Quotes from Darlene Zschech

In life and leadership, you will make mistakes—and those around you will make mistakes as well. None of us are perfect.

With God beside us every moment of the day, we are safe—even when bad things happen, even when God's timing is not our timing. He is our refuge.

George MacDonald, the nineteenth-century British preacher and author, said, "It is not the cares of today, but the cares of tomorrow, that weigh a man down. For the needs of today we have corresponding strength given. For the morrow we are told to trust. It is not ours yet. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear.

Where is your focus today? The beautiful or the ugly? Things to praise or things that are to be cursed? Things of eternal value or things that are worthless? Turn from the worthless and ponder the true, the noble, the authentic, the reputable, and the gracious. It took David deep into the heart of God and will do so for us!

He who began a good work in you will complete it. Don't give up. Press on. No matter how far you feel you've come—or how far you feel you have to go—don't stop now. Even if you miss the mark terribly, today is a new day. Live for "that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed" you.

Being a disciple maker is as simple as helping someone else experience the risen Jesus and draw closer to Him—just as happened in our own lives.

The Christian life is one of joy and blessing, and even in the midst of heartbreaking times, we have a hope that we can confidently cling to. There are so many things He does for us and gives to us. But as we grow closer to God, we realize that a full life is not about what we get, but what we give. We find the true happiness of serving others out of love for God.

Some people hold on to a position or title for dear life; they hold on so tight, in fact, that they sabotage their own lives in the process.

It is so easy to take our eyes off of God and look at the problems around us. That's when we get discouraged and fearful, giving the devil an opportunity to pounce.

Don't lose heart over the burdens you are carrying or any hardship you must bear. God is near. He loves you. You are not alone. He will save you. Not only that, you are in a position to reveal Jesus with power and clarity through His strength.

Winston Churchill once said, "If you want to destroy them, distract them." And that's exactly what our adversary does; he distracts us completely from the greater cause, which is to pull together so we might know Christ and make Him known. Second

In times of adversity, we can run away from God and let the enemy rule our circumstances or we can run to God and let Him work through our prayers to bring good out of evil. I

In leadership, energy is one of the essential ingredients needed for bringing any sense of new to the table. It's energy that produces excitement in others. You

But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" Matthew 26:52–54, NKJV

Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands—if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe—then let my enemy pursue and overtake me, let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Psalm 7:3–5, NIV

Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. Psalm 10:15–18, NIV

Selfless and obedient. But always and ever a conqueror. This Jesus, our Savior, defeated death and sin. Now, that's true strength!

Just like David, we become frustrated when others spread false accusations against us. Though they are not true, we are angry, confused, and hurt, in part because there is next to nothing we can do about it. Jesus both warned and comforted His disciples: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" (Matthew 5:11).

But when you walk out your days with God's intent at the core of all that you do, a renewed energy is found. As

Unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, even disappointment have the ability to rot the bones of man (see Proverbs 14:30).

How powerful, how beautiful is the praise that erupts from a life that has gone through the fire and comes out with a truthful, courageous new understanding of the faithfulness of God himself. That kind of faithfulness must be fed by the Word of God, not just as casual reading, but where we bring our inner pursuits in line with Scripture; not just a source of comfort, but the priority of your heart.

When you find yourself in a position where you could easily point an accusing finger—or have an accusing finger pointed at you—think, trust, and forgive.

An enemy can seek to harm us, but an enemy can't betray us. Betrayal can only come at the hands of someone we love and trust. That's why betrayal is so utterly painful. What is done to the heart is devastating.

Jesus understands the hurt you feel. He experienced denial and betrayal at the deepest level.