The Circle Maker (Enhanced Edition): Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears

by Mark Batterson

But we take those manna miracles, the miracles that happen day in, day out, for granted.

In terms of addition, 5 + 2 = 7. But if you add God into the equation, 5 + 2 ≠ 7. When you give what you have to God, He multiplies it so that 5 + 2 = 5,000. Not only does God multiply the meal so that it feeds five thousand; the disciples actually end up with more leftovers than they had food to begin with. Only in God’s economy! The twelve baskets of remainders means the most accurate equation is this: 5 + 2 = 5,000 R12.

If you put what little you have in your hand into the hand of God, it won’t just add up; God will make it multiply.

Do you recall what Jesus did right before the miracle? It says Jesus “gave thanks.” He didn’t wait until after the miracle; He thanked God for the miracle before the miracle happened. Jesus put the Jericho principle into practice by praising God before the miracle happened as if it had already happened because He knew...

What do you do when the will of God doesn’t add up? What do you do when a dream doesn’t fit within the logical constraints of your left brain? What do you do with a promise that seems impossible? What do you do when faith seems foolish?

It doesn’t add up, but the will of God never does add up by human calculation.

Too often we let how get in the way of what God wants us to do. We can’t figure out how to do what God has called us to do, so we don’t do it at all.

You can’t not pray when you are running off a cliff. The same is true when we take a flying leap of faith.

the law of measures.

If you give big, God will bless big.

That certainly doesn’t mean that you can play God like a slot machine, but if you give for the right reasons, I’m convinced...

It’s not possible becau...

promised that in the grand scheme of eternity, He will always give back ...

When you live in obedience, you position yourself for blessing.

When God enters the equation, His output always exceeds your input. Your only job is to draw circles in the sand. And if you do the geometry, God will multiply the miracles in your life.

A faith promise is an amount of money pledged to missions above and beyond the tithe. It’s not based on a budget; it’s based on faith.

If you give beyond your ability, God will bless you beyond your ability.

If you believe that, you’ll circle the promises of God and reap the reward.

If you’re still living in the world of addition and subtraction, the tithe is difficult to give because it feels like you’re subtracting 10 percent from your income. But once you graduate to multiplication, you realize that God can do more with 90 percent than you can do with 100 percent. Why? Because when you add God into the equation of your finances, it changes the game. If you give generously and sacrificially, the day may come when you’re giving more than you’re currently making. If you believe that, that promise might be worth circling!

God isn’t offended by big dreams; He’s offended by anything less.

If you aren’t careful, the will of God can become a cop-out if things don’t turn out the way you want.

In typical God fashion, He exceeded my highest expectations. He has a way of making our wildest dreams seem tame, our biggest dreams seem small.

To me, writing is praying with a keyboard.

We’re giving this gift because you have vision beyond your resources.”

It’s not our man-made plans that move the Almighty; the Almighty is moved by big dreams and bold prayers.

If we repent, God always recycles our mistakes.

A second lesson learned is that no doesn’t always mean no; sometimes no means not yet. We’re too quick to give up on God when He doesn’t answer our prayers when we want or how we want. Maybe your deadline doesn’t fit God’s timeline. Maybe no simply means not yet. Maybe it’s a divine delay.

Finally, I learned that we shouldn’t seek answers as much as we should seek God.

If you seek answers you won’t find them, but if you seek God, the answers will find you.

prayer circle,

“Lord, do something unpredictable and uncontrollable.”

If you want God to surprise you, you have to give up control.

You will lose a measure of predictability, but you will begin to see God move in uncontrollable ways!

When you live in prayer mode, you live with holy anticipation.

You know that coincidences are providences.

Any moment can turn into a h...

If you aren’t willing to be perplexed, you’ll never be amazed.

If you are not open to the unprecedented, you will repeat history. If you are open to the unprecedented, you will change history. The difference is prayer.

If your plans aren’t birthed in prayer and bathed in prayer, they won’t succeed.

God is sometimes amazed at how small our plans are.

So keep planning like it depends on you, but make sure you pray like it depends on God.

Don’t just brainstorm; ...

Our biggest problem is our small view of God.

The size of prayers depends on the size of our God. And if God knows no limits, then neither should our prayers. God exists outside of the four space-time dimensions He created. We should pray that way!

With God, there is no big or small, easy or difficult, possible or impossible.

God is not subject to the natural laws He instituted.

To the infinite, all finites are equal.

With God, it’s never an issue of “Can He?” It’s only a question of “Will He?” And while you don’t always know if He will, you know He can. And because you know He can, you can pray with holy confidence.

I often second-guess the will of God, but I don’t doubt the power of God. God is able. I don’t always know if He will, but I always know that He can.

If you’ve never had a God-sized dream that scared you half to death, then you haven’t really come to life. If you’ve never been overwhelmed by the impossibility of your plans, then your God is too small.