Stop Waiting for Permission: Harness Your Gifts, Find Your Purpose, and Unleash Your Personal Genius

by Stephen Chandler

ECPA BESTSELLER • From the pastor of one of America’s fastest-growing churches, this bold, inspiring manifesto will show you how to dream, plan, and ultimately achieve your great calling in life.

“If you’re tired of hitting roadblocks and want to dig deep to achieve your God-given potential, today is the day.”—New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel, pastor of Life.Church

We each have a unique purpose in this life, one embedded within us by the Creator of the universe before time began.

Yet we rarely experience this greatness because the glory of God within us is still waiting to be uncovered. So we spend our lives running after the wrong goals. Eventually we burn out and stop believing that God has any bigger plans for us in light of our past failures and false starts.

However, Stephen Chandler believes God created everyone, including you, for greatness . . . and doesn’t want anything to get in the way of that destiny.

In Stop Waiting for Permission, you’ll discover the keys to unlock your unique calling and activate your innate, God-given strengths by

• identifying what’s holding you back
• discovering your unique genius
• maximizing your God-given greatness
• living in your purpose with perseverance

The time to act is now! Stop waiting for permission.

Genres: Faith, Nonfiction, Christian, Personal Development, Leadership

191 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 27, 2022

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chandler wants you to be great, finding fulfillment in using your unique gifting. “This book will show you how to prepare your life for the greatness God has planned for you.” (153/2224) That's a tall order but Chandler comes through with encouragement, good teaching and practical ideas.

I was taken aback at first. Greatness? But Chandler convinced me, “Shooting for average and seeking mediocrity is ungodly.” (213/2224) We were created for so much more than we often experience, a fulfilled life.

I was happy to see that Chandler includes practical teaching, not leaving us on our own to figure out how to do what he encourages. He reviews the wrong things that drive us, like fear. He helps us discover our genius. He is also realistic. He tells us this will take time. Self discipline is required. There will be pain. Nonetheless, we will find our purpose, the reason God has put us on this earth. I like that Chandler clarifies our ultimate priority. We are to please God by loving Him and making time for Him.

I recommend this book to Christians who want to know what God has for them. You'll get good teaching and some practical strategy to get you on your life long journey of serving God.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Ancillar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I did not know who Stephen Chandler was till I got this book and I absolutely loved that I received the book. In Stop Waiting for Permission Stephen urges us to tap into our main 'why' and live within our purpose. It's a great book if you are struggling to find your purpose and your WHY. It urges you to stop waiting for permission to be great. An inspiring, fast paced and incredible book.

[Keamber Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a sign in your life that the greatness inside of you is not a mistake if you're seeking guidance into how to take action and reassurance that the risk you're too afraid to take is worth it, READ THIS BOOK! Written for those who are unsure, who know they have a greater purpose in this world but can't quite put their finger on it, Chandler provides the foundation and stepping stones necessary for you to, at the very least, gain some wisdom on how to get started. Stop Waiting for Permission was exactly what I needed to quit my job and jump into entrepreneurship. Did this book provide me with a business blueprint? Heck no! But it did remind me to trust my gut, trust my instincts, and stop playing small. We are meant for greatness, to acquire abundance in a manner that is in alignment with God's word and will and we should not be afraid or ashamed to go after more. I hope you read and enjoy it just as much as I did.

P.S. Although Chandler is a Pastor and mentions Bible verses throughout the book, anyone from any religion, or lack thereof, can learn from, find value in, and enjoy this book. Definitely an eye-opener for EVERYBODY.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all I enjoyed this quick read. I actually listened to the audible version of the book and it served as a reminder that God is with me everywhere. In fact, as a result of listening to the book I’ve decided to always keep a Christian based self help book on rotation in my audible account. I heard somewhere that in order to be successful in Christianity, God’s voice, word and even inspired word MUST be constant in our lives. Thankful for a new practical way to be able to apply this tip.

Okay back to the book… so it wasn’t too deep. And it was easy to start stop and follow along with the frequency of driving to errands around town and work a few days a week. A lot it we already know and we’re just hearing how to walk in Christianity from another person’s perspective. Apart from wanting to listen to more Christian self help books there were also some deep truths that really resonated with me around topics like creating margin in all areas of my life and being consistent even when it sucks.

Worth the read and your own internal reflection.

