Abraham: One Nomad's Amazing Journey of Faith by Charles R. Swindoll

 

Abraham: One Nomad's Amazing Journey of Faith by Charles R. Swindoll
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of my favorite authors and Bible Teachers is Chuck Swindoll. I am currently teaching the life of Abraham to my Sunday School class. The book is an excellent resource. Some many lessons to be learned from Abraham's life. I highly recommend this book. I hope the quotes below will help you in your walk with our Savior.

Scripture doesn't presume to tell fairy tales. It's a book about real life. ~Charles R. Swindoll

While each person's faith journey is unique, Abraham blazed the trail for the rest of us; his faith journey tells us about our own. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Truly enlightened thinking builds upon the truth that God, as described in the Bible, not only exist but also actively governs his creation (see Psalms 111:10 and Proverbs 1:7 ). When life is viewed through this lens, scientific discoveries become clearer, and the world - with all of its chaos and danger - becomes a less frightening place. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The God of the Bible loves you and has been actively involved in your life from the day you were born - and even before. This is true whether or not you recognize His activity or choose to acknowledge Him. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God has a plan for you, and this plan includes blessings greater than your ability to imagine. Many centuries ago, He established a plan to redeem the world from evil, and He has made a place for you in His grand design. This redemption plan began with His choice of one man, Abraham. Because his story is the archtype for my story, and your story, let's walk in his sandals as we learn about this God who loves us so much. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The Lord chose Abram for reasons known only in heaven. Abram did nothing to earn or deserve God's favor. ~Charles R. Swindoll

We don't like waiting, but that's when God does some of his best work on our souls. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The Lord doesn't expect anyone to exercise perfect faith. Instead, He meets us where we are and then helps us cultivate increasingly more mature trust in Him. So, I don't mind telling you that God isn't finished with me yet. He continues to stretch my faith muscle so that it will become even stronger with use. And He's doing the same for you. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Trusting in God rarely involves easy choices. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Every choice to follow God's leading involves sacrifice - at least the sacrifice of our own desires. Do you trust the Lord's character enough to obey Him without having all the details worked out? Are you willing to accept a short-term loss in order to receive divine blessings you cannot yet see? ~Charles R. Swindoll

If you know what God wants you to do, obedience isn't complicated. It may be difficult, but it's not complicated. Stop hoping it will be easy, and give up the search for alternatives. Don't wait any longer for all the details to be worked out. The Lord has given you an opportunity to grow in faith. He wants you to trust in his faithful care and rest in his unfaltering power. The time to obey has come. Now . . . Go! ~Charles R. Swindoll

God doesn't use difficult circumstances to find out what we'll do. He already knows what the future holds. He uses tests to reveal us to ourselves! ~Charles R. Swindoll

How many people have yet to embrace the God of the Bible because they continue to live in the shadows created by our moral failures? ~Charles R. Swindoll

The Lord's favor on Abraham didn't depend upon the man's good behavior. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Most of us rise to meet adversity with our best character. However, our true character comes out when things go really well. It's easy to become arrogant, self-sustaining, conceited, greedy, and condescending at such times. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The best remedy for the disease of greed is generosity. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Our biggest problem is it that we don't see and hear God; is that we struggle with doing what He has commanded! ~Charles R. Swindoll

Even great men and women struggle with temptation. Even wealthy people can be lured by the prospect of more riches. ~Charles R. Swindoll

If I were to boil down all the characteristics of greatness to a single word, it would be humility. ~Charles R. Swindoll

No one can argue with the One who made the stars. God’s omnipotence makes anything possible. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Don't consider a delay a cancellation. ~Charles R. Swindoll

When the consequences of sin begin to fall, relationships always suffer. ~Charles R. Swindoll

When we're forced away, the Lord helps us acquire an appetite for the blessing to come. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Holiness cannot be acquired at once; holiness takes time. Time to be still, and patience to accept the silence of God. ~Charles R. Swindoll

