{"id":304462,"date":"2017-04-13T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-13T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/trusting-a-big-god\/"},"modified":"2017-04-13T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-04-13T15:00:00","slug":"trusting-a-big-god","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/trusting-a-big-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Trusting a Big God"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>guest: Susan Yates | Series: Risky Faith | Are you trusting God with life&#8217;s details? Emotionally and physically depleted author Susan Yates whispered &#8220;Help me, Lord,&#8221; and was surprised by the words God spoke to her heart. Her solution, she realized, wasn&#8217;t to struggle to trust more, but to get to know how big God was. That day rerouted her faith and sent her on a quest to get to know God&#8217;s heart better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emotionally and physically depleted author Susan Yates whispered &#8220;Help me, Lord,&#8221; and was surprised by the words God spoke to her heart. Her solution, she realized, was to get to know how big God was.<\/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_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-04-13.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"25.82M","filesize_raw":"27069635","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[5060,4681],"podcast_series":[8202],"cwp_profile":[3057],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304462","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-growing-in-your-faith","tag-trusting-god","podcast_series-risky-faith","cwp_profile-susan-yates","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\/304462\/trusting-a-big-god","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304462\/trusting-a-big-god","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=\"Pfb6lCtDVC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/trusting-a-big-god\/\">Trusting a Big God<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/trusting-a-big-god\/embed\/#?secret=Pfb6lCtDVC\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Trusting a Big God&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"Pfb6lCtDVC\" 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":"Emotionally and physically depleted author Susan Yates whispered \"Help me, Lord,\" and was surprised by the words God spoke to her heart. Her solution, she realized, was to get to know how big God was.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-04-13.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We all experience trials in our lives; right? The question is: \u201cWhich is bigger\u2014the trial we\u2019re experiencing or the God we believe in?\u201d Here\u2019s Susan Yates.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>It may be a rebellious teenager, it may be a toddler who is so strong-willed we could just <em>die<\/em>, it may be a marriage on the rocks, or it may be financial pressure. Everyone has one, two, three top prayer concerns or issues. How do we get to the place where we see God\u2019s umbrella over those issues and we begin to trust Him a little bit more with our issues?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, April 13<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. How can your faith grow to the point that you begin to believe that God is bigger than the trials you face? We\u2019ll talk about that today with Susan Yates. Stay with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. Our guest today is someone we\u2019ve known for awhile\u2014a number of years. I don\u2019t know that, if you had asked me to describe her, I don\u2019t know that \u201crisky\u201d is a word I would have come up with.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, I might say that. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Do you think you\u2019ve thought of her as risky? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I think so.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Okay. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Susan Yates joins us on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Susan, welcome back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>Oh, it\u2019s great to be with you guys.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>She\u2019s a veteran, here at FamilyLife.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>She is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>She and her husband John speak at the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> marriage getaways and live in the Washington, DC, area. She has been married to John since 1969, which means Susan is a spry, spunky wife of 46 years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And a grandmother to how many?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>Twenty-one.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Twenty-one.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014including quadruplets. Now, that\u2019s the way to get them!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>That is. We ran the numbers out.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Four in a package\u2014get all four at once. They\u2019re how old now\u2014six?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>Six.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes; you have not overtaken the Raineys, though.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>No; I don\u2019t think we ever will. It\u2019s not a competition.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes; alright.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes; it really isn\u2019t.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe has written 13 books, and the latest is called <em>Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God Who Is Bigger than Your World.<\/em> Susan, you begin your book with a plane ride\u2014and I was right there with you\u2014I\u2019ve been on some of these international flights, where you have the middle seat. You were kind of imploding at the end of a long series of speaking engagements you and John had, internationally.