Quotes by James MacDonald

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A soul that is happy in the things of God can overcome tremendous obstacles.

James MacDonald

This is God's world, so everything, even if it intends to efface God, bears witness to God – understood and interpreted through biblical eyeglasses.

James MacDonald

A continual diet of the Word satisfies, and it builds an appetite for more.

James MacDonald

If we are to use the Bible effectively, then we must use it the way God wrote it – in narrative form. Our team rejects the notion that the Bible is simply an encyclopedia of disconnected Bible verses. God's Word is less like a cookbook and more lik...

James MacDonald

God's Word is especially suited to directing those who want to focus primarily on the nature and direction of their own hearts.

James MacDonald

The body of Christ is about doing life together, and by doing life together sin is revealed.

James MacDonald

The biblical counselor must always remember that the ROOT problem is deeper than skin; it is sin. The ultimate cure is not culture, but Christ.

James MacDonald

While the United States is becoming the most culturally diverse nation in the world, less than 5.5% of Christian congregations are multiethnic.

James MacDonald

Who we are is not a question we can ask without seeking to understand the context in which we live. Biblical counselors seek to understand the influences that shape the responses of the human heart.

James MacDonald

You can't teach a person to love something. But you can get him to feel the heat of your love for something.

James MacDonald

If our counseling is truly Christ-centered, then the topic of forgiveness will inevitably come up in the journey toward growth and change.

James MacDonald

The counselee should be aware that you are not God. Better yet, she should be aware that you are aware that you are not God.

James MacDonald

At the end of life, each of us must answer the question, Whose story captured my soul?

James MacDonald

If all you are doing is spending time with the struggling members of your church and you are not building proactively into your church's culture, and you are being shortsighted and limiting the effectiveness of your ministry.

James MacDonald

In healthy churches, the pastors life, not just his words, sets the tone for the church.

James MacDonald

We are less interested in the number of disciples and more interested in the quality of discipleship.

James MacDonald

Counseling is ultimately not about the counselee or the counselor, but about the Divine Counselor.

James MacDonald

When we shift from personal purity to personal happiness, we lose biblical hope because we are not focusing on God's agenda, we are focusing on our own. God's agenda is guaranteed on our agenda is not.

James MacDonald

We must evaluate every person, place, product, perspective, position, or pleasure we have looked to in place of the promises of God, and turn away from those things accordingly.

James MacDonald

Word-centered people who enter counseling will be more likely follow the guidance set out in Scripture. Because they know more of the depth of their sin, they are more willing to allow other church members to help them stay on that right path.

James MacDonald

Many pastors would rather preach God's Word and keep their distance than invest in a personal one-on-one counseling ministry. Most pastors counsel because they have to, not because they want to.

James MacDonald