30 Life Principles
Life-Changing Biblical Truths
Discover the biblical truths that guided Dr. Stanley’s life.
God’s Word is full of promises and guidance for our everyday lives. The following principles expand upon those Dr. Stanley learned from his grandfather while visiting him as a young man. Grounded in Scripture, but written in his own words, we hope these easy-to-remember sayings will help you to apply God’s truth to your life as they did for Dr. Stanley.
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Our intimacy with God – His highest priority for our lives – determines the impact of our lives.
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You . . . for You have been my help.
—Psalm 63:1, 8
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Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.
Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
—Acts 5:29
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God’s Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever.
—Hebrews 6:19-20
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The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
—Matthew 28:19-20
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God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.
Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break.
—Luke 5:5-6
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You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.
Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
—Galatians 6:7-8
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The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
—James 1:2-4
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Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.
Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane . . . He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
—Matthew 26:36, 39
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Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.
“This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands . . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”
—1 Samuel 17:46-47
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If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will.
“I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
—Jeremiah 29:11
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God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.
My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 4:19
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Peace with God is the fruit of oneness with God.
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. . . . Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
—John 14:1, 27
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Listening to God is essential to walking with God.
Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. . . . One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
—James 1:22, 25
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God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
From days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.
—Isaiah 64: 4
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Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.
He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
—2 Corinthians 12:9
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Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
—Proverbs 23:17-18
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We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.
“O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion.”
—Nehemiah 1:11
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As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances.
We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
—Romans 8:28
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Anything you hold too tightly, you will lose.
Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.
—Luke 12:15
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Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.
—Psalm 42:5
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Obedience always brings blessing.
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? . . . He who has clean hands and a pure heart . . . He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
—Psalm 24:3-5
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To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit.
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. . . . If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
—Galatians 5:16, 25
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You can never outgive God.
Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.
—Luke 6:38
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To live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us.
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
—Galatians 2:20
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God blesses us so that we might bless others.
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.
—1 Timothy 6:17-18
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Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
—1 Peter 1:6-7
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Prayer is life’s greatest time saver.
Brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it was also with you.
—2 Thessalonians 3:1
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No Christian has ever been called to “go it alone” in his or her walk of faith.
Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
—Hebrews 10:24-25
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We learn more in our valley experiences than on our mountaintops.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. . . . Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
—Psalm 23:4, 6
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An eager anticipation of the Lord’s return keeps us living productively.
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves.”
—Revelation 22:12
