Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (p. 181). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Did you know that? Mark says, “Do you know why? Because you’re the apple of His eye! (See Psalm 17:8) Not only that, His ear is tuned to your voice, so tuned that He hears more than words.” Psalm 5:1, (HCSB) says, “Listen to my words, LORD; consider my sighing.” Mark then says, “A sigh is a long, deep breath. It’s a physiological response to sadness. And it’s very similar to the gentle whisper of the still small voice. Sighing is what we do when we don’t know what to say. But according to the psalmist, it’s more than a low-frequency distress signal; it’s a wordless prayer. “The death of my father-in-law, Bob Schmidgall, might rank as the greatest shock of my life. At fifty-five years of age, he was in the prime of life. He had even been given a clean bill of health by ...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (p. 160). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I know, I know you’ve probably heard that thought before but did you really hear it? Mark says, “The status-quo bias is a major impediment to spiritual growth. And if we aren’t careful, it’ll keep us from discerning God’s promptings. “In computer science, default settings are automatically assigned to software applications, computer programs, and smartphones. Those out-of-the-box settings are called presets, and their purpose is to establish a protocol to optimize performance. “In much the same way, we all have default settings that dictate a lot of what we do. From the way we wake up, to the way we eat, to the way we interact with others, so many dimensions of our lives become patterned. A handful of default settings dictate our thoughts and actions. And the good news is ...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (p. 153). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is such a good thought.    Well, at least in some areas.   Mark says, “God has a good memory. He doesn’t forget His people, and He doesn’t forget His promises. The only thing He forgets is the sin He forgives.”   And, that is a very good thing, isn’t it? Mark continues, “Can I suggest that God has done some things in your life for the sake of someone else? “I know He has for me. I had a praying grandfather in Elmer Johnson. At night he would take off his hearing aid, kneel next to his bed, and pray. He couldn’t hear himself, but everyone else in the house could. Those are some of my earliest memories. My grandfather died when I was six, but his prayers did not. There have been distinct moments in my life when I’ve received a blessing I know I didn’t...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (p. 152). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I know, I know.  We want things to happen right now.  I don’t like to go to the Doctor’s office because you have to wait in that waiting room.  But to the kid playing over there with the toys, waiting is fun.  Time is relative. Mark says, “Parents of toddlers, you know this. To two-year-olds, next week might as well be next year, and next year might as well be never. Why? Because one year represents 50 percent of their lives. If you’re fifty, a year represents 2 percent. To children, one day can feel twenty-five times longer than it does to their parents, and it might be even more pronounced for the children of God.  With God, ‘a thousand years are like a day’! (2 Peter 3:8) With us, a day can feel like a thousand years!” Mark goes on, “Tho...