I don't do book reviews but I want to talk about one of the books I read recently. But first on a side note: I recently tweeted (it's funny saying it as a verb) about my relationship with books. For some, I have found I am not even ready to read them as I haven't had the maturity to waltz with the words for complicated knowledge to distill hence they wait on my shelf; whereas for some, I find myself already having the wisdom deposited in my soul and it seems knowledge and information are just catching up to my mind. Some books are fun past-time reading (never visit them again), some come alongside for lifelong journey's and some are truly transformative. Mark Batterson's "If" - Trading Your If Only Regrets for God's What If Possibilities has come along on cue and in a timely manner into my life. Fortunately for me, Mark obviously prayed through it and the Holy Spirit sneakily wanted me to read it from the array of books that sit on my reading shelf ...so I know there are no coincidences. God is in the business of resurrecting hope and getting you back in believing in "What If" possibilities.Here is a summary of things I have pondered upon from the book. A good start is to quote Emily Dickinson's poem "I Dwell in Possibility" which encapsulates the idea of naming the places (especially where we minister, steward and work) as "possibilities". God had divinely ordered our lives, our steps to dwell in the What if's. It is the What If' moments make inventions happen, ideas have to be born, battles that have been won, and the course of histories changed. What if possibilities are distinctly different from "If only" Mark goes through the entire chapter of Romans 8 to prove the point that: If God is for us who can be against us.
He starts with the power of 'If'. The story of Howard Schultz's decision to buy Starbucks started with the decision of quitting his $75K safe salaried job to investing of $3.8 million of in coffee shops which would become a company that has a market capitalization of $27.8 million, topping revenues of $4.7 billion a year and jobs for about 137,000 employees. The power of If is moving to from "if only" to "what if". There is no highest leverage point apart from God. He is your greatest supporter Key ideas from chapter 1 and 2 again "What If you rejected everything about God that wasn't God and accepted Him for who He is - God is for you"
Every path to the promised land must pass through Gilgal. The journey of the Israelites in the exodus took a turning point at Gilgal when God said: " I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt". Key points in chapter 3 for me were: If you want to break the sin habit, you' better establish a praying habit. If you want to leave the past in the past, it helps if you bury it, burn it, flush it, or delete it. Reminded of the words of the Father "forget and forgive yourself" because when it comes to your sins God has a clean slate memory and so should you...it takes faith to believe the new you. The glass is full of the righteousness of Christ overflowing in you - You are a new creation in Christ. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Condemnation is feeling guilty over confessed sin, Conviction is a feeling guilty over unconfessed sin. Conviction is healthy and holy.
One of the highlights for me was learning the traditions of Bet Sefer where the Rabbi's put honey on the slate after they have written Psalm 119 before the Jewish children start memorizing scripture. Its a reminder to them that God's word is sweet as honey to the soul and the spirit; and as the words of God are physically imprinted in the cortex of their brain when they memorize the way they think changes. I have resolved to memorize even more scriptures this year because of this and the promises I have inherited over my life I got to bring them to mind. They are like a muscle memory which enables us to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
I learned again fasting is a spiritual discipline that positions us for breakthroughs. Fasting is not just fasting from food (though its a big portion for people who like food) it's symbolic and relational to hunger and there are many things we can fast from. We want to dwell in the intersection points of God's compassionate kindness interceding with our hunger/resolve of seeking breakthroughs. In these places, you enter into the what if possibilities. Mark quotes "Whatever it is you need more of, you need more of the Holy Spirit". I tweeted something profound today my original quote "A vessel cannot be filled unless a continued emptying happens from time to time. So are things with the Spirit - holy emptying, holy regular in-fillings, and holy overflowings into others". Spiritual maturity takes us to places of serving and outflowing of blessings to others. Your what if's are waiting for becoming surplus blessings for others. The key idea from chapter 6 for me was "It is the Holy Spirit who dispels if only, it's the Holy Spirit who spells our what if". Make decisions against yourself that take you from self-gratifying places, to even discomfort in the pursuit of your goals. The reward is totally assured and sealed for the purposes the Father has for you. God does not reward laziness, even intellectual laziness.
