Just Continue That Thought...

A question by Mark Batterson, (2011-12-13) from his book, Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems (Kindle Location 161). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. The answer to that question is determined by how you and I deal with the difficult circumstances in our lives.   Is His power limited only by what you and I can do and what those around us can do?   Is He someone we only worship but don’t depend on in these impossible circumstances in our lives?   There is a circumstance right now that I am striving to not limit His power.   God’s power is greater than any circumstance and I am striving to believe that right now, not only in my head but in my heart and through my prayer.   It is a battle.   But I don’t want to in any way limit Him in His power in this particular circumstance in our life.     What about you?

A thought by Mark Batterson (2011-12-13) from his book Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems (Kindle Locations 186-187). Zondervan. Kindle Edition . If we believe in a big God then we believe that we can’t bring anything to Him that is too big for Him to handle.  There is nothing that is impossible for God but the problem is whether we believe that He cares about us enough to listen to us and do something.  That is a different story. Trust is a major part of prayer.  Do I trust myself to really know what is best for my life or do I really trust Him?  Is prayer to me just a way to get what I want or is it to get what is best?  If you have the ability to see all the ramifications that come out of getting what you ask for then that is one thing.  But the truth is God is the only one who is omniscient, who knows everything.  So who should you trust? Now the answer to the question, “Will He?” if you have a relationship with Him, ...

A thought by Mark Batterson (2011-12-13) from his book Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems Kindle Location 255). Zondervan. Kindle Edition . I know some people who didn’t want to take swimming lessons because they didn’t know how to swim.  That is the reason why we take swimming lessons so we can learn to swim.  The same is true when God calls us to do something for Him.  That is where the dependency on Him comes in.  If we do it in our own ability then we will get the credit.  He wants His power to mold us and qualify us.   I was talking this past Sunday at Forefront Church with Ivan a friend of mine who is a sculptor.  I really enjoyed hearing his story and hearing about his dreams.  He talked about his first sculpture.  His teacher had given him a square piece of Styrofoam and Ivan’s assignment was to create something from that bloc.  The teacher saw both the potential in the bloc and the potential in Ivan....

A thought by Mark Batterson (2011-12-13) from his book Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems (Kindle Location 128). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. I was reading in my quiet time this morning in John 5.30 (NLT) that Jesus said, “ I can do nothing on my own…”   Jesus said that about His dependency on His Father while He was here on Earth.  And that is where His power came from.  He showed us and told us the power that is available to us through asking His Father. I am right now sitting in a coffee shop at the Roosevelt Field Mall just after I have walked for 1 ½ hours.  The last part of my walk I have been praying for Ashlyn, Addison, Marissa, Brett, Stefanie, Andrew and Margaret, my family.  I spent time in bringing specific needs that each of them has to God through prayer because I believe that certain expressions of God’s power can only be exercised in response to prayer.  It is in prayer that I show my dependency on God and His wi...

A thought by Mark Batterson (2011-12-13) from his book Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems (Kindle Locations 129-130). Zondervan. Kindle Edition . I am really striving to understand this fact even at 64 years of age.  I have been going thought a crash course in the past few months.  Even yesterday God answered one of my prayers.  During my morning walk time I prayer a specific prayer and God answered it before I went to bed.  What could happen in 2012 if we really believed that God answers our prayers, our specific prayers?  He just wants us to ask.  Of course there are some prayers we don’t need to ask.  They are prayers that we know He won’t answer.  Please help that married person to start loving me.  He won’t answer that one.  As you read the Bible you will see God’s way of thinking so you won’t ask Him some things.  But there are way more He will answer but He won’t because we haven’t asked. God ga...