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The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin
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Why do I keep on sinning? This book takes dead aim at the heart of ongoing sin. Drawing from two masterful works by John Owen, Kris Lundgaard offers insight, encouragement, and hope for overcoming the enemy within.
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Paperback, 157 pages
Published
November 1st 1998
by P & R Publishing
(first published January 1st 1998)
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A friend told me that reading this book was like open heart surgery, and now I know what they mean. It's a full on book! It's a relentless dissection of what sin is, and how we can kill it, drawing from the works of Puritan John Owen. For me, it has brought the issue of dealing with sin much closer to home, and much more into my day to day living. Great book. Not all books end up making the day to day difference you hope for, but this one did.
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This book is commendable on several fronts in spite of the fact that it reads a bit awkwardly. Lundgaard admits that many of his ideas are Owen's and it shows. Many times I pulled out Owen's work on Indwelling Sin and could find the exact line that drove Lundgaard's point. This books strengths lie in the author's treatment of 'how indwelling sin works', but in my judgment fails to offer a complete solution for how a believer is to effectively 'work against sin.'
This book is not without strengths ...more
This book is not without strengths ...more
I was about to say that this was an enjoyable book, but that’s neither entirely true nor appropriate. However, I did get a lot out of it.
This is a brief summation of John Owen’s “Indwelling Sin” and “The Mortification of Sin”. I enjoyed reading Owen, but the author is entirely correct in establishing Owen as hard to read. This was a short book, and I finished it in less than a week, but went back over certain sections; the end of every chapter has at least four study or application questions, m ...more
This is a brief summation of John Owen’s “Indwelling Sin” and “The Mortification of Sin”. I enjoyed reading Owen, but the author is entirely correct in establishing Owen as hard to read. This was a short book, and I finished it in less than a week, but went back over certain sections; the end of every chapter has at least four study or application questions, m ...more
This book is for the sinner who is tired of fighting sin, for the sinner who wants to feel the weight of their own sin, and for the sinner who needs to be reminded to seek holiness.
While it isn't exactly a walk in the park to be confronted with your own filth, as Christians it is necessary. Lundgaard is unbelievably convicting in the way that he addresses how lackadaisical Christians are about acknowledging and addressing their sin. We live lives where we want to accept the grace of God without ...more
While it isn't exactly a walk in the park to be confronted with your own filth, as Christians it is necessary. Lundgaard is unbelievably convicting in the way that he addresses how lackadaisical Christians are about acknowledging and addressing their sin. We live lives where we want to accept the grace of God without ...more
This book borrows much from John Owen's books "The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalancy of the Remainders of Indwelling Sin in Believers" and "The Mortification of Sin." Lundgaard admits as much, stating in the Acknowledgements section that "If John Owen were alive, he'd be tempted to sue me, I stole so much of his material. I'll apologize and thank him when I see him in glory."
I for one am glad Lundgaard wrote this book. He makes the great theologian John Owen's thoughts accessible to a genera ...more
I for one am glad Lundgaard wrote this book. He makes the great theologian John Owen's thoughts accessible to a genera ...more
This is an excellent book on the importance of battling sin. Though we have been saved from the penalty of sin through Christ we still have sin we must battle on a daily basis. How often do you think about the fact that you still carry around this deadly companion? To defeat the enemy of sin is to know the enemy and know the power of Christ that lives in you. Your mind watches carefully over your soul. What the mind believes or thinks is how the affections and will put what your mind believes in
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I loved this book! It talked about knowing the enemy of sin within us in order to defeat it in our lives.
