I love to collect quotes. Do you have any favorites that remind you why you're doing this or that help you when you're struggling? From a Christian perspective, I mean.
Here are 2 of mine:
"As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness" (Prov. 26:11).
"Although our cravings go deep, they are no match for the Spirit of the Living God. This, of course, does not mean that the battle is over and we can 'let go and let God.' Rather, it means that we are now empowered to engage in the battle. Just as the Israelites were given the Promised Land as a gift, yet they had to take it by force, one town at a time, so we are promised the gift of self-control and are also called to lay claim to it one day at a time."
Since I appear to be talking to myself, I think I'll just continue this fascinating conversation. Here's a couple more I like, both from Beth Moore's Praying God's Word:
"...if man could truly subdue all his fleshly appetites by the pure power of his own determination, he would simply worship his own will. If the Word of God is about anything at all, it is about God's will rather than ours....God will never allow us continued success through our pure fleshly determination to 'touch not, taste not, handle not.' He knows we would end up worshiping our own wills and methods. Through the might of His Holy Spirit released through the authority of His Word, we are empowered to say no to the things we should -- to our excesses, withholdings, compulsions, and harmful consumptions -- and say yes to freedom, moderation, and better health. When we bow to God's authority, we invite Him to take control, and [I]He[I] is the One who does it, as 1 Thessalonians 5:24 tells us."
"Be tenacious and patient, child of God. If you fall, don't listen to the accusations and jeers of the evil one. Get back up and walk with God again. How many times? Until you're free."
"Nothing in my life will be a waste unless I refuse to let God use it."
"Everything is permissable for me -- but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissable for me -- but I will not be mastered by anything" (1 Cor. 6:12)
"Satan says, 'You'll never be any different.' God says, 'You already are different.' "
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20.
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul."
"Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see" Hebrews 11:1
This isn't a word-for-word quote, but it came from a movie we saw and really convicted me: Satan's biggest accomplishment has been to convince people that he doesn't exist.
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
and He hears me when I call
I love that song, part of our devotion at the jail this morning was that God created each of us with a purpose in mind, we are no accident and He know each of us intimately by name. What an awesome thought!!
"Any good psychiatrist knows that 'I can't' and 'I've tried' are merely lame excuses. We [Minirth & Meier] insist that our patients be honest with themselves and use language that expresses the reality of the situation. So we have our patients change their can'ts to won'ts. 'I just won't get along with ___.' 'I will not find a job.' 'I won't stop overeating. I'll make a half-hearted effort at it, but I won't quite succeed.' If an individual changes all his can'ts to won'ts, he stops avoiding the truth, quits deceiving himself, and starts living in reality -- if he is a Christian. The Bible tells Christians in Philippians 4:13, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.' In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Christians are told they are never tempted to sin without simultaneously being provided with a way (and the power) to escape that sinful temptation. The Christian who continually fails is without excuse -- he is defeating himself."
"Good news to those of us who live our lives in self-doubt and fear: It's not the quality or quantity of your faith that matters. What matters is the object of your faith."
(The Voice of Truth -- Casting Crowns)
"Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves;
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand.
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed.
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, 'Boy, you'll never win!'
'You'll never win!'
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, 'Do not be afraid!'
And the voice of truth says, 'This is for My glory'
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth."
~ "How does one become a butterfly?" she asked pensively. "You must want to fly so much, that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar." -- Trina Paulus, Hope for the Flowers
~ "It is possible to move a mountain ... just by carrying away many small stones." -- Chinese Proverb
~ It isn't about waiting for the storm to pass ... it's about learning to dance in the rain.
~ God whispers to us in our pleasures ... but shouts to us in our pain. -- C.S. Lewis
~ Every time I ask GOD the question "Why?" I get the same answer ...
....
....
.... 'ARE YOU TRUSTING ME?'