People of depth are rare. Not many people have the foresight or the patience to cultivate spiritually deep roots. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Slowing down will help you avoid a lifetime strewn with the litter of regrets. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Slow down. Learn to wait on God. Deliberately devote yourself to walking with Him instead of making decisions and then expecting Him to ratify your choices. Let Him be your advocate. Let Him remove your anxiety as you lean on Him for everything. Surrender to Him control over every matter; you have little control over them anyway. Slow down. Grow deep. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God doesn't need to go anywhere together information. Yet He chose to come down to earth from heaven, and He elected to wear the skin of humanity. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Be aware that some people you encounter may be angels (Hebrews 13:1-2). Here's the point: treat everyone like he or she is a representative of heaven. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Be confident that nothing is too difficult for the Lord. Nothing is too difficult for Him! ~Charles R. Swindoll

Remain sensitive to the Lord. Remaining sensitive to His leading will allow you to trust Him when He does things you don't understand. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Be passionate in prayer. There's something about praying that softens the soil of our souls, keeping us in tune with God's perspective, which is always compassionate, realistic, hopeful, wise, and full of grace. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The One who did wondrous things for Abraham and Sarah is the One who loves you as His own child. ~Charles R. Swindoll

At times, God honors the motives of our prayer but did not the specific petition in order to give us something better. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God can't shower you with blessing or grant your request while you're in rebellion; it’s not good for you. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God's “no” can become our opportunity to grow deeper in our relationship with Him. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Immorality is poisonous. You could never become immune to its deadly potency. ~Charles R. Swindoll

We need beliefs. Beliefs fuel our doctrinal knowledge and help establish us in faith. Beliefs form a major part of the Christian conscience and provide direction for our faith journeys. Our beliefs sharpen the edge of discernment. But convictions. . . . What you know is one thing, but what you do with your knowledge defines your character and establishes your reputation. It takes guts to develop deep, firmly rooted inner principles regarding integrity, morality, ethics, and faith. That is what we need in government and so rarely fine. That is what we need in churches and schools. But even those institutions may lack such convictions. You can make a major difference in your part of the world by determining and then holding a set of convictions derived from God's Word. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Convictions must be clearly established before God, or they will be twisted and weakened before others. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Convictions must be affirmed and modeled in the home, are there will be compromised on the street. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Convictions must mean everything to us personally, or they'll mean nothing when we're under pressure. ~Charles R. Swindoll

What comes into our minds when we think about God it's the most important thing about us. ~A. W. Tozer

The world is temporary; God's Kingdom is forever. ~Charles R. Swindoll

If it's wrong, it's a big deal. If it's a habitual wrong, it's a bigger deal. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God is still a God of holiness; take Him seriously . ~Charles R. Swindoll

We are still creatures of immortality; take Him seriously. ~Charles R. Swindoll

We are still at the mercy of God's grace; take Him seriously. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Our culture has a dangerous moral undertow current. If we're unaware of that and fail to respond effectively, immorality will drag us under. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Recognize that no one is immune to the dangers. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The deadly downward drag of immorality can overcome anyone, just as a strong riptide can overwhelm an excellent swimmer. Repeat to yourself, I am vulnerable. This could happen to me and to my family. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Pay attention to subtle hints. Stay alert. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Get into the habit of asking yourself, will I be a better person because of this? Is this the kind of thing that will make me healthier? Are my children going to benefit from this? Is this spiritually wholesome and healthy? ~Charles R. Swindoll

Declare and model your standard repeatedly . ~Charles R. Swindoll

Discuss your values, model your values, and encourage your children to do the same. Being proactive is essential in today's world! ~Charles R. Swindoll

Guard against passivity. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Be alert! Pay attention! Step up! Parent up! The next generation needs you! ~Charles R. Swindoll

The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime. ~Alan Redpath

Abraham is a forerunner of faith for the rest of us. His journey of faith blazed the trail we all follow, and Genesis tells his story for our benefit. Each of our journeys is unique, but we will find in Abraham’s story episodes that resonate with their own. And that includes the continual struggle to rise above old temptations and conquer repeat sins. In Abraham's case, this means fighting the compulsion to lie when the truth might jeopardize his life. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Never think that a person who doesn't worship God can't have integrity or behave morally. Candidly, some nonbelievers have more integrity than Christians do. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Abraham fell back on his old nature. Yet his failure didn't make him any less God's man or any less a prophet. ~Charles R. Swindoll

