The Utter Relief of Holiness Quotes

“Now, remember, Jesus did not go around simply being nice to people. This is where the idea of “loving others” has gotten turned into a “get well” card. Christians honestly and sincerely believe that being nice is what they are called to do. No, you are called to do something far more powerful than be nice; you are called to love. And what love has in mind is not “How can I keep things running smoothly here?” but rather, “What does this person truly need?” This will change everything in the way you relate to people; it will help you love them.”
― John Eldredge, Free to Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness

“Of course our prayers are limited by our sin. If you want powerful prayers, get the sin out of your life.”
― John Eldredge, The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us

“This is human nature: to find a morality that is comfortable and convenient and let it suffice for holiness.”
― John Eldredge, The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us

“My dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you, to be renewed in you, to receive from you all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my sovereign Lord, and I surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to you. I give you my spirit, soul and body, my heart, mind and will. Cover me with your blood—my spirit, soul and body, my heart, mind and will. I ask your Holy Spirit to restore me in you, renew me in you, and lead this time of prayer. [For husbands and/or parents] In all that I now pray, I include [my wife, and/or my children, by name]. Acting as their head, I bring them under your authority and covering. May the blood of Christ cover their spirit, soul and body, their heart, mind and will. Holy Spirit restore them in you, renew”
― John Eldredge, Free to Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness

“The beauty is that as you become more whole, you can become holier. And as you become holier, you can become more whole.”
― John Eldredge, The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us

“Genuine holiness restores human beings; restored human beings possess genuine holiness.”
― John Eldredge, The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us

“Look at whom Jesus chooses to change the world: fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes.”
― John Eldredge, Free to Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness

“The beauty is that as you become more whole, you can become holier. And as you become holier, you can become more whole. Trying to choose one without the other I think has really brought people a great deal of distress, brought them to the conviction that no real change takes place in this life. It’s not true. It’s just that discipline is not enough. As my wife Stasi was saying just the other day, “You can’t repent your way out of brokenness.” It simply doesn’t work. We repent our sins; the brokenness must be healed. Furthermore, this isn’t simply about the sweet love of Jesus. You have an enemy, strongholds are real, and you must break those agreements and banish the enemy.”
― John Eldredge, Free to Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness

“them in you and include them in this time of prayer. Dearest God, holy and victorious Trinity, you alone are worthy of all my worship, my heart’s devotion, all my praise and all my trust and all the glory of my life. I love you, I worship you, and I give myself over to you in my heart’s search for life. You alone are Life, and you have become my life. I renounce all other gods, every idol, and I give you God the place in my heart and in my life that you truly deserve. I confess here and now that it is all about you, God, and not about me. You are the Hero of this story, and I belong to you. I ask your forgiveness for my every sin. Search me and know me and reveal to me where you are working in my life and grant me your healing, deliverance and the grace of a deep and true repentance. Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world. You are my true Father—my creator, redeemer, sustainer, and the true end of all things, including my life. I love you, I worship you, I trust you. I give myself over to you to be one with you as Jesus is one with you.”
― John Eldredge, Free to Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness

“restored in you, to be renewed in you, to receive from you”
― John Eldredge, Free to Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness

“This is human nature: to find a morality that is comfortable and convenient and let it suffice for holiness. But it is not. So you ride your bike to work, or drive a hybrid car—but”
― John Eldredge, The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us

“Confusing the weight of sins actually hurts our ability to resist temptation.”
― John Eldredge, The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us

“Whatever isn’t born out of deep confidence in God is sin. That includes our personality and our approach to life.”
― John Eldredge, The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us