Sheila Walsh Quotes

Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ.

My brokenness is a better bridge for people than my pretend wholeness ever was.

One of the things I am very aware of not having in my life is the love of my father. ...but I know now that it is hard to make up that loss in the life of a daughter. It's your dad who tells you that you are beautiful. Its your dad who picks you up over his head and carries you on his shoulders. It's your did who will fight the monsters under your bed. It's your dad who tells you that you are worth a lot, so don't settle for the first guy who tells you you're pretty.

Whether Jesus calms the storm or calms us in the storm, His love is the same, and His grace is enough.

You’re chosen by the One who will never unchoose you. You’re loved when the crowd cheers and when the lights go out and they all go home.

While walking through a dark season, if we attempt to navigate our lives by what we feel, we will run aground onto the rocks. We must navigate by what we know is true no matter what we feel.

If you find yourself right now in a place where you are heartbroken, I want to remind you that Christ is very close to the broken. Our culture throws broken things away, but our Savior never does. He gently gathers all the pieces, and with His love and in His time, He puts us back together.

A rabbit, it has been said, can outrun a lion. But the rabbit’s great fear of the lion paralyzes it, making it easy for the lion to catch and consume it.

The Father is truly the only Promise Maker who is in earnest a Promise Keeper. A promise from God is a promise kept.

You are loved, you are beautiful, you are treasured, and you are a daughter of the living God.

...I believe that doubts, honestly expressed and wrestled with, produce a faith that is stronger and more intimate than doubts suppressed under the veneer of faith.

Christ knows all that is true about our story, the parts we own and the parts we would delete, and He invites us to bring them all into the spotlight of His grace.

It is one thing to say that the Lord is my Shepherd; it is quite another to be lost and have Him guide me home.

Truth is always a turning point.

...the greatest barrier to intimacy is fear -- fear of being known, fear of being rejected, fear of facing the truth about ourselves... ...We are afraid to be known because at some deep level we fear that the truth about us, when out in the open and reflected back to us through someone else's eyes, will be shocking to ourselves.

I never knew You lived so close to the floor, but every time I am bowed down, crushed by this weight of grief, I feel Your hand on my head, Your breath on my cheek, Your tears on my neck. You never tell me to pull myself together, to stem the flow of many years. You simply stay by my side for as long as it takes, so close to the floor.

When we don’t deal honestly with our lives and the losses we face, when we try to anesthetize the pain and move on, then the suppressed anger or fear or guilt will deal with us until we are ready to deal with those issues.

What I think we as the church lack, though, is a place to talk about how things really are right now. In our desire to be an inspiration to one another we often veil what is true, because what is true is not always inspirational. It's not easy to watch or personally experience a marriage on the verge of divorce, or a child battling cancer, or a betrayal of the worst kind, or dreams lost in the dust, or overwhelming feelings of despair or emptiness. But these things are real. And hurting believers whose lives are in tatters need real help. If we were able to put aside our need for approval long enough to be authentic, then, surely, we would be living as the church.

Lord Jesus, Your love is beyond my understanding but I believe it’s true. Right now I offer You my shame, the filthy rags of my past. I choose to step out of this storm of condemnation and into Your peace. Thank You for loving me and for making me worthy, In Your great name, amen.

Perhaps, too, in the "shift-the-blame" society we live in, we have forgotten how to weep over our sins. David, the psalm writer, said, "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long" (Psalm 32:3). I wonder if so many of us rush off to self-help groups because we have lost the ability to be real in our churches.

when you’ve come to the end of yourself and you don’t get it, take a nap, have a good meal, and lean in for the gentle whisper of God.

Real rest comes with knowing the grace of our salvation in Jesus. We don’t have to earn it.

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

Sometimes God will take you to a prison to set you free.

But the witness of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus is that God's most difficult promise has been kept.

am a child of God. I am loved. I have a future. God is for me.

As long as I viewed someone as the enemy, I gave that person some power over my life. But as I forgave a person, I too was free.

a hospital for the broken, not a museum for the perfect.

We all need a place where we can give voice to the worst that torments our souls and still be held.

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. (Psalm 86:11 ESV)

The thoughts and emotions we stuff down into the darkness become a playground for the enemy, where his toxic filth breeds best. The compulsion to say the 'right thing' explains why so many of us have fallen spiritually sick.

