Where hides evil in my kingdom, then? Always ... where you never expect it. Always.

I took a cold shower this morning because the pilot light had gone out on the hot water heater. I re-lit the pilot light this afternoon, but only after having my spiritual pilot light re-lit at the meeting of the Lone Star Founders Fraternal.

Dr. John D. Hannah was our guest speaker and he spoke on “Walking with God in Integrity.”

He took us back to the Scriptures and to the Puritans in general and John Owen & Jonathan Edwards in particular to help us understand how we are to deal honestly with our own depravity in our passion to glorify God in our lives and ministry.

Some quotes for your edification:

“What does it mean to glorify God? God is glorified in His creation when it reflects His character. We are to be mirrors of what God has granted to us of Himself by the Spirit.”
- Dr. Hannah

“What is the point of the Bible? The focus of the Bible is the glorification of God; the Bible begins and ends with divine and creaturely harmony. The fall brought disharmony, but God is sovereign and patiently bringing a restoration when creation will glorify Him fully once again. Christ, the anticipated lamb, came in the incarnation, and purchased a people for God by paying the debt that prevented their assimilation into God's family and God declared them righteous in Christ. God, by His Holy Spirit, is drawing the redeemed family together. When complete the 'garden' will be perfectly restored. God will be eternally glorified in His creatures.”
- Dr. Hannah

“What is the experience of redemption? The experience of redemption is an affectionate embrace of the beauty of Christ, a life of transforming delight in God as revealed in Christ.”
- Dr. Hannah

“God brings disappointments into our lives to shape us spiritually in that the design is that through them we depend on the Lord more.”
- Dr. Hannah

“God uses the evil actions of others upon our lives to shape us to reflect His glory.” (cf. Genesis 50:20)
- Dr. Hannah

“Sanctification has a double aspect. Its positive side is vivification, the growing and maturing of the new man; its negative side is mortification, the weakening and killing of the old man.”
- J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life

“The spiritual life is a mental struggle of what you occupy your mind with.”
- Dr. Hannah

“The spiritual life requires discipline; it is hard work and is a product of time and repetition.”
- Dr. Hannah

“The spiritual life is a bunch of habits, where you're replacing one set of habits for another.”
- Dr. Hannah

“Habits are routines that are not easy, but over time become a delight. What you are doing is replacing one set of routines for another.”
- Dr. Hannah

“No one has their act together; we all have areas of spiritual success, areas needing improved discipline, and areas of failure. Join the 'club' of fallen, redeemed humanity!”
- Dr. Hannah

“If you desire to think correct thoughts, you must have good ideas in your mind. You simply cannot avail yourself to what is not there.”
- Dr. Hannah (on the importance of the Bible in godliness)

“Right thoughts require the mental expression of good ideas; good ideas come from good input.”
- Dr. Hannah

“Perception of growth and growth are two different things.”
- Dr. Hannah

“If you think you're free from sin, go talk to your spouse.”
- Dr. Hannah

“The dominion of sin is present when sin exercises control over the will of a man with no opposition from another principle.”
— John Owen, Dominion of Sin

“The nature of sin does not change in regeneration or sanctification, but its status in us is radically attired.”
- Sinclair Ferguson, John Owen on the Christian Life

“None of us have our act together, but we cling to the cross.”
— Dr. Hannah

“Grace changeth the nature of man, but nothing can change the nature of sin.”
— John Owen, Indwelling Sin

“When [sin] is least felt, it is most powerful.”
— John Owen, Indwelling Sin

“If I understood the evil of my own heart, I would be less quick to tell others what they should do.”
- Dr. Hannah

“The man that understands the evil of his own heart, how vile it is, is the only useful, fruitful, and soled believing and obedient person.”
— John Owen, Indwelling Sin

“Many men harbor spirit devouring - lusts in their bosoms that lie as worms, at the root of their obedience, and corrode and waken it day by day.”
— John Owen, On Mortification

“Remind yourself that sin never pays long-term positive dividends.”
- Dr. Hannah

“Trace the particular manifestation of sin to its root. The cause of poor behavior is often hidden. Another way to say it is this: That which bothers us is often a fruit of a deeper cause. To make progress we must search out the underlying causes and deal with them.”
- Dr. Hannah

“Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it”.
– Jonathan Edwards

“I have concluded to endeavor to work myself into duties by searching and tracing back all the real reasons why I do them not, and narrowly searching out all the subtle subterfuges of my thoughts and answering them to the utmost of my power, that I may know what are the very first originals of my defect, as with respect to want of repentance, love to God, loathing of myself – to do this sometimes in sermons.”
– Jonathan Edwards

“Allow God to speak peace rather than assuming you have it. A lot of lessons are missed in hurray. Do not claim a verse and claim more than you should have.”
- Dr. Hannah (in the context of dealing with your sin in repentance)

“The Lord gave us two ends--one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends upon which one we use the most.”
- Calvin Coolidge

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts.”
- Calvin Coolidge

“Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.”
— Jonathan Edwards

“A lot of our godliness is just protecting our image.”
- Dr. Hannah (in the context of spirituality done for the eyes of others, instead of the eyes of God)