When we as God's people fail to trust him and then sin to protect ourselves or to provide for our own needs, we look exactly like unbelievers. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Never presume on your own weaknesses. Accept your vulnerabilities and plan ahead. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Never rely on your own crutches. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Get rid of any well-worn crutch. Toss it aside and stop relying on phony excuses to get around admitting your weaknesses. Call it what it is, repent of your sin, claim God's forgiveness, ask for strength to get beyond it, and seek help from others. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Never lean on your own understanding. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The chronic dependence upon self as opposed to living by faith is referred to as carnality by many theologians. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God is not in a hurry. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God isn't constrained by time or human perspective. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The people who have grown deep in their relationship with God have learned to wait with anticipation instead of worry. They know that God keeps his promises, so they don't fret over whether the fulfillment will come but only when it will take place. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God never forgets his promises. God is always trustworthy. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God's promises are linked to their context. All the Lord's promises are not universal. Not every promise is for everyone. When reading a promise, we have to ask a few questions: To whom is He speaking? In what circumstance did He make the promise? Who will be affected by the promise? Is the promise universal, affecting everyone who ever lived? Or did God direct the promise to a specific person or group? ~Charles R. Swindoll

When we finally receive what we desire most, we will see that no time earlier and no time later would have been right. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Remember that God is never accidentally late. His plan unfolds right on time, even though on our timetable, the next step has been delayed for a long time. From our perspective, God's actions come later than what we want or expect. But His timing is perfect - He's never too late. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Forget about your own schedule and plans. Your agenda cannot take into account all the details that affect other people, and you cannot see how future events will unfold. Fortunately, God has the perspective we lack, and He loves us more than we love ourselves. So, His plan will give us greater joy than anything we could devise for ourselves. It could be said, then, that God answers the prayers we would pray if we could see what He sees. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Ask Lord for sustaining strength and divine wisdom. I know that sounds elementary, but we often forget that we can't do life on our own. We need divine help from one day to the next. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Forgive yourself for being short sighted and and for missing the big picture. Forgive yourself for clinging when you should have released. Forgive yourself for failing to be excited about what's ahead when God's plan doesn't include your plans. Repent of your failings, receive God's forgiveness, and then forgive yourself. ~Charles R. Swindoll

While God forgives our sins and wipes the slate clean in terms of our relationship with Him, our wrongdoing may have lingering consequences with others. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Though every act of sin is forgivable, the effects of some sins are not erasable. ~Charles R. Swindoll

While you may feel all alone, you are not alone. God sees you. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Lessons that we need to learn often come through the person we're married to, if we're not too stupid to hear what he or she is saying. ~Charles R. Swindoll

He didn't understand the situation, but he knew the righteous character of his God, and he believed the promise He had made. ~Charles R. Swindoll

When you release your treasures to the Lord, He will honor your risk by giving you something or someone far more valuable than what you release. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Because of our fallen nature, we tend to rely upon God's gifts for happiness and forget to trust the Giver. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God established marriage as a sheer journey of faith. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The bond of marriage creates opportunities for mutual spiritual growth unlike any other relationship. ~Charles R. Swindoll

God established marriage to make new generations of faithful men and women ~Charles R. Swindoll

Five guidelines for people seeking a mate today:
1. Hear and heed the counsel of godly parents.
2. Saturate the entire process in prayer.
3. Look for qualities that reveal true character.
4. Proceed cautiously; Think deeply. First impressions can be deceiving.
5. Determine if there is a mutual interest in spiritual things. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Rebekah committed herself to a life of faith, not knowing where it might lead or what she might find along the way. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Many die long before they draw their last breath. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Do your given while you're living, then you're knowing where it's going! ~Charles R. Swindoll

Each morning you wake up with a fresh opportunity to live that day well, to see your next 24 hours as a series of choices. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Faithfully remember that each day offers opportunities for staying young at heart. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Diligently refused to give up. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Abraham’s many imperfections reveal that he was a man with a nature like ours, yet more than half the world has judged him great. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Great rewards await if you obey without knowing all the details. It's a principle God wants each of His followers to experience. Learning to trust Him is like making a journey step after step. Faith builds upon faith. When we trust, we receive unexpected blessings. This strengthens our confidence and inspires us to trust God again as we take another step. It isn't complicated, but it goes against our nature. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Trusting God never fails to satisfy. The rewards along the way are exhilarating. ~Charles R. Swindoll

