Andy stanley quotes

Grace is not reserved for good people; grace underscores the goodness of God.

To understand why, submit and apply.

The more conscious I am of the work God has yet to do in me, the less critical I am about what he has yet to do in you

Everything now will prepare you for the next step. Don't run from adversity; lean into it with all your heart and God will make you a leader worth following.

Being a sinner does not disqualify you from following Jesus. It's a prerequisite.

When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.

The Church is a family expecting guests.

Your friends will determine the quality and direction of your life.

If a man can predict his own death and resurrection, and pull it off, I just go with whatever that man says

Here's something to think about: If God appeared to you and asked, "Why should I let you into heaven?" how would you answer?

Only do what only you can do.

Here’s a question every angry man and woman needs to consider: How long are you going to allow people you don’t even like — people who are no longer in your life, maybe even people who aren’t even alive anymore — to control your life? How long?

Two things make a relationship providential: when we hear from God through someone and when we see God in someone.

God doesn’t want to take your money. He just doesn’t want your money to take you.

One of the exciting things about being a believer is watching God unveil His plan for our lives.

Saying a prayer won't make you a Christian. Placing your faith in Christ as your savior makes you a Christian.

Next generation leaders are those who would rather challenge what needs to change and pay the price than remain silent and die on the inside

Acknowledging weakness doesn't make a leader less effective. On the contrary, in most cases it is simply a way of expressing that he understands what everyone else has known for some time. When you acknowledge your weaknesses to the rest of your team, it is never new information.

You can't resist the will of God and receive the grace of God at the same time.

It takes a habit to break a habit. You can pray every day for a generous heart, but until you start acting in that direction, nothing's going to change.

God, I want what you want more than I want what I want.

Blessed is the man who gets the opportunity to devote his life to something bigger than himself and who finds himself surrounded by friends who share his passion.

Jesus raised the standard high so we would realize we couldn’t possibly do it without a savior.

If you see your brother in need, it doesn't matter if you already gave somewhere else. You should be open to the idea of God using you to meet your brother's unexpected need.

Dreamers dream about things being different. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference.

Serving people we don't see eye to eye with is the essence of Christianity. Jesus died for a world with which he didn't see eye to eye. If a bakery doesn't want to sell its products to a gay couple, it's their business. Literally. But leave Jesus out of it.

What could be and should be can’t be until God is ready for it to be.

Blame enables us to smuggle our issues into our future.

Not the one who knows the most, but the one who loves faithfully and consistently the most, is a true follower of Jesus.

I've talked to many individuals who want to discuss their problems. But they don't really have problems. They have chosen to live in the wrong direction. They don't need a solution. They need a new direction.

Priority determines capacity.

If you devote yourself to more than yourself ... you will have more than yourself to show for yourself.

What breaks your heart is part of a divine design to bring change!

Telling someone they're wrong is not the same as leading or inspiring them to do what's right.

There will be very few occasions when you are absolutely certain about anything. You will consistently be called upon to make decisions with limited information. That being the case, your goal should not be to eliminate uncertainty. Instead, you must develop the art of being clear in the face of uncertainty.

One never accomplishes the will of God by breaking the law of God, violating the principles of God, or ignoring the wisdom of God.

In the shadow of my hurt, forgiveness feel like a decision to reward my enemy. But in the shadow of the cross, forgiveness is merely a gift from one undeserving soul to another.

The Church must stop expecting outsiders to act like insiders while insiders act like outsiders.

My high school science teacher once told me that much of Genesis is false. But since my high school teacher did not prove he was God by rising from the dead, I'm going to believe Jesus instead.

Your devotion to God is illustrated, demonstrated, and authenticated by your love for others.

What percentage should you give? I tell people to start with 10 percent because the Bible writers have a lot to say about the tithe, which means, "tenth." For some people, that's extremely uncomfortable. But so is a colonoscopy, and those save countless lives.

Knowledge alone makes Christians haughty. Application makes us holy.

You have no idea the numbers of people that God may want to influence through you

We rob ourselves when we make decisions in the moment with no thought of how those decisions will impact our futures.

Asking doesn't mean you lack wisdom - it's evidence of wisdom.

Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.

It's better to make a difference than to make a point.

Celebrate what God has given others. Leverage what God has given you.

When people are convinced you want something FOR them rather than something FROM them, they are less likely to be offended when you challenge them.

The starting block for people who are going to stay in love is mutual submission.

Jesus is the hope of the world and the local church is the vehicle of expressing that hope to the world.

The greatest thing you do as a leader may not be what you do as a leader but who watches you do what you do.

If you want to know what Jesus meant by what Jesus said, pay attention to that Jesus did.

God often showcases his power on the stage of human weakness.

Leaders who refuse to listen, will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing helpful to say

A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately. It is not his insight that sets the leader apart from the crowd. It is his courage to act and speak up when everyone else is silent....are those who would rather challenge what needs to change and pay the price than remain silent and die on the inside.

Leadership is stewardship, it's temporary and you're accountable!

My hope is not in riches but in him who richly provides.

We're so absorbed in the effort to get rich, we no longer recognize when we are rich.

The followers of Jesus did not die for what they believed - they died for what they claim to have seen.

Is Christianity fair? It is certainly not fair to God. Christians believe that God sent His Son to die for your sins and mine. Fairness would demand that we die for our own sins.

80% of your problems are not PEOPLE problems ... they are SYSTEM problems, because systems create the behaviors of people.

Direction, not intention determines your destination.

