We're more concerned about our own "victory" over sin than we are about the fact that our sins grieve God's heart.

We need to call sin what the Bible calls it and not soften it with modern expressions borrowed from our culture.

Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God

Lord, I am willing To receive what You give. To lack what You withhold. To relinquish what You take, To suffer what You inflict, To be what you require.

Because peace is a fruit of the Spirit, we are dependent upon the Spirit's work in our lives to produce the desire and the means to pursue peace. But we are also responsible to use the means He has given us and to take all practical steps to attain both peace within and peace with others.

There is no point in praying for victory over temptation if we are not willing to make a commitment to say no to it.

How then can we deal with our tendency toward worldliness? It is not by determining that we will not be worldly, but by committing ourselves to becoming more godly.