The only valid reason for anyone to make more than they need is to give away the surplus. God graciously provides an overabundance for one purpose: so that we might share it. So . . . share it! ~Charles R. Swindoll

Take care to hear the people who love you, and give consideration to their opinions, but always examine the counsel you receive under the white-hot lightning of scripture. Make your decision a matter of prayer, and resist the urge to believe what you're told and rush ahead. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Wherever God leads, follow. Be sure your decision is based on God's leading. Our journey of faith requires us to go where we should be and do what we should be doing. If we don't - if we reject God's leading - we forfeit his best and accept mediocrity. That's never a good trade. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Whatever God promises, believe. Never doubt in the dark what God gave you in the light. God's promises are given for you to believe, not merely to quote. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Whenever God test, trust. A test usually makes us feel vulnerable. We get weak. We begin to panic. We try to find safety in the familiar. We avoid taking risks. But tests of faith call for boldness. You may have heard it said that, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” That's absolutely wrong! He frequently challenges us to trust Him more by giving us far more than we can handle on our own. He wants us to turn to Him in desperation and ask for His assistance. He's always willing to help, but He wants us to recognize our need and to want Him. ~Charles R. Swindoll

However God blesses, share. How easy it is for us to receive God's blessings yet fail to balance receiving would giving. Resolve to become a generous person. I will warn you, however, that giving generously requires faith - trust that the Almighty will look after your needs. ~Charles R. Swindoll

Wherever God leads, follow.
Whatever God promises, believe.
Whenever God test, trust.
However God blesses, share. ~Charles R. Swindoll

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So You Want to Be Like Christ?: Eight Essentials to Get You There

So You Want to Be Like Christ?: Eight Essentials to Get You There by Charles R. Swindoll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This a great book for those who wish to learn more about being like Christ. I will let the following quotes from the book speak for itself. I trust they will be a blessing to many.

Christian [godliness] is not moralistic, for it is rooted in the Christ event (1 Timothy 3:16). It is not just outward worship, nor a mere concept of God, nor a virtue, nor an ideal. Over against a [Gnostic philosophy of self-deprivation] that regards creation as bad … true [godliness], born of faith, covers everyday conduct in honoring God as Creator and Redeemer, even though it may expect persecution from the very orders of God, which it respects.  ~ Anonymous Scholar

A “godly” person is one who ceases to be self-centered in order to become God-centered.  ~ Charles Swindoll

What sets Christian spiritual activity apart from all other religions is that they have knowledge of Christ as their goal; not moral perfection (although you will become more moral), not tranquility 9although your life will be remarkably more peaceful). And because of the grace you have in Christ, the disciplines will do nothing to make you more accepted by the Father. You cannot be more accepted than you already are in Christ, since He has already done it all for you!  ~ Charles Swindoll

[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His person] more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers]; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.   ~Philippians 3:10, The Amplified Bible, Expanded Edition  “My determined purpose [perhaps Paul means ‘my focus’] is that I may know Him.  ~ Charles Swindoll

When you pray, pray so that you may know Him. When you seek to simplify, do it as a means of knowing Him more. When you surrender, or behave with humility or sacrifice, do it with the sole purpose in mind to know Him.   ~ Charles Swindoll

So, you want to be like Christ? Me too. But that kind of godliness won’t just happen by hanging around a church or thinking lofty thoughts three or four times a day or learning a few verses of Scripture. It will take more – much more.  Disciplining ourselves will require the same kind of focused thinking and living that our Master modeled during His brief life on earth.  ~ Charles Swindoll

Distance from God is a frightening thing. God will never adjust His agenda to fit ours. He will not speed His pace to catch up with ours; we need to slow our pace in order to recover our walk with Him. God will not scream and shout over the noisy clamor; He expects us to seek quietness, where His still, small voice can be heard again. God will not work within the framework of our complicated schedules; we must adapt to His style. We need to conform to His way if our lives are to be characterized by the all-encompassing word godliness. ~ Charles Swindoll

