{"id":302953,"date":"2014-02-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/christ-in-you\/"},"modified":"2025-01-09T13:36:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T18:36:36","slug":"christ-in-you","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/christ-in-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Christ in You"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you walking in the power of the Holy Spirit?  Pastor Francis Chan talks about his life since becoming a Spirit-filled follower of Christ. He explains how his marriage, family, and day-to-day life have been enhanced because of his reliance on the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pastor Francis Chan talks about his life since becoming a Spirit-filled follower of Christ: his marriage, family, and day-to-day life have been enhanced because of his reliance on the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-02-27.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"27.63M","filesize_raw":"28975062","date_recorded":"2014-02-27 12:00:00","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822,2810,2866],"tags":[4252],"podcast_series":[7708],"cwp_profile":[8813],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302953","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","category-growing-spiritually","category-spiritual-disciplines-essentials-faith","tag-holy-spirit","podcast_series-forgotten-god","cwp_profile-francis-chan","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302953\/christ-in-you","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302953\/christ-in-you","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"0GInkkgvlW\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/christ-in-you\/\">Christ in You<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/christ-in-you\/embed\/#?secret=0GInkkgvlW\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Christ in You&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"0GInkkgvlW\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Pastor Francis Chan talks about his life since becoming a Spirit-filled follower of Christ: his marriage, family, and day-to-day life have been enhanced because of his reliance on the Holy Spirit.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-02-27.pdf","transcript_content":"<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Pastor and author Francis Chan says, \u201cIf your children are Christians\u2014if they really know Jesus and have the Holy Spirit living in them\u2014that changes everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>I\u2019m raising kids with a purpose. I\u2019m looking at my kids and I\u2019m saying: \u201cLook! This is what God has revealed to us through His Spirit\u2014through His Word.\u201d We\u2019re not just trying to keep our kids from doing bad things. We\u2019re teaching them: \u201cLook! You\u2019re on a mission. You\u2019re on a mission with us. We have a goal in mind, as a family. We\u2019re showing the world how good it is when we understand the grace of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, February 27<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine. Do your children have\u2014well, for that matter\u2014does your whole family have a Spirit-directed focus about life?\u2014why you\u2019re here and what is your purpose? We\u2019re going to talk about that today. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. You know, this is making me just a little nervous\u2014what we\u2019re talking about this week. You know\u2014I mean, seriously, you stop and think about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Is this your Presbyterian roots coming out?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>If you stop and thought: \u201cImagine tomorrow\u2014if everyone, who names the name of Christ, walked in the power of the Holy Spirit, and was living under the influence of the Spirit\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>There would be a spiritual revolution within 48 hours in America.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014it would get scary! I mean\u2014good scary not bad scary. I\u2019m talking good scary, but it still\u2014it blows my mind to think about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And mine, as well. Let me introduce our guest; and then, I have a tough question for Francis. Francis Chan joins us again here on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Francis\u2014welcome back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Thanks! It\u2019s good to be back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Francis is a pastor, a writer, a husband, a father\u2014does a lot of things\u2014but he\u2019s in love with Jesus Christ, making a great impact out on the west coast, and leading the next generation in terms of really reaching out to some young people. I\u2019m really thrilled to see your work. Here\u2019s my question for you, practically: \u201cIf the Holy Spirit walked out of your life today, how would your life be different tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Wow! That\u2019s a great question! For me, personally, I really believe I\u2019d be bored stiff. I would be\u2014here\u2019s the thing\u2014I thrive over supernatural things that happen every day. I love when I pray for something, and it\u2019s supernaturally answered.