Family Talk

Dr. James Dobson: You’re listening to Family Talk, the radio broadcasting division of the James Dobson Family Institute. I am James Dobson, and I’m so pleased that you’ve joined us today.

Roger Marsh: Well, welcome back to Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, the voice you can still trust for the family you love. I’m Roger Marsh and our guest today, Dr. Michael Youssef, talking about his brand-new book, Winning the Invisible War: How to Recognize Lies, Resist Temptation and Be Victorious in Spiritual Warfare. We have a link for the book up at JDFI.net. Dr. Michael Youssef, welcome back to Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Thank you very much.

Roger Marsh: It’s amazing how when it comes to spiritual warfare, as you write about in your new book, there are so many Christians who—and you use this term very graciously—talk about how clueless many Christians are. Whether it’s parents or new believers or even people who have been walking with the Lord for 40 or 50 years, but really haven’t engaged in the Scriptures. How do we use a resource like this or just have conversations with people who think, "Oh yeah, I’m a baptized believer, I’m in church every Sunday, I tithe 10 percent," and I’m doing all those things? How do we get them engaged, in gear?

Dr. Michael Youssef: Honestly, I can tell you that only the Holy Spirit can do that. My own testimony is that through my life in three continents, I have faced many a dark time, times that could have persuaded me to turn my back on the gospel. But with the power of the Holy Spirit, we must always seek the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection, but also ask Him to give us the Holy Spirit in abundance.

The impact it would have in the workplace, in the neighborhoods, we could turn this country upside down for Jesus if people stopped being pew warmers. We have so many pew warmers on Sunday and become soldiers. That is what we’re called to be, soldiers. In fact, that’s what Paul tells Timothy to be. He said, "Do the work of a soldier, do the work of an evangelist." Amen.

Roger Marsh: Concluding our last conversation with Dr. Michael Youssef, we were discussing the cultural issues that drive people into either thinking "woke" or we lose all of our common sense. One of the biggest areas is the sanctity of human life, where there are so many people who are fighting for the killing of the preborn child in the womb without even realizing that this is a human being we’re talking about. I know that’s a part of the American culture, worldwide culture too, but especially in America that is very pertinent to you and very germane to you, Dr. Youssef, because of the fact that it describes the battle for your soul even before you were born. Can you give us just a little 35,000-foot view of what it was like when Michael Youssef was what doctors were recommending to your parents, "Hey, we’re not so sure if this baby should be here"?

Dr. Michael Youssef: Absolutely. It is sort of a milestone in my life that I’m always reminding myself of. My mother was a godly woman. She really loved the Lord. She comes from a godly family. Her father was one of the great prayer warriors I’ve ever known in my life, so they had that heritage of godliness.

But she had 11, but three of those were miscarried. There were already six living siblings. In fact, my oldest sibling in the family was 20 years older than me. For her, when she felt pregnant and her health was really in a poor state, three doctors, not just one, had said, "You cannot take another pregnancy, you can’t go through another pregnancy, so you need to terminate this one."

She said, "Okay, I just want to serve my other six children." She and my father had this appointment to go and have the procedure. Of course, in a Muslim culture with a Christian subculture, abortion is not even frowned upon. But thank God, the pastor of our church, a wonderful pastor, came up early in the morning. He said, "I know this is a huge responsibility, but I’ve been disturbed all night about this and I’m going to appeal to you to trust God and go through with the pregnancy."

She and my dad agreed. They said, "We’re going to trust God." My mother said, "Look, if I die, I die." She went through with the pregnancy in trusting God, believing God. Now, all my older siblings are all bankers and economists and professors of economics and all of that. My father was a businessman. So we have no one in ministry in our family. That was not even a thought.

When she trusted God and she took that step of faith knowing that she could lose her life, God was so gracious to her and He spared her for 16 years, because I was 16 when she went to glory. The whole time, her health was not really in good shape at all. Through it all, she trusted God and had me.

Then when I went through my rebellious stage as a teenager, because I looked at my siblings and I looked at their successes and wondered what I was going to do, I thought if I rebelled and I became a "damaged goods," God can’t use me. But then she would literally pray to the Lord and say, "Lord, I risked my life to have this boy."

I remember her saying to me, when I gave my life to Christ on March 4th, '64, she went to glory July 7th, '64. She lived four months to see that I’m walking with the Lord. The last thing she said to me, she said, "Even if you are as successful as your siblings," my brother was a bank manager at 27, they were all successful. She said, "Even if you be as successful as they are, that is not what I risked my life for."