A good coach will evaluate your performance against your potential. A coach helps you measure your performance against your strengths instead of against someone else's. A coach will know what you are capable of and will push you to your limit.

As long as you are carrying a secret, as long as you are trying to ease your conscience by telling God how sorry you are, you are setting yourself up to repeat the past.

There's a monumental difference in believing in God and believing God.

There is no cramming for a test of character. It always comes as a pop quiz.

Jesus healed people one at a time because God cares about individual people.

Let me take some pressure off. Your problem is not discipline. Your problem is not organization. Your problem is not that you have yet to stumble upon the perfect schedule. And your problem is not that the folks at home demand too much of your time. The problem is this: there’s not enough time to get everything done that you’re convinced—or others have convinced you—needs to get done.

The value of a life is always measured by how much of it is given away.

There is an appropriate way to use your story, not as an excuse but as a testimony to God's ability to free you from the past.

It is when our hearts are stirred that we become most aware of what they contain.

When happiness points in one direction while wisdom, truth, integrity, and common sense point in another, that's when really smart people start doing really stupid things.

Which of these statements creates more anxiety in you: 'There is no God' or 'There is no money'?

Nothing has stolen more dreams, dashed more hopes, broken up more families, and messed up more people psychologically than our propensity to disregard God's commands regarding sexual purity.

Yes, God uses the uneducated to confound the wise. But that doesn't make ignorance a virtue.

Here's a scary thought: What if God called you to give beyond your comfort level? Would you be afraid? Would you try to explain it away or dismiss it as impractical? And in the process, would you miss out on a harvest opportunity for which God had explicitly prospered you in the first place?

Jesus doesn’t take sides; He takes over.

What God originates, God orchestrates.

You will never maximize your potential in any area without coaching. It is impossible. You may be good. You may even be better than everyone else. But without outside input you will never be as good as you could be.

The most significant visions are not cast by great orators from a stage. They are cast at the bedsides of our children. The greatest visioncasting opportunities happen between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 PM Monday through Sunday. In these closing hours of the day we have a unique opportunity to plant the seeds of what could be and what should be. Take every opportunity you get.

You have no idea what hangs in the balance of your decision on what to do with the burden God put in your heart.

If we want to reach the people that no one else is reaching, we've got to do things that no one else is doing.

As a leader it is your job to protect the missional integrity of the Jesus gathering to which you have been called. It is your responsibility to see to it that the church under your care continues as a gathering of people in process; a place where the curious, the unconvinced, the skeptical, the used-to-believe and the broken, as well as the committed, informed and sold-out come together around Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

At the end of the day, God's love for me, for you, and for the world is settled at the cross.

Good people don't go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven.

Christianity teaches that when man sinned, God opted for forgiveness rather than fairness. He opted for grace and mercy rather than justice.

You can't influence people you refuse to associate with.

Giving up something now for something better later is not a sacrifice. It is an investment.

A fool is a person who knows the difference between right and wrong, and chooses to do wrong.

Maintaining peace with God is more important than keeping pace with someone else.

Success is remaining faithful to the process God has laid out for you.

We hurt most who we love the most. Bad grammar, painful truth.

Leadership is all about taking people on a journey. The challenge is that most of the time, we are asking people to follow us to places we ourselves have never been.

It doesn't really matter what time it is if you haven't determined what to do with your time.

Stop looking for solutions to problems and start looking for the right path.

Do you think God can be trusted? Or do yo think you need to take things into your own hands?

The love of Christ comes from simple people who love simple people. Never be fooled by the spiritual leader who knows a lot but doesn't love a lot.

Lord, give me the wisdom to know what's right and the courage to do what's right-even when it's hard.

People who blame things rarely change things. Blame is an unassailable change-avoidance strategy.

Spiritual maturity is measured in terms of persevering faith, not perfect behavior

Forgiveness is simply a decision to cancel a debt.

Learning never takes place while you're talking.

Where there's no progress, there's no growth. If there's no growth, there's no life. Environments void of change are eventually void of life.

If the Old and New Testament teach us anything, they teach us that nothing is too difficult for God. What he originates, he orchestrates.

Progress requires change.

The God of Christianity never claims to be fair. He goes beyond fair. The Bible teaches that he decided not to give us what we deserve- that's mercy. In addition, God decided to give us exactly what we didn't deserve- we call that grace.

Your greatest accomplishment may not be something you do but someone you raise.

Good excuses rarely collect dust. We use them, and use them, and use them.

Authority does not equal competency. Pass decisions down to those who can best handle them.

The health of your marriage tomorrow will be determined by the decisions you make today.

If you want to know if I'm a Godly man, follow me home.

Without courage we will simply accumulate a collection of good ideas and regrets.

Guilt rarely results in positive behavior. But gratitude? Great things flow from a heart of gratitude.

Actions don't only speak louder than words; actions should be used to interpret words.

People do not plan to mess up their lives. They just don't plan not to.

Any fear associated with giving to God's kingdom is irrational. It's on par with a farmer who, out of fear of losing his seed, refuses to plant his fields.

A single act of courage is often the tipping point for extraordinary change.

Pencil in your plans but write your visions in ink

There is something insincere about a man or woman who repeatedly tells God how much he or she loves Him while refusing to obey Him.

If you're a Christian you can't have an "I'm better than" attitude toward anyone because everybody is somebody for whom Jesus died.

Grace is the vehicle God uses on occasion to ensure that we get precisely what we dont deserve.

When I count other people's blessings I lose sight of mine.

Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, not the byproduct of accumulated wealth.

Imagine a world where unbelievers were critical of what we believed but envious of how well we treated one another.