Set your faith upon Christ for the killing of your sin. His blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls. Live in the light of Christ’s great work, and you will die a conqueror. You will, through the good providence of God, live to see your lust dead at your feet.

But you will say, ‘How can we look by faith to Christ for this great purpose?’

Consider,

By faith fill your heart with a right consideration of the provision that God has made in the work of Christ for the mortification of your sins. By faith ponder this, that though you are in no way able to conquer your own disordered state, and though you are weary of fighting it, and though you are ready to faint, there is enough in Jesus Christ to give you relief! ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13).

This helped the prodigal when he was about to faint, that there was enough bread in his father’s house. Even though he was a great distance from home it relieved him and strengthened him that at home he would find help. In your greatest distress and anguish, consider the fullness of grace, all the riches and treasures of strength, might, and help that are laid up in Christ for our support. ‘And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace’ (John 1:16). ‘For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell’ (Col 1:19).

Let these great truths abide in your mind. Consider that He is exalted and made a ‘Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel’ (Acts 5:31). If He came to give repentance, then also mortification! True repentance must include mortification. Christ tells us that we obtain purging grace by abiding in him (John 15:3). TO trust in the fullness we have in Christ for our supply is an important part of our abiding in Christ. Both our introduction into Christ and our abiding in Christ are by faith (Rom 11:19-29).

Therefore, let your soul, by faith, dwell on such thoughts as these:

I am a poor, weak creature; unstable as water, and I cannot excel. This corruption is too hard for me, and is the doorway to the ruin of my soul. I do not know what to do.

My soul has become parched ground, and a habitation of dragons. I have made promises and broken them. I have made vows, but i did not keep them. Many times I have been persuaded that I have gained the victory, and that I should be delivered, but I was deceived. Now I plainly see that without some great help and assistance, I will perish and be forced to abandon God.

But yet, though this is my state and condition, I will lift up my hands that hang down, and strengthen my feeble knees, for, behold, the Lord Jesus Christ has all the fullness of grace in His heart, and all the fullness of power in His hand. He is able to slay all of these enemies. There is sufficient provision in Him for my relief and assistance. He can take my drooping, dying soul and make me more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37)!

‘Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not  faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and grow weary, and young men shall fall exhausted but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint’ (Isa 40:27-31).

He can make the dry, parched ground of my soul to become a pool, and my thirsty, barren heart as springs of water. Yes, He can make this habitation of dragons, this heart, which is so full of abominable lusts and fiery temptations, to be a place of bounty and fruitfulness unto Himslef (see Isa 35:7)!

God strengthened Paul under his temptation, with the sufficiency of His grace: ‘My grace is sufficient for you’ (2 Cor 12:9). Paul was not immediately released from his trial, yet the sufficiency of God’s grace sustained him.

I say, then, we must by faith consider the supply and fullness that we have in Christ Jesus, and how He can at any time give strength and deliverance. If you do not immediately find success in your battle, you will at least be secure in your chariot, and you will not flee from the field while the conflict continues. You will be kept from utter discouragement and lying down in unbelief, and from turning aside to false means and remedies that cannot help you in the end. The effectiveness of this consideration will be found only in actual practice.

—John Owen, The Mortification of Sin (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1656/2004), 116-119.

Read the rest of this great work on Christian sanctification, holiness and mortification of sin (unabridged), here.