Jan 19, 2017
Jan
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2017-vt-book-challenge,
favorites
4.75 stars
VT 2017 reading challenge: a book about Christian living
some great quotes:
"A person with a big head and a small heart can learn the doctrines of sin, yet never be convicted of sin. He can learn the teachings of grace and pardon and the great atonement for sin, yet never feel the peace of God that passes understanding. When the flesh gets a person to the point that he can sit under the teaching of the Word, and even delight in it for its intellectual beauty, yet not be changed, he has ...more
VT 2017 reading challenge: a book about Christian living
some great quotes:
"A person with a big head and a small heart can learn the doctrines of sin, yet never be convicted of sin. He can learn the teachings of grace and pardon and the great atonement for sin, yet never feel the peace of God that passes understanding. When the flesh gets a person to the point that he can sit under the teaching of the Word, and even delight in it for its intellectual beauty, yet not be changed, he has ...more
Lundgaard gives us a capsulization, or as he describes it “a kidnapping,” of John Owen’s work on the topic “indwelling sin in the believer.” Owen’s book garners 90% positive reviews after being in print for over 300 years. The topic is never out-of-date, so a brief and contemporary volume is certainly a welcome addition to the required reading list. Owen’s 300 pages in 17 chapters is echoed in Lundgaard’s 150 pages in 13 chapters; and the latter is much easier to read.
From Owen. “She (Eve) thou ...more
From Owen. “She (Eve) thou ...more
The Enemy Within by Kris Lundgaard is a well-written book discussing the destructive ability of the flesh and the power of God to defeat it. The 13 chapters are to the point, biblical, and include thoughtful review questions. Having studied the works of John Owen, Lundgaard has set out to present the same, timeless truths but in a more modern writing style. The book is definitely readable. He presents the truth, explains the Scriptures, and gives hope. Good stuff.
My only critique came in chapte ...more
My only critique came in chapte ...more
The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin (1998) by Kris Lundegaard is a remarkable little book. Channeling the wise Puritan John Owen, Lundegaard wrote 150 very practical pages on overcoming the power of sin in the life of the believer. He described the influence of John Owen in his life and thinking about sin but, like most of us, found Owen to be a cumbersome read. Owen is a lot of work; thankfully Lundegaard is not. He took the wonderful ideas of Owen and unabashedly
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powerful, and well written.
I am simply amazed how well this book communicates the truth of sin, and the fact that we all battle this enemy. God has given us the completed text, and the i dwelling Spirit to give us the victory. I am in awe of all the power we have. Thank you Lord Jesus, you alone deserve the praise.
I am simply amazed how well this book communicates the truth of sin, and the fact that we all battle this enemy. God has given us the completed text, and the i dwelling Spirit to give us the victory. I am in awe of all the power we have. Thank you Lord Jesus, you alone deserve the praise.
Very helpful distillation of John Owen's works on mortification and indwelling sin. It's a bit slow, but the short chapters are great for group discussion. And (for once!) the supplied discussion questions are actually really good.
If you want to understand the real power of your sin, and the genuine possibility of victory over that sin, read this book. ...more
If you want to understand the real power of your sin, and the genuine possibility of victory over that sin, read this book. ...more
I did this in a Bible study with some college girls, and it was great (meaning we all saw our sin). At times, it was easy to feel defeated, but Kris Lungaard always brought us back to the gospel. I really like this book, very readable (which is good, as it is based on a John Owen book).
May 12, 2010
The Gatekeeper
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
All Christians
Recommended to The Gatekeeper by:
my mom
This is a really good book! It was very convicting, but also grace-motivated. After reading it I feel more aware of how evil sin is, and also more equipped to fight it. It's also short and easy to understand, which is always a plus for nonfiction books. I highly recommend it.
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Seriously, no Christian should attempt any longer to live our their faith w/o reading this. I'm on my third time reading it. I wish I could make changes in my life appear like magic.... Alas, that rhino is truly a beast in my life until I die. Yet, the battle ensues.
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Excellent book about fighting sin. Based on the works of John Owen, this book is far more easy to read but it loses none of its power. The writer shows deep insight into the workings of sin and how to fight it by God's grace.
