Walter A. Henrichsen > Quotes

“If you cannot forgive because of hurt inflicted by others, you will be unwilling to be vulnerable for fear of being hurt again. Because people are sinners, you cannot love and you cannot minister without getting hurt.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen

“Develop convictions from your understanding of revelation, but take them no further; do not make absolute what the Bible dos not make absolute.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“The disciple is one who in every area of His life determines from the Bible what is right and lives it consistently rather than allowing circumstances to shape his conduct.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Disciples Are Made Not Born: Helping Others Grow to Maturity in Christ

“Your vocation is your pulpit. For this reason, you have no biblical ground for wanting to retire. Most believers who do want to retire, want a little bit of heaven this side of the grave. Such may be possible for the Philistines, but definitely not for the serious follower of Christ.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“To the degree that you know what God’s expectations of you look like, you do not need Him. Seeking to apply positive commandments forces you into a posture of dependence upon God, which is right where He wants you.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make your free.” John 8:32 These words are carved over the doors of university buildings. Obviously, how the university and Jesus use this phrase differ. Jesus said of Himself, “I am Truth.”1 And again, “If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”2”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Jesus did not die for man’s sin against man, only for man’s sin against God. God decides how we are to treat one another, and therefore when we sin against others we sin against God. David said, “in thy sight,” knowing that God looks on. Nothing escapes His notice. One of the marks of regeneration is an awareness that God is watching.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Repentance is the key to reconciliation, and the key to repentance is an admission of wrong.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Good habits are hard to establish and easy to lose. Bad habits are easy to establish and hard to break. The reason has to do with our depravity; our natural inclination is to sin, not be righteous.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“You can know that you are judging illegitimately when your standard rests outside of Scripture, such as judging motives. Clearly, judging the motives of another places you outside the parameters of legitimate judging.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“View every day as a school day and every relationship as an opportunity to learn. There is no such thing as an accidental encounter. Each person you meet has been sent by God for your edification.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Jesus did not die for institutions, but for people. Programs, organizations, causes – all are temporal. Never use people to further institutional goals; use institutions to help invest in people. You will find it easy to become enamored with your own program or cause, and recruit others to make it a success. The work of the Lord is not building institutions, but redeeming people. People and the Word of God last forever. Immerse yourself in Scripture and give your life serving others. Never sacrifice the individual for the common good, for who decides what constitutes the common good? Jesus never tried to articulate such a definition; He simply said that He came to seek and save the lost.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Te-ai gândit vreodată în ce măsură infimă deții controlul asupra vieții tale? Tu ai hotărât data nașterii tale? Tu ți-ai ales părinții? Tu ai ales țara în care te vei naște sau culoarea pielii tale, a ochilor sau a părului tău? De tine a depins inteligența , darurile și talentele cu care ai fost înzestrat? Dar înălțimea ta, tu ai ales-o? Sau înfățișarea ta, frumoasă sau urâtă, tu ți-ai ales-o? Răspunsul la toate aceste întrebări este nu. În toate aceste domenii și în multe altele tu nu ai nimic de spus. Votul tău nu are nicio importanță.

Atunci unde îți exerciți tu controlul? Biblia spune că tu ai controlul asupra unei părți mici, dar importante din viața ta, și anunme voința ta. A-L recunoaște pe Hristos ca Domn este în directă legătură cu voința ta, pentru că implică supunerea voinței tale lui Isus Hristos. Aceasta înseamnă că Isus este Domnul tău în întregime, și nu numai al unei părți din viața ta. Luând această hotărâre cu privire la voința ta, gândește-te că El are controlul asupra multor lucruri care te privesc pe tine, indiferent că-ți place sau nu.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Disciples Are Made Not Born: Helping Others Grow to Maturity in Christ