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>I sure was imploding\u2014I was exhausted \/ I was in the middle of one of those long aisles. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe had been in Africa for two weeks, speaking and meeting with people. I was emotionally, physically, spiritually depleted on every level. I remember, Dennis, sitting in the middle seat; and as I sat there in my exhaustion, I began to think about one of my adult children\u2014they were all out of the nest, either in college or post-college. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs I thought about this particular child, I began to get really anxious. I began to imagine a problem that I thought this child might have. The more I sat there in my exhaustion, the bigger the problem became. I got really scared\u2014I remember thinking, \u201cOkay; I\u2019ll just pull out my Bible and read, and maybe that\u2019ll help.\u201d I pulled out my Bible to read, and it didn\u2019t help a bit. Then I thought, \u201cWell, I\u2019ll just pray.\u201d As I began to pray for this child, my imagination went wild, as it often does when I\u2019m exhausted; and I became more anxious. Reading the Bible didn\u2019t help \/ praying didn\u2019t help. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFinally\u2014I remember I just physically slumped down in the seat, and I just prayed that prayer that God always answers\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014I simply said, \u201cHelp me, Lord.\u201d What came to my mind were two words, and the words were, \u201cRemember Me.\u201d What I realized in that moment was that my issue\u2014and my trying to fix the issue, or to imagine it away, or to pray it away\u2014the issue had grown bigger in my head than my God. God had been working in my life for a period of time in this area, but that was one of those \u201cAha!\u201d moments in which I realized that my struggle to trust Christ\u2014grit my teeth \/ trust God with different issues\u2014was not the solution. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe solution was to get to know how <em>big<\/em> God was. As I got to know how <em>big<\/em> He was, then my issues would diminish. Our issues don\u2019t go away, because we\u2019re fallen people in a fallen world; but our issues need to settle back into perspective. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat really began for me the journey of asking the question, \u201cHow big is God?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And really, if you go back to the essence of what the Bible\u2019s all about, it\u2019s one big question: \u201cWill you trust God\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>It is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cwith what you\u2019re facing?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>It is. But it\u2019s hard to trust someone you don\u2019t know as well as you think you know. I remember when I first met John, my husband. He came recommended\u2014he was just a best friend\u2014but I had checked him out. The only way I knew him was by what other people said about him. In the beginning, I didn\u2019t know what he was really like. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, our relationship with God and Jesus is a lot like our relationship with someone else. It took awhile for me to see him [John] in other situations, for me to see how he interacted with other people, to <em>really<\/em> get to know his heart; and <em>then<\/em>, I was able to trust him. This book is really about: \u201cHow can I go to a deeper level in getting to know the heart of God so that, therefore, I can trust Him with my issues?\u201d\u2014whatever my issue is of the moment\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014it may be a rebellious teenager; it may be a toddler who is so strong-willed we could just <em>die<\/em>; it may be a marriage on the rocks; it may be a job transition; it may be financial pressure. Everyone has one, two, three top prayer concerns or issues. How do we get to the place where we see God\u2019s umbrella over those issues and we begin to trust Him a little bit more with our issues?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>As you\u2019re describing that, what came to mind was the statement that Job made at the end of Job 42, when he said about God, \u201cI had heard of You by the hearing of my ear, but now my eyes see You.\u201d We are on a progressive path of understanding more and more about who God is. We\u2019ll never have full understanding\u2014we see through a mirror dimly, the Bible says \/ one day, face to face. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut in that progressive understanding of who God is, we learn those things as we walk through the risky paths of our lives and we see that God is faithful in the midst of them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>That\u2019s so true. One of the things that I have found, that I talk about in the book, that\u2019s been helpful to me is to consider the difference between natural growth and spiritual growth. I call it an unusual juxtaposition. They\u2019re not enemies\u2014they\u2019re both important\u2014but they\u2019re just two different ways we grow. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor example, natural growth\u2014as parents, we want to teach our children to be independent\u2014to tie their own shoes \/ to make their own lunches. As they hit the teen years\u2014to make their own doctor\u2019s appointment \/ to keep commitments in order that, when they leave home, they have <em>confidence<\/em> in their independence. That is a <em>good<\/em> thing\u2014being independent is a natural growth that\u2019s <em>crucial<\/em> for our children to be successful adults. Spiritual growth, on the other hand, involves becoming <em>more<\/em> dependent. I think there are two words that God loves to hear us say more than any other\u2014and it\u2019s, \u201c<em>I can\u2019t<\/em>.