“Just as it takes time to conjugate verbs, it takes time to conjugate praise.”- Mark Batterson
“Walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”- Romans 8:4 (KJV)
In Chapter 6 (“Muscle Memory”) of If, Mark Batterson defines muscle memory as “a procedural memory that is stored in your brain anytime you repeat a muscle movement.” The more you repeat a specific movement, the stronger it becomes.
Pastor Batterson subscribes to the 10,000 Hour Rule. This rule claims that the minimum amount of time to become an expert in something is approximately 10,000 hours. It’s a baseline or timeline for greatness.
Similarly, spiritual disciplines have a learning curve. And living a Spirit-led life, Mark asserts, is a steep learning curve. It takes decades, not days. You grow little by little, from strength to strength. Your current faith ceiling becomes your next faith floor. Better than money in a CD, spiritual disciplines accrue compound interest. That means, Pastor Batterson adds, “that if [you’re] worshiping God with all of [your] heart, it must include every heartbeat [you’ve] ever had.”
Physics has an all-encompassing, theoretical framework that fully explains as well as links together all the physical aspects of the universe. It’s called the theory of everything. Mark has his own version of that theory: “the answer to every prayer is more of the Holy Spirit.”
Mark emphasizes that the Holy Spirit doesn’t just want to fill you, He wants to stretch you. The Holy Spirit is the answer to any question you have and the solution to any problem. Mark notes that “with the help of the Holy Spirit . . . we become the best version of ourselves possible.” This process takes a lifetime.
But the Holy Spirit can’t fill you if you’re full of yourself. To be filled with the nine fruits of the Spirit, we’ve got to be intentional about doing something different. As Pastor Batterson cautions, practice make permanent, not perfect. Practice the presence of God every day.
Today’s question: What spiritual disciplines have been effective in helping you conjugate praise? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Decisions against yourself”