Today June Hunt continues her presentation of seven strategies we can use to train our brain to forgive (Chapter 7, How to Forgive) by discussing how to use your power tools of thanksgiving and praise. 3. Use you power tools: thanksgiving and praise. June encourages you to being your mornings by expressing gratitude for God’s […]
“You have collected all my tears in your bottle.”- Psalm 56:8 In Chapters 17 (“Bottled Prayer”) and 18 (“Now There Was One”), the concluding chapters of The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson writes that there are many different kind of tears, including the tears shed in prayer. Specifically, David’s psalm promise may be the place for […]
“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.”- attributed to Chicago architect and visionary Daniel Burnham Mark Batterson begins Chapter 16 (“Double Miracle”) of The Circle Maker by noting that you often feel like you are risking your reputation when you live by faith. But you’re not. You’re risking God’s reputation. […]
“Prayer is priming. Prayer puts us in a spiritual frame of mind. Prayer helps us see and seize the God-ordained opportunities that are around us all the time.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson continues Chapter 13 of The Circle Maker by telling us on of his summer jobs during college was painting. Although he only lasted […]
” . . . divine detours often get us where God wants us to go.”- Mark Batterson “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”- Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV) Mark Batterson […]
Mark Batterson begins Chapter 11 (“No Answer”) of The Circle Maker with the litmus test of trust: 1. Do you trust that God is for you even when He doesn’t give you what you asked for? 2. Do you trust that He has reasons beyond your reason? 3. Do you trust that His plan is […]
“The greatest moments in life are the moments when God intervenes on our behalf and blesses us way beyond what we expect or deserve.”- Mark Batterson As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 9 of The Circle Maker, he reminds us there is nothing God loves more than keeping His promises. Praying hard is standing on God’s […]
“You can give up or hang on. You can let go or pray through. You can get frustrated with God or choose to live unoffended.”- Mark Batterson In Chapter 8 (“Persistence Quotient”) of The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson note various studies show that persistence quotient is strongly correlated with success. There is no substitute for […]
“The size of prayers depends on the size of our God.”- Mark Batterson In Chapter 7 (“The Solution to Ten Thousand Problems”) of The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson states the answer to the question will determine the size of your prayer circles: “Is the Lord’s arm too short (Numbers 11:23)?” Or, as the Good News […]
Following Chapter 4, Mark Batterson describes the first of three prayer circles- dream big. This topic will be discussed in detail in Chapters 5-7 of The Circle Maker. Pastor Batterson notes that Honi the circle maker was mesmerized by one phrases in one verse of Scripture: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we […]
“After you pray through, you need to praise through.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 14 of The Circle Maker with the bold statement that we should praise God for disappointment because it drives us to our knees in prayer. Responding to disappointment in a God-pleasing way can restore our prayer rhythm and resurrect our desires. […]
“Nuanced prayers give God an opportunity to reveal more shades of His sovereignty.”- Mark Batterson In Chapter 3 of The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson writes that there is a direct correlation between the strength of your faith and the specificity of your prayers. Spelling out your prayers with specificity eventually will spell God’s glory. Pastor […]