As Mark Batterson continues Chapter 8 of If, he discusses the quickening of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Batterson states that it isn’t enough just to read the Bible. Merely reading the Bible is comparable to auditing a class in college. You receive no credit for an audit. As Mark points out, “you’ve simply been educated […]
As if bridges the gap between if only and what if. It’s the way we defy our circumstances. It’s the way God’s promises become our reality.”- Mark Batterson Chapters 8-14 of If cover as if– the second if. Mark states that faith “sees the invisible” and “believes the impossible.” In Chapter 8 (“Reaction Time”), Mark […]
“Just as a nebulous confession will result in a nebulous feeling of forgiveness, a nuanced confession will result in a more nuanced sense of forgiveness.”- Mark Batterson “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.”- Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 7 of If, he writes that before he […]
“I take my [biblical] text and make a beeline for the cross.”- Charles Haddon Spurgeon In Chapter 7 (“Factory Reset”) of If, Mark Batterson emphasizes that “if you fear God, you have nothing else to fear.” All your other fears are served an eviction notice, because it is impossible for fear to coexist with the perfect love […]
“Stewardship [is] doing the best you can with what you have where you are. . . . Make decisions against yourself.”- Mark Batterson “Everything is permissible- but not everything is beneficial.”- 1 Corinthians 10:25 Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 6 of If with the assertion that making decisions against yourself “could save you from a hundred […]
“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 […]
“But when you fast and pray, God leans in a little closer.”- Congressman Tony Hall In Chapter 5 (“A $100 Million Dollar Fast”) of If, Mark Batterson discusses the topic of fasting- a time when God leans in. Pastor Batterson believes fasting is one of the best ways to break the power of the flesh. […]
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 4 of If by discussing condemnation versus conviction. Pastor Batterson finds it ironic that Satan leaves our unconfessed sins alone. Satan would rather that you don’t deal with unconfessed sin at all. His accusations pinpoint confessed sins. Because confessed sins have been forgiven, Satan’s accusations are false. Mark goes on to […]
“It’s [Romans 8:1] the emergency exit from if only and the main entrance to what if.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson continues his discussion of Romans 8:1 in Chapter 4 (“Double Take”) of If. Mark strongly believes that the first verse of Romans 8 should be our first thought every morning. There’s no better way to […]
“You are a new creation, but sometimes it takes time for your new nature to become second nature.”- Mark Batterson As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 3 of If, he offers encouragement that it is never too late for you to be what you might have been. God still can roll away your if only regrets. […]
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”- Romans 8:1 “We can’t get on with our lives because we can’t get past the past. Instead of living in the here and now, we’re living back then and back there.”- Mark Batterson In Chapter 3 (“Can’t Forget”) of If, Mark Batterson […]
“No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God in a human spirit. It is an inner unconquerableness.”- Oswald Chambers Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 2 of If by noting that the leverage point in any system’s structure is the place where a solution element can be applied. A high leverage point […]