Addiction is bondage to the rule of a substance, activity, or state of mind, which then becomes the center of life, defending itself from the truth so that even bad consequences don't bring repentance, and leading to further estrangement from God.

Selfcontrol is the skill of saying "no" to sinful desires, even when it hurts.

The violent take it by force" is how the King James Version puts it (Matt. 11:12). That is the way the kingdom of God advances. With persecution outside, Satan fighting us through temptations, and our own lusts within, every disciple of Christ is in a battle, one that demands spiritual strength and ongoing vigilance.

Imagine having drug cravings subdued by the joy of knowing and obeying Christ. Imagine having temptations lose their allure because there is more pleasure in walking humbly with our God. Imagine waking up and strategizing how to please the God who loves you rather than where you will get your next drink. This would be freedom. Sound impossible? It isn't.

If the temptation hooks our desires, we go public. We confess it to a friend, we confess it to the Lord, we get other people praying for us, we ask for counsel that helps us to see that the Serpent is dangerous. Above all, we remember that God's commands are good. They are intended to bless us.

We must hate the evil and ungodly assumptions of the world, we must hate our own sinful nature, and we must hate Satan. To accomplish these tasks demands the most powerful resources we have: the Word, the Spirit, and the body of Christ.

There's only one effectively redemptive sacrifice, the sacrifice of self-will to make room for the knowledge of God.

The great and important duty which is incumbent on Christians, is to guard against all appearance of evil; to watch against the first risings in the heart to evil; and to have a guard upon our actions, that they may not be sinful, or so much as seem to be so.

The Lord protects, guides, and watches over those who are His trusted friends in His work. His work and that of His Father and our Father is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of the children of God. And Satan, the enemy of our happiness, opposes those who serve the Lord.

The inspiration came suddenly again to surrender to the Mother. It was quite unexpected: And so somehow I made a surrender to the Mother. Then I had an experience of overwhelming love. Waves of love sort of flowed into me.

The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy.

No matter who we are, God does not adapt to please us; we always have to adapt to him.