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I love when people\u2019s lives actually change, and they don\u2019t just nod their heads to my message or whatever else. That\u2019s all an act of the Holy Spirit. I believe all that power would be gone. I still believe I could do things and manipulate things, but it wouldn\u2019t be real fruit. That would bore me to death.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That\u2019s a great answer, but that\u2019s really not the one I was looking for. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Okay, let\u2019s try again!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>No, I\u2019m going to peel the onion a couple more layers. What would your relationship with Lisa look like if the Holy Spirit left your life today? What would your relationship with Lisa look like tomorrow?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>You know\u2014here\u2019s the thing\u2014Lisa and I\u2014we have a natural compatibility. We just get along. We really don\u2019t fight that much. So, to me, I don\u2019t believe that\u2019s a Holy Spirit-thing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, pagans can get along. Yes, right!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Exactly\u2014you know, you love the same things and everything else.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You never unleashed your anger on Lisa in the early years of your marriage?<\/p>\n<p><strong>4:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Very little\u2014I\u2019m being serious! Yes, I would in some ways\u2014I\u2019d use my sarcasm. You know, that\u2019s kind of the gift I\u2019ve been given. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Or a curse!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Yes, exactly\u2014and then said a lot of things that I regretted in those early days; but even then, it wasn\u2019t a lot. We\u2019re one of those weird, weird couples where we really didn\u2019t have a lot to fight about. I think a lot of it was because, early on, we established: \u201cWe\u2019re on a mission together.\u201d When you\u2019re on a mission together, that changes everything.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>I can imagine, though, if the Holy Spirit wasn\u2019t in control of my marriage, there\u2019d be a lot more <em>self<\/em> emerging. There\u2019d be a lot more flesh showing up. We would be finding ourselves moving pretty quickly toward isolation because what we\u2019d care about isn\u2019t God\u2014isn\u2019t one another\u2014we\u2019d care about us. It would all be lived out\u2014you talk about living it out in the flesh.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It wouldn\u2019t be about good performance, at that point. It would be about: \u201cThis is what I want,\u201d and, \u201cIf I don\u2019t get it, I\u2019m not going to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>You\u2019re right. You know that\u2019s true. I didn\u2019t think about that! See, when I first got married, I was already on a mission\u2014my wife and I\u2014because the Holy Spirit had taken control of my life to a degree\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And had given you conviction of that mission.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>\u2014and gave me an understanding that I\u2019m not here just to please myself. I am here to live for the glory of God\u2014I\u2019m after something!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, now, the mission\u2019s gone if the Holy Spirit\u2019s gone!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Exactly\u2014see\u2014we get along because we\u2019re after something together.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, what\u2019s your marriage going to look like if you have no mission?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Oh, it would be completely self-centered. It would be about: \u201cYou\u2019re not making me happy.\u201d It\u2019s kind of like\u2014okay, I\u2019m a basketball fan and a Lakers fan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, Bob is\u2014he\u2019s Spurs all the way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>I\u2019m sorry. You have to love the Lakers. We went through some years\u2014do you remember when Kobe and Shaq? Of course, you remember Kobe and Shaq.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Oh, the years that the Spurs were beaten! Yes, I remember! [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Here\u2019s why they were beating them. In LA, we\u2019re watching these two superstars\u2014arguably, the two greatest, at that time. You know Duncan\u2014yes, he\u2019s fine; but he\u2019s boring. Okay, but anyways\u2014arguably, the two best players; but they couldn\u2019t get along!<\/p>\n<p>Everyone\u2019s saying: \u201cGosh! Quit fighting. Quit arguing about whose team this is,\u201d because we\u2019re going\u2014it\u2019s not that we care about Kobe and Shaq: \u201cOh, I hope they become really good friends.\u201d We could care less. We just wanted to win a championship. You know, there was a bigger picture than their friendship.<\/p>\n<p>In the same way, when we look at our marriage, we go: \u201cThis is more than you and I getting along. We\u2019re after a championship! We\u2019re after something\u2014we\u2019re trying to impact this world for Jesus Christ!\u201d So, there\u2019s this mission in our marriage. If that wasn\u2019t there, then the selfishness would have taken over; and we probably would have strangled each other.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>You\u2019d be Kobe and she\u2019d be Shaq?