[Sam Saxena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying I love Pastor Stephen. Destiny Church (it was called Destiny Harvest back then!) was the first church I ever attended, and though I wasn't one of the first 50 members, I do remember when Pastor Stephen was both the greeting team and the worship team along with the lead pastor.
But over the years I've noticed a little bit of a cultural shift in churches, and I'm not sure Union is keeping up. Too many times the book felt like a "tech bro podcast" with general guidelines but not specific details. Sometimes I felt like Pastor Stephen was telling me to pull myself up by my bootstraps without talking about external issues like privilege and systemic racism, even though there were opportunities to do so.
This book is a fairly quick read filled with some good advice and some great anecdotes, but overall, it just missed the mark for me.

[Kiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely ❤️ this book! The author aka Pastor does a great job of weaving in some Bible scriptures but not over doing it. He does it in a way to not only add context to his storylines but to also show the readers that the Bible is very relate-able no matter what era we’re in. This book actually makes me want to revisit some parts of the Bible to really grasp more concepts about everyday life. But to conclude…this is worth diving into at least twice a year. I’m truly inspired by this Pastor’s discipline and resiliency to follow through on his vision for his Church 💯 It has grown tremendously! His fears along the way and sacrifices that were made is definitely relate-able, especially for entrepreneurs!

[Sheila McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a book about purpose and help with what I am supposed to do with my life as I am at a crossroad. This book could not have come at a better time! Chock full of advice that is rooted in God's Word, Mr. Chandler has succeeded in helping those of us struggling with defining our purpose. While I am still not sure where I am heading, the principles have been and will continue to be instrumentally helpful. The author's writing style is conversational and very funny at times but thought-provoking. Would highly recommend!

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy from NetGalley (WaterBrook and Multnomah). All opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Ikechi Ukazu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for Stop Waiting for Permission

There are definitely some solid nuggets of wisdom in this book—especially in the middle and toward the end—but it takes a while to get there. A lot of the early sections are filled with jokes and attempts at being overly relatable that didn’t really land for me. Stephen Chandler is incredibly charismatic when preaching, but that energy didn’t quite translate to the page. It’s a decent read if you’re curious, but not something I’d come back to or consider life-changing. Great pastor, however.

[Nadine Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book just released - I wish I had this type of inspiration as a young person starting out. Pastor Stephen Chandler has written an amazing book that can lead us to our purpose in life and has wonderful steps to being an outstanding leader. Wish some of my past leaders would read this. Will definitely be giving a copy to all 3 of my sons.
#swfp

[Keabetswe Sithole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly the best book I have read so far in 2025, this book convicts you in such a way that it makes you uncomfortable with the bare minimum. Pastor Stephen makes us realise that God has in His love for us given us more and when we operate on less we are not doing any justice to the more He has poured into us. This is a must read 🙌🏽💓

[Jenn Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stop Waiting for Permission is absolutely amazing. It calls all of us to greatness. It lights a fire inside of you and deals very practically with obstacles between you and greatness and inspires you to want to work towards greater and not settle. I highly recommend this book!

[Jon Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the perspective of the leader of a large church, Chandler encourages the reader to lean in to what God has given them and work for the kingdom. I especially liked how he repeated his key ideas at the end of every chapter.

[Dr. Joy C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with a pen

Great book use it with the workbook! I found that I will go back and revisit a chapter or two because of some life changes. This is one to keep, write in and highlight.

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick read to help rejuvenate you if you have lost steam and to help you think about and guide future plans.

[Shareka(meka) Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it ! I highlighted the hack out of this book! great great points

[Ruztique Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read ✨ it gave me the push I need to move forward in this new season of life.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I like how he has a car analogy for social media and power to name a few. Even when he was griping while in school that every one around him seemed to be going places; God told him to quit worrying about everything cause God was taking care of it. I think that’s how we are sometimes; I know I’ve felt this way before as well. We look around and it seems every one else is getting their dream job, career, spouse or whatever and we seem to be stuck. But God is always leading us in the right direction; even if we don’t think anything is happening. Even if plan A doesn’t work out like we think it should, God has something better for us. Our positives can become negatives and our negatives become our positives.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snippet from my review: "At the end of each chapter, Chandler synthesizes what you just read into bite-size closing thoughts. I really appreciated these sections because sometimes I needed a refresher of what I'd just read (if the chapter was long or if I had to stop reading in the middle of a chapter and come back to it later). Also, I know that each chapter had a focus, judging by the chapter titles, however, I felt like some of the chapters were trying to cover two topics at once, and that was a little confusing for me."

Read the full review here: https://cookscrapcraft.blogspot.com/2...

[Kimilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read! Great points!