God often does His best work in us when He catches us by surprise and introduces a change that is completely against our own desire.  ~ Charles Swindoll

Discipline is training that corrects and perfects our mental faculties or molds our moral character. Discipline is control gained by enforced obedience. It is the deliberate cultivation of inner order.  ~ Charles Swindoll

People who are close to God cultivate a personal intimacy with Him like a good gardener cultivates beautiful flowers. ~ Charles Swindoll

Our great tendency in this age is to increase our speed, to run faster, even in the Christian life. In the process our walk with God stays shallow, and our tank runs low on fumes. Intimacy offers a full tank of fuel that can only be found by pulling up closer to God, which requires taking necessary time and going to the effort to make that happen.  ~ Charles Swindoll

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
‘Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through life:
‘Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.  ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Christlikeness is a journey, not a destination. The joy is in the journey.    ~ Charles Swindoll

Next time you’re faced with a credit-purchase decision, wait. Don’t say no necessarily. Just wait. I challenge you to present your need to the Lord before presenting it to a bank, and see what He does with it.  ~ Charles Swindoll

Many seducers clutter the simple message of the gospel with legalistic additions, with convoluted attempts to legitimize moral compromise, and with psychological theories that turn churches into relational support groups instead of houses of worship.  ~ Charles Swindoll

May not the inadequacy of much of our spiritual experience be traced back to our habit of skipping through the corridors of the Kingdom like children in the market place, chattering about everything, but pausing to learn the value of nothing.   ~A.W. Tozer

Former CBS anchor Dan Rather found himself unprepared for a television interview with Mother Teresa several years ago. Ron Mehl described the newsman’s encounter this way:
Somehow, all of his standard approaches and formula questions were inadequate for the task, and the little nun from Calcutta, sitting beside him so sweetly and tranquilly, didn’t seem inclined to make his task easier.
“When you pray,” asked Rather, “what do you say to God?”
“I don’t say anything,” she replied. “I listen.”
Rather tried another tack. “Well, okay … when God speaks to you, then, what does He say?”
“He doesn’t say anything. He listens.”
Rather looked bewildered. For an instant, he didn’t know what to say.
“And if you don’t understand that,” Mother Teresa added, “I can’t explain it to you.”


I do not believe anyone can ever become a deep person without stillness and silence.    ~ Charles Swindoll

When grace changes the heart, submission out of fear changes to submission out of love, and true humility is born.   ~William Hendriksen

Focusing intently on Christ naturally results in a lifestyle of increasingly greater selflessness. And it has another benefit. Gazing on Christ gives us greater ability to look past life’s trials and remain calm in the midst of what others would call chaos.  ~ Charles Swindoll

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.   ~Helen H. Lemmel

I am convinced that wise planning is good. But plans, like material possessions, must always be held loosely. Yes – always! Plan wisely, but be ready for God to rearrange things and take you along paths that may feel dangerous to you. Don’t sweat it; He knows what He’s doing. And He isn’t obligated to inform you … or request permission to upset your neat little agenda!  ~ Charles Swindoll

Part of the thrill of guiding children into adulthood is the release. But it’s also a parent’s greatest act of surrender. Still, you have to let them go. Start now.  ~ Charles Swindoll

Peter Marshall, the late chaplain of the United States Senate, concluded a message on anxiety titled, “Sin in the Present Tense,” with this prayer. I leave it with you to make it your prayer today  (~ Charles Swindoll)
“Forgive us, O God, for the doubting suspicion with which we regard the heart of God.
We have faith in checks and banks, in trains and airplanes, in cooks, and in strangers who drive us in cabs. Forgive us for our stupidity, that we have faith in people whom we do not know and are so reluctant to have faith in Thee who knowest us altogether.
We are always striving to find a complicated way through life when Thou hast a plan, and we refuse to walk in it. So many of our troubles we bring on ourselves. How silly we are.
Wilt Thou give to us that faith that we can deposit in the bank of Thy love, so that we may receive the dividends and interest that Thou art so willing to give us. We ask it all in the lovely name of Jesus, Our Savior.”

