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Here's the last portion of my review on Dr. John Hannah's notes on spiritual growth: 10. Mortification : How is the believer to put to death the deeds of the flesh?       “To be Spiritually Minded is Life and Peace”(Rom. 8:6).       “Watch and Pray that You Enter not into Temptation” (Matt. 26:41) . We began our study of the spiritual life stating that there are three important ingredients with numerous ramifications: Know your God, Know yourself, and know your situation. Vivification is about the first of these; Mortification is about the latter of these. a)    Some General Reflections on Sin in our lives. 1) Most people are bothered by the symptoms and consequences of sin, not its causes. 2) Sin is not resolved by avoidance and neglect , nor inadequate, unfruitful remedies. 3) Sin is most often revealed in its fruitful state (i.e., “death” as personal wastefulness), not in its inceptive or casual stage. ...

Continuing my arranging of notes by Dr. John Hannah, from our recent spiritual life conference.  [See previous post.]  Now his section on "vivification", or what God gives us and what we do related to the new life being manifested in us:  8. Vivification: How do you get good thoughts into your mind? How do I determine what is right to think about since the spiritual life is so connected to mental activity? This is vivification , doing those things that promote and help us to grow. A healthy spiritual life is the result of healthy thoughts. But, how do I get healthy thoughts in a God-opposing world? “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, what ever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind on these things.” (Philippians 4:8) a)    Right thoughts require virtuous input : This is the place of the Bible .  If you desire to think correct thou...

Continuing to edit notes from John Hannah's teaching on spiritual life [see previous post]... 6.    What does God do to cause us to glorify Him more? a)    God graciously redeems us from sin’s condemning power and grants us the Holy Spirit . He provides the basis for spiritual growth (John 3:6). b)    God provides His children with protective mercies and preservation. c)    God chastises us to curb our dangerous tendencies and humble us. This is often expressed in the consequences of moral failure. For the child of God, this action is always remedial in nature, never punitive (Heb.12:5-6). d)    God brings disappointments into our lives to shape us spiritually in that the design is that through them we depend on the Lord more (John 9:1-3). e)    God uses the evil actions of others upon our lives to shape us to reflect His glory (Genesis 50:20). f)    God helps us to understa...

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"  "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"  For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.  (Romans 11:33-36 ESV) Some notes from the Spiritual Life Conference with John D. Hannah... 1.  There is a lot of confusion in the churches concerning the practical side of walking with the Lord. Some teachers paint an idealized picture that simply is fiction, yet such teachers can lead the serious listener to guiltiness and the naive to misplaced confidence. 2.  Walking with God must begin with the recognition four things: a)  We must become students of our God and ourselves (the mental).   b)  We must come to grips with divine sovereignty and splendor (the ever-first priority).   c...