That stayed with me and I began to pray. God supernaturally intervened and literally got me to escape death itself from my home country. I escaped in '69 to Australia, then the United States in '77. I followed through in the call of God on my life and I have never, never, never been more thankful to the Lord for His hand and for His interference because I’ve had the most amazing journey, and whatever is left in the journey, I’ll just have as much fun as I did the last 53 years in the ordained ministry now.

Roger Marsh: That’s incredible. What a great testimony from Dr. Michael Youssef today here on Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk. I can just see Dr. Dobson smiling and hearing you share that story and saying, "Yes, that’s why we went to Washington, DC. That’s why we went on the airwaves and told people about the sanctity of human life." What a great risk your mother took for her faith by saying, "Okay, we’re going to trust that this Christian doctor is telling us even though my health could be in jeopardy, I’m to carry this child to term." Think of the millions of lives impacted because of a mother’s faithfulness. Praise God for you, Dr. Michael Youssef. You continue to inspire so many people. Personally, I’m very selfish; I love having time with you just because your testimony is so powerful.

You have described in your new book, Winning the Invisible War, one of the things that I think has befallen the American church, and that is the fact that we love intellect, we love knowledge, if you will, but we’re in short supply on wisdom. I think that you describe the enemy that way in this book. Talk about how easy it has become for the American church in particular to become deceived. We get lulled into the whole knowledge trap and the whole intellect trap and we don’t see the real wisdom, and that’s the cunning aspect of spiritual warfare, isn’t it?

Dr. Michael Youssef: Absolutely. I am not against knowledge and I’m not anti-knowledge and I’m not anti-science. I am all for that. But without wisdom, don’t forget that the top henchmen of Hitler were PhDs. They all had high education, had knowledge. I went and did a PhD at Emory University back in the early '80s just to show that there’s nothing wrong with knowledge.

But cry to God for wisdom because what wisdom does is it takes that knowledge, especially biblical knowledge, and applies it to the circumstances of life. Without the wisdom taking that knowledge and applying it to life, we would really be basically abusing knowledge. Look what happened to COVID. That was a science and a lab and an escaped virus that came and killed so many millions of people.

Without wisdom, we’re really up the creek without a paddle. We need to cry to God for wisdom of how to use knowledge, utilize knowledge for the glory of God and not for our own glory. I couldn’t agree more with you.

Roger Marsh: It’s so important that we understand this because as Dr. Michael Youssef has written about in his brand-new book, Winning the Invisible War, there are so many lies, there’s so much deception. At one part you even describe in the book how the enemy will imitate the voice of God. Talk about how many people are getting duped by that in this AI world where I can look at you on the screen right now and you know it’s you and you know it’s me. It’s becoming so much more difficult and yet it’s vital that we begin to distinguish between what’s the Holy Spirit saying and what is the enemy saying sounding like the Holy Spirit.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Absolutely. First of all, it has to be consistent with the Scripture. Because God is not a changeable God. He’s yesterday, today, and forever. So it has to be consistent with the Scripture. If you hear a voice that says, "It’s okay, everybody’s doing it, you do it, that’s fine, it’s not a deadly sin, it’s not this, it’s not that. After all, God really wants to make you happy."

I say, "Wait a minute, devil. God does not want to make me happy, He wants to make me holy." So you can recognize the lie of the devil right away and then you go back to the Scripture and you follow the Scripture because it's very important.

We have an AI expert here at Leading The Way, and I’m so grateful for his expertise. As a matter of fact, now we have something called myfaithassistant.com where we have our own redeemed AI where you go and ask any questions about the faith, about anything, and it would give you biblical answers based on the Scripture and 1,500 sermons that I’ve preached through the years and 57 books. So you can go directly to it, myfaithassistant.com, and ask any question.

We’ve got to stay ahead of that. Instead of cursing the darkness, I often say, let’s light a candle. When God gave us this man, this dear brother in Christ here with that knowledge, we all need to be alert, we need to be discerning. Look what Peter said. He said basically be on your guard, be awake, be alert, because he’s roaming around like a lion trying to look for places in which he can attack us, look for soft spots in which he can tempt us and that kind of thing. So that’s the cry for me personally. I want to finish strong and that’s my own prayer for myself and for my family and for all my beloved friends.

Roger Marsh: I love that. Dr. Michael Youssef’s book Winning the Invisible War is up at JDFI.net. As a parent or a grandparent as you are helping the next generation and the generation after that navigate these issues of faith, this is such an important resource to have on hand. I love the fact that you really go after lukewarm Christianity in this situation. There are so many people who would look through Revelation, they’d see the Laodicean church and they would come up with some kind of explanation: "Well, the water came from here to there and sometimes it was warm and sometimes it was cold, and so that’s why I’m lukewarm." But you’re saying half-heartedness is really becoming an epidemic in the church in America right now. Talk about that if you would.

