be brought back to that place of fellowship with God, which is the passion of every human being.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“We have based our Christianity upon a misunderstanding of Bible truth. We have head knowledge, but no heart knowledge, of what Christianity is all about. We can explain Christianity, but we are not able to live it from our hearts. The difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge is that the heart can actually experience God, the presence of God, while the head cannot.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“I assure you, there is plenty of logic and reason with God, but it does not stop there. If all we had was logic and reason, we would never penetrate that Cloud of Unknowing that keeps most people from truly knowing God. We make a grave error when we approach such a subject as an expert. The church is full of experts these days, and they have only added to the confusion of our perception of God. The only way to approach the subject is as a worshiper.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“Personally, I have a passion to turn people away from the externals of religion and help them experience the marvelous internals of our Christianity that God has established for us. I know the difficulty of this task. My prayer is that God will raise up men and women who will be so aflame with the fire from the altar that nobody can put out the flame. Today’s church needs once again to see the glory of God.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“The thing that must really be understood is that our knowledge of God cannot be acquired simply through academic processes. What we really know about God is what He has faithfully revealed to us.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“When Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples, they still could not believe. Belief is not based upon seeing, because if it were, they would have believed that Jesus was risen from the dead when they saw Him. It took a spiritual application of revelation that cannot be brought about by reason or logic. When their eyes were opened, which is only done through the work of the Holy Spirit, they were able to believe. What the Holy Spirit does not reveal to us is not worth knowing.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“Faith is not something we struggle to build. Rather, faith is knowing God, believing in God and what He says about himself, resulting in confidence in God and His character. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). If we have to struggle to try to drum up faith, it will be a pseudo-faith and nothing that will enhance our walk with God. Our confidence in God will plummet, and we will begin looking for a replacement. I am so afraid that the Christian church today has found its replacement in entertainment and social activities.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“Success in the Christian life is not automatic. The soul must be cultivated like a garden and the will must be sanctified and become Christian through and through. Heavenly treasures must be sought, and we must seek those things”
“This is not something that comes from textbooks or lectures or any of the technical aspects of religion that are so prominent today. This confidence in God can come only when we begin to know God as He really is. It is my contention that only a true worshiper can know God. Religion can teach you about God. Cold, textual theology can teach you about God. But neither can really bring you into the presence of God, where you begin to know God and have confidence in the God that you know. I contend that our faith in God comes naturally and automatically as we begin to know Him personally—not just know about God, but have a personal encounter with the living God, an encounter that is not boxed in by reason or logic. A true encounter with God lifts us above everything we can know, and we begin to pierce that Cloud of Unknowing and come into the presence of God.”
― A.W. Tozer ,
from Delighting in God
“Some have the idea that God’s purpose is to make our lives more tolerable here on earth. That rather cheapens what Christ did on the cross. If all He wanted to do was make our lives tolerable, then He could have done it in a variety of other ways. God’s supreme purpose for us is to make us like His Son, Jesus Christ. If we understand that everything happening to us is to make us more Christlike, it will solve a great deal of anxiety in our lives.”
“It works something like this. Most people want their church to grow and be a mighty force for God in their community. And this is admirable. But along comes a religiously ambitious person who generates so much excitement among the people that they forget what their purpose in the community is all about. It is not bigness that God honors. In fact, most of the time huge crowds hinder what God really wants to do.”
“My circumstances are no indication of whether the smiling favor of God is upon me. Fear causes me to look around at my circumstances instead of up at the smiling face of God.”
“Remember, it is one thing to believe the Bible but something else altogether to allow the Bible, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to impact and change your life. One problem some have is to believe that if they read it in the Bible, they have already experienced it. It is one thing to read about the new birth in the Bible and quite another thing to be born from above by the Spirit of the living God. It is one thing to read about being filled with the Holy Spirit and quite another thing to experience the mighty infilling of the Holy Spirit that radically changes our life to a life of adoring wonder and amazement at the things of God. Reading and experiencing are two quite different things. Apart from the Holy Spirit breathing upon it, the Bible can be a useless thing, just another book of literature. It may be fine literature, but there is something infinitely more valuable than the Bible.”
“Remember, it is one thing to believe the Bible but something else altogether to allow the Bible, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to impact and change your life.”
“Philippians 3:12:”
“The way of the crucified life can be precarious, making a spiritual guide all but indispensable. But it is important to have a guide who understands the way sufficiently and can give clear instructions on how to live the crucified life. The Church has no shortage of people who have advice to give. There is, however, a shortage of spiritual guides with the wisdom needed to navigate such precarious living.”
“what do you think of Christ and what are you going to do about Him?”
“Tozer taught that Christ did not die on the cross just to save people from hell; rather, He died on the cross so that all could become one with Christ.”
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A.W. Tozer (1897 - 1963)
A "20th-century prophet" many called him during his lifetime. For 31 years A.W.Tozer was pastor of Southside Alliance Church in Chicago. He was involved in the missionary alliance movement for most of his pulpit life. A.W. Tozer lived in the presence of God he saw clearly and he spoke as a prophet to the church. He sought for God's honor with the zeal of Elijah and mourned with Jeremiah at the apostasy of God's people.Leonard Ravenhill was a close friend of pastor and writer A. W. Tozer and spoke of him as one of the most influential voices in the Church in America. A.W. Tozer's materials are a mainstay in Evangelical churches in our day and he is one of the most quoted authors. He was a prophet in his day and his writings are even more influential in our day. One of his books: The Pursuit of God, has had over 1 million copies sold world-wide.
Recommends these books by A.W. Tozer:
The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God by A.W. Tozer
Crucified Life: How To Live Out A Deeper Christian Experience by A.W. Tozer
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Aiden Wilson Tozer was born April 21, 1897 on a small farm in Western Pennsylvania, the third of six children. And although he would inspire millions with his preaching and writing, he was given very little education during his childhood.
A. W. Tozer was 66 when he died of a heart attack on May 12, 1963. Buried in a small cemetery in Akron, his tombstone simply and appropriately reads, "A Man of God." He left behind many books that continue to give Christians encouragement and guidance. His writings are as fresh today as when he was alive. His honest and colloquial humor has been known to sweep up congregations in gales of laughter. And his wisdom has left them silent and stunned. For almost 50 years Tozer walked with God, and even though he is gone, he continues to minister to those who are eager to experience God.
A 20th-century prophet" they called him even in his lifetime. For 31 years he was pastor of Southside Alliance Church in Chicago, where his reputation as a man of God was citywide. Concurrently he became editor of Alliance Life, a responsibility he fulfilled until his death in 1963.
His greatest legacy to the Christian world has been his 30 books. Because A.W. Tozer lived in the presence of God he saw clearly and he spoke as a prophet to the church. He sought for God's honor with the zeal of Elijah and mourned with Jeremiah at the apostasy of God's people.
But he was not a prophet of despair. His writings are messages of concern. They expose the weaknesses of the church and denounce compromise. They warn and exhort. But they are messages of hope as well, for God is always there, ever faithful to restore and to fulfill His Word to those who hear and obey.