Mortifying Sin
No Idle Mind
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Teaching Ministries
October 27, 2002
Adult Sunday School
Class #7
Key Points:
Sin deceives the mind by painting what is absolutely evil as having an apparently good appearance.
The believer is to protect himself against deceit (temptation) by fixing his mind on the sinfulness of sin and the grace of God.
The mind is not just to be on the defensive (looking out for sin/temptation). The mind is also to be on the offensive—using the tools God has given us to mortify sin. These powerful tools are meditation and prayer—these help our mind to remember the "sinfulness of sin" and the "love and grace of God."
In this meditation and prayer, we compare our hearts to the Scriptures, comparing our lives to what we find there. This meditation and prayer calls on the Holy Spirit to use His Word to shine light into the cracks and crevices of your soul, to show you every real need and danger there.
The flesh won"t sit still for meditation and prayer. The flesh will resist anything that smacks of communion with God—it will come up with all kinds of excuses why you cannot. A typical strategy is to argue based upon your lack of time.