Craig Groeschel

And it's a little bit like with Amy, you know, we were madly in love. We didn't have a fight for three years when we were married until we had our first kid, and then we made up for lost time because I was dumb. But then now we're 33, almost 34 years into it, and...

the like the new um goosebumps thing isn't there all the time but the depth of intimacy is a thousand times what it was before like legitimately anyone who says a godly marriage isn't possible um talk to amy well it is it is very very possible and the same is true with god that i think and it's just a theory and there's doesn't say this in the word but i think god gives you a little extra when you're a new christian kind of like a baby needs a little more care

the like the new um goosebumps thing isn't there all the time but the depth of intimacy is a thousand times what it was before like legitimately anyone who says a godly marriage isn't possible um talk to amy well it is it is very very possible and the same is true with god that i think and it's just a theory and there's doesn't say this in the word but i think god gives you a little extra when you're a new christian kind of like a baby needs a little more care

You need to burp. Someone needs to change your diaper. You know, goo-goo-ga-ga. I think when you're a baby Christian, I think God gives you a little bit extra sometimes and just shows himself to you in other ways. And then after a while... Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Sometimes you have to pursue Him without feelings and just faith. Like, literally, faith pleases God.

You need to burp. Someone needs to change your diaper. You know, goo-goo-ga-ga. I think when you're a baby Christian, I think God gives you a little bit extra sometimes and just shows himself to you in other ways. And then after a while... Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Sometimes you have to pursue Him without feelings and just faith. Like, literally, faith pleases God.

And so, why don't I always feel the presence of God? Again, the Bible gives us some clues. Sometimes I think we're over-sensationalizing it. Jesus said, hey, everybody's looking for a sign. Everybody wants a feeling. And so— I don't want a sign. I want what the sign points to, and the sign points to Jesus. So we're not looking for a sign. We're actually looking for the sign pointing to Jesus.

And so, why don't I always feel the presence of God? Again, the Bible gives us some clues. Sometimes I think we're over-sensationalizing it. Jesus said, hey, everybody's looking for a sign. Everybody wants a feeling. And so— I don't want a sign. I want what the sign points to, and the sign points to Jesus. So we're not looking for a sign. We're actually looking for the sign pointing to Jesus.

So we want to keep our eye on Jesus. Another thing, too, would be this, that we know that sin does separate us from God, right? So if you were in Oklahoma a month ago and it was really, really cold, negative two degrees one day, If you put on a lot of clothes, the clothes will separate you from the cold. It won't feel as cold. You'll be separated.

So we want to keep our eye on Jesus. Another thing, too, would be this, that we know that sin does separate us from God, right? So if you were in Oklahoma a month ago and it was really, really cold, negative two degrees one day, If you put on a lot of clothes, the clothes will separate you from the cold. It won't feel as cold. You'll be separated.

If you sin a lot, ongoing sin, it doesn't mean like, you know, you did something wrong, so God doesn't love you. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying, you're cheating on your wife and you're not repenting. You're living in pornography and you don't care. You're doing drugs on the side and you're keeping it a secret. You're living in ongoing sin.

If you sin a lot, ongoing sin, it doesn't mean like, you know, you did something wrong, so God doesn't love you. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying, you're cheating on your wife and you're not repenting. You're living in pornography and you don't care. You're doing drugs on the side and you're keeping it a secret. You're living in ongoing sin.

That might block some of your intimacy with God.

That might block some of your intimacy with God.

If I am not being truthful to Amy or hiding something from her, I'm not going to be as intimate with her because sin separates. And so it could be that it's not that God has moved away, but you've put up some kind of a barrier. It could be that sometimes God just wants you to draw close.

If I am not being truthful to Amy or hiding something from her, I'm not going to be as intimate with her because sin separates. And so it could be that it's not that God has moved away, but you've put up some kind of a barrier. It could be that sometimes God just wants you to draw close.

Maybe he's not, you know, I don't feel him because he wants me to draw closer to him and spend more time with him and be intimate. And so what I do want to do is I want to enjoy the presence of God in this very, very real. And I think, I mean, you can, I think there are people in this room that are working behind the scenes that would say, I feel the presence of God in this place right now.

Maybe he's not, you know, I don't feel him because he wants me to draw closer to him and spend more time with him and be intimate. And so what I do want to do is I want to enjoy the presence of God in this very, very real. And I think, I mean, you can, I think there are people in this room that are working behind the scenes that would say, I feel the presence of God in this place right now.

And then there might be one person in the room, but I don't. And that doesn't mean he's not here. And it doesn't mean necessarily you've done something wrong. Enjoy him when he does and pursue him always, always.

And then there might be one person in the room, but I don't. And that doesn't mean he's not here. And it doesn't mean necessarily you've done something wrong. Enjoy him when he does and pursue him always, always.

I've had a few supernatural experiences where if I told you two or three, people would probably stop listening because I go, that guy's weird.