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Exactly; no, you\u2019d better call me Shaq. Otherwise, she\u2019d say, \u201cWhat, do you think\u2014I\u2019m fat?\u201d [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>7:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Okay, enough Lakers illustrations. I want to peel the onion one layer further; and then, I want us to make the point here. How would your parenting be different with you, as a father, if the Holy Spirit left you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>I would go back to mission again. I\u2019m raising kids with a purpose. I\u2019m looking at my kids and I\u2019m saying: \u201cLook! This is what God has revealed to us through His Spirit\u2014through His Word. We\u2019re not on this earth to make you happy. We\u2019re raising you into this warrior.\u201d We\u2019re not just trying to keep our kids from doing bad things. We\u2019re teaching them: \u201cLook! You\u2019re on a mission. You\u2019re on a mission with us. We have a goal in mind, as a family. We\u2019re showing the world how good it is when we understand the grace of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, you take the Holy Spirit out of the equation in your parenting; and what do you default to then, at that point?<\/p>\n<p><strong>8:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Oh, then, now, I\u2019m suddenly\u2014all I\u2019m concerned about is: \u201cWill my kid like me? Will she make a lot of money? Will she do this? Will she do that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: \u201c<\/strong>Will he or she not mess up in public and embarrass me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Exactly! You\u2019re thinking about yourself again. We\u2019re not thinking about God and what <em>He<\/em> wants\u2014about: \u201cThy will be done!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>That\u2019s what I think\u2014you know, we\u2019ve been talking all week about the Holy Spirit and the ministry of the Spirit in our lives. I think, fundamentally, He takes our orientation, which is a self-centered orientation, and refocuses us\u2014corrects us, points us in a different direction, reminds us, convicts us\u2014and helps us see that we ought to be living for something beyond our own glory.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And He directs us and empowers us to do what the Scriptures command us to do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Amen!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That\u2019s why Christ said, in Acts 1:8, to His disciples\u2014He said, \u201cWait here until you receive the Holy Spirit because, when He has come upon you, you shall receive power.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>9:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you look at this generation of, really, believers\u2014the church is really not nearly as powerful, in this culture, as it ought to be. You break the church down to individual families\u2014families are not powerful.<\/p>\n<p>The reason I asked the question about: \u201cHow would your life be different? How would your marriage be different?\u201d and, \u201cHow would your parenting style be different?\u201d\u2014I wanted to illustrate, for our listeners: \u201cThe Holy Spirit\u2019s work is extremely theological but very practical. He came to comfort, to guide, to convict, to teach, and to direct. He came to lead us to Christ and to convict us of sin and our need for the Savior. He came to do far more than that. That\u2019s why His work in our lives\u2014in marriages today\u2014you call Him the forgotten God. He\u2019s also the forgotten God in Christian marriages today, as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>It\u2019s really sad\u2014it just is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I grieve because, when you read the Scriptures, you see that life should be so much better and so different for us. People are attracted when they see God\u2014not when they see talented people, or gifted people, or smart people. When they look at believers, they want to see God. They want to see something that\u2019s inexplicable\u2014something that had to be of Him.<\/p>\n<p>In your marriages\u2014in your lives\u2014are people seeing that? That\u2019s what I want. I want people to come over to my house. We had a couple boys over\u2014people who didn\u2019t believe in God. My daughter brought them home. I just remember going out and talking to these two boys. After spending the night with our family, they said: \u201cWow! You don\u2019t understand it. We\u2019ve never seen anything like this.\u201d I went to bed that night, going, \u201cThat is so cool.\u201d That\u2019s exactly what you want to hear\u2014that they see something supernatural. They see a family that loves the Lord. They envy it\u2014they want it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>11:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You know, I found it interesting, in your book,<em> Forgotten God<\/em>, that this whole idea and emphasis in your own life\u2014of going back to the Holy Spirit and His work in your life\u2014was prompted by an encounter, at the front door of your home, with two missionaries from a cult.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Yes, a couple of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses came to my door. They said: \u201cWhat do you think about us? Do you know who we are?\u201d I said: \u201cYes, I know who you are. I think what you\u2019re doing is awful, to be honest.