Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man Quotes

“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 emotions are the obedient servant of the mind and the mind is the obedient servant of the will. You think about something and you laugh. You think about something else and you are sad. Your mind controls your emotion and your will determines what you think, i.e., what the mind chooses to think about or dwell on is controlled by the will. You can choose to meditate on the goodness of God or on your wounded spirit from past hurts; the choice is yours. The battle is won or lost in the mind through your will.”
― 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 makes you an incredible offer:You can give your life in exchange for the same thing for which Jesus spent His life – people. People last forever. For good or bad, they are eternal. Spend your life helping them prepare for their eternity. Don’t give your life to mediocrity. Life is too short and the issues of eternity too significant.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Viewing People Correctly “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.” II Corinthians 5:16 Viewing people correctly is one of the most important qualifications in becoming Christ’s disciple. To illustrate its importance, Paul says that there was a day when he saw Jesus as a carpenter’s son from Nazareth, the son of Joseph and Mary, a troublemaker who spread discontent and heresy among his followers. Now Paul sees Him as God sees Him: The eternal Son of God who became the propitiation for our sins. Just as Paul now sees Jesus as God sees Him, so also all people. Before his conversion he viewed people from a human perspective. Some were attractive and others not; some were intellectually stimulating and others dull; some were powerful, important people, and others the opposite. Jesus Christ changed all of that. Paul now sees everyone as equal in value and importance, created in the image of God and of eternal worth. This does not mean that you condone sin any more than Jesus approved of the Pharisees. Good or bad, right or wrong, all people bear God’s image and are of eternal worth. You can no longer view people “after the flesh.” All are of equal worth and significance in the economy of God, and you must view them through that lens. This does not come naturally. You must discipline yourself to treat people with the dignity and respect that is theirs by virtue of God’s imputation, the same way that God views you.”
― 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

“Learn two things from Solomon’s example: You cannot run fast enough to stay ahead of sin, and you cannot foresee or anticipate the consequences of your disobedience.”
― 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 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

“Whenever you conclude that God is unjust, you can know that you err biblically. Behind your misconception you will find the beautiful, gracious work of 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

“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 cannot have a clean conscience without satisfying justice, and this Christ did when He died on the cross.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“SEPTEMBER 14 Day 258 The Divine Dwelling Place “For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” Isaiah 57:15 Isaiah’s words are a study in contrasts. The transcendent God draws near to man. The High and Lofty One comes to those who are humble. He who is holy dwells with the contrite sinner. The One who inhabits eternity enters time to have a relationship with finite man. The Sovereign of the universe reaches down to sinful people and draws them to Himself. You must maintain an appreciation of this contrast in order to have a healthy relationship with God. During the last two centuries the difference and distance between God and man was all but forgotten in Christian thought. Human logic decreed that people are basically good. Since people are like God, God is like people. Jesus was emphasized as human rather than divine. With this blurring of the difference and distance between the Creator and His creation, the Christian message was compromised. If you are good and God is like you, then you not only lose your sense of depravity, you have little need for Him. When you lose your fear of Judgment, you lose your need for salvation. You worship a God who is holy, transcendent, and eternal. The miracle is, He is willing to have a relationship with you, a sinner, bound by the limitations of being a creature, and incapable of initiating a relationship with your Creator. Never lose your awe of it all.”
― 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

“Death is at work in every person. It is the natural progression of life. Paul realized this and elected to participate willingly by purposely putting himself to death by spending his life on others.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Repentance is essential, but never presume to come to God with a broken heart of repentance without acknowledging your dependence upon Jesus Christ’s death as the sole basis of God’s mercy. It is only in His name and for His sake that God promises to forgive 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

“Following Jesus has always been hard. After delivering His discourse on the bread of life, “many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.”1 Turning to the twelve disciples, Jesus said, “Will ye also go away?”2 The door to discipleship opens both ways. Jesus will hold the door open for you to enter, or to exit. God did not design the life of discipleship so you can do Him a favor. Rather He did it as a favor to you. The day you no longer see discipleship as God doing you a favor, you should exit.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“No one will go to heaven glad that they sinned, but they will be glad they obeyed.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“Do not confuse discipline and mercy. When you discipline a person and it is suggested that you show mercy, someone is not thinking biblically. The objective of mercy is withholding justice. The objective of discipline is correction, not justice. Justice is the objective of punishment. Godly behavior is the objective of correction.”
― Walter A. Henrichsen, Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man: A Daily Devotional

“You will carry into eternity the product of your investment in this life. Life is too short and the stakes too high to live mediocre lives.”
― 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

“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

“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

“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

“The attitude of John reflects that of all of Christ’s followers. As you minister to others, investing yourself in their lives, your objective remains the same: “He must increase and I must decrease.” To the degree that you call attention to yourself, you draw attention away from Jesus. As you minister to others let this be your job description, the gauge of your success: You and your opinions become less and less important while Jesus becomes more and more important.”
― 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

“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