Batterson Quotes & Sayings

Jesus didn't die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. Faithfulness is not holding the fort. It's storming the gates of hell. The will of God is not an insurance plan. It's a daring plan. The complete surrender of your life to the cause of Christ isn't radical. It's normal. It's time to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. It's time to go all in and all out for the All in All. Pack your coffin! — Mark Batterson

All of us want to do amazing things for God, but that isn't our job; it is God's job. — Mark Batterson

But remember this: without a crucifixion there can be no resurrection! — Mark Batterson

change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. — Mark Batterson

Sure, you can choose the safety and predictability of the cage, forfeiting the adventure God has destined for you. But you won't be the only one missing out or losing out. When you lack the courage to chase the Wild Goose, the opportunity costs are staggering. Who might not hear about the love of God if you don't seize the opportunity to tell them? Who might be stuck in poverty, stuck in ignorance, stuck in pain if you're not there to help free them? Where might the advance of God's kingdom in the world stall out because you weren't there on the front lines? — Mark Batterson

God is great not just because nothing is too big for Him. God is great because nothing is too small for Him, either. — Mark Batterson

They thrive in the toughest circumstances because they know that impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles. — Mark Batterson

Only God can make the appointment, but only you can keep the appointment. — Mark Batterson

If you plant yourself in one place and let your roots grow deep, there is no limit to what God can do. — Mark Batterson

The Bible wasn't meant to be read; it was meant to be prayed. Start reading, and God will start speaking. And that's when you need to stop reading and start praying. — Mark Batterson

The circumstances we ask God to CHANGE are often the circumstances God is using to CHANGE US. — Mark Batterson

The betrayal of Jesus by Judas wasn't a spur-of-the-moment mistake. He betrayed Jesus each and every time he pilfered the money pot. And while most of us can't imagine pickpocketing Jesus, we shortchange Him in a thousand different ways. We rob God of the glory He demands and deserves by not living up to our full, God-given potential. — Mark Batterson

God is not a genie in a bottle, and your wish is not His command. His command better be your wish. — Mark Batterson

True knowledge should not produce pride; it should produce humility ... Because the more you know, the more you know how much you don't know. — Mark Batterson

The size of prayers depends on the size of our God. And if God knows no limits, then neither should our prayers. — Mark Batterson

Grace is the catalyst that turns guilt into gratitude. One act of grace can turn the worst moment into the defining moment of someone's life. You can be that agent of grace. — Mark Batterson

Experiences are the currency of a life well lived. — Mark Batterson

Sometimes the power of prayer is the power to carry on. It doesn't always change your circumstances, but it gives you the strength to walk through them. When you pray through, the burden is taken off of your shoulders and put on the shoulders of Him who carried the cross to Calvary. — Mark Batterson

God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go. — Mark Batterson

In the words of Corrie ten Boom, There is no pit too deep that God's grace isn't deeper still. — Mark Batterson

praise is a higher dimension of faith. — Mark Batterson

In an urban environment, a church building is a thing of the past. — Mark Batterson

It's no coincidence that being watchful and prayerful are coupled by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." The word watchful is a throwback to the ancient watchmen whose job it was to sit on the city walls and scan the horizon for attacking armies or trading caravans. They saw sooner and further than anyone else. Prayer opens our spiritual eyes so we see sooner and further. — Mark Batterson

The more you're willing to risk, the more God can use you. And if you're willing to risk everything, then there is nothing God can't do in you and through you. — Mark Batterson

I've been challenged by the action-oriented approach to Scripture proposed by Peter Marshall, former chaplain of the United States Senate. I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the Gospels until we came to a place that told us to do something, then went out to do it, and only after we had done it, began reading again? There are aspects of the Gospel that are puzzling and difficult to understand. But our problems are not centered around the things we don't understand, but rather in the things we do understand, the things we could not possibly misunderstand. Our problem is not so much that we don't know what we should do. We know perfectly well, but we don't want to do it.19 — Mark Batterson

What do you do when God's logic doesn't line up with yours? When the will of God doesn't add up? When you think you know better or know more than God? — Mark Batterson

Sometimes God leads us to a place where we have nowhere to turn but to Him; our only option is to trust Him. — Mark Batterson

God won't answer 100% of the prayers we don't pray. — Mark Batterson

I'd rather be biblically correct than politically correct. — Mark Batterson

There are spiritual gifts like mercy, faith, or generosity that enable people to set the standard, so to speak. But just because you don't have that spiritual gift doesn't mean you aren't held to any standard at all. Even if you aren't gifted in that way, you're still called to live mercifully, faithfully, and generously. You might not set the standard, but you need to meet the standard. There is a baseline that all of us are called to. When the opportunity presents itself, we need to show mercy, exercise faith, and give generously. In the same sense, all of us are called to take risks. If it doesn't involve risk, it doesn't exercise faith. — Mark Batterson

Prayer is picking a fight with the Enemy. It's spiritual warfare. Intercession transports us from the sidelines to the front lines without going anywhere. And that is where the battle is won or lost. Prayer is the difference between us fighting for God and God fighting for us. But we can't just hit our knees. We also have to take a step, take a stand. And when we do, we never know what God will do next. — Mark Batterson

