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"There are no shortcuts. There are no cheat codes."


A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Win the Day (p. 24). The Crown Publishers Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

No, there are aren't!

Mark says, "When you’ve been enslaved for centuries, it takes time for your identity to catch up with your new reality. The battle is against the people and the powers actively working against your freedom—and the voice of doubt that calls your God-given dignity and identity into question. In the case of the Israelites, it took forty years. There are no shortcuts. There are no cheat codes. What God says about you has to become your signature story. It wasn’t until the Israelites possessed the Promised Land that they finally saw themselves for who they really were—not slaves but God’s chosen people."

He goes on, "Many of us see ourselves or see others the same way, according to some old code. There are plenty of people who want to remind us of those old narratives. You’ve got to let God flip the script. How? Scripture is a good starting point. The goal isn’t getting through Scripture. It’s getting Scripture through you. The Swiss theologian Karl Barth said, 'Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.' I would say the same of your everyday experiences. Over time, your theology conforms to your reality or your reality conforms to your theology. Scripture is more than our script; it’s our script-cure. And that’s more than a play on words. Scripture confronts the false identities and false narratives perpetrated by the Father of Lies. It reveals the heavenly Father’s metanarrative and the unique role that each one of us plays in it."

"Abraham thought he was too old. Jeremiah thought he was too young. Moses thought he was unqualified. Joseph thought he was overqualified. Gideon had an inferiority complex. Jonah had a superiority complex. Peter made too many mistakes. Nathanael was too cool for school. Paul had a thorn in the flesh. And King David was the runt of the litter."

He continues, "None of that matters! Who you are is not the issue. What really matters is whose you are. If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you are a new creation.(2 Corinthians 5:17) You are the apple of God’s eye.(Psalm 17:8) You are God’s workmanship.(Ephesians2:10 KJV) You are more than a conqueror, and nothing can change that.(Romans 8:37) It is what it is; it is who you are."

He then says, "There never has been and never will be anyone like you. That isn’t a testament to you. It’s a testament to the God who created you. The significance of that truth is this: no one can take your place. No one can worship God like you or for you. No one can serve others like you or for you. Jesus doesn’t just live in us; Christ lives as us!

"Flip the script, and start living your life in a way that is worth telling stories about."

So let's do it, okay?

Yes, yes!




 

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