In John Owen’s Mortification of Sin, he notes that one key way the Spirit helps us put sin to death is by working more and more of His fruit in us. Owen famously said, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” And he was right. But we often forget that the leading way the Spirit kills our sin is by turning into a chef and cooking up all sorts of good things inside of us. He cooks up joy, the aroma of which suffocates our depression. He bakes peace that kills that vaporizes that aroma of stress and anxiety. Love sizzles on the skillet in our hearts and that judgmental and selfish spirit that would rest in our flesh gets crowded out.
Keep these things in mind as you go through life in general and as you confess your sin in particular. Sometimes, when you kneel, there is that big stinker of a sin to own before the Lord. If that is the case today, then go right ahead and confess that one. His grace and favor toward you abounds and whatever that sin, it cannot match the blood of Christ’s cross.
But at other times, you might not have that big one staring you in the face, so what are you to confess? Well, confess that your kindness hasn’t been what it ought to have been. Your patience hasn’t abounded. Your self-control could have filled the house like a pleasing aroma.
Every time of confession is an opportunity to admit that our hearts aren’t as large as they ought to be. And it is a time to ask our Father to enlarge them so that there simply wouldn’t be any more room sin. They’re looking to find a room in which to lodge. But the Spirit has taken up so much space there is now that neon sign shining out front, saying, “No vacancy.”
Jared Longshore – March 10, 2024