“The desire to retire is an expression of despair. It means that you have lost your rudder and do not know why you are here or where you are going.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“God distributes in unequal amounts certain gifts, abilities, and opportunities. The sickly person with few gifts who dies early is not handicapped in the economy of God. Your reward in heaven will not be determined by what God gave you, but by what you do with what God gave you and why you do it.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Illegitimate self-justification takes place when you know you are guilty and seek to hide the fact. Few sins carry the profound ramifications that self-justification does.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Our Lord does not promise that what He asks of us will be easy; He is not an easy God. He is loving, gentle, patient, and caring, but not easy.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“God did not give you the Bible to make you a smarter sinner, but rather a holy saint. Application, not knowledge, pleases God.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“FEBRUARY 11 Day 42 The Sacrifice of Praise “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” Hebrews 13:15 What do you give to someone who has everything? What do you offer to God who has no need? The Psalmist addresses this question: God says that He owns all. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine and the fullness thereof.”1 Although He has no needs, He does say that there exits one thing He desires. “Offer unto God thanksgiving.” He delights in the “sacrifice of praise.” Thanksgiving becomes a sacrifice when, in the midst of your hurts and disappointments, you affirm His goodness. You delight the heart of God when you don’t feel grateful and yet thank Him. People and circumstances cause pain when they impact you in ways contrary to your expectations. Life is full of such hurts. It is easy, even natural, to thank God for that which you perceive to benefit you. To believe that pain comes from a benevolent God showing love, and to give Him thanks for that pain, this reflects the kind of faith that pleases Him. Thus He calls it “the sacrifice of praise.” A sacrifice costs, else it is not sacrificial. When you give the Lord thanks in the midst of your pain you affirm His goodness. During such times you do not want to thank Him; you want to question His goodness, for why does a loving, caring God inflict pain? Content that you can never answer the question “why?”, you rest in the character of God. He is good. All of His designs toward you are good. For this reason, you “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of your lips giving thanks to His name.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Fellowship with God is for those who want to live under His authority.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“God meets you where you are, not where you ought to be. When you manifest a heart to seek Him, your sin and error do not stand in His way.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“When Jesus said He came “to seek and to save the lost,” he meant that there are two kinds of people in the world: those that know they need saving, and those that don’t know.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“You can sin by doing what you know to be wrong, but also by doing what you think is right. The latter is probably more deadly, for you do not have the help of your conscience to check you. To convince yourself that you are doing right, you need to bring your conscience into agreement. It is not hard to do. A man recently converted expressed shock that the Bible prohibits fornication. When asked if he always thought it was right, after reflection he said, “When I first did it I knew it was wrong, but I overruled my conscience and in a short while it seemed right.” Conscience has the power to condemn, but not absolve. A clear conscience gives confidence in the presence of God, but it does not absolve guilt. The Holy Spirit will assist your conscience in these matters, but even He may be grieved.1 Because you believe something to be right doesn’t mean that it is right. God may call it sin, as He did in the day of the judges. 1”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“God will forget your sin and iniquity in the sense that it will not adversely affect your relationship with Him. His acceptance of you is total; He will never taunt you with a past transgression or allow it to influence adversely His relationship with you. Nor are you on probation in the Christian life. The Lord’s acceptance of you is based on perfect knowledge; you may disappoint Him, but you will never surprise Him.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“When people observe that your life is in harmony with the message, they may not believe, but they know in their conscience that they have met truth.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“1 Lamentations 1:21-22 2 Matthew 27:46 APRIL 7 Day 98 Lamentations “And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” Numbers 11:1 The Psalmist complains to God, “Thou hast made us like sheep for slaughter, and hast scattered us among the nations. Thou hast sold thy people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them. Thou hast made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those about us.”1 Thus we see that there is more than one kind of lamentation: When the Psalmist does it, God included it in a book of worship, but when Israel did it, God killed them. A friend who was without a job for a protracted period of time was in anguish because he could not provide for his family. He found himself angry with God because he was trapped. He had no options. He knew that he could never abandon God, that looking back he would be embarrassed and apologize to God, but he also experienced pain and disorientation. His committed soul anguished over a destroyed hope, realizing that his only option was to hold tight to God. Then there is the man who challenges God in a spirit of rebellion, like the children of Israel in the wilderness. He is like the person who says, “I can never trust a god who inflicts this kind of pain.” The man who complains because he sees options is the object of God’s wrath.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Before you came to Christ, you knew something of love; in all probability there were people in your life that loved you. So also you knew something of faith, for all must commit before knowing. You may have even experienced mercy. But grace is different. Only in Jesus Christ do you discover grace, for His death made it possible for Him to be both gracious and just. You are the recipient of God’s grace because He charged Jesus with your sin while imputing Jesus’ righteousness to you.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“In your heart you know whether you are as close to God as you ought to be; keep your ears open to your conscience, your heart open to God and your eyes in the Word. 1”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Absorption of Scripture is an essential counter-balance to the background noise of the world.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“God commanded His prophet Hosea to enter into a marriage with Gomer that was not only dishonoring to the husband, but was against custom, legal sense, and reason. He woos to himself a worthless woman and yokes himself to her in a nonsensical marriage. God uses this marriage to depict to the nation of Israel how He views His relationship with her. Israel, the whore, lusts after other gods and sells herself to a never-ending string of lovers. Still God elects Israel to be His bride, the object of His affection. No reason for such love can be given other than to say that it serves His purpose. Grace has no rationale”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional