“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 toward 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 or no sleep, war keeps us vigilant.”
Christian vs. Apollyon- Pilgrim's Progress. Frank Cheyne Papé, 'Christian Slaying Apollyon', 1910. Museum no. E.488-1981
(HT:Tony Reinke)