If your personal genome sequence was written out longhand, it would be a three-billion-word book. The King James Version of the Bible has 783,137 words, so your genetic code is the equivalent of nearly four thousand Bibles. And if your personal genome sequence were an audio book and you were read at a rate of one double helix per second, it would take nearly a century to put you into words! — Mark Batterson

Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it. That is the kind of love Jesus shows to us. — Mark Batterson

...faith is acting as if God has already answered. And acting as if God has answered means acting on our prayers... — Mark Batterson

If you want to break the sin habit, you'd better establish a prayer habit. — Mark Batterson

You are only one prayer away from a dream fulfilled, a promise kept, or a miracle performed. — Mark Batterson

When you are tempted to compromise your integrity, remember than an opportunity isn't an opportunity if you have to compromise your integrity. — Mark Batterson

If you are on God's side, then God is on your side. God will fight for you as you fight for Him. And you can live with holy confidence, knowing that when God is contending for your cause, your cause is destined to succeed. This doesn't mean there won't be setbacks and sacrifices along the way; it just means the war has already been won. — Mark Batterson

There is nothing God loves more that keeping promises, answering prayers, performing miracles, and fulfilling dreams. — Mark Batterson

Don't whine. Don't complain. And don't check out. Make the most of the situation. Do little things like they are big things. Keep a good attitude. And faithfully carry out your current obligations. If your job isn't exciting, then bring some excitement to the job. One of the greatest acts of worship is keeping a good attitude in a bad situation. And doing a good job at a bad job honors God. It will also open doors of opportunity down the road. It did for Nehemiah. — Mark Batterson

If you don't take the risk, you forfeit the miracle. — Mark Batterson

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.6 — Mark Batterson

Nothing belongs to us, not even ourselves. But the exchange rate is unbelievable. All of our sin is transferred to Christ's account, and all of His righteousness is transferred to our account. God cancels our debt, writes us into His will, and calls it even! — Mark Batterson

Sometimes God shows up. Sometimes God shows off. — Mark Batterson

...there is nothing you possess that wasn't given to you by God. It's His prerogative to give. And it's His prerogative to take away. But there is one thing that can never be taken from you, and that is Jesus Christ. And if you have Jesus, then you have everything you will ever need for all of eternity.

Everything - Jesus = Nothing
Jesus + Nothing = Everything

It's that simple. — Mark Batterson

Learning is the heart of discipleship. You can't just take up your cross daily. You need to take up the Bible every day. — Mark Batterson

Jesus loved, praised, and rewarded one thing: desperation for God that superseded decorum. — Mark Batterson

The genealogy of blessing always traces back to God-ordained risk. — Mark Batterson

When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness. — Mark Batterson

As I look back on my own life, I recognize this simple truth: The greatest opportunities were the scariest lions. Part of me has wanted to play it safe, but I've learned that taking no risks is the greatest risk of all. — Mark Batterson

Too often we pray ASAP prayers - as soon as possible. We need to start praying ALAT prayers - as long as it takes. — Mark Batterson

Anytime I'm not reading my Bible or praying, I feel like I'm wasting my time. [Mark's brother-in-law, Matt , speaking] — Mark Batterson

One God idea is worth more than a thousand good ideas. — Mark Batterson

If you are not open to the unprecedented, you will repeat history. If you are open to the unprecedented, you will change history. The difference is prayer. — Mark Batterson

Celebrate what you want to see more of. That's one way to fan into flame the gift of God. — Mark Batterson

Stallions," Frank said, "they're fightin' over a girl. - DANIEL'S ESPERANZA — Veronica Randolph Batterson

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling.
But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure. — Mark Batterson

It's much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one! — Mark Batterson

Because you know He can, you can pray with holy confidence. — Mark Batterson

Jesus on Twitter would have been a pretty amazing thing. — Mark Batterson

Grace is loving people for who they are, where they are. It's loving people *before* they change, not just *after* they change. And that grace is the difference between holy and holier-than-thou. Holiness, in its purest form, is irresistible. That's why sinners couldn't be kept away from Jesus. Hypocrisy has the opposite effect. It's as repulsive to the irreligious as the Pharisees' religiosity was to Jesus. — Mark Batterson

Your prayers are prophecies. You can write the future of your family with your prayers — Mark Batterson

Nine times out of ten, failure is resorting to Plan B when Plan A gets too risky, too costly, or too difficult. That's why most people are living their Plan B. They didn't burn the ships. Plan A people don't have a Plan B...

