I started reading the book, "Overcoming Sin and Temptation," by John Owen. It's 3 books he wrote, all complied into one. Since it's difficult to read, it will probably take me a long time to read it! I have to look up a lot of words through google since he uses big words or words we don't use anymore, and also look up bible verses he references but doesn't directly use. But here are some good points so far...
"Be killing sin or it will be killing you."
"Your being dead with Christ virtually, your being quickened with him, will not excuse you from this work." (Dying with him and being raised again through baptism and committing your life to Him and thinking you don't have to do anything after that)
"He that stands still and allows his enemies to double blows upon him without resistance will undoubtedly be conquered by the issue. If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a good outcome? There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so while we live in this world."
"The root of an unmortified course is the digestion of sin without bitterness in the heart. When a man has confirmed his imagination to such an apprehension of grace and mercy as to be able, without bitterness, to swallow and digest daily sins, that man is at the very brink of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness and being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
"An unmortified course has an evil influence on them in that it hardens them... They have zeal for religion; but it is accompanied with lack of forbearance and universal righteousness... They separate from the world, but live wholly to themselves, taking no care to exercise loving kindness in the earth; or they talk spiritually, and live vainly; mention communion with God, and are every way conformed to the world; boasting of forgiveness of sin, and never forgiving others."
He references SO many scriptures all the way through his writings, but sometimes only the reference so I would go look it up. It came up with verses about how we should throw off what is hindering us so that we can run the race with endurance, not giving up on doing good because in time we will reap what we sow, "let us work towards compete holiness because we fear God..." and more. Owen reminds us that "it is our participation of the divine nature that gives us an escape from the pollutions that are in the world..."
I think it's so true that you are either being "beat up" by sin, or you're fighting against it. Some nights I have been trying to go to sleep and start thinking things I shouldn't, and whether it be a spiraling thought of worry, depression, jealousy, lust, or anything else, I suddenly can't sleep or go to sleep and have bad dreams. When those nights come, or sometimes even during the day, I repeat this verse over and over in my head:
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praise worthy - think about such things. (Phil 4:8)
I remember it so well because I knew it as a song when I was a kid. But now I use it to repeat it over and over again, and I imagine angels standing around me waving their swords when I say those words, the spiritual battle that is coming at me. The bible says to put on the full armor of God, and the bible is an important part of that ensemble!
But sometimes it isn't just a battle in your head. Sometimes it comes out as actions. I think the lies that come up in my head that justify things is, "Well it doesn't matter that this is bad because other people have done way worse, and they're on a good track now / they're forgiven / everybody sins so it's not like I can just never sin again." But thinking that means I'm not fighting against it. Then comes the "well then why should I even have to fight that hard against it?" But as Owen reminds me in his book, sins don't just stay stagnant. They get worse. They can become "soul-destroying sins." It can affect others. It can put you WAY off course. It is a slap in the face to Jesus who died on the cross for you to say, "Oh well... thanks for getting me into heaven, but on the way there I'm just going to do my own thing." To not fight against sin is to not know God. And to not know God means you actually aren't saved / going to heaven, and you have missed the whole point. But oh, the lies and justifications we start to believe, little by little until they are big and we didn't even know it.
As to what this "fight" looks like... I'm not 100% sure yet. I'm reading this book to find out. There are things in my life that I have taken too lightly, and some may not "look" bad in the eyes of others, but they really are. And some just flat out are. Looking at things in life and thinking, "There's just no way I will ever be over this... this could be something in my life for my entire life," is depressing. But that doesn't mean you just give in.
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