Kyle Idleman Quotes & Sayings

Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ and author of the Four Spiritual Laws chose three words for his tombstone: "slave for Jesus". — Kyle Idleman

God often uses desperate moments to wake us up. Only when things start to fall apart do we finally open our eyes. — Kyle Idleman

Just as a father hates cancer, because of what it does to his child, so God hates divorce, because of what it does to His children. — Kyle Idleman

God has given us the use of his resources for a short time here on earth, and we have much to be grateful for. Go through your day sometime just recognizing that everything is God's. Get out of God's bed and walk into God's bathroom, and turn on God's shower, and then put on God's clothes. Eat God's cereal* and drink God's coffee. Get in God's car and head to work. When we start to see all of our resources as God's it helps us develop an attitude of gratitude that leads to a heart of worship. — Kyle Idleman

Fans mistake knowledge OF Jesus for intimacy WITH Jesus. — Kyle Idleman

My concern is that many of our churches in America have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums. And every week all the fans come to the stadium where they cheer for Jesus but have no interest in truly following him. The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ. — Kyle Idleman

It may sound harsh to say, but the number-one contributor to spiritual growth is not sermons, books, or small groups; the number-one contributor to spiritual growth is difficult circumstances. — Kyle Idleman

When Jesus defines the relationship he wants with us he makes it clear that being a fan who believes without making any real commitment to follow isn't an option. — Kyle Idleman

Sometimes it takes a broken heart for us to finally let Jesus in. Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways. - Proverbs 20:30 GNT — Kyle Idleman

Faithful followers of Christ aren't on earth to assign blame; we're here to free the trapped, bandage the wounded, help the hurting, and celebrate homecomings. — Kyle Idleman

There's nothing life can throw at us that God can't use to draw us nearer to him. — Kyle Idleman

There is a tendency for us to minimize the Word of the Lord. Maybe because of its familiarity. "Familiarity breeds contempt," the saying goes. But it may be more accurate to say that "familiarity breeds indifference." The more we hear some warnings, the less seriously we take them - like the tornado warnings in grade school we didn't take seriously. The people of Nineveh heard God's warning. God got their attention, and they were honest with themselves about themselves. One of the reasons we minimize our own sin and rebellion is that we don't take God's Word seriously. Maybe a strong pinch is needed to get us to sit up and pay attention. — Kyle Idleman

The problem isn't money. Money isn't the root of all kinds of evil, but the love of money is. — Kyle Idleman

Following Jesus will cost you something. Following Jesus always costs something. — Kyle Idleman

Close your eyes, and with Jesus, journey back through your day. As you do, confess sin as you see it ... — Kyle Idleman

The most natural path in the world is to adopt the gods of our parents. — Kyle Idleman

That's why we need a friend whom we've given permission to tell us like it is - no matter what. Even if we refuse to listen at first, we all need a friend who will tell us when we're neglecting our family for work. A friend who will say something when our spending gets out of control. A friend who will challenge us to do more than just come to church a few weekends a month. A friend who will question a new relationship we're beginning. — Kyle Idleman

But still, you don't enjoy the restless nights, the way the wheels just keep turning in your mind, the fact that you feel no real peace. The need for control is a relentless god that has taken ground in your heart. In fact the more control you crave, the more that craving will control you, thus making control your god. — Kyle Idleman

We expect God to be an angry father who demands justice, but through Jesus, He gives us love and grace when we don't deserve it. — Kyle Idleman

Obsession is an idolatry word. — Kyle Idleman

Following Jesus isn't something you can do at night where no one notices. It's a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life. That's not the small print - that's a guarantee. — Kyle Idleman

These religious types were the fans that Jesus seems to have the most trouble with. Fans who will walk into a restaurant and bow their heads to pray before a meal just in case someone is watching. Fans who won't go to R-rated movies at the theater, but have a number of them saved on their DVR at home. Fans who may feed the hungry and help the needy, and then they make sure they work it into every conversation for the next two weeks. Fans who make sure people see them put in their offering at church, but they haven't considered reaching out to their neighbor who lost a job and can't pay the bills. Fans who like seeing other people fail because in their minds it makes them look better. Fans whose primary concern in raising their children is what other people think. Fans who are reading this and assuming I'm describing someone else. Fans who have worn the mask for so long they have fooled even themselves. — Kyle Idleman

As I sat in the sanctuary surrounded by thousands of empty seats, here's what became clear to me: it wasn't the size of the crowd Jesus cared about; it was their level of commitment. — Kyle Idleman

I've come to realize that if me gets his way, I'll miss out on the real life I'm meant to live. The life in which I love others and make a difference in the world. — Kyle Idleman

In Luke 15, the Prodigal Son headed to what Jesus called a distant country. The Distant Country is any area of our lives where we are trying to live independently of the Father. — Kyle Idleman

If you're most interested in what other people think, then their applause or attention is your reward. — Kyle Idleman

A belief, no matter how sincere, if not reflected in reality isn't a belief; it's a delusion. — Kyle Idleman

We were made for God, and until he is our greatest pleasure, all the other pleasures of this life will lead to emptiness. — Kyle Idleman

Jesus doesn't expect followers to be perfect, but he does call them to be authentic. — Kyle Idleman

