Quotes from Lysa TerKeurst

The olive tree is such a beautiful reminder that this isn't how it's going to be forever. On the other side of the harsh wind is fruit. On the other side of the process of being broken and waiting is a useful heart free of bitterness. On the other side of being pressed and crushed is oil . . . the most valuable part of me set free to emerge.

In God's plan, you've got a part to play. If you know it and believe it, you'll live it.

When we seek God, we see God.

My ability to heal cannot depend on anyone's choices but my own.

Everything is permissible'—but not everything is beneficial" (1 Corinthians 10:23).

Maybe you've been entrusted with this. Not cursed with it.

Lord, give them enough hurts to keep them human and enough failures to keep their hands clenched tightly in Yours.

Hold fast to Jesus and remember: This breaking of you will be the making of you. A new you. A stronger you. Strengthened not with the pride of perfection but with the sweet grace of one who knows an intimate closeness with her Lord.

God isn't afraid of your sharp edges that may seem quite risky to others. He doesn't pull back. He pulls you close. His love and grace covers your exposed grief. And step-by-step leads you to a new place of victory. A sweet place your soul is so glad to be in though you never would have chosen the hard path on your own.

I have to trust that first comes the dust, and then comes the making of something even better with us. God isn't ever going to forsake you, but He will go to great lengths to remake you. What if disappointment is really the exact appointment your soul needs to radically encounter God?

Labels only stick if I let them.

If the enemy can isolate us, he can influence us.

When we know Christ, it should show in our overflow, regardless of our relative success or discouragement in the face of rejection.

I love the thought that God is in our midst and that He will quiet me by His love.

People don't mind doing CPR on a crisis victim, but no person is equipped to be the constant lifeline to another.

Truth proclaimed and lived out is a fiercely accurate weapon against evil.

Giving with strings of secret expectations attached is the greatest invitation to heartbreak.

It was about realizing the power of God taking over my complete weakness.

I don't know all the details entangled in this issue. But You know all. Therefore, You, God, are the only One who can handle all. There are a lot of things my flesh is tempted to seek—fairness, my right to be right, proof of her wrongdoing, to make her see things from my vantage point—but at this point, the only thing healthy for me to seek is You. You alone. I'm going to be obedient to You and let You handle everything else.

So I fight for her. Not because we will reconnect. We haven't. And we might not. Not because she's right. Not because I'm right. I fight for her simply because I want to stay right in step with honoring God.

Though we may get our hearts broken from the effects of sin in this in-between time, God's goodness will eventually set the world right.

I've discovered that the more love and joy I pour into others, the more I experience in my own life.

We are to process life by looking up to the Lord and into His Word for wisdom. James 3:14–15 (ESV) says, "If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

Humility opens the ears of opportunity.