I have read a few books by Wilson and continue to be encouraged and challenged by his writings. This book is no exception. The title captured my attention because I always wondered, as an ordinary person what am I missing. My life does not feel supernatural. Thankfully Wilson starts by reminding us that supernatural living is not lightning and fireworks. In fact, most supernatural living takes place in ordinary days and times. He says we spend all of our time wondering when something big is going to happen when in fact (if we are a Christian) the biggest thing to happen to us already did. To be greedy for more suggest that what already happened was insufficient. Craving more and more extravagant evidences of the Spirit is an easy way to demonstrate our lack of satisfaction with the gospel of Jesus. (p 14) I needed to hear this and I would venture to say most of us do.
I should state now that this is not a critique of other streams of Christianity, an attempt to restrict the work of the Spirit or anything like that. This book gives a healthy biblical overview of how the Spirit works in the believer today. In so doing it confronts the excess as well as those who minimize the Spirits works.

Wilson works thru various areas where the Supernatural work of the Spirit is evident. In the chapter on prayer we are reminded that the power of prayer is not inherent in our words or how much we name and claim as if the power of prayer was in our control. Instead prayer is powered by the Spirit who intercedes for us and brings our prayer to the Father. For those of us who struggle Wilson outlines a few ways to prime our pump with written prayers, prayer journaling, praying Scripture etc.

Again, the power of prayer is not in us but in the one prayed to.

One chapter that really struck me was were Wilson time spent addressing where we spend our resources. An entire chapter is spent on the Blessing of Going Without. He says how can we say with integrity we want the Spirits filling when we keep going to the well of culture and worldliness. This is not a chapter on monasticism or asceticism. He does an excellent job of relating fasting to Spiritual power. He states that our need to fast from something does not mean that thing is sinful, but we are sinful. Things like food and sex are not evil but how we use and abuse them are. When we are filled with the joy of communion with God, we can say no thanks to other things.

He also says that the devil will use pain as a last resort. He knows that in pain we are more likely to call out to God so if he can sedate us with material blessings, drunk on worldly consumption he will name it and claim it for us. Our spiritual warfare happens more while watching TV, washing our car or enjoying a comfortable bed before church. That is our temptation.

The next chapter, Breaking Free from the Drama, reminds us that another area of supernatural work is in our relationships. Wilson says “when the Holy Spirit take up residence in our heart, he immediately begins renovating the place. It doesn’t matter where you placed the furniture before; he’s going to rearrange it into a home more suitable for himself.” (p123)
This does not mean we are free to start cutting out people who don’t meet our needs or live up to our expectations. In fact, he goes on to remind us that now that we belong to the King and have access to the throne it changes how we respond to relational wounds and slights. We will stop looking at people as existing to meet our needs because Christ has already meet all our needs. Now we can demonstrate the Christ and His spirit is at work in us in how we serve others.

I could go on because there is so mush good stuff in this book. In the end we are shown that through the Spirit we have all the fruits, all the gifts necessary to live a supernatural life. These are not given so we can be super-Christians but so we can participate in the magnification of Jesus (p182)

So Christian, there is nothing ordinary about you. You are created in the image of God, redeemed by the King and baptized by His Spirit into His body. Wilson concludes with helping us see that because of the Spirit we have; the Gospel, Belief, open eyes, indwelling Spirit, love poured into our hearts, assurance empowered prayer, unction, a revived church, the law written on your heart, good works to do, hope, just to name a few.

I loved this book because not only does Wilson unpack the work of the Spirit, he helps us see how this works in very practical ways. And with a pastor’s tone he helps us realize this is a lifelong work, and we will get there.