\u201d I said it in love. I said, \u201cHere\u2019s the thing\u2014you\u2019re going around telling people that my Jesus, my Creator, is just another archangel.\u201d They said: \u201cWell, no, we don\u2019t think He\u2019s just another archangel. We think He\u2019s the only archangel\u2014the only chief prince.\u201d I said, \u201cTurn to Daniel, [Chapter] 10.\u201d In Daniel 10, it talks about Michael, who they believe is Jesus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Wait, all of the Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, now, are thinking: \u201cStay away from Francis Chan\u2019s house. He knows Daniel 10!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Yes, Daniel 10:13\u2014Michael, one of the chief princes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The guy read it. He said, \u201cI never noticed that.\u201d But, here\u2019s my point\u2014I go: \u201cI don\u2019t want to argue about this verse or that verse. That\u2019s great that I taught you something, but here\u2019s my point\u2014there\u2019s no way you can tell me\u2014you can look me in the eyes and say, \u2018You came before God one day, and you prayed, and said: \u201cGod, open up Your Word to me. Show me the truth by the power of Your Spirit.\u201d Then, you read through the Bible, you put it down, and you thought to yourself: \u201cI got it. Jesus is Michael the archangel.\u201d\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They go, \u201cNo, we\u2019ve never done that\u201d! I said: \u201cWell, try. Don\u2019t listen to me. Don\u2019t listen to your leader. Just go home and read the Word of God. What is the obvious conclusion?\u201d I say: \u201cJust try it. Try it. Try it.\u201d These guys leave, saying, \u201cOkay, we\u2019ll consider that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I left thinking, \u201cWow! I really showed them. They had no answer to this question or that question;\u201d but then, when I was done, I thought: \u201cWait a second! Am I being fair to them?\u201d In other words, did I ever do that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>13:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Did I ever sit down with the Bible and say, \u201cGod, tell me the truth about this book,\u201d or was I fed a theology from leaders in the church? Not that it\u2019s all wrong, but did I ever really study for myself?<\/p>\n<p>When it came to the issue of the Holy Spirit, I thought to myself: \u201cIf I were on an island and I just read the Bible over, and over, and over again, what would I come away with? I would come away, going: \u201cOkay God\u2014give me this Spirit You are talking about. Give me this!\u201d That\u2019s the way I would come away from that encounter and from that reading of the Word of God.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>It, ultimately\u2014not only caused you to write a book\u2014but it changed your life\u2014to look at the ministry of the Holy Spirit in fresh ways\u2014and how He works in your life and your ministry as God uses you; right?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>And I love it. I <em>love<\/em> everything that God\u2019s been teaching me about the Holy Spirit\u2014and everything I\u2019m experiencing with the Holy Spirit now\u2014just from studying the Word of God, and taking it literally, and saying: \u201cWow! These things ought to happen.\u201d It\u2019s this faith that God blesses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He says: \u201cWhen I return, I want to see if I find faith on that earth. Do you really believe that you are filled with the Holy Spirit of God? Do you really believe this is better than having Me walk on that earth with you? It is God\u2014it\u2019s Me coming into you! Do you believe that? Do you believe that power?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m looking at the church\u2014looking at people who attend churches, across the nation\u2014and I don\u2019t think they really believe that they have this supernatural power available to them. They\u2019re living as defeated as people who don\u2019t know Him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>As you\u2019re describing that, I\u2019m thinking: \u201cOkay; a lot of us\u2014me included\u2014we may tend to live our lives on what I\u2019d call spiritual auto-pilot.\u201d You know? \u201cWe\u2019re kind of there. We have a relationship with Jesus, but we\u2019re going through the day without a whole lot of high expectation of what God might be up to on a particular day.\u201d I thought, \u201cWhy would I be like that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>15:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well, one reason I might be like that is because, if I have high expectation and nothing happens today, then, I\u2019m going to walk away, going: \u201cWell, I don\u2019t want to be disappointed again tomorrow. I need to lower my expectations.\u201d Now, I just have to ask you\u2014here you are\u2014you\u2019ve written this book. So, every day, you\u2019re going : \u201cI want to be where the Spirit\u2014I want to see God do great things.\u201d You have normal days where nothing really huge happen; don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>I do. I do; but, you know, now, I am surprised when nothing happens. It used to be once a year where I\u2019d think: \u201cWow! I think God moved.