I have been reading Our Favorite Sins, the Sins We Commit and How You Can Quit by Todd Hunter. Great read and practical applications to the sins we Christians and those we love so easily get hooked on: Anxiety, Overeating, Procrastination, etc. He brings in a wonderful Ancient-Fruitful Practice to apply in one's life. A few quotes...
Sin is basically stupid and repulsive.
Do you want to quit? You can.
Every Monday night at bedtime I am delighted to see these two prayers during Compline. The first I use to think about my heart, both on that particular day and in general. The second I use to pray against evil: both what I can see within my desires and any stimuli coming at me from without. Try this approach. If it works for you, stick with it for a few days. "Living God of the universe -- may the Light of Lights come to dark heart from Thy place; may the Spirit's wisdom come to my heart's tablet from my Savior." "Circle me, Lord, keep protection near and danger afar... Circle me, Lord, keep peace within; keep evil out."
We live from the unseen depths of our being. We behave from our hearts, our imaginations, our deep dreams, and of our fears. What comes out of us in terms of attitudes, words, and deeds, or laziness, as we are considering here, come from what is often called, in common conversation, the spiritual portion of us. But too often we try to deal with temptation by controlling our environment and our body parts. These tactics are not without merit -- in a crisis. But no one lives in crisis mode all the time. You and I need a strategy for dealing with temptation that is doable within our ordinary life.
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