“You cannot listen to just half of what the Holy Spirit has to say. It’s a package deal. If you aren’t willing to listen to everything He has to say, you won’t hear anything He has to say. If you tune out his convicting voice, you won’t hear His comforting voice or guiding voice either.”- Mark Batterson
“The father backward you look, the further forward you are likely to see.”- Winston Churchill
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 1 of Primal as he stresses the need to grow beyond spiritual immaturity. That’s not the kind of simplicity Mark advocates. Pastor Batterson explains:
“God calls us to simplicity on the far side of complexity. For that matter, He calls us to faith on the far side of doubt, joy on the far side of sorrow, and love on the far side of anger.”
Hence, to get there, the author asserts, we need to unlearn and relearn everything we know. In addition, we must deconstruct and reconstruct everything we do. Most noteworthy, the process involves deconstructing and reconstructing the primal essence of Christianity.
Therefore, if the Great Commandment is the most important commandment, Pastor Batterson believes we need to spend a great deal of time and energy trying to understand it and obey it. One way to do this involves looking backward in order to go forward. So go back, Mark exhorts, to the place where:
- God opened your eyes
- the glory of God flooded your soul and left you speechless with wonder
- thoughts of God filled your mind with holy curiosity
- a God-given dream caused a rush of adrenaline that filled you with supernatural energy
Finally, Pastor Batterson emphasizes the conviction of the Holy Spirit. For God loves us enough to break us when we need to be broken.
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you listen to everything the Holy Spirit has to say – a package deal? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Compassion – the ultimate apologetic”
