day 26-28

just got back from a run with angus and chrissie... yay. it's actually nice to run in london (only that the pollen is flying around and sticking in your windpipe) ran pretty far i think. started at about 1030 (but we walked the last 30 min or so lol). funness. maybe i should do this more often - super chillout pace. and the river is pretty at night =)

---

more purpose driven life =)

day 26:
Many Christians are frightened and demoralised by tempting thoughts, feeling guilty that they aren't "beyond" temptation. They feel ashamed just for being tempted. This is misunderstanding of maturity. You will never outgrow temptation.
...
It is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted, yet he never sinned. Temptation only becomes a sin when you give in to it. Martin Luther said, "You cannot keep birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair." You can't keep the Devil from suggesting thoughts, but you can choose not to dwell or act on them.
...
The Bible guarantees that our cry for help will be heard because Jesus is sympahtetic to our struggle... If God is waiting to help us defeat temptation, why don't we turn to Him more often? Honestly, sometimes we don't want to be helped! We want to give in to temptation even though we know it's wrong. At that moment we think we know what's best for us more than God does.
At other times we're embarrassed to ask God for help because we keep giving in to the same temptation over and over. But God never gets irritated, bored, or impatient when we keep coming back to him.

day 27:
Every time you try to block a thought out of your mind, you drive it deeper into your memory. By resisting it, you actually reinforce it. This is especially true with temptation. you don't defeat temptation by fighting the feeling of it. The more you fight a feeling, the more it consumes and controls you. You strengthen it every time you think it.
...
Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions activate your behaviour, and you act on what you felt. The more you focus on "I don't want to do this," the stonger it draws you into its web.
...
Spiritually, your mind is your most vulnerable organ. To reduce temptation, keep you mind occupied with god's Word and other good thoughts. You defeat bad thoughts by thinking of something better.
...
Satan wants you to think that your sin and temptation is unique so you must keep them a secret. The truth is, we're all in the same boat... The reason we hide our faults is pride. We want others to think we have everything "under control." The truth is, whatever you can't talk about is already out of control in your life: problems with your finances, marriage, kids, thoughts, sexuality, secret habits, or anything else. If you could handle it on your own you would already have done so. but you can't. Willpower and personal resolutions aren't enough.

day 28:
Why does it take so long to grow up? There are several reasons
We are slow learners. We often have to relearn a lesson forty or fifty times to really get it. The problems keep recurring, and we think, "Not again! I've already learned that!" -- but God knows better...
We have a lot to unlearn. ...There is no pill or prayer, or principle that will instanly undo the damage of many years. It requires the hard work of removal and replacement. The Bible calls it "taking off the old self" and "putting on the new self."...
We are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves. ...The fear of what we might discover if we honestly faced our character defects keeps us living in the prison of denail. Only as God is allowed to shine the light of his truth on our faults, failures, and hang-ups can we begin to work on them...
Growth is often painful and scary. There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain... We fear these losses, even if our old ways were self-defeating, because, like a worn out pair of shoes, they were at least comfortable and familiar...
Habits take time to develop. ...There is only one way to develop the habits of Christlike character: you must practice them -- and that takes time! There are no instant habits.
...
Believe that God is working in your life even when you don't feel it. Spiritual growth is sometimes tedious work, one small step at a time... One of life's frustrations is that God's timetable is rarely the same as ours... Remember that God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.
...
Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. you are not where you wantto be, but neither are you where you used to be... God isn't finished with you, either, so keep on moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!

oops i like typed out alot of the book XD but i'm encouraged - aren't you?