Difficult times don't come your way just so you can survive them; God uses these times in your life to form and refine you.

When you go through difficult times, make sure you pass the test. Don’t be stubborn and hardheaded. Recognize that God is refining you, knocking off some of your rough edges. Stand strong and fight the good fight of faith. God has called each of us to be champions; you are destined to win. If you will work with God and keep a good attitude, then no matter what comes against you, the bible says that all things – not just the good things in life, but all things – work together for your good.

I think it's a cop-out to say I'm a Christian but I don't ever do anything...

If you’re not seeing God move in your life right now, one of two possibilities must be considered. Either your requests are not God’s best and will probably not be answered the way you’d like or it must not be the right time. If God were to answer that prayer the way you are hoping, it could interfere with his ideal plan for you.

If you want your life to get better, sometimes the best thing you can do is to help improve somebody else's life.

You may never get to that perfect world that you're waiting for where everything's going to be perfect and you got that much money and your house paid off.

Sometimes we focus on the mess or the broken dream, but in all the mess God sees greatness. He knows how to take your troubles and turn them into trophies, how to take the test and make it your testimony.