Quotes from Edward T. Welch

El verdadero cambio se lleva a cabo cuando nos enfocamos en conocer a Aquel que realmente merece nuestra adoración (2 Pedro 1:3). Aunque muchos de nosotros asumimos que el cambio involucra un plan con ciertos pasos, el cambio a nivel del corazón se centra en conocer a una persona.

Regarding other people, our problem is that we need them (for ourselves) more than we love them (for the glory of God). The task God sets for us is to need them less and love them more. Instead of looking for ways to manipulate others, we will ask God what our duty is toward them.

As a way to practice saying "no," consider small fasts. You could give up food, desserts, computer games, or other activities important to you. This is not a way to punish yourself for what you have done. It is simply a way to have more practice at self-control. Remember that self-control is a skill that develops with practice.

This is good news: you don't have to know the exact cause of suffering in order to find hope and comfort.

The violent take it by force" is how the King James Version puts it (Matt. 11:12). That is the way the kingdom of God advances. With persecution outside, Satan fighting us through temptations, and our own lusts within, every disciple of Christ is in a battle, one that demands spiritual strength and ongoing vigilance.

What is the way out of shame? It is the way of humility, not humiliation. It is the way of being known, not exposed.

Remember that in the Bible, "This is who God is and what he has done" always precedes "This is what you must do.

Need theories can thrive only in a context where the emphasis is on the individual rather than the community and where consumption is a way of life.

Action follows our knowledge of God and trust in him. It is as if God has said to us, "Now that you have seen who I am, you will want to love me in return. This is how you can love me." And then God teaches us how to love him.

others, and so on. And anything that is opposed to God in our lives is actually one of the many gods of the kingdom of earth. You will always be running scared if you worship other gods, because idols can't deliver on their promises. In the Old Testament, the choice before

You believe lies about God. Guaranteed. You think he can't see all things; you think he doesn't care; you think that he reluctantly forgives; you think that he is far away; you think that he loves many people but not you. Don't assume that you know him. Read the Gospels.

This, however, is similar to God saying that the land belonged to Israel. They were promised the land, but they still had to fight for it. Furthermore, not all the battles were successful.

When you have to manage the world, please everyone, earn more than you did last year, and work off five pounds, you will be driven. If not, you run the risk of being un-American or even un-Christian because our economy and churches rely on such people. Even when paralyzed by circumstances, a stressed person is a driven person.

Imagine having drug cravings subdued by the joy of knowing and obeying Christ. Imagine having temptations lose their allure because there is more pleasure in walking humbly with our God. Imagine waking up and strategizing how to please the God who loves you rather than where you will get your next drink. This would be freedom. Sound impossible? It isn't.

Jesus tells us to bring nothing so that he can be the One to give us everything. It is this true grace that brings glory to God. If you want something to do, here is one of the hardest—believe. Believe the gospel of grace and be thankful. The reason the world avoids any discussion of sin is that it knows very little of the astounding grace of God.

Since Jesus became thoroughly identified with sin, he would receive its wrath and judgment in our place. This meant he would experience the worst kind of rejection and alienation from the Father, and he would do this for us.

knew something about prayer, asked Jesus how to pray (Luke 11:1). Here is where prayer really

If the temptation hooks our desires, we go public. We confess it to a friend, we confess it to the Lord, we get other people praying for us, we ask for counsel that helps us to see that the Serpent is dangerous. Above all, we remember that God's commands are good. They are intended to bless us.

Sin can certainly be a cause of depression, but you must be careful about connecting the dots between the two. If you are being honest, you will always find sin in your life. Everyone does. That doesn't mean that sin caused your depression.

For now, what things have you done that you prefer to keep private? What things in your life do you insist on keeping secret? That's where we will find the shame that is attached to what we do.

What happens when people are raised on a steady diet of "You are great, you can do anything, you deserve it, you are the best, you can get what you want"? Sooner or later they find that they are not great, they can't do everything, they are not the best, and they can't control it all. Depression and denial are the only two options left.

If we make such comparisons, we might be tempted not to speak of the suffering from our hearts to the Lord because we would consider it whining, which it certainly is not.

Worship often takes our attention off ourselves completely. It isn't necessary to relate our worship of God to what he has done for us. God is great and worthy of our worship regardless of what he has done for us! Yet, having blessed the name of the Lord together, it strengthens our faith to remember what God has done for us, and also to hear what God is doing in other people.

In our attempts to help, we can overinterpret suffering