Avianna Lemonier > Avianna's Quotes

“Never is a person more like Satan than when he hates.”
― John MacArthur

“It is the great end of the word preached, to bring us to a settlement in religion. Eph iv 11, 12, 14. 'And he gave some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the edifying of the body of Christ; that we hence-forth be no more children.' The word is called a hammer. Jer xxiii 29. Every blow of the hammer is to fasten the nails of the building; so the preacher's words are to fasten you the more to Christ; they weaken themselves to strengthen and settle you. This is the grand design of preaching, not only for the enlightening, but for the establishing of souls; not only to guide them in the right way, but to keep them in it. Now, if you be not settled, you do not answer God's end in giving you the ministry.”
― Thomas Watson

“What is true "compassion"?
True compassion is defined by God in His Word and is a reflection of God's character. Therefore, to know what true compassion looks like, we must understand what the Bible teaches about it. Rather than being a "thing" or a "quality" that God happens to possess, compassion is God's very nature, and all human compassion originates in Him. He is "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3), and God's compassion is embodied in His Son, Jesus Christ.”
― Ligonier Ministries

“Don't believe everything you feel. Our emotions are sometimes the greatest liars we know.

Preach the truth to your emotions and the truth will begin to change your emotions by the power of the Spirit.”
― Burk Parsons

“Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life, from everything that is natural to fallen man, and let Christ’s nature be seen in me day by day.”
― Arthur Bennett, The Valley of Vision

“Our forgiveness is supposed to be lavish, enthusiastic, eager, freely offered, and unconstrained—even for repeat offenders. After all, we are all repeat offenders against God.”
― John MacArthur

“If somebody sins against me, and somebody violates me, and somebody offends me, and my reaction in the human flesh would be to be angry, and bitter, and wrathful, and malicious, and slanderous, I stop and think, "But wait a minute, I don’t want anything out of them. After all, Jesus already bore that sin in His own body on the tree." Jesus already spilled His blood for that sin. What am I going to ask, what do I want, what more could there be? So next time you think you ought to have a vengeful attitude, next time you want to lash back at somebody, the next time you want to say an unkind word, or you want to be bitter towards somebody, next time you want to slander somebody, or whisper behind their back, or retaliate, or seek vengeance to somebody, remember that the very sin that they used against you, the very thing they did to you, Jesus already bore in His own body on the cross.”
― John MacArthur

“Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, God would have put you there.”
― Charles Spurgeon

“If there is anything in the world of which a man need not be ashamed, it is the service of Jesus Christ.”
― J.C. Ryle

“There is hope in the gospel for any man as long as he lives. There is infinite willingness in Christ to pardon sin. There is infinite power in the Holy Spirit to change hearts. There are many diseases of the body which are incurable. The cleverest doctors cannot heal them. But thank God, there are no incurable diseases of the soul! All manner and quantity of sins can be washed away by Christ! The hardest and most wicked of hearts can be changed.”
― J.C. Ryle

“Do you think you are converted? Then show the value you place on conversion by your diligence in trying to do good to others. Do you really believe it is a dreadful thing to be an unconverted man? Do you really think that conversion is an unspeakable blessing? Then prove it, prove it, prove it, by constant zealous efforts to promote the conversion of others. Look around the neighborhood in which you live, have compassion on the multitudes who are yet unconverted. Be not content with getting them to come to your church or chapel; aim at nothing less than their entire conversion to God. Speak to them, read to them, pray for them, stir up others to help them. But never, never, if you are a converted man, never be content to go to heaven alone!”
― J.C. Ryle

“Sermons may inform the mind, but suffering instructs the heart.”
― Thomas Watson

“Few men ever repent of being silent.”
― Charles Spurgeon

“Reader, if you never heard of Christ crucified before this day, I can wish you nothing better than that you may know Him by faith and rest on Him for salvation. If you do know Him, may you know Him better every year you live, till you see Him face to face.”
― J.C. Ryle

