Quotes about Struggle

We see a clear pattern: Satan's constant deception of human beings.

This "world" is marked by three spiritual dynamics that John identifies as "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16).

Satan uses not only our desires to deceive us but also our fears. Fear that we will not get what we desire can provide the motivation for actions that cause so many of our problems.

I remember a time I went to him with a more personal problem: "Hey Dallas, my heart is breaking, I can't fix it, I don't understand it, and I'm sadder than I've ever been in my life." There was a long pause. With Dallas there's always a long pause. And then he said, "This will be a test of your joyful confidence in God".

Those who continue to be mastered by their feelings—whether it is anger, fear, sexual attraction, desire for food or for "looking good," the residues of woundedness, or whatever—are typically persons who in their heart of hearts believe that their feelings must be satisfied. They have long chosen the strategy of selectively resisting their feelings instead of that of not having them—of simply changing or replacing them.

So we do not have the strength we should have, and Jesus' commandments become overwhelmingly burdensome to us. In fact, many Christians cannot even believe he actually intended for us to carry them out. So what is the result? His teachings are treated as a mere ideal, one that we may better ourselves by aiming for but know we are bound to fall glaringly short of.

The route to facing what we feel is not by devaluing the darkness of what we feel, but by valuing the deep structure of why we don't want to feel. Once we face why feeling is so hard, then we can move beyond what we feel to the deeper energy within us that keeps us from grappling honestly with our emotions. Then we will not only feel more deeply, but—more importantly—we will feel our feelings in a way that exposes our struggle with God.

This is a day of little faith — of few convictions — a day when men seem to have no great causes and no great passions. So in frustration, in disappointment, they are inclined to say, 'You can't change human nature.' It is true that we cannot change human nature. But God can.

When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot & hang on.

In youth, in middle age, and now after many battles, I find nothing in me but corruption.

A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.

The chains of military despotism, once fastened upon a nation, ages might pass away before they could be shaken off.