Happy Friday (and how is it already September?!)! I’m so excited to share another great read with you! Recently at a book sale, I picked up a few Charles Stanley books. I’ve only read one so far, and wow, it was a good one! As with other devotional books that I’ve shared, the first line isn’t always easy to understand without the whole context, so I’m picking out a quote to share. But there were too many good quotes. So scroll to the end of the post and read the dozens of amazing and thought-provoking quotes I copied, which I hope are an encouragement to you.
Once you’ve finished visiting everyone else’s FLF posts, I’d love to hear…
(feel free to pick just one to answer—I’m the question Queen 😉 )
– What is one of the best devotional books that you’ve read?
– What book are you reading this weekend?
– What’s a first line of the book closest to you?
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Be sure to hop along to all of these other blogs and see what First Lines they have to share!
Please note that I may not fully endorse all of the books that these bloggers read or the content in these blogs.
Bree – Bibliophile Reviews
Rachel – Bookworm Mama
Heather – Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Beth – Faithfully Bookish
Katie – Fiction Aficionado
Andi – Radiant Light
Carrie – Reading is my Super Power
Robin – Robin’s Nest
Sydney – Singing Librarian Books
Kathleen – Kathleen Denly
Jessica – A Baker’s Perspective
Trisha – Joy of Reading
Jeanette – CJane Read
Molly – Molly’s Caffeinated Reads
Rebecca – It’s Storytime with Van Danniker!
Iola – Iola Golton
Nicole – Christian Fiction Girl
Quotes:
“In the aftermath of any storm, [God] is the only One we can turn to for encouragement.” (Pg. 3)
“He knows when we face difficulties that are beyond our ability to handle…” (pg. 5)
“Do you realize that even if [a storm] has appeared as a result of something you have done, God is with you?” (Pg. 8)
“When I let go of my need to work something out, He handles all the details of my circumstances perfectly.” (Pg. 12)
“Endurance means that I am willing to stay at my post—where God has placed me—until He tells me to move forward. It also means that no matter how hard life may become, I will follow wherever He leads.” (Pg. 16)
“We are the ones who make sorrow and heartache even more difficult to bear. Many times, we believe Satan’s lies.” (Pg. 18)
“Anyone can quit and walk away from life. However, it takes courage to go on when it appears that every avenue has been blocked and every opportunity removed. The pathway to hope and victory often runs straight through the valley of adversity.” (Pg. 19)
“True peace cannot come to the person who had not surrendered his or her life to the Lord.” (Pg 27)
“God uses adversity to purify us and prepare us for greater service.” (Pg 28)
“Most of the time, we know the way God wants us to go, but if it involves sacrifice or personal surrender, we can become resistant and even disobedient.” (Pg 40)
“The brokenness of your life does not prevent the Savior from loving you.” (Pg 42)
“When trouble hits, resist the urge to focus on yourself, your ambitions, and personal desires.” (Pg 46)
“In time, and with God’s help, that person understands that God’s plan for his or her life is not over; it is just taking a different path than the one he or she thought would be traveling.” (Pg 47)
“It is it in times of deep trial, when our faith is tested beyond our normal ability to endure, that we discover God’s loving hand is holding us up and reassuring us that He will never leave.” (Pg 56)
“A person chooses to wait on God because he or she wants the best.” (Pg 65)
“Prayer is a step of faith, not a pathway to anxiety.” (Pg 76)
“Adversity trains you to worship God and to long for time alone in His presence.” (Pg 87)
“Obey God and He will lead you *through* the stormy times to a place of great blessing.” (Pg 96)
“Loneliness is not something only single people face. It is something that comes from not being at peace in God’s presence and not being satisfied with what He has provided.” (Pg 99)
“So often, problems that arise in our lives come as a result of our not obeying God.” (Pg 104)
“Timing is everything to God. He knows exactly when to motivate us to move forward and when to hold us back.” (Pg 108)
“[God] is our instructor, guide, and teacher. But sometimes we do not hear what He is saying because we are too wrapped up in our problems. We pray and think we are giving our burden to Him, but we continue to carry it around by talking about it and even frantically wondering what will happen next. When we ask God to take our burdens, He does. However, if we continue to cling to it and work on ways of solving it, we signal a lack of faith in His ability.” (Pg 109)
“[God] never sees your burden as being insignificant. Therefore, no matter how large or small a difficulty may appear, make a habit of praying about it.” (Pg 110)
“You have a sense of peace, not because of what you have, but because of who has you.” (Pg 118)
“Sin causes a separation in our fellowship with God, and this sense of separation gives birth to fear.” (Pg 142)
Amanda Tero Books 