The Hebrew word for new is 'Hadas' - it also means "never before experienced". Mercy is not getting what you do deserve, Grace is getting what you don't deserve. God wants to not only just forgive your sins He wants to leverage your past regrets for His eternal purposes.
Mark cites the work of Marcel Losada the organizational psychologist who studies the power of positivity. He developed the positive feedback loop which simply put is celebrate what you want to see more. This is known as the Losada ratio - it is the positive feedback to negative feedback in the system. You need about 2.9 positive feedbacks for every negative feedback. So pick a promise, any promise and drop an anchor. The anchoring effect is key to our lives. The Greek word 'Phronema' means to fix one's mind on something. Our testimonies, stones of remembrance, our small and big wins are anchors we need to drop, revisit, decree, and declare. Keeping a gratitude journal is a practical way I personally think about my blessings and how I center and shelter my heart from anxieties to rest. It is a sure way of moving from FEAR which stands for "false expectations appearing real" to a place of centered REST.
Thomas Carlyle quotes " Our main business not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand" Key idea from chapter 17 "What if you started living in day-tight compartments?".
Some key points from chapter 18 I liked were: "Destiny is not a mystery; its a decision. And how we make those decisions determines our what if possibilities" Failing to plan is planning to fail but even the best-laid plans of mice and men need a contingency plan. The Bible is a way where we can reality-test our assumptions against the truth. It's how we attain distance before deciding by getting a God's-eye view. And nothing widens our options like the promises of God. Knowledge, by itself, leads to one-dimensional assumptions, but true-wisdom (one that is rooted in the Tree of Life) leads to multi-dimensional understanding. (I added multi-dimensional and the tree of life - Mark cites it as two dimensional). The key idea "What If you started praying like it depends on God and working like it depends on you? Keep an open mind to avoid narrow framing.
Arthur Mckinsey's poetic description of problem-solving:
If you think a problem as being a like a medieval walled city, then a lot of people will attack it head-on, like a battering ram. They will storm the gates and try to smash through the defenses with sheer intellectual power and brilliance. I just camp outside the city. I wait. And I think. Until one day - maybe after I've hurned to a completely different problem - the drawbridge comes downand the defenders say, "We surrender." The answer to the problem comes all at once.
When you tag-team with the Holy Spirit you are never out of your league. Sometimes it is divine revelation and sometimes it is a divine appointment. The Holy Spirit is both inspiring and conspiring. God has a tendency to use our seeds of faith to accomplish things we didn't even set out to do. If history turns on a dime, the dime is that of bold predictions. Mark cites my favorite story about JFK's speech on May 25, 1961 "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth". JFK's what If became a reality on July 20, 1969, when Niel Armstrong took one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Key idea: What If starts with bold predictions and supernatural courage to pursue them (the latter part my addition). Pray a bold prayer! Dream a God-sized dream. After all, if you are big enough for your dream, your dream isn't big enough for God. Resurrection is a down payment on every promise!!
One dimension of spiritual growth is being reconditioned by the grace of God. Mark writes "reactions are conditioned reflexes and they must be reconditioned by the grace of God". I love this idea and plan to be conscious of God's grace, favor and Him being in the corner of my life to shape my identity, actions, and my reflexes. A relationship with God involves surprise as well as progressive revelation. Destiny is not an accomplishment its a reflection.
Count the Blessings, flip the blessings and repeat!
I loved the book there are many more thoughts that I could capture here but time is running and I must stop for now and revisit these truths prehaps again, add more of the author's God inspired words along with my own Holy Spirit insights, He is teaching, I am processing, until then.
Shalom & Blessings,
Dr. Sam Kurien
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