He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. (Colossians 2:14–15)

You might categorize your own fear as anxiety. But while the reality of fear is different for each of us, one thing remains constant: fear robs us of joy. When fear takes center stage, we find it impossible to live in the “what is” because of the “what might be.

If we believe we are loved, we will live loved. If we believe we are strong in the power of God, we will live strong. If we believe Christ is with us in our fear, we will be brave. If we believe that Christ is with us in the mornings of life, He will be there at midnight too.

Be still, and know that I am God. I know I sometimes do. Countless times I’ve sat down to try to be still and holy. It’s never worked very well. Only recently when I was studying this passage did I realize my misunderstanding of the text: the original Hebrew root of Be still doesn’t mean “be quiet”; it means “let go.” That’s very different, don’t you think? Let go and know that I am God! Let go of trying to control your spouse! Let go of your worry about your finances! Let go of your unforgiveness! Let go of your past! Let go of what you can’t control—and rest in the knowledge that God is in control!

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Isaiah 43:1–2

We can be frozen by the chaos we feel inside instead of choosing to stand on the truth of who God’s Word says we are. We must not give our enemy such advantages. We must not live that way one moment longer. It’s time to trade what we feel for the powerful truth of who we are. How we feel can change in a moment, but who we are is eternal.

Jesus never encouraged His friends to cover over the pain in their lives, but to bring it into the light, where healing is found. Sometimes we don't do that because we fear being rejected by others. Yes, rejection may well happen, but bringing the pain to the light is still the best way to live. It will take much courage, but it will bring freedom.

God didn’t give us His Word to use like a weapon or some kind of Hallmark card we can pass across the fence and keep some distance. It is a weapon, but one designed for use against our enemy, not against our sisters. It is meant for encouragement, not for pat answers in the midst of real pain. Just because something is true doesn’t mean you must voice that truth in all circumstances.

David would enter the crucible of suffering where truly great servants of God are made. Perhaps you are there now. One of the most devastating realities of this kind of suffering is that often the one you thought would be your protector becomes the one who measures out the pain. All that longing for justice, for fairness, for having everything as it should be seems useless. As you think on the glory days of the past, your heart aches to turn back the clock, but you can’t. In these moments it’s tempting to believe that God has forgotten about us, or even worse, that He simply doesn’t care—His favor has moved on. If you are there right now, my heart aches for you. No one signs up for this school of suffering, and yet the deep work that God does in this painful, lonely place is rarely produced anywhere else.

I now think it takes more faith to name our need than to keep believing that something will happen and not doing anything about it. It takes faith, and great courage, to get help, to take the first painful step toward the dream that is in our hearts...I know now that you can look at bricks and cement for years, believing in the vision of a home, but until you get down on your hands and knees and start to build, it will remain a dream.

Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.” Grace is the opposite of karma. We get what we don’t deserve: the love, mercy, forgiveness of God. Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is here for you right now, in the middle of what is hard or not working. The writer to the Hebrews described it this way: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16 ESV).

Trust His Promises This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life. Psalm 119:50 HCSB God’s promises are found in a book like no other: the Holy Bible. It is a roadmap for life here on earth and for life eternal. As Christians, we are called upon to trust its promises, to follow its commandments, and to share its Good News. As believers, we must study the Bible daily and meditate upon its meaning for our lives. Otherwise, we deprive ourselves of a priceless gift from our Creator. God’s Holy Word is, indeed, a transforming, life-changing, one-of-a-kind treasure. And, a passing acquaintance with the Good Book is insufficient for Christians who seek to obey God’s Word and to understand His will. God has made promises to mankind and to you. God’s promises never fail and they never grow old. You must trust those promises and share them with your family, with your friends, and with the world. Joy is not mere happiness. Nor does joy spring from a life of ease, comfort, or peaceful circumstances. Joy is the soul’s buoyant response to a God of promise, presence, and power. Susan Lenzkes Claim all of God’s promises in the Bible. Your sins, your worries, your life—you may cast them all on Him. Corrie ten Boom We have ample evidence that the Lord is able to guide. The promises cover every imaginable situation. All we need to do is to take the hand He stretches out. Elisabeth Elliot Do not be afraid, then, that if you trust, or tell others to trust, the matter will end there. Trust is only the beginning and the continual foundation. When we trust Him, the Lord works, and His work is the important part of the whole matter. Hannah Whitall Smith Brother, is your faith looking upward today? / Trust in the promise of the Savior. / Sister, is the light shining bright on your way? / Trust in the promise of thy Lord. Fanny Crosby The meaning of hope isn’t just some flimsy wishing. It’s a firm confidence in God’s promises—that He will ultimately set things right. Sheila Walsh

