Two trip wires

As Mark Batterson continues Chapter 3 of The Grave Robber, he wants his readers to clearly understand that only God can perform miracles.  God gets all the glory.  Yet, Mark adds that almost every miracle has a human element.  And while some miracles take a single step of faith, others require multiple attempts.

Pastor Batterson states that there is an invisible, impassible fence dividing the natural and the supernatural.  We can’t dig under it, climb over it, or walk around it.  But there is a gate in that fence, and His name is Jesus!

However, there are two trip wires Pastor Batterson has identified that keep us from stepping into the miraculous:

1.  Subliminal skepticism.  Because miracles, by definition, violate natural laws, we instinctively object.  Miracles defy logic.  We tend to explain away what we cannot explain.  Mark defines skepticism as a “predisposition toward disbelief that is prejudiced by past experience.”  Discernment is filtering or distinguishing what is false from what is true with the help of  Scripture and the Holy Spirit.  Falsehoods don’t negate truth.

2.  Dormant disappointment.  When our prayer for a miracle aren’t answered or miracles don’t happen the way we want, disappointment is our knee-jerk reaction.  As Pastor Batterson states, “we pull back on the reins of faith because we don’t want to feel the sting of disappointment again.”  If we want to experience the miraculous, we have to confront the dormant disappointment in our past.

Today’s question: Have you experienced subliminal skepticism or dormant disappointment?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “The single greatest miracle”

Two trip wires

Secure in Christ

Today Sara Horn concludes her discussion of Seven Habits of Highly Resentful People in Chapter 2 of How Can I Possibly Forgive?.

3.  A highly resentful person is constantly disappointed by others and by life in general.  Many of the disappointments we face in life are legitimate and hurtful.  However, resentment can take hold of us when we place higher expectations on someone or something than warranted.

4.  A highly resentful person is dissatisfied with some area of her life, if not several.  Dissatisfied people complain about what’s not right in their life or what they wish would change, but are unwilling to put forth the effort necessary to make those changes.  They play the blame game- it’s always the fault of someone else.  These habits should cue us that wholeness only comes from Christ.

5.  A highly resentful person avoids spending time with God.  When God is active and working in our heart, there is no room for a resentful spirit to reside.  We must be intentional in spending time in God’s Word or talking with Him.

6.  A highly resentful person is quick to get angry.  Sara states that “resentment is a breeding ground for bad tempers.”  Ecclesiastes 7:9 implores us: “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.”

7.  A highly resentful person hangs on to pride.  Here self-worth becomes caught up in our accomplishments.  If, in our eyes, someone else does something better, we diminish our value in response.  Sara states: “Pride starts when insecurity peaks.  Be secure in Christ.”

Today’s question: Which of the Seven Habits of Highly Resentful People characterize you following your vocation loss?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Highly Forgiving People”

Secure in Christ