Prayer is listening as well as speaking, receiving as well as asking; and its deepest mood is friendship held in reverence. So the daily prayer should end as it begins – in adoration.   ~George A. Buttrick

Prayer is not a natural response; it’s a Spirit response. If we fail to cultivate this discipline, prayer winds up being our last resort rather than our first response.   ~Charles Swindoll

It’s not our church; it’s God’s – it’s not our responsibility to run it!  ~Charles Swindoll

When each elder or pastor has his will aligned with the Lord’s, we waste no time arguing for our own.  Charles Swindoll

Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends.   ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.  ~Jim Elliot

We know that it was no accident. God performs all things according to the counsel of His own will. The real issues at stake on January 8, 1956, were very far greater than those immediately involved five young men and their families, or this small tribe of naked “savages.” Letters from many countries have told of God’s dealings with hundreds of men and women, through the examples of five who believed literally that “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.   ~Elisabeth Elliot (the wife of one of the men that  was killed on the mission field; she stayed and ministered to those same ones who killed her husband)


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Perfect Trust

Perfect Trust by Charles R. Swindoll
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This "little" book [only 79 pages] has more wisdom per page than any book I have every read. Please read the following quotes below and ask God to give you that Perfect Trust in Him!

He empties himself in order to be full. He admits he is wrong so he can be declared right. He goes down in order to get up. He is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so he can live. He forsakes in order to have He gives away so he can keep.   ~A.W. Tozer describing a Christian with perfect trust in the Savior

Many, many years ago, Felix of Nola was escaping his enemies, and he too, took temporary refuge in a cave. He had scarcely entered the opening of the cave before a spider began to weave its web across the small opening. With remarkable speed, the insect completely sealed off the mouth of the cave with an intricate web, giving the appearance that the cave had not been entered for many weeks. As Felix’s pursuers passed by they saw the web and didn’t bother to look inside. Later, as the godly fugitive stepped out into the sunlight, he uttered these insightful words:  Where God is, a spider’s web is a wall; where He is not, a wall is but a spider’s web.  ~Charles Swindoll

Helen Rosevere was a British medical missionary in the Congo years ago during an uprising. Her faith was strong and her trust was confident, yet she was raped and assaulted and treated brutally. Commenting later, she said, “I must ask myself a question as if it came directly from the Lord, ‘Can you thank Me for trusting you with this experience even if I never tell you why?’” What a profound thought. God has trusted each of us with our own set of unfair circumstances and unexplained experiences to deal with. Can we still trust in Him even if He never tells us why?   ~Charles Swindoll


The secret to responsible trust is acceptance. Acceptance is taking from God’s hand absolutely anything He gives, looking into His face in trust and thanksgiving, knowing that the confinement of the hedge we’re in is good and for His glory. Even though what we’re enduring may be painful, it’s good simply because God Himself has allowed it.  ~Charles Swindoll

Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.  ~Elton Trueblood

Strength comes from choosing to fully trust, pray, and praise. Our circumstances may not change, but in the process we change.  ~Charles Swindoll

We continually encounter hardships. People disappoint us. We disappoint ourselves. But God is constant and compassionate. We are not alone. He cares. Against all reason, the transcendent God loves us so much that He has committed Himself to us.  ~Charles Swindoll

The more impossible the situation, the greater God accomplishes His work. ~Charles Swindoll

Remarkably his [Job’s] first response to God was the response of worship.  ~Charles Swindoll

He [Job] worshipped. And not because he understood what was happening to him, but in spite of all that was happening to him. Not only did Job worship, he accepted what God had sent into his life. That is wisdom. That is perfect trust.  ~Charles Swindoll

It’s the nature of the beast within us to keep going back to the familiar rather than to strap on faith and face the future.  ~Charles Swindoll

We want the safety of yesterday even though we know it’s not where God would have us.  ~Charles Swindoll

When a person does something, it has the man or woman look about it. It drips with humanity. You can follow the logic of it and see the meaning behind it.  ~Charles Swindoll

And when God steps in, His working is like the difference between a skyscraper and a star.  ~Charles Swindoll

“Do not lean on your own understanding.” That means don’t bring in the crutches and lean on them, those crutches that you have designed and made to handle such situations. Stay away from them. Don’t lean on them; lean on God.  ~Charles Swindoll

