Indwelling sin remains in us even though it has been dethroned. And though it has been overthrown and weakened, its nature has not changed. Sin is still hostile to God and cannot submit to His law (Romans 8:7). Thus we have an implacable enemy of righteousness right in our own hearts. What diligence and watchfulness is required of us when this enemy in our souls is ready to oppose every effort to do good!

Every sin we commit reinforces the habit of sinning and makes it easier to sin. In the previous chapter we discussed the importance of guarding our minds and emotions, since these faculties are the channels through which the various compelling forces reach our wills. But it is also important that we understand how our habits influence our wills.

have written it as a Bible study about God and His sovereignty, wisdom, and love as they bear upon the adversities we all encounter.

In many ways, our sinful flesh acts as a mole. It is constantly responding to the allurements of the world and the enticements of the devil, and is constantly seeking to collaborate with them. And so we are very vulnerable spiritually. The

Too often we say we are "defeated" by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient!

The place to start controlling the cravings of our physical appetites is to reduce our exposure to temptation.

My own experience suggests that Satan attacks us far more in the area of God's love than either His sovereignty or His wisdom.

We might agree with what the Bible says about a certain sin, "and even make a commitment of sorts to put it out of our lives…..We would like to be rid of that sin, and even pray to God to take it away, but are we willing to say no to it?

Success needs no explanation. Failure does not have one that matters.

The road to hell is paved with unbought stuffed animals

He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it. The last country to realize they were cooked would win the war.

The man isn't born for defeats.He can fall from grace,but he cannot be defeated.