Charles Stanley Quotes

Helen Keller was blind and deaf when she graduated from college with honors. So what's your problem?

Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.

You always have God's undivided attention.

[Prayer] is the link between God's inexhaustible resources and people’s needs...God is the source of power, but we are the instrument He uses to link the two together.

Behavior is the substance of religion. Belief is the substance of relationship.

Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins.

Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we're waiting for.

We must remember that the shortest distance between our problems and their solutions is the distance between our knees and the floor.

our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we're waiting for.

opportunities are always lost when we let fear overrule our faith

Our emotions often stand in direct opposition to our faith in the Lord and what He is achieving for us.

Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.

If God has positioned us in a certain place, we must leave all the details to Him.

I’ve learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall bdirect your paths.

None of us has become perfect (Phil. 3:12). None of us does everything right. None of us is so wise that we always speak the right word or so strong that we always do the right thing. Remembering this keeps us humble.

Hear me very carefully on this point. Nobody can take your peace from you. If you have lost your peace, you have lost it for one main reason—you have surrendered it.

The only never you should focus on is that God will never let you down.

An idol is anything that you value more—either by your attitude or actions—than God.

There is no substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

As we place our dependence upon God, an incredible freedom and peace will begin to rest in our hearts. And reaching that point in our lives makes every failure worth it.

God calls you to delight in Him because nothing will satisfy your soul like being close to Him in intimate fellowship.

God’s blessing is often dependent on our obedience.

Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to make us holy and acceptable to Him once and for all.

First priority becomes first action.

The length of time it takes to catch on to this relationship depends on us—not God. The more willing we are to confess our inadequacy, the easier it is for us to fully surrender to His will for our lives.

There is no need to go through life handicapped by past experiences. What others say about you doesn’t matter. How they treated you is inconsequential. The only accurate, eternal, unassailable measure of your worth comes from almighty God, who will one day judge the living and the dead without exception (1 Pet. 4:4–5).

And it is in times of extreme difficulty that He develops our character and strengthens us spiritually, while helping us to grow deeper in our faith in Him.

Victory is possible. Genuine healing can occur if we're willing to allow the Father to set us free.

Change your focus from the gift to the Giver—from the blessing to the One who bestows it.

We learn more in our mountain experiences than on our mountaintops.

Lord, as my Source and Creator, I will make time for You. Transform me so I may carry out Your wonderful plans for my life, amen.

He allows brokenness in our lives in order to bring about a blessing.

Whenever problems arise, get alone and listen quietly for God.

When God calls you to a task or allows a trial, He assumes full responsibility for removing the hindrances that would keep you from succeeding. Therefore, you must respond in faith.

God heard the cries and groans of the enslaved Hebrews and moved to act for their deliverance long before they knew anything about it. God is at work on our behalf even when He appears silent.

It is dangerous for us to allow our difficulties to reside in the forefront of our thinking. Rather, our focus should always remain on our matchless God, who can triumph over any trouble we bring to Him. When God said no to one blessing, it was so I could experience a greater one later on. God speaks to you and me through every situation, but hearing Him is dependent upon our anticipating and paying attention to His instruction. Regardless of the circumstances we experience, we know God is teaching us something, and we will intentionally and eagerly learn and apply whatever it is. There are many days when I cannot wait to get home and be alone with the Father. I am eager to leave behind all the stresses and decisions, change out of my suit and tie, go into my prayer closet, open God’s Word, and relax in His loving arms. Many times I don’t need to say a word. I simply want to hear from the Lord, experiencing His peaceful wisdom and loving presence. There is nothing better in life than just being with Him.

You may feel as though your life is in a vortex of trouble, but if you ask Him to show you how to be still before Him, He will; and in the calm of His presence, you will hear Him speak words of hope and encouragement.

Life Lessons 4:1 — Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Holy Spirit led Jesus to a barren place where the devil waited to tempt Him. We should never doubt God’s leading just because we run into temptation. That is often God’s way of testing us.

Stanley was right. I never hit another home run. I struck out most of the time. But they always remembered that home run and while they still hated me, it was a better kind of hatred, like they weren’t quite sure why. Football

make amends to those you’ve hurt, and forgive anyone who has wounded you. If He does, then obey Him immediately. But then move on. Don’t continue to beat yourself up over something that God has forgiven. True, you may still have to live with consequences related to your choices. But the Father doesn’t want you to live with unresolved guilt, shame, or regret. Seek Him and be free.

Put your faith, hope, and trust in God. Do not look at your circumstances. Commit yourself to doing what He requires of you. Cling to the promises in His Word. Then when desperation pulls at your heart, you can cry out to Him, knowing that He hears your every word and will answer and provide the encouragement you need to hold out in the face of adversity.

Blame is easy. Taking responsibility is hard. Anger is easy. Self-control is hard.

Pride never admits its failures. Instead, the prideful person continues to push forward, blindly seeking self-gratification.

As long as our faith is no deeper than our circumstance, we’re set up for failure.

30Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

emotionally

The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. —Charles Stanley The

Anybody can throw a basketball toward a hoop. But only a relative few can exercise the athletic prowess of dribbling down the court, account for and surpass a variety of obstacles, and actually get the ball into the hoop consistently and repetitively contributing toward an ultimate win for the team. In the same way, anyone can open an investment account with M1 or Acorns or Robinhood or Cashapp… or even with the big guys like Ameritrade or Fidelity or Charles Schwabb or Morgan Stanley… but only a relative few can navigate an ever-changing economic paradigm, overcome various financial, legal and social obstacles, maintaining alignment with values, and achieve substantial growth and profits - contributing toward an ultimate win for the team. It’s better to hire a professional investor if you expect professional results.

30:20 — This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done no wickedness.” It’s become a mantra in our society: “But I’m really a good person!” Unbelievers and believers alike often make this claim after they do what God’s Word calls sin. But sin requires repentance, not self-justification or denial.

We fulfill our eternal purpose when our lives honor the Lord and reflect His glory. What pleases a human father more than to hear, “That boy looks just like you; he even acts like you”? God takes pleasure in spiritual sons who reflect His character.

Life Lessons 4:4, 7, 10 — “It is written .… It is written .… it is written .… ” Jesus responded to each of Satan’s three temptations by appealing to the unchanging Word of God: “It is written!” If we want to successfully overcome temptation, we must know what the Word says.

— Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory. When we die, we will immediately be in the presence of Almighty God. As believers, we will no longer remember the struggles and sorrows of this life because our minds and bodies will be absolutely purified in His presence. In fact, everything will be different, because we will stand holy and glorified before the Lord (1 Cor. 13:12; 1 John 3:2). If your body is broken, in pain, or you simply do not like it—hold on. One day, you will have a brand new one if you believe in Him (1 Cor. 15:40–54).

Life Lessons 12:32 — “I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” Jesus says that He draws all peoples to Himself. We are to represent Him as well as we can and allow Him to live through us, but we can never convert anyone. It is Christ’s responsibility to cause faith to take root in human hearts, not ours.

God calls us to have a forgiving spirit. Knowing that God remains in control of all that happens to us releases us to forgive others.

Friend, it is God’s responsibility to supply what you require. Your duty is to trust Him, obey Him, and keep your focus on Him—not on what you perceive is

Friend, be assured that the Lord—the Owner of heaven and earth—supplies all your needs. None is too massive, problematic, or severe for Jesus to meet it

7“The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.

28And we know that cGod causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and . . . take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5, NIV).

Make sure that what you are living for is what you are willing to die for.

4but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

the shortest distance between our problems and their solutions is the distance between our knees and the floor.

You may be wondering why such difficulty has come into your life. However, the greater question is, “Lord, how do You plan to use this difficulty so I may serve You better?

Inner Strength Study Guide

Obedience always is the first step to discovering God’s plan for your life.

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. PROVERBS 16:9 NLT

Obey God and leave the consequences to Him. No matter what He tells you to do, do it and trust Him for the outcome.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chron. 16:9).

Oftentimes the root of their marriage problems is found in some hostility they have been hauling around, sometimes since childhood.

This is an important concept as we look into the idea of forgiveness because we see in it God’s desire to have fellowship with sinful, disobedient men and women.

When you face a mountain in your life, you have a choice: be overwhelmed or be energized because you know the Savior will reveal Himself in a profound way to you.

repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5–6).

understand the Lord is a jealous God. He wants a relationship with you, and if He sees that you’re relying on another person to do what only He can, He often finds a way to end that relationship as it once was. Only the Savior can provide everything you need to live a peaceful, joyful, fulfilling life. So look to Him first and foremost to satisfy the needs of your heart.

FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, 25BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.” And this is the word which was preached to you.

7You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Psalm 34:18 is clear, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” So when you feel at your most unworthy or defeated is when the Father is closest, tenderly bidding you to return to Him.

Paul declared in Philippians 3:8: “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” (NASB).

10:30 — “I and the Father are one.” In this verse, Jesus proclaimed His unity of nature and equality in the Godhead (Deut. 6:4). Based on His assertion, we must make a decision: either we believe He really is God, or we must reject everything He says—there is no middle ground. As believers, we know that there is only one God and that He is three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also know that everything Jesus said is absolutely true because He is the truth (John 14:6).

consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). God's

Discernment is the ability to judge a situation accurately—to see the full reality of a situation, relationship, experience, or circumstance. It is the capacity to understand accurately and clearly what is, to see the truth of things as they are from God’s viewpoint.

God knows what you need. He knows what is best for you—including in what quantity. The fact is, we can live with very little, but we can never truly live without God. He is what we need first, foremost, and always. He is the only one whom we truly can’t do without! The

Our tendency today is to assume that we can eliminate the authority of husband over wife and yet retain the authority of husband-wife over the children. The Bible is more realistic about marriage than modern man, for the truth is that in disobeying the one hierarchy we destroy the other.

