Quote – The Secret of Holiness
I ran across this quote while getting ready for Sunday. We are focusing on the latter half of Galatians 5, the contrast between acts of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit. Really hits home as we think about actually putting to death the sins in our life – very challenging. John Maxwell likes to say that anyone can make a decision, but it takes real leadership to manage that decision. The same is true for repentance – saying I will repent is not the hard part; maintaining the that repentance every day is the challenge.
“The first great secret of holiness lies in the degree and decisiveness of our repentance. If besetting sins persistently plague us, it is either because we have never truly repented, or because, having repented, we have not maintained our repentance. It is as if, having nailed our old nature to the cross, we keep wistfully returning to the scene of its execution. We begin to fondle it, to caress it, to long for its release, even to try to take it down again from the cross. We need to learn to leave it there. When some jealous, or proud, or malicious, or impure thought invades our mind we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations. We have settled the issue for good; we are not going to re-open it. We have crucified the flesh; we are never going to draw the nails.” –John Stott