Dr. Michael Youssef: It really is, because that is where Satan does his worst work, or I say for him it would be his best work, his worst for us. That is to begin to bring that kind of doubt, slight doubt. He didn’t come to Eve and say, "You know, God lied to you. He told you this but that’s not really true, listen to me." No, he just said, "Did you really understand Him correctly? Did you hear Him right?"

That's what some of the liberal preachers are saying: "Is the Bible really relevant for our day? The Bible is true, yes, it's the Word of God and it was written for those people in those times, but is it for today, for our scientific time? The Bible didn't have computers back then." They just bring a little doubt and what do you do once you become a lukewarm Christian? You're putting one foot in the world, one foot with Christ.

In the end, as somebody said, some churches make Jesus rejoice, some churches make Him angry, but there are some churches that make Him sick. The reason for the Laodicean water—and He takes something relevant, I wrote a book actually on the seven letters of the churches called God's Final Call—He takes something relevant to that city, to that town and then applies it spiritually. Because they had lukewarm water, He says, "That's what you are. You are like that water of yours. It makes me nauseous every time I look at you." My goodness, I always cry to God. I said, "Lord, I'd rather go home to glory before I can make You sick." Because that is the worst thing that could happen to any believer.

Roger Marsh: And it's amazing when you see the number of people who are looking for, "Well, I hear Christians cite this passage a lot, I've even shared it, where Jesus says, 'My yoke is easy, my burden is light.'" Okay, that means it's a perfect fit if you're walking in God's will. He makes the yoke of obedience. You're going to have to follow it, but it's going to be a good fit. But sometimes when challenged, we'll see the discomfort come and say, "Wait a minute, my yoke is easy, my burden is... I don't want to be challenged, I want to be comfortable." Your image now I will never forget of someone trying to put on a helmet and go into war in their pajamas. It's just not going to happen.

This is something I think as parents with young children coming up, the world is so crazy where we have Supreme Court hearings to define the definition of male and female, which God made very clear in the Garden of Eden. This is the world we live in, so we have to be ready. It is warfare everywhere we turn.

Dr. Michael Youssef: It is a warfare and we need to be aware. A lot of bad things happened with COVID, but the good thing that came out of that bad thing is that parents for the first time were able to see what their kids are learning in school. As a result of that, some parents really woke up all of a sudden and realized that the school system, the government school system, has been hijacked now.

Listen to this. Qatar spent 6.6 billion dollars on schools and universities in the United States. They don't do it because of our blue eyes, but they do it because they want to influence us for evil, which is Islamism. There are a lot of other organizations, money flowing around in order to indoctrinate our children, and we’ve got to be protective of them.

I used to tell people, "I brainwash my kids and I say it unashamedly when they were growing up." I’m constantly speaking to them because I know they’ve been influenced hearing the stuff from school, even though they were in private schools but they were not Christian schools. I always told other young fathers, "Don't apologize for brainwashing your children." The Communists do not apologize for brainwashing kids for Communism, and we as Christians should not be ashamed of brainwashing our kids for good and for God and for their good and for His glory.

Roger Marsh: Amen. I think of Dr. Dobson describing puberty and the first few years of childhood even and saying, "Brainwashing is a natural part of it. If you're a boy, your brain gets washed with testosterone. It makes you who you are." So in the culture that we're in right now, Dr. Michael Youssef, you are issuing a clarion call to parents and grandparents to say, "Look, make sure your kids are washed in the Word, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically because the enemy is a roaring lion," and you mentioned this verse earlier, "seeking whom he may devour." He's not looking to just say, "Hey, I just don't want you to be effective for God, but you just keep living your life." He wants to kill us.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Absolutely. That is his ultimate aim, our destruction. The Scripture said he came to steal and kill. That is his ultimate aim even though he may come across as your friend as he did the serpent in the garden with Eve. He tried to convince her that he's really looking out for her good and that's how he would say, "God wants you to be happy, but if you're not happy and not satisfied and not fulfilled, of course you're not really following God. So do this and you'll be happy." By that time we're already caught in his trap, and he sets up traps.

Roger Marsh: That's just it. He's a deceiver, he's an accuser, he doesn't bring anything good and yet it's amazing how many Christians are following the example of Lot instead of following the example of Jesus when it comes to living our lives. Winning the Invisible War: How to Recognize Lies, Resist Temptation and Be Victorious in Spiritual Warfare is the newest book from Dr. Michael Youssef. We've got a link for it up at JDFI.net. We do have a couple minutes left, Dr. Youssef. I know you've got another book that's called An Unholy Alliance. Can you give us a preview of that? We'll have you back on again to talk about that, but I'd love to conclude our time together with a minute or two about what that book's about.