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat happens\u2014what messes us up so often is\u2014we apply the rules of natural growth to our spiritual maturity, and we get really frustrated. I remember saying to a friend of mine, \u201cI <em>should<\/em> be able to trust God with this situation.\u201d She got in my face\u2014she was a very close friend\u2014and she said, \u201cSusan, who are you to think that you should be able to trust God?\u201d Whoa!\u2014with that, she leveled me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe older I\u2019ve gotten, the more I have realized that spiritual growth is <em>so much<\/em> about dependence\u2014dependence, dependence, dependence\u2014whereas natural growth is about becoming <em>independent<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Why this subject for you at this point in your life? Why are you tackling a subject like risky faith?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>Risky faith\u2014that\u2019s a great question. The reason is because I have seen\u2014now that I have been a single woman; a newlywed; a parent of five, tiny children; an empty-nester; and now a grandmother\u2014I have seen that this is a universal struggle that we all have.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe want to trust God more, and it\u2019s just hard; because we <em>don\u2019t<\/em> really get a picture of how <em>big<\/em> He is. I would have to say\u2014though most of my other books have been on parenting, this is really my life\u2019s work that applies to you no matter what your gender is or what your season of life is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Barbara and I are entering into one of those seasons, and we\u2019ve found ourselves having some conversations on our weekends, when obviously we\u2019re both, for the most part, off from work. We\u2019re sitting in our living room, reading our Bibles and talking about what we\u2019re learning and interacting. She read something about the need for faith and the need for looking at circumstances through the eyes of a mature believer, who is trusting God, moving through it victoriously. I turned to her and I said, \u201cYou know, I would really have expected, at this point in my life, that I would have been more mature than I am.\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I am <em>amazed<\/em>, Susan. After having walked with Christ now for over 50 years\u2014and again, not perfectly, but attempting to embrace God and handle life as He brings it my way and deal with it in faith\u2014I just would have expected I\u2019d be doing a better job than this. Do you find the same thing true as well?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>Oh, absolutely! I think that, again, is where natural growth influences spiritual growth; because we think: \u201cOkay; God. I should have learned that. I should have conquered that\u2014I can check that off, and You teach me something new.\u201d But the reality is\u2014at every season, we\u2019re learning the same things over and over again\u2014it\u2019s just in a different way. It\u2019s <em>hard<\/em>, because we\u2019re <em>ashamed<\/em> \/ we feel <em>badly<\/em>. We feel like: \u201cI should <em>know<\/em> this. I should <em>know<\/em> this.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You are both, though, farther along on your spiritual journey than you were 20 years ago.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I mean, if you look back\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I hope. I hope. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd I just told Barbara that morning, when I said that, \u201cI feel like sometimes I face some circumstances that are really piddly\u2014they\u2019re just\u2014there\u2019s nothing to them\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cand I blow it.\u201d I just feel like I\u2019m spiritually immature. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSusan, you write about this in your book. You talk about one of the real challenges to moving toward faith is when emotions collide with courage.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>That\u2019s true.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I really like the way you phrased that, because I think that\u2019s true. We are emotional beings. Our emotions sometimes don\u2019t want to move us toward faith\u2014we\u2019d rather worry about our child.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>We would. One of the things that I talk about in the book\u2014that I think is really helpful is\u2014and it\u2019s not a very popular topic\u2014but we have to deal with sin and with the enemy. There\u2019s a lot of misunderstanding about sin today, and there\u2019s a lot of misunderstanding about the enemy. Biblical teaching is clear that we are all sinners\u2014which is just, basically, we\u2019re self-centered\u2014and we do have an enemy, the devil.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the things that happens, when we consider Satan, is either we brush him off as just silly or we think too much of him. How does this play in, you ask, to the whole thing about risky faith? Well, it helps to recognize how Satan might attack us. This gets to your question about feelings. Satan condemns: \u201cOh, you are a <em>lousy<\/em> husband, Dennis. You really bombed as a father,\u201d or \u201cSusan, you really should have known better. You shouldn\u2019t have spoken that way. You\u2019ll <em>never<\/em> measure up to that other mother down the street. That other mother has it all together.\u201d That\u2019s <em>condemnation<\/em>; whereas, when it\u2019s coming from the Holy Spirit, it\u2019s specific <em>conviction<\/em>\u2014which, when it melts our heart, leads to repentance and forgiveness. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s helped me to ask the question: \u201cWhere is this feeling coming from? Is this condemnation or is it conviction?