So in case someone left it out or forgot to mention it when they explained what it meant to be a Christian, let me be clear: There is no forgiveness without repentance. There is no salvation without surrender. There is no life without death. There is no believing without committing. — Kyle Idleman

In teaching people what it means to be a Christian, we spend much of our time and effort bringing them to a point of belief without clearly calling them to follow. We have taken "believe" and we have written that in capital letters with bold print: BELIEVE. But everything that has to do with following has been put in small print: follow. — Kyle Idleman

The church must constantly fight the tendency to make rules and policies more important than people, because when that happens we are no longer following Jesus. — Kyle Idleman

Fans don't mind him doing a little touch-up work, but Jesus wants complete renovation. Fans come to Jesus thinking tune-up, but Jesus is thinking overhaul. Fans think a little makeup is fine, but Jesus is thinking makeover. Fans think a little decorating is required, but Jesus wants a complete remodel. Fans want Jesus to inspire them, but Jesus wants to interfere with their lives. — Kyle Idleman

There is no life without death. — Kyle Idleman

It's much easier to talk about following Jesus when you are making general statements rather than specific commitments. — Kyle Idleman

Idolatry isn't just one of many sins; rather it's the one great sin that all others come from. So if you start scratching at whatever struggle you're dealing with, eventually you'll find that underneath it is a false god. Until that god is dethroned, and the Lord God takes his rightful place, you will not have victory. Idolatry isn't an issue; it is the issue. All roads lead to the dusty, overlooked concept of false gods. Deal with life on the glossy outer layers, and you might never see it; scratch a little beneath the surface, and you begin to see that it's always there, under some other coat of paint. There are a hundred million different symptoms, but the issue is always idolatry. — Kyle Idleman

The battlefield of the gods is your heart. Your heart is shaped by your thoughts. — Kyle Idleman

The grace of God doesn't simply invite us to follow ... it teaches us to follow. — Kyle Idleman

Here's the point: idolatry is the tree from which our sins and struggles grow. — Kyle Idleman

When Jesus invites you to follow Him, his invitation comes to you right where you are. He doesn't want you to wait until tomorrow in hopes that you will finally be heading down the right path; He wants you to say yes today and he will lead you out of where you are now. — Kyle Idleman

He begins to introduce us to the great kingdom paradox: at the end of me, I find real life in him. — Kyle Idleman

Can anything good come from Duke? — Kyle Idleman

What you win them with is what you win them to. — Kyle Idleman

The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them. — Kyle Idleman

If you worship false gods, the ripples bring a little of hell to earth. — Kyle Idleman

God is jealous for your heart, not because he is petty or insecure, but because he loves you. The reason why God has such a huge problem with idolatry is that his love for you is all-consuming. He loves you too much to share you. — Kyle Idleman

Many have made a decision to believe in Jesus without making a commitment to follow Jesus. — Kyle Idleman

The opposite of theism is not atheism, it's idolatry. — Kyle Idleman

Worship is powerful. It has huge consequences, whether you praise the God of heaven or the god of appetite. — Kyle Idleman

There is a tendency to treat our relationship with Jesus like the diet we keep meaning to start. I'm going to start eating right, as soon as I finish off this chicken chimichanga. Tomorrow for sure. We treat our relationship with Jesus like the workout program we keep meaning to start. We go to bed telling ourselves, "Tomorrow I'm going to wake up early and exercise." But the following night we find ourselves getting into bed promising, "Tomorrow for sure. — Kyle Idleman

Old gods die hard. They hold on, they creep in, they quietly clutch at us. — Kyle Idleman

Try taking five minutes for meditation. Close your eyes and in your mind picture Jesus. Watch Him turn, look at you and hear Him ... — Kyle Idleman

Fans will try and make Jesus one of many. Some fans may even make Jesus the first of many. But when Jesus defines the relationship he makes it clear; he wants to be your one and only. — Kyle Idleman

And I want you to know, before we go any further, that Jesus came to free you from religion. To those who have been hauling around a long list of rules. To those who are pretending to be more than they really are. To those who are weighed down with the fear and guilt of religion. To all the fans who are worn out on religion, Jesus invites you to follow him. — Kyle Idleman

The god of sex specializes in taking you further than you ever intended to go. — Kyle Idleman

We love others best when we love God most. — Kyle Idleman

Trying to follow Jesus part-time or halfhearted is impossible. The relationship he wants with you requires your whole heart. And fans should know that his terms are not negotiable. So before you say, "I want to be a follower," be sure you understand what it's going to cost you. — Kyle Idleman

The truth is that most of us go to great lengths to disguise our weaknesses. — Kyle Idleman

When we learn to truly follow Jesus, we find that obedience to God comes from the inside out. Submission to what God wants for our lives flows naturally out of that relationship. — Kyle Idleman

In Proverbs 20:30, the Bible basically says it sometimes takes a painful experience to make us change our ways. And sometimes it does. — Kyle Idleman

Fear is the enemy of transparency. — Kyle Idleman

God will not waste your pain. — Kyle Idleman

Jesus has a lot of fans these days. Fans who cheer for Him when things are going well, but who walk away when its a difficult season. fans who sit safely in the stands cheering, but they know nothing of the sacrifice and pain of the field. Fans of Jesus who know all about Him, but they don't know Him. — Kyle Idleman