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“Whatever you verbalize, you give power to.”

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 91). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Ok, this is good! Mark says, “When you voice negative thoughts, you’re reinforcing what’s wrong. Over time, it often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Instead of verbalizing negativity, speak words of faith. “Instead of verbalizing complaints, speak words of praise.” He goes on, “When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, Jeremiah felt overwhelmed and underqualified. He used inexperience as an excuse, and God rebuked his excuse. ‘Say not, I am a child.’   Jeremiah 1:7 (KJV)” Mark says, “Quit making excuses! “ I’m too old. I’m too young. I had bad parents. I’ve made too many mistakes. I don’t have the education. I don’t have the experience. “Say not!” Mark then says, “What needs to go on your ‘say not’ list? You can start with obscenities,

“If you want God’s best, you can’t just say no to what’s wrong.”

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 46). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Mark continues, “You have to say no to second best. Good isn’t good enough! That’s what the apostle Paul is getting at when he writes, ‘Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial. ’   [1 Corinthians 10: 23 (CSB).]” Mark then says, “This little distinction between permissible and beneficial is the difference between good and great. Don’t settle for what’s permissible. That’s the path of least resistance. Go after greatness by going the extra mile! “Willpower means not my will, but ‘your will be done.’ (Matthew 16:10) It’s a will that has been fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It’s a sanctified stubborn streak that refuses to compromise its convictions.” Mark goes on, “Now, let’s bring this idea down to earth. If you want

“But while they may not have been responsible, they were response-able.”

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 43). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And it is the little things in life that really can make the difference. Mark says, “And that little hyphen makes all the difference in the world. There is no situation under the sun in which your ability to respond can be taken away from you. You may not control your circumstances, but you control your reactions to them.” He goes on, “Taking response-ability doesn’t mean admitting fault. It means making the most of any and every situation you find yourself in. And that requires tremendous willpower in difficult circumstances.” He asks, “What do you do when your marriage is falling apart at the seams? When your work environment goes from bad to worse? When an addiction spins out of control?" He says, “First of all, take heart.” John 16:33 says, “In t