Trust in the Spirit to convict you of sin, to uncover its ugliness, and rebuke your defenses. Trust in the Spirit to reveal to you the fullness of Christ and his love for sinners. Trust in the Spirit to give you hope that Christ will grant relief from sin. Trust in the Spirit to bring the cross of Christ into your heart with its sin-killing power. Trust in the Spirit to be the author and finisher of your sanctification, despite your weak resolve. Trust in the Spirit to enable you to pray with sighs and groanings too deep for words (Rom. 8:26) through which you will find victory over your sin.

 
Specific Directions for Mortification
Identify the Symptoms that Accompany a Lust
If the symptoms are deadly, the sin must be killed by special measures lest our lives end in hellish tragedy. A sin is deadly if it has become an established habit. When sin becomes rooted in our daily routines we have accepted it as part of us. A sin is deadly if it no longer stings our conscience. To casually dismiss sin under cover of God’s mercy is to turn the grace of our God into lewdness (Jude 4). A sin is deadly when its thought frequently becomes desire. Even without committing the act of sin, if we begin to love it the temptation has prevailed. A sin is deadly when one fights it only because of its penalties. If it is only law and not Christ’s love that restrains us from a sin (2 Cor. 7:1), that sin has conquered our affections and will. A sin is deadly when it is a punishment from God. God can harden our hearts toward sin as a punishment for neglecting to care for our souls (Is. 63:17). A sin is deadly when God has repeatedly warned us against it. If we habitually allow our sinful desires “to stifle conviction” we are “truly in a sad condition” (63).

Get a Clear Sense of the Sin that Troubles You
First, consider sin’s guilt. Sin downplays its guiltiness by darkening our minds so that we do not grasp its filthiness. Believers, therefore, must test sin’s evils against God’s love, mercy, grace, and assistance, remembering God’s great grief over the sins of his children.

Second, consider sin’s danger. Sin’s deceitfulness hardens our hearts (Heb. 3:12-13), weakens our assurance, and cripples our zeal. Sin can bring us under great chastisement. When God punished David’s sin, David lost his child, his reputation, and his peace (Ps. 89:32). Sin can sap our peace and strength. Abiding sin can cause us to finish our days dull to God’s kindness. Most dangerously, sin invites eternal ruin. In total sincerity God threatens with hell those who love sin (Heb. 3:12).

Third, consider sin’s present evil. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit whom God has given as a loving friend to cheer and guide us to glory. Sin wounds the Lord Jesus Christ who showed God’s great love for us by suffering in our place. Sin cancels our usefulness in this world.

Charge Your Conscience with Sin’s Guilt
First, consider indwelling sin in relation to God’s law. Believe that, because of your sin, you should drown under the unrelenting waves of God’s terror. Tremble before God’s throne of judgment, refusing to claim grace so long as you love sin.

Second, consider indwelling sin in relation to the gospel. “Look on him whom you have pierced, and let it trouble you” (78). Consider God’s infinite patience and how often God has pulled you back from sin’s hardening. Reflect on God’s countless kindnesses to you.

As long as your conscience is able to justify your failure you will never kill sin.

Desire Deliverance
“Do not let your heart be happy with your present condition, even for a moment” (81). In spiritual things the desire for “deliverance is in itself a grace which begins to conform the soul to the likeness of that which is longed for” (81). A heart that longs for deliverance from sin will “watch for all opportunities to gain advantage over its enemy” (82). “A strong desire sets faith and hope to work, and drives the soul in following hard after the Lord” (82)

Determine If Your Nature Is Fostering Your Sin
Our peculiar natures are prone to certain sins over others. Sins connected to our unique characters humble us as testimonies of our innate depravity. When sins stem from our dispositions we need to recognize Satan’s advantage and our need for diligence. Paul recognized and fought such sins by disciplining his body to keep it under control (1 Cor. 9:27).

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