The Circle Maker Devotion-part 6 (The Power of Positive)

As many have been following, I have been recapping a book study on Mark Batterson's, The Circle Maker.  This post will finish up this particular book series.  As my church group does another book study, I'll continue to share the next one.  So let's get started.  Batterson mentions that when painting, it is important to prime before painting to prepare the walls for paint and to protect  the old paint from bleeding through the new paint.  In the same way we prime to paint, we should have spiritual priming.  Batterson mentioned a psychologist by the name of John Barg who worked at New York University had discovered an interesting finding.  He performed a study in which he took college students and told them he was testing for IQ.  In reality, he was giving them a five minute test loaded with negative words such as disturb and bother.  He would then ask the students to go down the hall to talk to the director of the study about what to do next.  While they encountered the director, he hired an actor to be carrying on a conversation with the director.  He then recorded how long it would take for the students to interrupt the conversation.  He repeated the study, except the next time, he used positive words such as respect and considerate.  After running the study, his findings were more profound than he thought they would be originally.  Those that were given negative speech  interrupted after only 5 minutes; however, of those with positive speech given, 82% did not interrupt at all.  What did this prove?  When we speak to others and think positively, the way we view the world and treat others is directly effected.  Proverbs 18:21 mentions that the tongue has the power of life and death.  What if we spiritually primed our lives like we prime a wall.  If we laid down positive words before negative to others and if we counted our blessings instead of complaining, wouldn't we have a lot more confidence when approached God in prayer?  Prayer also primes how we think.  When we go to God with our worries, then we tend to be more positive.  This means that how we react and deal with others will reflect a positive environment also. 
     Batterson also mentioned that just as Daniel had the ritual of praying to God three times a day on his knees, find your ritual.  Do you feel closer to God walking?  Do you like to use a certain translation?  Jesus liked to walk in the early morning to pray.  When and where can you feel closest to God?  Take those moments with God and make it part of your everyday.  Batterson also mentioned that you need to dedicate some of each of your day to letting God move through you.  Ask yourself, "How can I include God in this set of minutes of my day?"  Maybe you could pray for someone walking by.  Maybe you could feed someone who is hungry or visit someone lonely.  How can God work through you each day?  This led into Batterson mentioning that we need to set goals for our lives.  He mentioned that he liked to categorize his goals into different groups such as goals about family, travel, physical, etc...  Batterson mentioned that, "goals are the cause/effect of praying hard."  He also mentioned that you don't have to make only spiritual goals because if you are praying and seeking God, the spiritual filters into all your goals.  Before you start life goals, make sure to pray and check your motives.  Are you making this goal because it will lead you closer to God, or are you making this goal out of selfish motives?  If the motive is pure, be specific, write it down, dream long, and continue to pray.  Remember, there will be struggles and hard times.  Psalms 56:8 You collected my tears in a bottle.  We will cry, but we serve a God that cares so much for us that He keeps track of our tears and heals us.  Psalms 30:11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.  We remember that God is never early and never late.  He is always on time.  Batterson ends his book mentioning that throughout the Bible, one person is willing to stand, and it changes their world.  All it takes is one.  Batterson started with the story of Honi, the Jewish sage, who prayed for the drought that was killing the Israelites to end.  God heard Honi's prayer as he drew a circle in the dirt and said he would not leave the circle until God brought the rain they needed.  The rain came and a generation was saved.  They celebrated Honi and told stories of Him, but later when there was unrest between fractions of Jews, Honi was taken and told to curse one set of Jews by another set.  As he faced spears of soldiers, he refused.  In his final words, he prayed and asked God to make any prayers either party was praying void because they were both God's people.  He didn't want them fighting and hurting each other with their words.  Upon finishing, he was stoned.  His last prayer was not a selfish prayer.  It was that God would unify and change a generation.  Throughout this book, Batterson has shown that one person with a heart hungering for God can change the world.  so the question is, "Will you be that one?"

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!