From: Forgotten God Before we delve further into this conversation about the Spirit, I believe some other fears need to be identified and dealt with.  One concern I’ve often heard (and felt) is, what if I pray for the Holy Spirit and nothing happens?  What if I ask for more of the Spirit’s fruit in my life and don’t see any apparent “results”?  It’s scary to pray boldly for change or freedom from sin, because if nothing happens, then doesn’t that mean God failed?  Doesn’t that mean his Spirit isn’t all we’ve been told he is? I think the fear of God failing us leads us to “cover for God.”  This means we ask for less, expect less, and are satisfied with less because we are afraid to ask for or expect more.  We [...]

From: Forgotten God The Lord challenges us to suffer persecutions and to confess him.  He wants those who belong to him to be brave and fearless.  He himself shows how weakness of the flesh is overcome by courage of the Spirit.  This is the testimony of the apostles and in particular of the representative, administrating Spirit.  A Christian is fearless. (Tertullian) Fear of rejection has paralyzed me more than once.  God has answered my prayers for greater boldness, but I would be dishonest if I did not admit there are still times when I worry about how others view me.  Even as I write this book, I wonder how friends will respond and how I will be labeled or even misunderstood. Maybe caring too much about what other people think is [...]

From: Forgotten God My hunch is that most of you reading this book have basic knowledge about the Holy Spirit; but when it comes to experiencing the Spirit in your life, it’s a different story.  Take a moment and ask yourself this question: When was the last time I undeniably saw the Spirit at work in or around me?  If it was recently, consider taking a few minutes to reflect on what the Spirit of God did and how you saw him at work.  Thank God for his active presence in your life, and praise him for the way he is leading you even now. If you are having trouble recounting a time when the Spirit was at work in or around you, perhaps that is because you have been ignoring the Spirit.  Perhaps it is because you have a lot of head [...]

From: Forgotten God I think the worst part is when you get outside the church’s walls and interact with believers and nonbelievers in the same sphere.  Can you really tell a difference?  If you didn’t recognize their faces from church, would you know from their actions and lifestyle that they were followers of Jesus?  Honestly, sometimes I am embarrassed by some of my “Christian” neighbors because my unbelieving neighbors seem more joyful, welcoming, and at peace.  Why does this happen?  And how is it even possible? Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.”  According to this verse, if I am a believer, the Spirit of God dwells in me.  Paul [...]

From: Forgotten God We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low.  We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone.  We have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost. (A. W. Tozer) I am convinced there is a desperate need in the church for the Holy Spirit of God to be given room to have his way.  I think we can agree that there is a problem in our churches, that something is wrong.  But I don’t think we can reach an agreement on what to do about it.  Most people do not connect what [...]

From: Forgotten God You might think that calling the Holy Spirit the “forgotten God” is a bit extreme.  Maybe you agree that the church has focused too much attention elsewhere but feel it is an exaggeration to say we have forgotten about the Spirit.  I don’t think so. From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten.  While no evangelical would deny his existence, I’m willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced his presence or action in their lives over the past year.  And many of them do not believe they can. The benchmark of success in church services has become more about attendance than the movement [...]