Forgotten God

Powerful.

When is the last time that someone used that word to describe you?

It doesn’t make sense that Almighty God would have children characterized by fear and insecurity. He put His Spirit in us so we could be known for our power. (Acts 188, 2 Tim. 1:7) Sadly, most believers and churches are known for talent or intellect rather than supernatural power. What’s worse is that we’re ok with it.

Could it be that we’ve forgotten the One who distinguishes us from every religion and cult in the world?
~ from the back of the book, Forgotten God by Francis Chan

I was very excited to read this book, mostly because Chan’s other book, Crazy Love is one of my all time favorite books. And, I was even more excited when a friend had a copy that she sent to me to read!! 🙂

So, it goes without saying that I had high expectations for this book!

As I started reading this book, I had a hard time getting in to it and was a bit disappointed. However, Chan’s writing style is easy for me to read…and I really wanted to make it through the book, so I kept reading.

And I’m glad I did! In my opinion, the 2nd half of the book is much better than the first! The book is about how we as Christians, and as the church, have neglected the Holy Spirit. I wasn’t sure what to think about this, because honestly, I don’t think very much about the Holy Spirit! I guess this is why Chan wrote this book!

But Chan showed me how much I am truly missing out on by not acknowledging and being aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life. Chan describes how (with Scripture references) the Holy Spirit is at work around us, he shares how we might be tuning Him out of with busy lives, and he also shares examples of other Christians who are living (or have lived) the Spirit-filled life.

One thing I like about Chan is that he acknowledges that there is no black/white or clear-cut “formula” for figuring out the Holy Spirit. How He looks in my life is going to be different from how He looks in your life…we each have different spiritual gifts and it just isn’t going to always look the same. We can’t compare ourselves to others!! We must spend time in a real relationship with the Lord…seeking Him, time in prayer, time in His Word, and time listening for the Spirit at work in us.