Quotes from Jim Cymbala

If Jesus himself prayed with "loud cries and tears" at times, then we can certainly feel free and unashamed to pour out our souls to God. I

Reading the Bible on a regular basis involves engaging in spiritual warfare, because Satan doesn't want us to read it.

The Jewish faith in Jesus' day was dominated by rabbis—teachers of the law. Their doctrine was thorough. Jesus told them, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:39–40, italics added). They knew the written word of God very well, but not the living Word, even as he stood before them.

As a preacher myself, let me be blunt here. Preaching itself can easily become just a subtle form of entertainment. When I stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, he is not going to ask me if I was a clever orator. He is not going to ask me how many books I wrote. He is only going to ask whether I continued in the line of men and women, starting way back in the time of Adam's grandchildren, who led others to call upon God.

spiritual accountability proved insufficient for Peter, because no outward teaching can compare to the inward power of the Holy Spirit.

All the human talent, cleverness, and church-growth methods in the world can never compare with the invisible but very real blessing of God. The

Prayer cannot truly be taught by principles and seminars and symposiums. It has to be born out of a whole environment of felt need.

One of the ways the Spirit glorifies Christ is to build up his body for the common good. That is how God strengthens his church. Since the church is a spiritual organism, it needs spiritual ministry to build it up. Spiritual ministry can only come by the Holy Spirit showing himself through human beings. His power flows through human vessels.

As we open up our church meetings to God's power, they will not always follow a predetermined schedule or order. Who can outline what God might have in mind?

God is attracted to weakness. He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power.

when people know you love and care about them, you can speak difficult truth and they will receive it.

Did you bring people to where the action could be found?" God asks: "if you just entertain them or console them, tickle theirs, woe to you! At the throne of grace, I could have CHANGED THEIR LIVES! Did you dazzle them with your cleverness or did you make them hunger for ME!?" If a meeting doesn't end with people touching God - what kind of meeting is it? - Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

If the times are indeed as bad as we say they are … if the darkness in our world is growing heavier by the moment … if we are facing spiritual battles right in our own homes and churches … then we are foolish not to turn to the One who supplies unlimited grace and power. He is our only source. We are crazy to ignore him.

If we look at society today, if we look at the challenge of a country becoming more godless by the week, if we look at laws being passed that mock any form of morality — ?instead of lamenting and protesting, wouldn't it be better for us to plead with God to visit his people?

Rechazar los requerimientos de Dios no nos libera para que disfrutemos de nuestra independencia. En cambio, nos lleva a ataduras cada vez más complicadas. Dios

Many times in life, God waits while a situation goes from bad to worse. He appears to let it slip over the edge, so that you and I say, "There's no way now for this ever to work out." But that is the point when the omnipotent God intervenes in our hopelessness and says, "Oh, really? Watch this...!

So many times when we get into emergencies and the situation seems totally hopeless - it's actually a setup. God wants to do something great. He wants to demonstrate his power, so that his name will be praised in a new and greater way. The next generation will hear all about it. After all, their spiritual nurture is far more important than material things.

God will manifest himself in direct proportion to our passion for him.

Dios nos llama amorosamente a la obediencia. Él nunca se da por vencido. El hecho de su santidad no puede verse comprometido. Cuando lo desobedecemos, nos lastimamos a nosotros mismos y rompemos la comunicación con él. Solo cuando esta se restaura podemos concretar sus bendiciones en nuestros esfuerzos. 3.

When we seek God for answers, we must persevere in prayer, letting it build up day after day until the force of it becomes a mighty tide pushing over all obstacles.

A basic sign of revival is that the wind is allowed to blow where it will.

Quiero que nuestros miembros siempre tengan presentes el hecho de que «si vivimos en la luz, así como él está en la luz, tenemos comunión unos con otros, y la sangre de su Hijo Jesucristo nos limpia de todo pecado» (1 Juan 1:7). M

Let's stop blaming our unbelief on the pastor we once had, on our childhood, on circumstances, or on anything else. There is no excuse for us not to believe in the Lord.

Even an undercurrent of division and strife will weaken that body of believers. The pastor of such a church ends up on a treadmill, expending a lot of effort and energy but making little progress.