Five Minutes in the Word He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Grace isn’t about “fair,” but about the outrageous, radical love of God.

I poured out my fears, I felt held. I felt no judgment, just overwhelming compassion. Sitting with the possibility of a drastic change in how I’d lived up until that point, I saw how I had defined the quality of my life by what I was able to accomplish. I’d placed so much value on what I do rather than on who I am. God’s love for me had nothing to do with whether I ever stood on another stage or wrote another book or traveled another mile. I also saw how at times my understanding of God’s love for me was based on how things were unfolding in my life. When things were going well, I felt that God loved me. When things were hard, I felt alone. The unfolding showed me He is always near.

I had His peace in the not knowing. Christ offers peace in the not-knowing seasons.

Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive. —C. S. LEWIS, MERE CHRISTIANITY

Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. Psalm 26:2–3 NIV

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12

Don’t let a storm keep you from counting on what Jesus has told you.

But being busy for God and

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9

When the sky is dark and you are struggling to see, hear Christ ask you, “Who are you looking for?” Respond with joy, “For You, Lord. I am looking for You!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV

The love of Christ knows no boundaries, recognizes no labels.

We have to separate promises that may never be kept from God’s promises, which will never be broken.

will triumph over evil, and that, in the end, truth will be revealed and the story will come full circle. It all happens within a few pages, and it all happens on this earth. But we do not live in Hans Christian Andersen’s world. We live in this world. As Christians, we know there will come a day when all tears will be wiped away, when peace and joy will be the only songs we know, but we have a long road to walk until that Day of the Lord. For the moment, we have to live with one another, with all the good and bad that come with it. The sad truth is that we will let one another down. We will bruise each other. We will fail. So how should we live in the midst of this reality?

One day we will all stand alone and answer to God for the choices we have made in our lives. It will not be enough to say we did not get help because no one would come with us. Life is not easy, but we make it much more difficult when we refuse to be honest about what we feel. For the short term, not being honest may seem easier, but in the long haul, we pay a heavy price.

Children are the best recorders of information - they miss nothing; but they are the poorest interpreters.

I know it all, and I still love you." That is the convicting, convincing, liberating truth that comes from an encounter with Christ: all is known; there is no need to pretend anymore. I wrestled with that truth. It's hard to lay aside a mask when it looks just like you, and you have worn it for so long that you can't remember what you look like without it.

It is much more difficult to deal with the truth about your life when you have no idea that you have feet of clay and it suddenly begins to rain.

Sometimes we simply don't want to face the truth about ourselves; the myth reads so much better. Sometimes we do not seek help because it will mean we have to change, and change is painful and unpredictable. To me, now, faith is bringing all that is true about our lives into the blinding light of God's grace. It is believing that He will still be there at the end of the journey, and so will we, perhaps a little bloodied, probably with a limp, and possibly, as the Skin Horse said, with most of our hair loved off, but we will be there.

There are some of you here today who feel like dead people. It is as if you are already six feet under, staring up at the top of your own locked coffin. This morning Jesus wants to set you free. You simply have to let go of the key and pass it through the little hole, where you see a tiny shaft of light.

