Mark Batterson

A Special Message from Dr. Mark Batterson at National Community Church This is a teachable moment for us as a nation. God is WAKING us up. God is SHAKING us up. If we are humble enough to repent of racism and bold enough to believe for reconciliation, God will shake generational sins and break generational curses.

This weekend we venture into the final valley in this series, the Valley of Breakthrough. Breakthrough happens in lots of different ways. It’s small steps of faith. It’s long obedience in the same direction. It’s forgiving those who have hurt us. The common denominator? Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” In the midst of tremendous uncertainty, one thing is certain. God is able. In fact, God is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us! This weekend we believe God for the breakthrough, individually and corporately.

God is in the business of healing broken hearts. Heartbreak is incredibly painful, but it has a pruning effect in our lives. It unseats the idols in our lives and helps us empathize with others. There is no hurt that God cannot heal, in time or eternity. In fact, He can turn the Valley of Heartbreak into the Door of Hope.

The Valley of Dry Bones is the place where God’s resurrection power is revealed. It’s the place where we discover our authority as Christ-followers. There comes a moment when you need to stop talking to God about your problems, and start talking to your problems about God. You have to prophesy to the mountain, prophesy to the storm, prophesy to the dry bones. What do we speak? Life. Love. Truth. We echo, “Let there be light.” We echo, “Peace, be still.” We echo, “Hear the word of the Lord.”

If you want to REPEAT HISTORY, keep doing it the way it’s always been done. If you want to CHANGE HISTORY, dare to be different. What you perceive to be your biggest disadvantage may prove to be your greatest advantage. In Christ, you are nobody’s underdog! Your brave is someone else’s breakthrough.

The Valley of Crisis is where we discover who we are, and more importantly, who God is. It’s the place where faith is forged, vision is birthed, and character is cultivated. How do you get to the other side? You’ve got to PRAY YOUR WAY THROUGH and WORSHIP YOUR WAY OUT of the crisis.

Like the disciples two thousand years ago, we find ourselves sheltered-in-place this Easter. Fear is in the air. Uncertainty is everywhere. The good news? The tomb is still empty! When Jesus walked out of the tomb, death was no longer undefeated. When it seems like all is lost, we go back to the empty tomb. That is where our faith is found. That is where our hope is anchored.

As we age, pieces of our personality are held hostage by painful moments in our past. Jesus came to set the captive free—the inner child within each one of us. It’s never too late to be who you might have been.

The Holy Spirit will sometimes lead us where we don’t want to go, but He always goes with us! The obstacle is not the enemy. The obstacle is the way, the Jesus Way.

Seeking God with greater consistency, greater intentionality, and greater priority is the solution to a thousand problems. You don’t FIND time. You have to MAKE time. How? You’ve got to pitch a tent like Moses. You need a TIME and a PLACE where you get off the grid and get with God. The only ceiling on your intimacy with God and impact on the world is daily spiritual disciplines.