I don’t have to explain or defend the will of God. My job is simply to obey it.  ~Charles Swindoll


Things will happen that seem to be totally contradictory, but these are God’s arrangements. It was a wonderful day when I finally realized I don’t have to explained or defend the will of God. My job is simply to obey it.   ~Charles Swindoll


Anxious. Intriguing word. It literally means, “to be divided” or “distracted.” It conveys the idea of being so mentally ill at ease that you cannot do what you need to do because you are so distracted in your thinking.  ~Charles Swindoll

One of the problems with worry is that it keeps you from enjoying what you have.  ~Charles Swindoll

Worry is assuming responsibilities that you cannot handle. They truth is, they are responsibilities that God never intended for you to handle, because they are His.  ~Charles Swindoll

Another problem with worry is that it makes you forget your worth. Worry makes you feel worthless, forgotten, and unimportant.  ~Charles Swindoll

Worry is a complete waste of energy. It solves nothing.  ~Charles Swindoll


Worry erases the promises of God from your mind.  ~Charles Swindoll

Worry is characteristic of the heathen, not the Christian.  ~Charles Swindoll

Faith is like lighting the torch that passes from one person to the next. You can’t light the torch of another if yours isn’t burning.  ~Charles Swindoll

You may be going through a trial so overwhelming that it’s borderline unbearable. You want to see the end of the tunnel. Which is only natural, because once we see that little speck of light, we feel we can make it through to the finish. But God’s tunnels are often twisting, too complex and dark to see the light for many days. In such settings He says, “In that dark, twisting, seemingly endless period of time, trust Me. Stop running scared! Stop fearing!”  ~Charles Swindoll

Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;
Pressed so intently it seems beyond strength.
Pressed in body and pressed in soul;
Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll;
Pressed by foes, pressure by friends;
Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.
Pressed into loving the staff and the rod;
Pressed into knowing no helper but God.    ~Annie Johnson Flint

You see, this people [Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, etc.] Simply believed that God existed in the situation they were faced with, and they trusted Him rather than themselves. The result? God said, “That pleases Me.” They were men and women just like you and I, which is the most encouraging part of all. We don’t find golden haloes, or perfect backgrounds, or sinless lives, we just find people. People who failed, who struggled, who doubted, who experienced hard times and low times in which their faith was eclipsed by doubt. But their lives were basically characterized by faith.   ~Charles Swindoll

Faith does not change my circumstances; faith changes me. Faith may not bring in the tuition check when I need it, but faith will give me what it takes to hang on.  ~Charles Swindoll

Trusting God doesn’t alter our circumstances. Perfect trust in Him changes us.   ~Charles Swindoll

You see, when we talk about perfect trust, we’re talking about what gives us roots, character, the stability to handle the hard times. Trusting God doesn’t alter our circumstances. Perfect trust in Him changes us.   ~Charles Swindoll

You know one of the most encouraging things about faith? It pleases God.  ~Charles Swindoll

He’s building our character through the process of waiting. Perfect trust is a character building process.  ~Charles Swindoll

Strength comes from choosing to fully trust, pray, and praise. Our circumstances may not change, but in the process we change.  ~Charles Swindoll

I encourage everyone to read this book!


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Saying It Well: Touching Others with Your Words

Saying It Well: Touching Others with Your Words by Charles R. Swindoll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charles Swindoll is one of my favorite Bible teachers. In this book he explains, encourages, and give many valuable tips on speaking. The book is written to help pastors prepare and deliver a sermon, however the principles can apply to any public speaker and speech. I trust the quotes from below from this book will be a blessing to you.

God gave you your makeup and superintended every moment of your past, including all the hardship, pain, and struggles, He wants to use your words in a unique manner. No one else can speak through your vocal cords, and equally important, no one else has your story. When all of that is blended into a message He wants proclaimed, it is nothing short of remarkable.

Since God made you YOU, He expects the message that you communicate to flow out of YOU and no one else.

When you begin to learn the Word of God, and really begin to believe its promises, and make them personal, it gives you courage and galvanizes you against other people’s rejection.

Not only were you created to fulfill a divine purpose, you acknowledge that the events of your life have prepared you for the next step in fulfilling your calling.

