God has a ministry for you in the days to come, so prepare yourself for it by always remaining humble, never justifying yourself in any situation, crying out to God for help constantly, and hating all artificiality in your life.

Phariseeism and spiritual pride lie very close at hand to all who pursue righteousness. So these twin evils are not the prerogatives of any one group. These evils are not far from any of us. I find that it is easy to see these evils in others, but far more difficult to see them in ourselves. Artificiality is one of the things that religiously minded young people tend towards easily, and it kills spirituality.

You must work towards entering into a "perfect" death to sin in the different areas that you are battling in. You must not be happy with a superficial victory. Every desire is like an onion. There are layers and layers underneath the top one that you can see right now. Unless you deal radically with the layer that you see, you will never get to the layer underneath.

Sanctification is a lifelong process of becoming like Jesus - for example, looking at girls the way He looked at them, looking at money and material things the way He looked at them, looking at your enemies the way He looked at His enemies, etc. That is a goal that will take a lifetime to reach. But you must work towards it. This is the meaning of verses like "Let us press on to perfection" (Heb.6:1 ), and " He who has the hope of becoming like Jesus, will purify himself even as He is pure "(1 John.3:3 ), and " Forgetting the things that are behind, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus " (Phil.3:13 , 14 ). If you give up, in this battle, then the enemy will get the upper hand. On the other hand, if you keep on "suffering in the flesh" (putting your Self-life to death) in secret, you will stop sinning, as 1 Peter 4:1 , 2 says.

Never imagine that you are being tempted in ways that others are not being tempted. Don't let the devil fool you with that lie, because that will discourage you.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says: "Every temptation that you experience is the kind that normally comes to all people . But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your power to overcome; but at the time you are tempted, He will give you the strength (grace) to overcome and thus help you to escape. No temptation is irresistible" (Good News Bible and Living Bible).

All human beings are basically tempted in the same way - to do their own will. Sin is a large circle with many different sectors. But EVERY temptation is basically the same - to do one's own will and not the will of God - whether it be telling a lie, getting angry, hating someone, murmuring, committing fornication, or any other sin. Jesus also was tempted to do His own will. But He resisted that temptation asking for God's help ( Hebrews 5:7 ) and so He never sinned ( John 6:38 ). We can all now follow His example.

So don't look at the different sins as separate matters that are independent of each other. Some people are more tempted in one area and others in another. But in every case, to sin is to do one's own will. Ask God to help you - and the Holy Spirit will help you to put your flesh (Self-will) to death (See Rom.8:13 and Gal.5:24 ).

A fervent devotion to Jesus is what will help you to overcome and to be preserved along the right track at all times. At all times you should be able to say, "There is nothing (and no-one) that I desire on earth beside you" ( Psa.73:25 ). Love for Jesus has the power to expel other loves (and lusts) from your heart. You should say, "I have set the Lord always before me (so that I fear to sin - like Joseph said); and He is always at my right hand (to give me grace not to sin)" (Psa.16:8 ). That is the secret of living in constant victory.