Quotes from Darlene Zschech

Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. Psalm 10:15—18, NIV

Selfless and obedient. But always and ever a conqueror. This Jesus, our Savior, defeated death and sin. Now, that's true strength!

Just like David, we become frustrated when others spread false accusations against us. Though they are not true, we are angry, confused, and hurt, in part because there is next to nothing we can do about it. Jesus both warned and comforted His disciples: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" (Matthew 5:11).

But when you walk out your days with God's intent at the core of all that you do, a renewed energy is found.

Unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, even disappointment have the ability to rot the bones of man (see Proverbs 14:30).

How powerful, how beautiful is the praise that erupts from a life that has gone through the fire and comes out with a truthful, courageous new understanding of the faithfulness of God himself. That kind of faithfulness must be fed by the Word of God, not just as casual reading, but where we bring our inner pursuits in line with Scripture; not just a source of comfort, but the priority of your heart.

When you find yourself in a position where you could easily point an accusing finger—or have an accusing finger pointed at you—think, trust, and forgive.

An enemy can seek to harm us, but an enemy can't betray us. Betrayal can only come at the hands of someone we love and trust. That's why betrayal is so utterly painful. What is done to the heart is devastating.

Jesus understands the hurt you feel. He experienced denial and betrayal at the deepest level.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5—7, NLT

There is so much wisdom in the straightforward words of A. W. Tozer: The church is famishing for want of his presence. The instant cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter the presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and that God is in us. This would lift us out of our pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged.

In a simple meal with His disciples, Jesus offers the wine and bread as symbols of His body and blood so that they—so that we—will never forget His magnificent sacrifice that broke the power of sin in our lives. In the Lord's Supper, in worship, in thanksgiving, let's remember God's goodness to us.