While walking through a dark season, if we attempt to navigate our lives by what we feel, we will run aground onto the rocks. We must navigate by what we

Spiritual Growth Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes! 2 Peter 3:18 MSG Are you continuing to grow in your love and knowledge of the Lord, or are you “satisfied” with the current state of your spiritual health? Your relationship with God is ongoing; it unfolds day by day, and it offers countless opportunities to grow closer to Him … or not. As each new day unfolds, you are confronted with a wide range of decisions: how you will behave, where you will direct your thoughts, with whom you will associate, and what you will choose to worship. These choices, along with many others like them, are yours and yours alone. How you choose determines how your relationship with God will unfold. Hopefully, you’re determined to make yourself a growing Christian. Your Savior deserves no less, and neither, by the way, do you. Growing up in Christ is surely the most difficult, courageous, exhilarating, and eternally important work any of us will ever do. Susan Lenzkes You are either becoming more like Christ every day or you’re becoming less like Him. There is no neutral position in the Lord. Stormie Omartian There is nothing more important than understanding God’s truth and being changed by it, so why are we so casual about accepting the popular theology of the moment without checking it out for ourselves? God has given us a mind so that we can learn and grow. As His people, we have a great responsibility and wonderful privilege of growing in our understanding of Him. Sheila Walsh If all struggles and sufferings were eliminated, the spirit would no more reach maturity than would the child. Elisabeth Elliot Maturity in Christ is about consistent pursuit in spite of the attacks and setbacks. It is about remaining in the arms of God. Abiding and staying, even in my weakness, even in my failure. Angela Thomas Suffering is never for nothing. It is that you and I might be conformed to the image of Christ. Elisabeth Elliot We set our eyes on the finish line, forgetting the past, and straining toward the mark of spiritual maturity and fruitfulness.

Experiencing Christ’s Love For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 NKJV How much does Christ love us? More than we, as mere mortals, can comprehend. His love is perfect and steadfast. Even though we are fallible and wayward, the Good Shepherd cares for us still. Even though we have fallen far short of the Father’s commandments, Christ loves us with a power and depth that are beyond our understanding. The sacrifice that Jesus made upon the cross was made for each of us, and His love endures to the edge of eternity and beyond. Christ is the ultimate Savior of mankind and the personal Savior of those who believe in Him. As His servants, we should place Him at the very center of our lives. And, every day that God gives us breath, we should share Christ’s love and His message with a world that needs both. Christ’s love changes everything. When you accept His gift of grace, you are transformed, not only for today, but also for all eternity. If you haven’t already done so, accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. He’s waiting patiently for you to invite Him into your heart. Please don’t make Him wait a single minute longer. It is when we come to the Lord in our nothingness, our powerlessness and our helplessness that He then enables us to love in a way which, without Him, would be absolutely impossible. Elisabeth Elliot The love of Christ is a fierce thing. It can take the picture you have of yourself and burn it in the fire of His loving eyes, replacing it with a true masterpiece. Sheila Walsh Live your lives in love, the same sort of love which Christ gives us, and which He perfectly expressed when He gave Himself as a sacrifice to God. Corrie ten Boom Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Fanny Crosby Christ is with us, and the warmth is contagious. Joni Eareckson Tada To a world that was spiritually dry and populated with parched lives scorched by sin, Jesus was the Living Water who would quench the thirsty soul, saving it from “bondage” and filling it with satisfaction and joy and

The horizon might be dim and overcast at the moment, but trust God. He is for you, and new things are on the way.

When I consider a woman from Scripture who could state unequivocally that the life she was living was not the one she dreamed of, I think of Abigail. We find her story in 1 Samuel 25, weaved into the time when David was running for his life from King Saul. I love the lessons of her life. We get to see someone living in a difficult situation yet whose wisdom and faithfulness to God guided her in the midst of her disappointment and eventually brought her into a whole new space of grace. Her name means “My Father Is Joy.” I believe that’s where she found her strength, because her husband, Nabal, brought no joy to Abigail’s life. His name meant “fool,” and he lived up to it.

What I think we as the church lack, though, is a place to talk about how things really are now. In our desire to be an inspiration to one another we often veil what is true, because what is true is not always inspirational. But hurting believers whose lives are in tatters often need real help. If we were able to put aside our need for approval long enough to be authentic, then, surely, we would be living as the church.

John Donne, the sixteenth-century poet, wrote these familiar but profound words: No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

O Love that will not let me go I rest my weary soul in thee I give thee back the life I owe that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be. O Joy that seekest me through pain I cannot close my heart to thee I trace the rainbow through the rain and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be.

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5).

It’s often at our most broken that we realize how loved we really are.

You understand what Christianity is supposed to be: a hospital for the broken, not a museum for the perfect.