Dr. Michael Youssef: I wrote a similar kind of book 10 years ago. Most people said, "What are you talking about?" Thank God they're not saying that now. You look at England where a Christian preacher can be arrested in the streets, or a senior woman gets arrested for posting anti-Islamic or anti-homosexuality on social media. But then Muslims in the thousands can block Oxford Street supposedly praying and nobody can say anything; they basically terrified the police.

You take that and you multiply it in Canada and in Australia and some other parts of the Western world and was coming here until God gave us a little bit of a reprieve. But that Islamization did not come overnight to the West. It was invited by so-called progressive liberalism or left-wing Marxism. Both philosophies believe that you’ve got to destroy what you have in order to build your utopia.

In the end, those two groups really hate each other; they would kill each other when they get the chance. But for now, they are forming an unholy alliance because their common aim is the destruction of Western civilization which was built on the Reformation and the Word of God and the freedoms we have. They did not come from Marxism, they came from God and from going back to the Scripture.

I think the time is coming, and you look what the Muslims are doing in Deerfield, Michigan, in Minneapolis, in Paterson, New Jersey, in San Diego, in Texas as we were talking about, Dallas and Houston too. They just literally believe their Allah is superior and therefore he has to win, and their greatest victory is when they can buy a church that is not being attended and people selling it and turn it into a mosque. That is their ultimate and the height of victory for them. That's why I think now I'm seeing people waking up and that is why I wrote that book, to give them tools to understand. Do not be afraid, because fear is their tool just like the devil's tool.

Once they make police afraid, make us afraid, we're going to go back into our little holes. But no. The one thing that we must do is take the gospel to the Muslims. I've done this for many years in the Muslim world and we're seeing terrorists literally coming to Christ. The gospel is strong, the Holy Spirit is powerful and all we need to do is be obedient to take it to every corner of the globe, but certainly in the places right here in the United States.

Roger Marsh: Well, that unholy alliance is coming, and what's the church going to do to respond? That's one of the reasons why you need Dr. Michael Youssef's newest book and then his most recent one that we've been talking about today here on Family Talk, Winning the Invisible War: How to Recognize Lies, Resist Temptation and Be Victorious in Spiritual Warfare to resist that type of attack when it comes. It's all part of an amazing cycle and Dr. Michael Youssef's ministry continues to thrive. Now that he is not only the founder of Leading The Way, but also I understand the chief volunteer at Leading The Way as well. Dr. Michael Youssef, you're a treasure. We appreciate you so much. Thanks for being with us today here on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Thank you, Roger Marsh. God bless you, brother. Appreciate being with you.

Roger Marsh: The gospel is strong, the Holy Spirit is powerful and all we need to do is be obedient. You're listening to Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk where we featured part two of my conversation with Dr. Michael Youssef about navigating the spiritual battle in our culture, our churches and especially in our homes.

His brand-new book is called Winning the Invisible War: How to Recognize Lies, Resist Temptation and Be Victorious in Spiritual Warfare. It's available now and we have a link for it up at JDFI.net. And if you missed any part of today's broadcast or if you'd like to go back to listen to part one along with part two as well, you'll be able to do that there. That's JDFI.net.

The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute exists to introduce as many people as possible to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to stand for the sanctity of human life and to defend religious freedom while promoting the biblical principles on which strong marriages and families are built. Your gift today will carry that mission forward and you can give a gift securely online at JDFI.net. That's JDFI.net or if you prefer, DrJamesDobson.org. You can also call a member of our constituent care team. They'll be happy to take your request at 877-732-6825. That's 877-732-6825.

Well, I'm Roger Marsh, and on behalf of all of us here at Family Talk and the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, thanks so much for joining us today. Be sure to join us again next time right here for another edition of Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, the voice you trust for the family you love.

Dr. James Dobson: The year was 1962 and General Douglas MacArthur was by then an old man. MacArthur had returned to his beloved West Point with these reflective thoughts. But in the evening of my memory, I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes, duty, honor, country. Today marks my final roll call with you, but I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the corps, and the corps, and the corps.

General Douglas MacArthur died less than two years later on April 5th, 1964. And it seems fitting that we who enjoy the sweet benefits of freedom pause as we celebrate Memorial Day to honor him and all those soldiers, sailors and airmen who died in the defense of duty, honor, country.