Andy Stanley

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 what we don't deserve--we call that grace.

As you give to fund God's needs, are you forced to trust Him to provide for yours? That's what a growing faith is about. And over the long haul, it's not enough just to commit to a percentage. Growth means reviewing your giving goals and occasionally increasing the percentage you give.

As believers, we all have the responsibility to leverage our wealth for kingdom purposes.

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?

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.

Here__ a question every angry man and woman needs to consider: How long are you going to allow people you don__ even like _ people who are no longer in your life, maybe even people who aren__ even alive anymore _ to control your life? How long?

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.

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.

So what do you do when you are stuck?The first thing I do when I am stuck is pray. But I__ not talking about a quick, Help me Lord, Sunday__ a comin_ prayer. When I get stuck I get up from my desk to head for my closet. Literally. If I__ at the office I go over to a corner that I have deemed my closet away from home. I get on my knees and remind God that this was not my idea, it was His_None of this is new information to God_Then I ask God to show me if there is something He wants to say to prepare me for what He wants me to communicate to our congregation. I surrender my ideas, my outline and my topic. Then I just stay in that quiet place until God quiets my heart_Many times I will have a breakthrough thought or idea that brings clarity to my message. . .Like you, I am simply a mouthpiece. Getting stuck is one way God keeps me ever conscious of that fact.

Past boldness is no assurance of future boldness. Boldness demands continual reliance on God's spirit.

When a plan or strategy fails, people are tempted to assume it was the wrong vision. Plans and strategies can always be changed and improved. But vision doesn't change. Visions are simply refined with time.

Greed is not a financial issue. It's a heart issue.

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.

The church wasn't an organization in the first century. They weren't writing checks or buying property. The church has matured and developed over the years. But for some reason, the last thing to change is the structure of leadership.

Uncertainty is a permanent part of the leadership landscape. It never goes away.

Uncertainty is not an indication of poor leadership it underscores the need for leadership.

Preachers prepare with this fear: 'Am I going to be able to fill the time?' The audience never worries about that.

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.