\u201d Now, I pray; and I am so surprised if God doesn\u2019t answer my prayer right away\u2014if He doesn\u2019t, supernaturally, do something that day\u2014that moment. I know because God has answered so many times in a way where it\u2019s undeniably Him. I\u2019m at a point in my life where I think, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t even require faith.\u201d I\u2019ve seen so much that it doesn\u2019t feel like faith when I pray anymore.<\/p>\n<p><strong>16:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s proven Himself over, and over, and over. So, when He doesn\u2019t answer something now, I don\u2019t question, \u201cWell, maybe, He didn\u2019t hear me the first time,\u201d or whatever else. I know that He\u2019s listening. There just must be something else going on. His ways are higher than my ways\u2014He understands the big picture. There\u2019s something I don\u2019t get, but He asks me to keep praying. So, I do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>I still come back to this whole issue of expectations because I think it\u2019s big for all of us. I think some of us are afraid to ask God to do things through us\u2014to ask the Holy Spirit to work in us\u2014because we\u2019re afraid that life\u2019s going to be normal and we\u2019re going to get to the end\u2014and it\u2019s going to\u2014we want to keep our faith more manageable so it\u2019s easier to get our arms around.<\/p>\n<p>You talk about reading the Bible. I don\u2019t see a whole lot manageable as I read the Gospels, as I read the book of Acts, as I read God moving among His people. There\u2019s a lot going on there that was out of control.<\/p>\n<p><strong>17:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>We fear praying specifically because: \u201cWhat if God doesn\u2019t answer that?\u201d Then, we almost feel that\u2019ll shake our faith or make us question God. Yet, for me, I\u2019m saying, \u201cWhen you do pray like that, you\u2019ll see answers so often that the times, when God has something else in mind, you\u2019ll know.\u201d It\u2019s not because He\u2019s not listening or that He\u2019s not real. You\u2019ve seen it\u2014you\u2019ve seen Him way too much\u2014way too much evidence\u2014but sometimes, we almost want to protect God: \u201cOkay, let me not ask for that because I don\u2019t want Him to look bad just in case He can\u2019t do it or doesn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>I\u2019m thinking of friends I have who are in a marriage that really, externally, looks pretty hopeless. I\u2019m thinking about\u2014how have I been praying for them? You know, there\u2019s really been, in the back of my mind, \u201cI wonder if this marriage can survive.\u201d Now, can God show up and do a transformation? You\u2019ve seen it happen. I\u2019ve seen it happen. Does it always happen?<\/p>\n<p><strong>18:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t always happen, but I should not be hedging my prayers to give God some wiggle room in case that\u2019s not going to happen with them. I need to be going to God and saying, \u201cGod, I want to see you work here;\u201d right?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Oh yes, there\u2019ve been times when I did not have the faith that God would restore a marriage. I remember this one gal\u2014this couple that I was counseling. It got so bad. He was with another woman, and her and her kids were living with us. Then, he broke up with the other woman; but he looked at his wife and said: \u201cDon\u2019t get excited. I have another one. I have a new girlfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was the week the divorce\u2014the week the divorce was going to be final. She comes in my office; and she says, \u201cFrancis, I know this sounds crazy; but I still believe. I do.\u201d She asked, \u201cIs that wrong?\u201d In my head, I\u2019m thinking, \u201cOh, poor girl.\u201d I almost wanted to discourage her faith; but I said, \u201c\u201dNo, it\u2019s not crazy. It\u2019s not crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>19:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sure enough\u2014that week, he grabs her\u2014the two kids\u2014sits them down and says: \u201cListen, Daddy really messed up. This will never happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been about four or five years now. They are a great, great family\u2014doing huge ministry\u2014in love with the Lord. But, I didn\u2019t have faith, at that moment. I didn\u2019t, to be honest; but she did. And it happened. It was another one of those times where I thought: \u201cWow, God! I really thought it was impossible. I am so sorry I doubted You! Praise God\u2014she didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>If a listener is in a circumstance, listening to us right now and saying, \u201cThat\u2019s me!\u201d\u2014maybe with a child, maybe with a spouse, another relationship, lost job, or illness. Find somebody who can pray in faith over you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis: <\/strong>Amen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We\u2019ve been talking about the Holy Spirit here. We\u2019re not talking about some ethereal, mystical entity. We\u2019re talking about a very real person\u2014who\u2019s the third member of the Trinity\u2014who raised Christ from the dead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He defeated death. He didn\u2019t come just to live in the heavenlies. He was sent, by Christ, to indwell those who have surrendered their lives to Him.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re listening, and you\u2019ve not experienced the Holy Spirit like we\u2019re talking about here today, this is not just for some radio guys and a pastor, here in a studio. This is for husbands, wives, moms, dads, grandparents, and single people who are listening\u2014who are facing all kinds of issues\u2014who need God to show up, and who need to be walking a life of faith, right now.<\/p>\n<p>My encouragement to you is\u2014don\u2019t let the sun go down or don\u2019t go to sleep before you settle the issue of surrender to Jesus Christ in your life. Let Him\u2014through His Holy Spirit\u2014fill you, empower you, control you\u2014and be able to work in and through you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>21:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>That could be for someone who has never cried out to God before; or it could be for somebody who has had a relationship with God but it has, over time, gotten dry, or stale, or hopeless.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes, you may have <em>played church<\/em> along the way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. This is where I think\u2014what you\u2019re talking about surrender and understanding what the empowering and the filling of the Holy Spirit in our life is supposed to look like and be like\u2014it\u2019s so important in the life of a Christian. It\u2019s where a book, like the one Francis has written, can help bring clarity to what is sometimes a confusing or clouded area.<\/p>\n<p>Let me encourage listeners\u2014go to FamilyLifeToday.com. The book is called <em>Forgotten God<\/em>. Again, it\u2019s FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can request a copy when you call 1-800-FL-TODAY\u20141-800-358-6329\u2014again, call 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then, the word, \u201cTODAY\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>22:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You know, I\u2019m still reflecting on the Valentine\u2019s weekend when Dennis and I had the opportunity to speak together at the FamilyLife <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> marriage getaway in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and to meet a lot of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners. That same weekend, we had <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> getaways happening in Napa Valley, California, and one in Ashville, North Carolina. I think there were three or four other cities where there was a <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> going on that weekend.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s always encouraging to me\u2014first of all, to meet <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners and hear some of the stories that you guys share with us about how God uses this program\u2014and then, to see God at work\u2014see the Holy Spirit at work in the midst of those weekend getaways.<\/p>\n<p>I mention all of that because our events, our website, our radio program, and the resources we create\u2014all of that is underwritten by folks, like you, who help support this ministry financially.<\/p>\n<p><strong>23:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In fact, more than 60 percent of the cost of operating <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> each year is covered by folks sending in donations.<\/p>\n<p>We are grateful for those of you who do that monthly, as Legacy Partners. We\u2019re also grateful for those of you who, from time to time, will get in touch with us and say: \u201cI just wanted to make a contribution because God has been using <em>FamilyLife Today\u2026<\/em>\u201d or, \u201c\u2026one of your events\u2026\u201d or, \u201c\u2026a resource\u2026\u201d\u2014or something\u2014\u201c\u2026in our life. We just want to say, \u2018Thank you.\u2019 So, here\u2019s a donation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you can help with a donation today, go to FamilyLifeToday.com and click the button that says, \u201cI CARE\u201d. When you make an online donation, we\u2019ll send you, as a thank-you gift, a couple of CDs that feature a conversation we had with Mark and Grace Driscoll about some of the challenges they faced, early in their marriage. We talk about what a real marriage is supposed to look like. You can also request the CDs when you make a donation over the phone. Our toll-free number is 1-800-FL-TODAY. And you can mail a donation to FamilyLife Today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our mailing address is PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; and the zip code is 72223.<\/p>\n<p>And we hope you can join us back again tomorrow. Francis Chan is going to be here again. We\u2019re going to talk about what it means to test the spirits and how you do that. We\u2019ll talk about that as we continue our conversation about the Holy Spirit tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.<\/p>\n<p>Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?<\/p>\n<p>Copyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2014 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n","theme_header_position":"Sticky","post_header_is_sticky":"default","is_header_overlay":"0"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/302953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302953"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=302953"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=302953"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=302953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}