Hahaha. If there’s ever a time I begin to doubt what God is doing in my life, smack me upside the head.
My subscription to Audible provides one credit a month to purchase an audio book. I started listening to books about a year ago, while I drive or bike or other monotonous activities. I never quite know what to call “experiencing” an audio book – do you “read” them? not exactly… .do you “listen”? well, yes, but somehow that isn’t a complete description either… at any rate, this is where I have experienced Mark Batterson’s books. (In a pit with a lion on a snowy day, Lion Chaser, The Circle Maker, etc). I thought I had seen all of his titles, but when perusing the library this morning looking for a new book, I came across a new one, and it’s title captured my attention immediately. Soul Print. It reminded me of Erwin McManus book, Artisan Soul, which is another life-defining book for me. Since I have 2 credits right now, I looked for a second title and came across Francis Chan, Waiting on God, which I thought was appropriate in my year of WAIT.
As I climbed on my bike a few days ago, in my F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G cold garage to conquer some miles, I looked at both titles on my ap. In my head I was thinking, I really should begin Waiting on God, but for some reason, my heart was telling me to start with Mark Batterson, so I followed my heart.
How God knew I needed to hear the words penned by Mark is a testimony to what an awesome God He is. I wish I could simply post the entirety of Chapter 1 here, though I’m not even sure it would have the same impact on you as it did on me today. All I can say is. Holy. Cow. What a wonderful, wonderful God He is.
God is at work here, for a purpose that is soooo much bigger than me. soooo much bigger than you… sooooo much bigger. we are a part of it.
I’ve been thinking about what to study next, and thinking about how many things I’ve messed up on in my life, just like David, who God calls a man after His own heart. One thing that I’ve noticed is that the Bible is full of people who have screwed up royally, but God uses in powerful ways to further His Kingdom and His Sovereign will. I’ve decided to begin to study more about the life of David and his Psalms to understand how he could have messed up so badly, yet God loved him so much and used him so much. I haven’t started yet. Woven throughout the book, Soul Print? Stories about David – the things he did well and the things he didn’t. How funny is that?
For me, starting this book is affirmation that God is leading… I am following. I truly love God and want to do what He wants. I’m laying my entire universe at His feet right now, trusting in what He says!
I mentioned the phrase that I’ve read in some of Batterson’s other books in my previous post – that God wants to get us where God wants us to be more than we want to get where God want’s us to be.. and it was repeated several times in Soul Print. However, in addition, Mark added a new phrase that stood out to me in this book: God will not put us where He wants us until we have become who He want’s us to become.
“Your uniqueness is a testament to the God who created you. There is nothing that God cannot do in you and through you if you simply yield to Him.. All of you to All of Him. You were created to worship God in a way that no one else can, but living a life that no one else can.. You play an irreplaceable role in God’s destiny – but it starts with understanding your true identity. Our true identities get buried under the mistakes we’ve made, the insecurities we’ve acquired and the lies we believe. We’re held captive by others’ expectations and spend too much energy trying to be who ewe are not.. and we forfeit our spiritual birthright. It’s not that we are lying to ourselves; somewhere along the way, we lose ourselves… if you are still breathing, God has not given up on you yet, so don’t give up on yourself. It’s never too late to be who you might have been. ”
“The key to fulfilling your future destiny is in understanding your past…. while you live forward, God works backward… all of your days are ordained by God and it’s your responsible to discover your God-given destiny.. despite humble beginnings and huge mistakes, David fulfilled his destiny. … in the pages that follow, we will dissect David’s life in such a way as to help you find your destiny.”
“I don’t know how long you’ve been stuck, but I know that God wants to move you. We are held captive by so many things… by our imperfections and insecurities, guilt and anxiety, expectations, and lies, and mistakes. Jesus dies to set us free from all of the above, not just to set us free from who we were but to set us free for who we were intended to be.”
“God’s primary concern is who you are becoming – the character of Christ being formed in you until you are more like Jesus – as a revelation of who God is. You won’t find yourself until you find God. You are made in His image. To become like Christ is to become unlike anyone else.”
Mark Batterson, Soul Print
I’ve finished listening to the book (the advantage of spending hours on a bike and in a car this week!). I’d encourage you to read the book – you can find it here… Soul Print
Be blessed, my friends!
SB
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