1:16 — I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. We must never feel ashamed of our connection to Christ or the salvation He freely offers to all. It is a high privilege to represent Him, and we must do so with boldness and enthusiasm.

Though this year ends, He remains sovereign over all that exists. Allow this truth to comfort you as you face the unknowns ahead. No problem is too overwhelming for your heavenly Father. He is your perfect Leader, who guides you wisely to triumph no matter what happens. And His love for you never fails.

There is a basic truth to shifting your life out of reverse and into a forward gear, and it is this: no matter what your circumstances are or what you have done in the past, God loves you with an everlasting love, and He will make your life count for something wonderful, if you will place your trust in Him.

What is a “total” or “real” man? He is one who understands and accepts the responsibility for the development of his mental, emotional, and spiritual capacity and demonstrates this by his maturing attitude and actions in his personal life, his home life, his vocational life, his social life, and his spiritual life.

The Bible admonishes us to live each day fully—not living in the past or the future. But God never intends for us to walk blindly from day to day. He expects us to discern what He is doing and what He desires. He intends for us to have a capacity to see beneath the surface of life and to expose and analyze the unseen.

15:11 — “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” The Word of God, living and growing within us, produces lasting and increasing joy. A lack of joy in a Christian’s life often can be traced to a lack of concentrated devotional time in God’s Word or disobedience.

Friend, don’t be discouraged if you’ve made poor decisions throughout your life. You don’t have to figure out how to make up for your failings, and you don’t have to be afraid that your life is over. The truth is, you can start over fresh because of the Father’s loving grace and mercy, which are new every morning (Lam. 3:22

mean life will always be easy or problem-free. Sometimes the Lord will lead us into the wilderness or into situations that are difficult. In fact, this often happens after times of great spiritual growth or victory. However, if we trust and obey Him, we will surely triumph, and our relationship with Him will grow even deeper and stronger.

SCRIPTURE READING: EPHESIANS 4:1–15 KEY VERSES: EPHESIANS 4:14–15 That [you] . . . speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ. The pattern Jesus gave us to live by is one of love. Paul wrote, “I . . . implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (Eph. 4:1–2 NASB). As a believer, live each day in such a way that your life honors the Lord, who saved you through His mercy and grace. This means to live in a “manner worthy” of your calling. How did Jesus call you? Did He come to you with a list of demands, requiring you to fulfill each one before He would consider caring for you? No. He came to you in love. Redemptive love brought Him to earth so that you might receive eternal salvation. Love was all the motivation He needed to be crucified at Calvary. His love watches over you, protects you, plans your future, and encourages you not to give up in times of sorrow and discouragement. You will spend eternity in the radiant goodness and greatness of His blessings, all because He chooses to love you. Love that is from God is humble and gentle. It loves with the surety of Christ. Someone today is hurting because he thinks God could not possibly love him. You know the truth about His love; will you tell him? Thank You, Lord, that I know the truth about Your love. Help me to share it with others. (SEEKING HIS FACE)

In each case, we find the Holy Spirit came to individuals in the Old Testament to help them with specific works or ministries—and then He departed from them. At that time, the Holy Spirit did not come to stay in the lives of men and women. That was simply not the pattern we find in the stories told in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament, as we will discuss further in a later lesson, we find Jesus promising His disciples the Holy Spirit would indwell them and become a continual source of divine assistance in their lives.

Until we are sure, until we settle the issue of forgiveness once and for all, two things will always be true. First, we will never have much confidence when we petition our heavenly Father. We will always feel that God is holding something against us. Second, we will put others on the same scale we put ourselves on. Since we are always trying to do something to ensure our forgiveness, we will subconsciously pressure others to perform to gain our forgiveness. We will have a tendency to remind others of their failures and their need to make up for them in some way.

The Father is uniquely able to give us the victory over the damaged emotions we have. And because we cannot become the healthy, fruitful believers He wants us to be until we learn to control our feelings, we know for certain He is willing to help us. We are confident of this because we are assured the Lord desires for us to experience the fullness of His wonderful plans for our lives. He says, “I know the plans that I have for you . . . plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11). Truly, we serve a loving God who will not fail to lead us to freedom if we trust in Him (John 8:32).

12:15 — See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. We are responsible to show the grace of God to everyone we meet, ridding ourselves of unforgiveness, letting go of our feelings of resentment, laying down our “right” to get even, and allowing God to deal with the person who has hurt us. We must choose forgiveness. We don’t want to lead anyone away from God or build a wall of bitterness and regret between our hearts and the Lord. We must always choose to show His mercy to others so we can truly be His representatives in the world.

— Let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. One of the problems in Peter’s day was that the women in the mystery religions were loud and disruptive. Christians, however, were never to imitate the pagans in worship or in daily life. When we serve God, we should not perform flamboyantly for Him. Rather, we need to be humble, submitting ourselves to Him and acknowledging Him for who He is with our whole lives. This doesn’t mean Christians are to be weak, inexpressive, or unattractive, but that our priority is to allow Christ to be glorified in us.