Quotes from Elyse M. Fitzpatrick

We are completely and irrevocably justified; we have been entirely forgiven, reconciled, redeemed. We will have eternal life with him, and everything we go through now is in some way tied to these truths.

Our children's salvation is not dependent on the strength of our faith or the shrewdness of our answers.

We have to remember that in the life of our unregenerate children, the law is given for one reason only: to crush their self-confidence and drive them to Christ.

Knowing that salvation is God's work alone should also free us from fear. We no longer have to fear that everything is riding on what we say—that we might miss that "one" opportunity to speak into our children's lives and have their eternal salvation forfeited.

Our goal as parents should not be to create a bunch of good kids, but rather to have them see how dead they are and that there is only life in the work of Jesus Christ.

have only one audience. Before you I have nothing to prove, nothing to gain, nothing to lose."3 Living for an audience of one would simplify your life tremendously, wouldn't it? When God is your sole focus, decisions become so much easier. Your heart will know the peace and contentment that comes from seeking to please and glorify God alone. Your life will be richer because your pursuits will have eternal goals in mind, not earthly.

We are sinful and flawed but loved and welcomed.

Because we were made for him, any place where he isn't will never satisfy us. In

En vez de apartarse de nosotros o rehusarse a escuchar nuestros débiles sollozos, Dios envía Su Espíritu para ayudarnos.

If by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Romans 8:13, emphasis added). It is the Spirit who empowers you to put to death both your sinful desires and sinful deeds. You know that you can't do it on your own.

Atráeme, por poco dispuesto que esté, para hacer que esté dispuesto; atráeme, lento de pies, para hacerme correr.

The law shows how much I desperately need Christ's perfect record applied to mine.

Never pay attention to the favors or smiles of man; if [God] smiles on you, neither the smile or frown of men can affect you."5

The only way that we can change our feelings is by changing our core beliefs and the thoughts that occupy our minds.

Do you want to learn to pray more? Learn of your sin. Ask him to show it to you, to give you a glimpse of your need. Ask him to show you what your sin cost him. Look at the cross again and again until you can say, "Lord, I'm so sinful, so weak, so deceived. Please, God, don't let a day go by without reminding me of this. Make me dependent.

God doesn't smile at us one day and frown when we blow it the next. When our children have been given the gift of Christian righteousness, God is always smiling at them because he sees them in his Son.

Religious obedience is probably the most difficult and dangerous form of obedience simply because it is so easily confused with conformity to God's law. It's the place where most Christian families go terribly wrong. Yes, we are commanded to teach the Word, prayer, and worship to our children, but their acquiescence to these things won't save them. Only the righteous life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ saves them.

The realization that his love is never ending is a balm to our souls, bringing the joy, comfort, and assurance that is our very lifeblood as we fight for holiness

When we are tempted to give in to despair, to give up to self-indulgence or apathy, we have a place of refuge that will protect us from the attacks of a battered conscience

The world tells us that our children's success depends upon our success. The world knows nothing of God's ability to use our failures as means to bless. "What is impossible with men is possible with God" (Luke 18:27).

Send Moses away, with his law, to those who are complacent, proud and obstinate and in these terrors and this anguish lay hold upon Christ, who was crucified and died for our sins.

When the war heats up and we doubt that we will ever change, we must remember that our old person, filled with self-deceiving desires, no longer has power to rule over us

Long-term, sustained, gospel-motivated obedience can come only from faith in what Jesus has already done, not fear of what we must do. Any obedience not grounded in or motivated by the gospel is unsustainable. No matter how hard you try, how "radical" you get, any engine that you're depending on for power to obey that is smaller than the gospel will conk out in due time.

It's essential for us to think about God's love today because it is only his love that can grant us the joy that will strengthen our hearts, the courage that will embolden us in our fight against sin, and the assurance that will enable us to open up our lives to him so that he might deal powerfully with our unbelief and idolatry.