Quotes from Lysa TerKeurst

People laughed at Jesus. People rejected Jesus. People misunderstood Jesus. We know this in theory, but as I sat on that rock that day, I suddenly realized what an everyday reality this was for Him. And because this was a reality for Him, He is the perfect one to turn to when rejection is a reality for us.

I used my cravings for food as a prompting to pray. It was my way of tearing down the tower of impossibility before me and building something new. My tower of impossibility was food. Brick by brick, I imagined myself dismantling the food tower and using those same bricks to build a walkway of prayer, paving the way to victory.

Our minds and hearts are like dry sponges. What we focus on is what will soak in and saturate us. If it is something foolish, we will make foolish decisions. If it is wise, we will make wise decisions.

I stuff because: I don't feel safe enough to confront this person. I don't have the energy or the time to get into a conflict right now. I don't know how to address the issue. I don't want to seem hypersensitive. I don't want to get rejected. I don't want to lose control. I don't want to make things worse, so I convince myself I can just let it go.

Too many of us live with an uncontrolled thought life. It is possible to learn to identify destructive thoughts and make wiser choices. Instead of letting those thoughts rumble freely about in my mind, I make the choice to harness them and direct them toward truth.

Define your week by obedience, not by a number on the scale.

The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep. The schedules we keep determine the lives we live. The lives we live determine how we spend our souls. So, this isn't just about finding time. This is about honoring God with the time we have.

Cynicism dressed like a security guard, making me believe that if I hoped for less, it would protect me and prevent more pain.

God made us to crave—to desire eagerly, want greatly, and long for Him. But Satan wants to do everything possible to replace our craving for God with something else.

Becoming more than a good Bible study girl means I separate my shortcomings from my identity and let Jesus be the only measure of my worth.

It's tough. And yet the Bible makes it very clear that we are to make time for rest. More than just physical rest, we need to take a spiritual and emotional rest from going our own way—literally. Once a week, we are to hit the pause button on life and guard a day of rest for our souls. Guard it fiercely and intentionally — even if the demands on our schedules beg us not to.

God, I don't understand this situation. But I do understand Your goodness to me. I thank You for the protection that is part of this rejection even when I can't see it. I trust You.

when my identity is tied to circumstances I become extremely insecure because circumstances are unpredictable and ever-changing.

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

the only way to diminish our regrets is by making decisions that lead to peace.

The Devil wants me to fill my emptiness with an unhealthy dependence on the acceptance of others. Because then he can get me so focused on the shallow opinions of others I get completely distracted from deepening my relationship with Christ.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. (1 PETER 2:11)

Define your week by obedience, not by a number on the scale. . . .

Wisdom makes decisions today that will still be good for tomorrow.

I realized that most times it's not the big things along my spiritual journey that tempt me to get off track. It's a culmination of small daily aggravations I know God could fix but doesn't. But what if instead of seeing these aggravations as inconveniences, I saw them as reminders to draw near to God?

God is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. But to partner with Him in His work of transformation in our lives, we must seek Him with all our hearts. It's our choice whether we stay stuck in our hurt or get renewed in our hearts.

Yes, faith still moves mountains. But sometimes the greater act of faith is not praying for the mountain to move instantly but rather hanging in there while God helps you to move it bit by bit.

We are supposed to maximize God, which keeps our weaknesses in perspective.

if we allow our thoughts to stink, that smell will leak out of every bit of us—our words, our actions, and especially our reactions.