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOften, Satan speaks <em>generally<\/em>; whereas, the Holy Spirit convicts <em>specifically<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And if the Holy Spirit is doing specific convicting, where that leads us to, as you said, is to repentance.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>\u2014to repentance.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Condemnation leads us to shame.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>That\u2019s exactly right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So when we recognize that that shame and that place we\u2019ve gone to\u2014where we\u2019re just beating ourselves up\u2014is exactly where Satan wants to take us. When we remember that \u201cThere is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,\u201d we can say: \u201cOkay; I got on the wrong road. The thing to do is turn this around, get back on the right road, and thank the Lord for His grace\u201d; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>That\u2019s so true. And you know, another thing that helps, too, is recognizing Satan when he tries to enter into your home. I remember, one particular evening, when John and I were just sitting on the couch after a long day. We were just having a normal conversation about our days. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAll of a sudden, it was as if a dark cloud entered; and then, in about three minutes, we were after each other. I mean, we were saying things we shouldn\u2019t \/ we were being nasty. And then we looked at each other and we said, you know, \u201cWhat was that about?\u201d It was just helpful to <em>realize<\/em> that was just the enemy trying to come in and tear us apart. You know, like we say in FamilyLife: \u201cYour spouse is not your enemy.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>We have an enemy out there. Recognizing that we are vulnerable to the enemy really can protect your marriage; it can protect your family; and it can protect you from condemnation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>There are really three headwinds that we run into as we attempt to exercise the faith muscle. We\u2019ve talked about one, the devil. He does exist, and he wants to destroy faith. He does not want you to believe God for too much.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe wants you to move into unbelief\u2014that\u2019s his plan.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe other two headwinds are the world, and the second is the flesh. The world wants to convince you there is no God. It wants to give you a worldview that leaves Him out. Well, faith has to have an object. So, if you can be convinced there is no God, then how can you exhibit faith in that situation? So who God is\u2014going back to the premise of your book, Susan\u2014who God is and getting to know Him so you can trust Him is paramount in handling the headwind of the world.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe other is the flesh. The flesh just wants to handle it itself: \u201cI\u2019m good enough to take on this issue. I can fix this. I\u2019m self-sufficient.\u201d Yet, as you were sitting in that airplane that time, you prayed a very simple prayer: \u201cLord, help.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>\u201cHelp.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u201cI can\u2019t do it; help.\u201d There may be a listener, right now, who is facing all these headwinds and just needs to pray a simple prayer: \u201cLord, help. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cWould You help me in my unbelief? Help me move toward faith.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSusan, I know this to be true; because we\u2019ve been on an email stream, over the past few weeks here, around something very personal that has taken place in your family that has tested your faith to the core. Explain what\u2019s taking place with our listeners.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>We have quadruplets, as Dennis mentioned earlier. About ten days ago, one of the quads, Mac, who is six years old, just developed a stomach infection\u2014we thought\u2014but it rapidly degenerated into a serious illness, which culminated in needing a liver transplant. Five days ago, our little guy had a liver transplant. During this time, many friends have pulled together and prayed for us. He\u2019s doing as well as can be expected now. We have a long road ahead. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the things that helped me <em>so much<\/em>, Dennis, during this time, besides people praying for us, was being in God\u2019s Word. It\u2019s not just a vacuous God out there\u2014it is a God who is made known to us through His Word. Let me take it back, for a few minutes, because this is something that I\u2019ve had to cling to these past ten days. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSome time ago, I realized how easy it was for me to wake up in the morning, and even before I got out of bed, I was feeling discouraged about my day\u2014just a little blue as I thought about my list. There\u2019s a passage that says we need to be about the <em>renewing<\/em> of our minds, in Scripture. So I said to the Lord, much as I had said in asking Him to help me, \u201cI want You to give me one character trait each day to dwell on.\u201d I remember the first morning I did this, the thought that came to my mind was, \u201cHe\u2019s the God who rescues.\u201d He\u2019s the God who rescues. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI went downstairs and my phone rang. It was a friend in tears over a teenage son that she was having trouble with. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe said to me, \u201cSusan, I just feel like he needs to be <em>rescued<\/em>.\u201d I thought: \u201cOh, God! You are so good!\u201d I began this practice a number of years ago, and it has been a staying force in keeping my head on the Lord rather than my situation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tA few weeks ago, I began just meditating on the word, Emmanuel, \u201cGod with us.