There are moments in life when we need to burn the ships to our past. We do so by making a defining decision that will eliminate the possibility of sailing back to the old world we left behind. You burn the ships named Past Failure and Past Success. You burn the ship named Bad Habit. You burn the ship named Regret. You burn the ship named Guilt. You burn the ship named My Old Way of Life. — Mark Batterson

Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Don't play defense with your life. Play offense with your kids, your wife, your life. Don't look for the path of least resistance. The hard way is the best way! And quit living as if the will of God is an insurance plan. Dare to dream great things for God. — Mark Batterson

Lion chasers are humble enough to let God call the shots and brave enough to follow where He leads. — Mark Batterson

We live in a culture that celebrates talent more than integrity, but we've got it backward. Talent depreciates over time. So do intellect and appearance. You will eventually lose your strength and lose your looks. You may even lose your mind. But you don't have to lose your integrity. Integrity is the only thing that doesn't depreciate over time. Nothing takes longer to build than a godly reputation. And nothing is destroyed more quickly by one stroke of sin. That's why it must be celebrated and protected above all else. — Mark Batterson

Whether we write lyrics or craft legislation, sell homes or teach classes, design spaces or open franchises, prayer is a critical part of the creative process. Don't just brainstorm; praystorm. — Mark Batterson

I love the way Dorothy Sayers described the wild side of His personality. To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made Him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies.9 — Mark Batterson

Put your Isaac on the altar! Then, and only then, will you see what God can do. He cannot give back what you do not give up. But if you surrender yourself to Him, He will provide the ram in the thicket. — Mark Batterson

Life is full of goals to be identified and kept in sight. When we lose sight of the goal, we simply drift. Sometimes drift can mean disaster. — Mark Batterson

You are someone else's miracle! God is setting up divine appointments and it is our job to keep them — Mark Batterson

There is no regret God cannot redeem. — Mark Batterson

we tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in a year. — Mark Batterson

Preaching may move the hearts of men, but praying moves the heart of God. And that's where revival comes from. — Mark Batterson

Dreams without deadlines are dead in the water. Deadlines are really lifelines to achieving our goals. — Mark Batterson

Courage doesn't wait until situational factors turn in one's favor. It doesn't wait until a plan is perfectly formed. It doesn't wait until the tide of popular opinion is turned. Courage only waits for one thing: a green light from God. And when God gives the go, it's full steam ahead, no questions asked. — Mark Batterson

The leading cause of failure is mismanaged success. And the leading cause of success is well-managed failure. — Mark Batterson

Part of my driving desire as a pastor is to remove every obstacle except the cross that would keep people from coming to faith in Christ. — Mark Batterson

We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find something worth dying for — Mark Batterson

Jesus didn't die to make us safe. He died to make us dangerous! Faithfulness isn't holding the fort. It's storming the gates of hell with the light and love of Jesus Christ. — Mark Batterson

There is nothing God loves more than keeping promises, answering prayers, performing miracles, and fulfilling dreams. That is who He is. That is what He does. And the bigger the circle we draw, the better, because God gets more glory. — Mark Batterson

If you keep circling the promise, God will ultimately deliver on it. — Mark Batterson

If you want to see God move make a move. — Mark Batterson

God has determined that certain expressions of His power will only be exercised in response to prayer. Simply put, God won't do it unless you pray for it. We have not because we ask not, or maybe I should say, we have not because we circle not. The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked. — Mark Batterson

Minimum risk equals minimum satisfaction. — Mark Batterson

We will face some problems we cannot solve, some situations we cannot change. That's when we may feel like panicking, but it is the time to stand still and wait for the Lord's deliverance. — Mark Batterson

Our prayers don't die when we do. God answers them forever. — Mark Batterson

The only way you can fail is if you stop praying — Mark Batterson

At some point, most of us stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory. Instead of creating the future, we start repeating the past. Instead of living by faith, we live by logic. Instead of going after our dreams, we stop circling Jericho. But it doesn't have to be that way. — Mark Batterson

Facing your fears is the beginning of the battle. — Mark Batterson

Test by getting out of a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee when Jesus uttered one of the craziest commands in Scripture: "Come." Peter risked far more than wet feet. The — Mark Batterson

God isn't offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. — Mark Batterson

You may be the only Bible some people ever read. So the question is: Are you a good translation? — Mark Batterson

Confession breaks the power of canceled sin. It also heals the broken heart. — Mark Batterson

The path of least resistance never gets us where we want to go. Shortcuts always end up being cul-de-sacs. The key to spiritual growth is the willingness to go out of your way for God. You will find God in uncomfortable places at inconvenient times. But if you go out of your way for God, God will go out of His way for you. Crash the party! — Mark Batterson

Verse by verse, the Bible becomes more than theory. It becomes my firsthand experience. — Mark Batterson

As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants - from this time on and forever," says the LORD. — Mark Batterson

In working through nonreligious language to explain that journey, the idea of place became very important. Jesus says, "Here's the deal! I'll leave My place. I'll come to your place. I'll take your place. And then we'll go to My place." This simplicity captured me. Everyone understands places. We all have them. It's where we live our lives day to day. Then Jesus walks into our place and redirects us. — Mark Batterson

If you're bored, one thing is for sure: You're not following in the footsteps of Christ. — Mark Batterson

The goal of marriage is not happiness, it is holiness ... There is no mechanism whereby God can sanctify a person more than having them live in close proximity to another imperfect person.
... Our fundamental problem is that we are selfish. Marriage is the means whereby God eradicates our selfishness because it is not about "me" anymore, i t is about "we. — Mark Batterson