I do believe each person has a calling upon his or her life to fulfill a special purpose. This calling may or may not affect one’s vocation; not all callings demand a career change. In fact, many people make their living at one vocation in order to finance their calling.

If God designed you to be a screwdriver, you can try to hammer nails if you want. But I don’t recommend it. The price you pay in terms of frustration and mediocrity is too high.

The world is waiting to hear an authentic voice, a voice God – not an echo of what others are doing and saying, but an authentic voice. – A.W. Tozer

If you can get it done now, do it; the future comes with no guarantee you’ll have the time or opportunities available to you today.

There’s nothing wrong with admiring others. Study their methods; learn from their mistakes; take a note of what made them who they are. You can even emulate a few of their qualities. But never attempt to be them.

Don’t let ambition cloud your judgment and rob you of the opportunity to gain valuable life experience where you are.

Sometimes, God takes us on excursions that feel like a waste of time when we reflect on them soon afterward. Years later, however, we come to see them as a necessary part of the journey.

Preaching that costs nothing accomplishes nothing. If the study is a lounge, the pulpit will be impertinence. – John Henry Jowett

an impactful sermon requires a solid foundation of truth, or it will crumble under its own weight.

The first minutes on the pulpit are the most favorable, so do not waste them with generalities but confront the congregation straight off with the core of the matter.   ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

When God wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible man and crushes him. – Alan Redpath

“Our problem is not doing God’s will, but doing God’s will God’s way.”

“There are tree common mistakes we make on our journey from earth to heaven.”
Running before we are sent.
Retreating after we have failed.
Resisting when we are called.

I try not to exhaust the Text; otherwise, I risk exhausting the audience.

John’s Gospel records Jesus saying, in His last moments on the Cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The precise meaning doesn’t change much in the way of doctrine, but how much better when we explain the cultural relevance of that phrase. John the apostle chose to quote Jesus using the Greek word tetelestai, an accounting term found on canceled loan documents, relieving the debtor of future payment. When the last payment had been made, the paper was stamped tetelestai, meaning “paid in full.” If the lender wished to forgive the debt, he could stamp the document tetelestai, meaning, “fulfilled” or “completed.”

[We must not] conceive of prayer as though it were an overcoming of God’s reluctance, when it is, in fact, a laying hold of his highest willingness. – Richard Chenevix Trench

Put simply, our job is to be faithful; the Lord will define success and see to its fulfillment.

Let every bookworm, when in any fragrant, scarce, old tome he discovers a sentence, a story, an illustration, that does his heart good, hasten to give it. – Hartley Coleridge

As you review all your past experiences, you will find that God has given you the ability to connect with segments of our society that might be closed off to others.

To keep in touch with the world of those we hope to reach, we must leave our personal monasteries and learn how to live and walk among to whom we want to communicate.

It happened to Jesus; it will happen to us. Don’t even be surprised if in the midst of adulation and acceptance that your feet are cut out from under you and you become the object of their rage. It’s to be expected when you’re doing what’s right.

The best lessons I’ve learned, I’ve learned through inadequacy and failure. Disappointment, and heartbreak, and forgiveness. By the grace of God, I’ve come to the place where I no longer fear failure. And I’ve come to the place where I will be always grateful for God’s grace to forgive me when I don’t measure up to my unrealistic standard. Please, men and women – please – understand:
Only God is adequate; you’re not.
Only god is perfect; you’re not.
Only Christ can set goals that are high and reach them; you can’t.
You do your best. But I can promise you, in the future there will be days you will be sitting across from someone you love and you’ll be saying things that you need to say to build back a bridge that your pride has broken down…The good news is, God in His grace uses each one of us and “warts and all.”  ~Part of Swindoll address at Wheaton College Chapel

In your choice of friends, be certain that you have a few who care less for your comfort than they do for your character.

“The Four Spiritual Flaws.”
Flaw 1: Because you are a Christian, all your problems are solved.
Flaw 2: All the problems you will ever have are addressed in the Bible.
Flaw 3: If you are having problems, you are unspiritual
Flaw 4: Being exposed to sound biblical teaching automatically solves problems.

If you are interested in learning how to improve in preparing and delivering a speech then this would be an excellent book for you to read.


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