“We live in a society that has made a virtue or tried to make a virtue out of vindictiveness.”
― John MacArthur

“It will be a great comfort in a dying hour, to think we have glorified God in our lives.”
― Thomas Watson

“Christian, be joyful. Christian, be thankful. Christian, be comforted, be hopeful. Take whatever comes down the path in life and put it in that limitless bag called Romans 8:28, and know that someday it'll turn to gold. Be thankful.”
― John MacArthur

“Our rest is in heaven, our rest is not here
Then why should we tremble when trials draw near?”
― Sovereign Grace Music

“All things work together for good.' This is as Jacob's staff in the hand of faith, with which we may walk cheerfully to the mount of God. What will satisfy or make us content, if this will not? All things work together for good. This expression 'work together' refers to medicine. Several poisonous ingredients put together, being tempered by the skill of the apothecary, make a sovereign medicine, and work together for the good of the patient. So all God's providences, being divinely tempered and sanctified, work together for the best to the saints. He who loves God and is called according to his purpose, may rest assured that everything in the world shall be for his good.”
― Thomas Watson

“When a Christian is weak, and can hardly pray for himself, Jesus Christ is praying for him.”
― Thomas Watson

“What a comfort is this; when Satan is tempting, Christ is praying!”
― Thomas Watson

“We look for a city that hands have not raised
We long for a country that sin has not stained”
― Sovereign Grace Music

“Afflictions to the godly are medicinal.”
― Thomas Watson

“Therefore I shall show you several ways how affliction works for good.

(1) As it is our preacher and tutor - 'Hear ye the rod' (Mic. 6:9). Luther said that he could never rightly understand some of the Psalms, till he was in affliction. Affliction teaches what sin is. In the word preached, we hear what a dreadful thing sin is, that it is both defiling and damning, but we fear it no more than a painted lion; therefore God lets loose affliction, and then we feel sin bitter in the fruit of it. A sick-bed often teaches more than a sermon. We can best see the ugly visage of sin in the glass of affliction. Affliction teaches us to know ourselves. In prosperity we are for the most part strangers to ourselves. God makes us know affliction, that we may better know ourselves. We see that corruption in our hearts in the time of affliction, which we would not believe was there. Water in the glass looks clear, but set it on the fire, and the scum boils up. In prosperity a man seems to be humble and thankful, the water looks clear; but set this man a little on the fire of affliction, and the scum boils up - much impatience and unbelief appear. 'Oh,' says a Christian, 'I never thought I had such a bad heart, as now I see I have; I never thought my corruptions had been so strong, and my graces so weak'.”
― Thomas Watson

“Was his head crowned with thorns, and do we think to be crowned with roses?”
― Thomas Watson

“If God be infinite, filling heaven and earth, see what a full portion the saints have; they have him for their portion who is infinite. His fulness is an infinite fulness; and he is infinitely sweet, as well as infinitely full.”
― Thomas Watson

“There is no walk in the world so sweet as to walk with God.”
― Thomas Watson

“Without acknowledging the reality and consequences of sin, the great problems of human nature can never be solved. How much we ought to long and strive to promote the progress of the gospel of Christ! This, after all, is the only true reformer of mankind.”
― J.C. Ryle

“Forgiven souls are humble. They cannot forget that they owe all they have and hope for to free grace, and this keeps them lowly. They are brands plucked from the fire, debtors who could not pay for themselves, captives who must have remained in prison forever but for undeserved mercy, wandering sheep who were ready to perish when the Shepherd found them! We have nothing we can call our own but sin and weakness. Surely there is no garment that befits us so well as humility.”
― J.C. Ryle

“If God does not give you that which you like, he will give you that which you need. A physician does not so much study to please the taste of the patient, as to cure his disease. We complain that very sore trials lie upon us; let us remember God is our Physician, therefore he labours rather to heal us than humour us.”
― Thomas Watson