As we face our vulnerability and weakness, there are things you and I should pray for regularly. We should pray for purity of desire, wisdom to recognize the enemy's tricks, and strength to fight the battles we can't avoid.

There's not a day without sin rearing its ugly head and not a day in which God's abundant mercies are not new.

Change begins at the level of the heart.

Since sin is deeper than bad behavior, trying to do better isn't a solution. Only grace that changes the heart can rescue us.

All of these things were the signs and symptoms of a deeper, more foundational problem. The problem was one of the heart, one that would have an inescapable negative effect on his ministry. The problem was a vertical problem. It had to do with the character and content of this pastor's relationship with God.

Your biggest need (and mine) is a fully restored relationship with God.

Lord, please crush my heart with the guilt of my sin so that you may fill it once again with the glory of your redeeming grace.

Your biggest need (and mine) is a fully restored relationship with God. We

Sin is not just a matter of bad behavior. It is a condition of the heart. That's why you cannot free yourself from it.

Prayer always forsakes the kingdom of self for the kingdom of God, and for that we all need forgiving, rescuing, and transforming grace.

sin kidnapped our worship, and grace works to restore it to its rightful owner—God. It is only when God is in his rightful place in our hearts that everything else is in its appropriate place in our lives, and only powerful grace can accomplish this.

Humility means the willingness to look in the mirror of God's Word and being glad that whatever we see there has already been covered by the blood of Jesus.