"Go home, and let all your relatives off the potter's wheel. You are not the potter!"

"The truth is God created us to have relationship with us. He wants to love us and take care of us, and He wants us to love Him. That's where our walk with Christ has to start."

"Prayer doesn't just change things - it changes us. If we are diligent in seeking God, slowly and surely we become better people."

"Our past may explain why we're suffering but we must not use it as an excuse to stay in bondage."

"When you focus on how wonderful God is and all the great things He's done... is doing... and even will do in your life, your natural response will be praise, adoration and awe. Don't let yourself ever get used to it... stay amazed!"

"Turn your situation over to God because He can do more in a moment than you can do in a lifetime."

"Reproach is shame, blame, disgrace, disapproval and a disrespectful attitude toward yourself. When you're under reproach, your behavior shows it."

"A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere."

"Hope is favorable and confident expectation; it's an expectant attitude that something good is going to happen and things will work out, no matter what situation we're facing."

"I like to describe worry or anxiety as spending today trying to figure out tomorrow. Let's learn to use the time God has given us for today!"

"When we believe the best of people, we let go of each thing they do that is hurtful to us. And we choose to think things like, 'I don't believe they meant to hurt me.' 'Maybe they're having a bad day or don't feel well.' 'They probably don't even realize how they sound.'"

"May 30 word: Example"People believe a lot more of what they see you do than what they hear you do. That's why it is important that we take the responsibility to set a good, Biblical example. How we live in front of people and even behind closed doors at home is essential to being an effective witness."

"It's so important to realize that every time you get upset, it drains your emotional energy. Losing your cool makes you tired. Getting angry a lot messes with your health."

"It seems like a lot of people seek their peace in things. And most of us are not even satisfied with the things we have... we always want more."

"Dread, which is closely related to fear, steals the ability to enjoy ordinary life and makes people anxious about the future. It keeps them from looking forward to the next day, the next month, or the next decade."

"Prayer is such a basic foundation of a Christian's relationship with God. It's how we communicate and fellowship with Him. But a surprising number of people, young and old, new and even long-time Christians, say they're not satisfied with their prayer life."

"It's amazing to me the number of people who will volunteer to help at church but won't lift a finger to help at home!"

"Our feelings are unreliable and cannot be trusted to convey truth."

"In my relationship with God, I've learned that if I follow a 'formula' for how I spend my time with Him, then I'm just accomplishing a checklist of things I feel obligated to do to please Him. This makes my spiritual life more about doing what I need to do to fulfill an obligation than something meaningful."

"Complaining is dangerous business. It can damage or even destroy your relationship with God, your relationships with other people, and even with your relationship with yourself."

"It is not about doing what we feel like. It is about doing what God says."

"I have learned that I really do have discipline, self-control, and patience. But they were given to me as a seed, and it's up to me to choose to develop them."

"The sooner we learn feelings are fickle, the better off we are."

"Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we don't see what goes on underground - as they grow roots. Trees must develop deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don't see the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree."

"The facts about our past are powerless against the blood of Jesus and the Truth of His Word."

"I am not where I need to be, but, thank God, I am not where I used to be."

"It is impossible to be both selfish and happy."

"You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind."

"The Holy Spirit knows precisely the right timing in our lives. I always say, "Only the Holy Spirit knows when you are ready for what." In other words, the Spirit of the Lord is the only One Who knows what it will take to help you, and when you are ready to receive help."

"Choosing an attitude of faith will release peace out of your spirit and into your soul."

"I want to look my best for God. So many people have the attitude that if you're a Christian you've got to dress bad, wear an old color, not do anything to your hair, have nothing. It's no wonder that Christianity is not very attractive. I mean, how many people do you know in a Western culture that's going to go, 'Yeah, give me some of that?'"

"So many people live with anger and unforgiveness, and many of them are Christians."

"We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds if we become encouragers instead of critics."

"The Christian is unable to sin and not care. They may sin, but they cannot do so comfortably and continually. They are very much aware of their wrong actions, and they are very miserable."

"Forgiveness is not a feeling - it's a decision we make because we want to do what's right before God. It's a quality decision that won't be easy and it may take time to get through the process, depending on the severity of the offense."

"Complain and remain. Praise and be raised."

"We need a backbone, not a wishbone."

"We will all fail in life, but nobody has to be a failure. Failing at a thing doesn't make you a failure. You are only a failure when you quit trying."

"Most of us have hoped and prayed for something to happen a certain way, but it didn't. And when this happened, we had a choice to make: to react with offense toward God or to trust Him anyway."

"I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you."

"The mind is often an area where "people play around with sin"."

"Frustration, complication and misery are available in abundance, but so is God's grace."

"The more we focus on who we are in Christ, the less it matters who we were in the past, or even what happened to us."

"Anytime we step out boldly to make changes, we take a chance that we might fail. But the only way to get better is to try."

"Stay active. Read the Word. Worship with other believers. Continue to give. Keep learning and growing. Your faith will be unleashed!"

"It's like a jar of salad dressing sitting on a shelf... most of the seasoning settles to the bottom of the bottle. But when you shake that bottle up, all the ingredients mix together and then the dressing can add flavor to a salad. In the same way, we can stir ourselves up and regain the reverence, respect and awe we once had for the Lord."

"Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may be given a cactus, but you don't have to sit on it."

"When you begin to worry, go find something to do. Get busy being a blessing to someone; do something fruitful. Talking about your problem or sitting alone, thinking about it, does no good; it serves only to make you miserable. Above all else, remember that worrying is totally useless. Worrying will not solve your problem."

"I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be."

"I can tell you from experience that God's help and presence in our lives is vital. He is the Author of all true success and everything that is good-without Him, we can do nothing of true value."