\u201d I asked myself the question, \u201cSusan, what do you most need from God?\u201d Now, we need forgiveness; we need peace; we need a sense of purpose\u2014there are many things we need. But what I think everyone, even a nonbeliever, needs most is not to feel alone. Emmanuel is God with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think God has been preparing my heart for the crisis we\u2019ve been through the past week-and-a-half\u2014as we were in the hospital, as we were up all night, as we\u2019re praying for the transplant team\u2014the word that came to me over and over again is Emmanuel: \u201cGod with us,\u201d \u201cGod with us,\u201d \u201cGod with us.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tJust a couple nights ago, I had the opportunity\u2014little Mac, our grandson with the liver, has an eight-year-old sister, as well as three brothers and sisters. She was fearful going to bed. I took her to Psalm 121, where it describes that our God is a watching-over-you God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps. We pulled that phrase out: \u201cOkay, Grey; He\u2019s a watching-over-you God. He\u2019s a watching-over-you God.\u201d I actually wrote the whole thing out on a pillowcase for her from Psalm 121 so that she could sleep, in sort of a sense, on the Word of God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the ways that our faith <em>grows<\/em> is by focusing more on who God is rather than who we are or are not. That\u2019s what I talk about in the book\u2014little things like this that can help us get a bigger picture of how big <em>He<\/em> is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>There may be a listener who needs to hear <em>all<\/em> of Psalm 121.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Let me just read it to you: \u201cI lift up my eyes to the hills; from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand; the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and forevermore.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, the question to the listener is: \u201cWill you trust Him?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Susan: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u201cWill you take Him at His Word?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI can tell you\u2014because I\u2019ve occasionally done this\u2014He can. He is trustworthy\u2014He will not disappoint you. He may not give you what you <em>want<\/em>, but He will give you what you need.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And it\u2019s good to be reminded of who it is we\u2019re talking about, just who He is. Susan, that\u2019s what you do in the book that you\u2019ve written called <em>Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God Who Is Bigger than Your World<\/em>. You remind us of who God is; and in reminding us, it\u2019s easier to trust Him. We have copies of Susan\u2019s book in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. Go online if you\u2019d like to order a copy\u2014our website is FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call to order. Our number is 1-800-FL-TODAY. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, again, the website is FamilyLifeToday.com; or call 1-800-358-6329, which is 1-800- \u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, as we head into this season of year where our focus is on the death and resurrection of Jesus, I\u2019m reminded of the fact that, when our relationships are not what they ought to be\u2014whether it\u2019s with a spouse, with our children, with extended family members \/ whomever it\u2019s with\u2014we can often trace that fracture back to a problem in our relationship with God. In order to have our human relationships functioning as they are intended to function, we need to have our relationship with God functioning as He designed it to function. The way for that to happen is for us to believe that Jesus is who He says He is and, in response to that, to surrender our lives to His lordship.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s what we\u2019re all about here, at FamilyLife. I know that those of you who partner with us in this ministry, either as monthly Legacy Partners or those of you who donate, from time to time, to support <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, you share that conviction that the spiritual foundation of our lives is most important. We just want to say: \u201cThank you for your partnership, those of you who do contribute. Every time you make a contribution, you\u2019re making it possible for messages like the one you\u2019ve heard today to be heard by more people all around the globe, whether it\u2019s through radio, through our mobile apps, through our streaming, our podcasting, our events, our website, our resources. You make all of that possible through your donations.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWould you consider making a financial contribution to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>? You can do that, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate. Or you can mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; our zip code is 72223. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we\u2019re going to talk more about the times when God calls us to be risky with our faith; and oftentimes, that can be in the context of relationships. Sometimes, it\u2019s risky to forgive someone who has offended you. We\u2019ll talk more about tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with 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>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t______________________________________________________________________________\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe 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\"><u>donating today<\/u><\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2017 FamilyLife. 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