Mark Batterson's Blog, page 18

Valley of Giants

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Blessed to Bless

The blessing of God isnt easy to quantify or qualify. It is tangible and intangible, timely and timeless. It is universally offered to everyone, but the blessing of God is as unique as your fingerprint. Some blessings are as simple and straightforward as the sunrise. Others are more difficult to discern, like the blessing of brokenness. But of this Im certain: the blessing of God is the solution to your biggest problem, the answer to your boldest prayer, and the fulfillment of your bravest...

The Valley of Crisis

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The X Factor

No good thing does [God] withhold from those who walk uprightly.
-Psalm 84:11, ESV

During his celebrated career as a composer, George Frideric Handel wrote forty-two operas, twenty-nine oratorios, and 120 cantatas. Of Handel, Ludwig van Beethoven said, To him I bow the knee. Handel certainly ranks as one of historys greatest composers, but he hit a point of diminishing return later in life. At age fifty-six, Handel was past his composing prime. He was depressed. He was in debt. And a stroke...

The Waymaker

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No Guts, No Glory

Most people believe God is real, but few people actually live like it. The result is a widening gap between their theology and their reality. They allow their circumstances to get between them and God instead of letting God get between them and their circumstances. Lion chasers measure everything against almighty God, including five-hundred-pound lions. Thats the difference between being a scaredy-cat and a lion chaser.

When everything is said and done, God isnt going to say, Well said, Well...

Unlearning

Half of spiritual growth is learning what we dont know. The other half is unlearning what we do know. And it is the failure to unlearn irrational fears and misconceptions that keeps us from becoming who God wants us to be.

The invalid in John 5 is a great example of the importance of unlearning. He had been crippled for thirty eight years when Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well. But the man believed there was only one way to be healed:

I have no one to help me into the pool when the...

The Plague and 100 Blessings

Did you know that an observant Jew says a bare minimum of one hundred blessings per day? Those blessings cover the gamut of human experience. They offer a blessing before they eat, like many of us. But they also offer blessings during the meal for different tastes and smells. And after the meal is overyou guessed itthey offer a bookend blessing. Observant Jews bless God for a new day, a new article of clothing, and a new experience. And whenever they experience something pleasurable, it...

The Bravest Prayer

There are days, and then there are days that alter every day thereafter. For me, one of those life-altering days is July 2, 2016. Next to the day I was married, the days my kids were born, and the day I almost died, no day is more sacred. In fact, I can tell you exactly how many days its been from that day to this day.

I was kicking off a series of sermons titled Mountains Move and challenged our church to pray the bravest prayer they could pray. By bravest prayer I mean the prayer you can...

The Way of the Child

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