Run away from the sin and to the Cross

“Let the sorrows of your Saviour on the cross move you. Imagine his cries and groans on your behalf, till your heart breaks. Daydream about how much love he showed you as he hung naked in your place. And see if the baits and lures of the flesh don’t grow ugly and repulsive. Will you give your hours to fantasizing about and dwelling on and longing for the vile things that nailed the Lover your soul to the cursed tree? . . . Fill your affections with the cross of Christ, and there will be no room for sin. Then, when the flesh fishes for your affections, you’ll spit on its pretty lures.”

Kris Lundgaard, The Enemy Within, P&R, 1998, p. 97

Not Just a Door to Christianity

“Why do so many believers, including those deeply serious about their Christian commitment, live lives of quiet desperation? One answer is that we have a truncated view of the Gospel, tending to see it only as a door we walk through to become a Christian. In this view, the Gospel is only for unbelievers. Once you become a Christian, you don’t need it anymore except to share with people who are still outside the door. What you need to hear instead are the challenges and how-tos of discipleship…We fail to see the Gospel as the solution to our greatest problem – our guilt, condemnation and alienation from God. Beyond that, we fail to see it as the basis of our day-to-day acceptance with Him. As a result, many believers live in spiritual poverty.”

Jerry Bridges, The Gospel for Real Life (NavPress, 2003, pp. 14-15)