Sin, War & Exuberance

Becoming a Christian, awakens a person to a war they didn't know was going on before they became a Christian, and one that they find themselves right in the middle of.

To help in this end, I give you this quote by Ed Welch, from pg. 102 of John Piper's When I Don't Desire God to encourage you and give you the attitude you'll need to survive and thrive in this war:

"...there is a mean streak to authentic self-control. ... Self-control is not for the timid. When we want to grow in it, not only do we nurture an exuberance for Jesus Christ, we also demand of ourselves a hatred for sin. ... The only possible attitude towards out-of-control desire is a declaration of all-out war. ... There is something about war that sharpens the senses ... You hear a twig snap or the rustling of leaves and you are in attack mode. Someone coughs and you are ready to pull the trigger. Even after days of little sleep or no sleep, war keeps us vigilant."

I hope that gives you insight into the double-sided attitude needed to fight sin: an overwhelming hatred for sin, and an equally overwhelming exuberance for Christ, which only comes to us through the Spirit's work on our hearts as He glorifies Jesus in the pages of His Word.