Failing in struggles with sin at times causes me to get mad at myself for failing. I often put the focus on myself in being to weak or not determined enough. As I pondered this thought I see how my focus is so misguided, though I fail at times the enemy wants nothing more to pummel me with accusations. I see after the fact that certain events take place, little crumbs that seem harmless, tend to lead to bigger crumbs and before you know it, it seems to late. Then I just imagine the enemy laughing at the believer. So I wonder, does the evil spirit just watch over the believer, influencing and misleading or is it as simple as just the indwelling sin in a believer. To me I think it could be an easy excuse to say the evil spirit influenced the believer and ignore any responsibility in the believer. Don't we give birth to sin? where does the role of the enemy come in to manipulate the believer?
Mortification of Sin, John Owen came to mind. I haven't read it in a while. Some things I liked as it opened it up.
"3. In our ordinary walking with God, and in an ordinary course of his dealing with us, the vigour and comfort of our spiritual lives depend much on our mortification, not only as a “causa sine qua non,” but as a thing that hath an effectual influence thereinto. For, — (1.) This alone keeps sin from depriving us of the one and the other. Every unmortified sin will certainly do two things:— [1.] It will weaken the soul, and deprive it of its vigour. [2.] It will darken the soul, and deprive it of its comfort and peace. [1.] It weakens the soul, and deprives it of its strength. When David had for a while harboured an unmortified lust in his heart, it broke all his bones, and left him no spiritual strength; hence he complained that he was sick, weak, wounded, faint. “There is,” saith he, “no soundness in me,” Ps. xxxviii. 3; “I am feeble and sore broken,” verse 8; “yea, I cannot so much as look up,” Ps. xl. 12. An unmortified lust will drink up the spirit, and all the vigour of the soul, and weaken it for all duties."
"1st. It untunes and unframes the heart itself, by entangling its affections." "2dly. It fills the thoughts with contrivances about it."
As I read through some of the highlights I made in the book its seems that sin rests on the believer solely. I will have to read it again, but I don't that Owen is making any point that the devil or evil spirit is making me do this. I do understand we don't wrestle with flesh and blood, but principalities and powers and the enemy is crouching at the door at all times...then how does discernment and responsibility fall on the believer?
" For instance, when the heart finds sin at any time at work, seducing, forming imaginations to make provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof, it instantly apprehends sin, and brings it to the law of God and love of Christ, condemns it, follows it with execution to the uttermost."
To me this seems practical than just praying over a spirit, IMO.
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