When we’re discouraged, believing we’ll never make any lasting change, we remind ourselves: Christ has committed to finishing the work He began in us.

When we assume that God’s love is based on our behavior we’ve set ourselves up for a devastating fall.

Talk to God. He loves you so much. Don’t think you have to use fancy words. He’s your papa, just talk.

F . . . fall on your face before Him. E . . . earnestly seek Him. A . . . ask Him to give you His peace. R . . . rest in His presence.

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” (JEREMIAH 6:16)

The word grace emphasizes at one and the same time the helpless poverty of man. and the limitless kindness of God. WILLIAM BARCLAY

I was learning the truth: though I felt lonely and scared, I was the well-loved girl of God. And though these feelings of loneliness were familiar, I was coming into an understanding: just because a place has become familiar doesn't mean its where you belong.

A softer call, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). A truer call, “What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Many of the judgments we make of one another—judgments that cause great pain—are preventable, because they are based on misunderstanding

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out” (Isaiah 42:3).

God—who totally accepts you, no matter what—to help you love and accept yourself.

It almost seems as though some very intentional, finely tuned plot against us intends to rob us of who we are in Christ.

We know from Scripture that Satan is a liar (John 8:44). We know, too, that he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). But what if he tailors his attacks to fit us, the daughters of the King? What if his demons launch their assaults at the very places where we have shown the most vulnerability? What if he looks over our shoulders on all the negative confessions we've made to hone an all-out assault on our hearts? It is not beyond his deviousness to tune into our pain and turn it into a weapon to use against us. Even as we speak out about our fear and insecurity, do we give vital information to our enemy? Satan is not omniscient. He is a created, fallen angel and does not know all things, as God does. Through the centuries have we spoken about our brokenness to such an extent that the enemy now has weapons so expertly trained that they can hit their targets, time after time? Have these become 'smart weapons,' like laser-guided missiles striking from a silent drone?

He who lives in us is greater! Sometimes we forget that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities and evil powers (Ephesians 6:12). We desperately need to remember whose we are and how to fight.

The greatest defense against the storm of lies that the enemy would use to drain every moment of joy from your life is to surround yourself with the truth of God's Word.

...when a heartbroken daughter of the King offers her pain and suffering to Christ, the enemy suffers a great defeat. Do we feel strong? No, we feel heartbroken. But when we enter into that divine exchange and take our sorrow to Christ, we become strong in His strength.

You are not alone. You are not alone. No matter how you feel, God's Word would never lie. You are not alone!

Listen, God is big enough, and His love is fierce enough to deal with anything we feel or must face.

God speaks nothing but the truth, and His infallible Word cannot lie. So rather than try to make the Word of God fit my emotional state, I am committed to line up my emotions with God's Word. My emotions can change in a moment, but God's Word is rock solid, so I am learning to drag my emotions in line with what is always true, not just what might feel true for a moment. And I want to do so with integrity, not pretense. When faced with a fresh disappointment, I can choose to navigate true north between the currents of despair and denial. For me that usually means an out-loud, honest conversation with God.

The Greek word for salvation, sozo, means 'to save and to heal.' Christ wants nothing less for each of us. He wants nothing less for you. Christ continues to work in our lives - long after we come to faith - as He exposes the broken places where we have lost hope, inviting us to bring all of it to Him.

...sometimes we act as though God is obligated to make all our dreams come true and give a happy ending to every earthbound tale. We use verbiage like 'God is head over heels in love with you!' so much that we forget we live in a war zone, where live ammunition flies through the air and casualties still happen. And when we're one of the casualties, the feelings that flood in cause us to either doubt ourselves and whether we heard God correctly (since if we had, wouldn't we be out of prison?), or we doubt the goodness, love, or even the very existence of God Himself.

Our business, whatever comes, is to continue to believe and follow Jesus, certain that a divine blessing is coming our way. In the middle of the worst storm imaginable, we tie ourselves heart and soul to the mast of the truth of God's promise that disappointment will lead to hope. It's not that we won't hear the screeches of the enemy's lies in the night, but we will refuse to chart our course by them.

Our position in life should never determine our posture in service.

I have often found anger more comfortable than fear. Anger gives me the illusion of control, while fear leaves me naked and exposed.

of God’s promise that disappointment will lead to hope.