“God is ready and waiting. So while I have no idea what circumstance you find yourself in, I’m confident that you are only one prayer away from a dream fulfilled, a promise kept, or a miracle performed. It is absolutely imperative at the outset that you come to terms with this simple yet life-changing truth: God is for you. If you don’t believe that, then you’ll pray small timid prayers. If you do believe it, then you’ll pray big audacious prayers.” – Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears
Are you praying big, bold prayers?
Recently I read a scripture that went right through me and deeply challenged my faith: Joshua commanding the sun and the moon to stand still. (Numbers 14: 12)
That same week, I received Sandi Krakowski’s email that was about this Bible verse. I’ve walked long enough with God by now to know that when something comes up two or three times the same week, God is speaking – and to sit up and pray close attention.
Sandi excitedly shared with her fans about Steven Furtick’s new book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible
Next, I heard about and read Mark Batterson’s book,The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears
Sometimes we pray and believe too small. Sometimes we don’t pray at all.
I was challenged by these books to pray more, pray bolder, and pray outrageous, impossible prayers – because God is just waiting to answer them when they line up with His word and His will.
You are just one prayer away from a miracle performed, a promise fulfilled, or a dream coming true.
Your prayers are important. Your prayers are vital. Sometimes they can be a matter of life and death.
You can partner with God to accomplish the impossible through your prayers.
What is something that you have prayed or dreamed about that was way bigger than you? Share in the comments below.
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2 Comments
How do you feel about what is said here about “The Circle Maker”? http://beginningandend.com/the-circle-maker-heresy-witchcraft-in-the-church/ (not my site)
I have read The Circle Maker and read this article. I think it has some valid points. Witchcraft, Satanism, and New Age are all very real and very dangerous. In my opinion, Satan is just as active in the church sometimes as he is at satanic rituals. That is because he hates God and hates God’s people who believe in Jesus Christ. If he can’t kill us, he will do everything he can to distract us, cause us to sin, hurt us, or destroy our lives and testimony. He is very sly and deceptive.
When I read the book, I was never comfortable with the idea of drawing a circle. Personally, I don’t believe that I need to draw a circle for God to hear my prayers. I am God’s child. I am a Christian who has received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and He hears my voice. God tells us when we pray, He hears us. (Matthew 6:6, 2 Chronicles 7: 14-15, Psalm 66:16-20).
We should base everything we believe, do and say on the foundation of God’s truth, His eternal word. Not fables or man’s traditions. No, we shouldn’t base our beliefs on Honi, or any other legend or fable. That doesn’t mean we can’t learn from other sources than the Bible. God can use anything He wants to work in people’s lives, including this book. He can even use a donkey to rebuke a prophet if He wants.
One of the criticisms in this article is that Batterson says this man was a prophet of God but he isn’t mentioned in the Bible as a prophet. There are prophets in the body of Christ today who aren’t mentioned in the Bible, so that criticism doesn’t hold water for me.
What I got out of this book was not drawing a circle to pray. What I got out of the book was to pray big, bold, audacious prayers because God is a big God. We have too little faith. Something Jesus rebuked his disciples for a lot. We think too small and puny when God wants to do so much more, as He did when He parted the Red Sea for His people to cross over into freedom. One of the reasons we don’t live victorious Christian lives is because we pray such little prayers. We don’t trust God enough for the big things. We’re scared and we depend on ourselves far more than God. We also tend to be control freaks as humans. We need to have more faith and surrender more to God.
I don’t believe in the “name it, claim it” or so called “prosperity” gospel. I do believe God wants to bless and prosper us. I wrote an ebook about that available at my Estore. Poverty and struggling don’t honor God. It takes money to take the gospel across the world – or to minister here in the U.S., especially with the economy the way it is today. God wants to bless us so much we become a blessing to others, as He did Abraham and Sarah. We often limit the amazing, huge things God wants to do in our lives or others. Often we feel unworthy of God blessing and prospering us or mistakenly think that money or wealth is evil. It’s not wrong or evil. The question is does money have our heart -or does God? Who is our God?
I don’t believe we should use the Bible for what we want as soon as possible, as this article says. We shouldn’t try to manipulate God or anyone with His word or our prayers. I do believe we’re supposed to pray about everything, including our needs and our desires. Our prayers should be like Jesus in the garden: “Not My will, but Yours be done.” But God knows what is in our hearts anyway. God is God. He can see the motives and intents of our hearts. God knows that sometimes we ask for things that are selfish and for our own pleasure. And sometimes He gives them to us anyway, just like we as parents sometimes let our kids have ice cream when they should eat broccoli and carrots instead. You get my point.
It is true that witches pray inside circles, thinking the circle will “protect” them from the demons/spirits they have summoned. That is probably why I don’t like the circle idea. I want nothing to do with witchcraft, Satanism or New Age/false teachings.
I do think some of what Batterson wrote has merit – to pray bigger, bolder prayers.
I have some Christian friends online who LOVE this book and are “circling their prayers.” They are free to do so. Again, I don’t need a circle to pray. My God is bigger than any circle. I just pray in my heart to God, or aloud with my voice:
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” – Romans 12:1, The Message
I base my life, my prayers, my faith on the Word of God, in Jesus Christ – not in a fable, not in a circle prayer. But neither do I base my life on the opinons of man. I seek to please the audience of One – God. He is the one I am accountable to as should all Christians be. Let God be judge of all.
What did you think of the book? How do you feel about it? Do you think it’s heresy or witchcraft? Thanks for asking and commenting, Lisa!