Quotes by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick

We forget the gospel when we neglect our adoption and think that were still just a hired servant. The Father doesnt let us come to him on those terms. We will either come as sons or we will stay with the pigs. He wont let us earn anything from him because there will be no boasting in his sight. It will either be that Jesus and his glorious gospel has the preeminence or we will go it on our own.

Idolatry, like all sin, is devastating to the soul. It cuts us off from the comforts of grace, the peace of conscience, and the joy that is to be our strength.

Everything that isnt gospel is law. Let us say it again: Everything that isnt gospel is law. Every way we try to make our kids good that isnt rooted in the good news of the life, death, ressurection, and assension of Jesus Christ is damnable, crushing, despair-breeding, Pharisee-producing law. We wont get the results we want from the law. Well get either shallow self-righteousness or blazing rebellion or both (frequently from the same kid on the same day!). Well get moralistic kids who are cold and hypocritical and who look down on others (and could easily become Mormons), or youll get teens who are rebellious and self-indulgent and who cant wait to get out of the house. 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.

The one encouragement we can always give our children (and one another) is that God is more powerful than our sin, and Hes strong enough to make us want to do the right thing.

When we soak our soul in the grace of the Gospel, well find our desire to spend time with Him in prayer changing. Well begin to carry on a nonstop conversation with Him in our heart because we know that He loves to hear our voice. Then, when we are faced with a difficult decision, we will be comfortable running to Him. Lord, I need wisdom. Lord, I know Youre here. Help me to see You. Give me grace! Thatll be our hearts frequent cry. Because the Holy Spirit loves to make Jesus grand in our eyes, Hell nurture, train, and remind us of His gracious condescension.

We will find it increasingly difficult to believe that weve been set free from sin, from the laws power to condemn, and that Gods smile is resting upon us if we continually give ourselves over to what we know we should avoid. Sin strips our faith, and it leads to ultimate deadness in our lives.

We need days of failure because they help humble us, and through them we can see how Gods grace is poured out on the humble.

Pure, unadulterated, consistent love for God and pure, unadulterated, consistent love for others is the summation of all the law God has given us in both the Old and New Testaments. Of course, the problem is that we never obey these simple commands. We always love ourselves more than we love God or others. We are always erecting idols in our hearts and worshipping and serving them. We are always more focused on what we want and how we might get it than we are on loving Him and laying down our life for others. The law does show us the right way to live, but none of us obeys it. Not for one millisecond.Even though our children cannot and will not obey Gods law, we need to teach it to them again and again. And when they tell us that they cant love God or others in this way, we are not to argue with them. We are to agree with them and tell them of their need for a Savior.

We want our children to know and believe the one good story. Every other story is a copy or shadow of this one. Some copies of it are quite good and shout the Truth. Others see only the faintest whisper of it, or, in its absence remind us of the Truth. We want our kids to know the one good story so well that when they see Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, Frodo, Anne of Green Gables, Arielle, or Sleeping Beauty, they can recognize the strands of Truth and deception in them. Saturating our children in the one good story will enable them to discern Truth and error as it comes to them from the world.

Our beliefs about the sources of joy are frequently experienced as colored imaginations that captivate our hearts.

Believe that God is strong enough to save your children, no matter how you fail.

We are partners with our children because we are just like them, dearly loved sinners.

The Lord teaches us of His grace and the Gospel through difficult children. We learn what its like to love like He loved. It is there, in our personal upper room, where we learn to wash the feet of those that are betraying us. It is there, kneeling before our rebellious children, that the real power of God is demonstrated.

Because we dont know the state of our childrens souls, and because they might simply want to please us by praying to be saved, we must continue to give them the Law and encourage them to ask God for faith to believe that He is as good as He says He is.

Idols arent just stone statues. No, idols are the thoughts, desires, longings, and expectations that we worship in the place of the true God. Idols cause us to ignore the true God in search of what we think we need.

in my heart is rooted in lovelessness and thanklessness.... By contrast, every truly holy act, including even the inner desire to be holy, springs out of the love and worship that He has placed in my heart.

We dont need to pray to prove that were properly pious or really serious. Instead, we pray because we are completely assured, and because the Father hears our prayers because they come to Him through the lips of His dear Son.

Let us be so taken up with the knowledge of Gods goodness and the desire to fellowship with Him that our emotions are warmed and our outer man reflects great love. Although we must not seek emotional experiences for their own sake, we must not shun them merely because others misuse them or ignore Gods instructions on worship.

I did my best parenting by prayer. I began to speak less to the kids and more to God. It was actually quite relaxing.

I admit that at times my prayer for my children is nothing more than vocalized unbelief aimed at God.