daddy4ms

Today, was Service Sunday at Hesston MB.  On this day, our congregation divides into groups and heads into the community to serve in various ways.  My family split up this year.  Mitchell helped paint at youth room, Mackenzie delivered cookies to families, & Bethany, Megan & Molly pulled weeds and picked up trash at the school. I joined three other ladies to prayer walk at the elementary, middle and high schools.  We decided to circle the schools as we prayed.  Just like Jericho, we circled the high school seven times.  We circled the middle school three times & elementary school two times.  It was a blessing to pray God's Word as we circled these schools. It was a joy to pray big prayers to occur in each of these schools. I look forward to seeing how God will answer the prayers for His glory. For a great book on praying big prayers and circles, pick up a copy of The Circle Maker  by Mark Batterson at Faith & Life Bookstore i...

I came across this concept in The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.  Be encouraged by this promise from God's Word from Revelation 3:7-8. These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.

I continue sharing thoughts from The Circle Maker  by Mark Batterson.  In this post, we look at the discipline of having a long term perspective and fasting. Prayer is the inheritance we receive and the legacy we leave.  One dimension of thinking long is thinking different, and prayer is the key to both. Prayer doesn't just change circumstances; more important, it changes us. It doesn't just alter external realities; it alters internal realities so that we see with spiritual eyes. It gives us peripheral vision. It corrects our nearsightedness. It enables us to see beyond our circumstances, beyond ourselves, beyond time.  I'm not talking about the kind of prayer that is the first thing on the agenda; I'm talking about the kind of prayer that is the agenda.  Everything we see and hear is priming us in a positive or negative way. That's one reason I believe in starting the day in God's Word. It doesn't just prime our minds; it also primes our hearts... ...

I am almost finished reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.  It continues to be a great read on the power of prayer and a reinforcement on God's good purpose for us.  The chapters I read on Thursday dealt with the challenging subject of "unanswered prayers."  This can tend to make us doubt God and question His love for us.  Here are some thoughts from Batterson about unanswered prayer. Do you trust that God is for you even when He doesn't give you what you asked for? Do you trust that He has reasons beyond your reason? Do you trust that His plan is better than yours?  Our Heavenly Father is far too wise and loves us far too much to give us everything we ask for...But I've learned a valuable lesson about unanswered prayer: Sometimes God gets in the way to show us the way.  the real miracle (Balaam and Donkey) is a God who loves us enough to get in the way when we're going the wrong way.  God closes doors in order to open bigger and better...

Guys, I hope this post will be an encouragment to you in your battles and temptation.  It is taken from the book, The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. The Enemy of our souls is known as "the accuser of our brethren," and when it comes to the brethren, most of Satan's accusations have to do with sexual sins. For men, the spiritual battle is often won or lost on the battlefield of sexual temptation. And when we lose a battle, the enemy wants us to give up the fight. Can I remind you of something the enemy knows all too well? You may lose some battles, but the war has already been won. And while the Enemy never stops accusing us, our Almighty Ally never stops fighting for us, never gives up on us.  Brian (and you) is winning the battle because Christ already won the war.  The truth is that the victory has already been won. To seal the victory, all it takes is a defining decision and a daily decision.  Some of us don't start fighting the battle because we're ...

I continue two previous posts based on The Circle Maker  today.  These thoughts are based on our limiting of God and how God provides for His glory. You have to trust the favor of God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. And if we pray in alignment with the will of God, He always provides. God loves showing up in unexpected ways at unexpected times. The blessings of God will complicate your life in positive ways. God is great not just because nothing is too big for Him; God is great because nothing is too small for Him. The reason many of us miss the miracles is that we aren't looking and listening. 

Yesterday, I shared how our view of God affects our prayer.  Today, I want to share how the truth of God's Word and especially His promises should impact our prayers as well.  Enjoy these quotes from Batterson's book, The Circle Maker. One thing is certain: Our most powerful prayers are hyperlinked to the promises of God. When you know you are praying the promises of God, you can pray with holy confidence.  It was settled on the cross when Jesus said, "It is finished." it wasn't just the final installment on our sin debt; it was the down payment on all of His promises. . .there are more than three thousand promises in Scripture. By virtue of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, every one of them belongs to you. There is nothing God wants to do more than prove His power by keeping His promises. But we doubt God because we doubt ourselves. God is hunting you down to bless you.

How does our theology of God affect how we pray?  You might think there is no connection, but Mark Batterson in The Circle Maker  believes there is.  I would agree with Batterson.  We really have a limited view of God and base prayer on our power not God's.  As I read four chapters of the book on Thursday, I found myself highlighting huge portions of the book.  Because of all the great thoughts, I encourage you to pick up the book and have your view of God and prayer expanded. Here are some quotes from Chapters 7-10: Yet many of us pray as if our problems are bigger than God . . .Our biggest problem is our small view of God. That is the cause of all lesser evils. And it's a high view of God that is the solution to all other problems. The size of prayers depend on the size of our God. And if God knows no limits, then neither should our prayers. We allow our circumstances to get between God and us instead of putting God between us and our circumstance...

I was only able to get through one chapter of this book on Thursday because of other meetings.  But this chapter had several quotes that jumped out at me.  Here are some thoughts for you to chew on: "I'll never forget that phrase: vision beyond your resources. . .We refuse to let our budget determine our vision. That left-brained approach is a wrong-brained approach because it's based on our limited resources rather than on God's unlimited provision. Faith is allowing your God-given vision determine your budget. That certainly does not mean you practice poor financial stewardship, spend beyond your means, and accumulate a huge debt load. It does mean that you take a step of faith when God gives you a vision because you trust that the One who gave you the vision is going to make provision. And for the record, if the vision is from God, it will most definitely be beyond your means." "A second lesson learned is that no doesn't always mean no; sometimes...

On Thursday, I began reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.  The subtitle states, "Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears." I have never read anything by Batterson before, but so far would recommend this great book on prayer. Here are some quotes from Chapters 3-5: "You've got to define the promises God wants you to stake claim to, the miracles God wants you to believe for, and the dreams God wants you to pursue.  Then you need to keep circling until God gives you what He wants and He wills. That's the goal." "We talk about "doing" the will of God, but the will of God has much more to do with "being" than "doing." "In the grand scheme of God's story, there is a footnote behind every headline. The footnote is prayer." "You need to quit asking God to do something and start praising Him for what He had already done. . . Prayer is asking God to do something, future tense; ...