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Awesome! Laced with lots of hope and truth, this book hits you where it counts--in the heart. You cannot see the glory of Christ and His love without first coming face to face with your sin and depravity. Lundgaard does an amazing job of offering hope in the face of overwhelming sin.
How the deceitfulness of our own hearts leads us astray.
This was a book I'd read before, several years ago. Rereading it has been so helpful and I still find it insightful on dealing with our sin.
...more
May 17, 2019
Chad Warner
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Christians
Recommended to Chad by:
Val Domagalski
Shelves:
christian,
non-fiction
A biblical tool for understanding the power of sin, and how to defeat it by the Spirit's work. It contains Bible passages and practical examples that show how to see through self-deceit to recognize your sin, and battle it with meditation on God's character and work, prayer, and the Spirit's activity in your heart. Lundgaard says he based his book on John Owen's Indwelling Sin. Each chapter ends with probing questions.
There are several quotes and phrases that ruffled my feathers. Lundgaard tries ...more
There are several quotes and phrases that ruffled my feathers. Lundgaard tries ...more
I went into this book very eagerly. I love the Puritans and John Owen and have struggled with a proper understanding of this topic for many years as a Christian. I was sorely disappointed. The initial chapters about the nature of the law of sin and how it works in people were very good and helpful. But if you are someone who is reading this book to do more than just say "I read a book about indwelling sin" and you are actually looking for helpful biblical teaching, you won't get it here. The fin
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In "The Enemy Within," Kris Lundgaard draws from Jim Owen's book "Indwelling Sin" and "The Mortification of Sin," and seeks to give believers the same Gospel-filled truth that Owen gave, while also making the writing easy for any believer to read and understand. In this book Lundgaard takes an up close and personal look at sin, and its tactics in the believer's life, while never straying from the Gospel and the power that it has to defeat sin.
This book is very well done. Short, precise, thought- ...more
This book is very well done. Short, precise, thought- ...more
This book, alongside Delivered by desire, have been incredible in helping me understand and fight the pressure of indwelling sin within me. It really is straight talk about the power and defeat of sin. This book is relevant because it covers an issue that plagues all of us and yet we often do not give it the careful thought and attention it deserves.
The enemy of the flesh is hard at work, day in and day out only taking short recess so that it can mount a surprise attack. The battle is ongoing an ...more
The enemy of the flesh is hard at work, day in and day out only taking short recess so that it can mount a surprise attack. The battle is ongoing an ...more
Now John Owen’s writing are accessible for all of us! Lundgaard has taken the rich nuggets of Owen’s writing on fighting sin from “The Mortification Of Sin” and “Indwelling of Sin in Believers” and put them into bite-sized easily readable chapters for 21st century readers. Perhaps the biggest value of this tiny book are the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Because the chapters are very short but the discussion questions are so rich this would make an excellent small group study!
...more
Solid teaching about getting victory over sin. A short read if you just zoom through it, but you could spend a month on this if you did all the exercises.
Said to be based on Indwelling Sin in Believers and The Mortification of Sin by John Owen.
I'd recommend this for a new believer, but I think almost any Christian could benefit from reading it. ...more
Said to be based on Indwelling Sin in Believers and The Mortification of Sin by John Owen.
I'd recommend this for a new believer, but I think almost any Christian could benefit from reading it. ...more
Very digestible, challenging and encouraging. I’ve not read any of John Owen’s works on which this is based but the imagery used, the consistent use of Scripture, and hard-hitting words towards the flesh and it’s desire to strangle our faith effectively made me evaluate my own walk with Christ and war against my personal sin.
I especially liked the “mind to heart to will” chapter and found it a helpful representation of the conception of sin passage in James, along with practical encouragement on ...more
I especially liked the “mind to heart to will” chapter and found it a helpful representation of the conception of sin passage in James, along with practical encouragement on ...more
The Enemy Within is written with the intention of modernizing 17th Century English theologian, John Owen's, written works on the doctrine of sin. Lundgaard takes the dense writings of Owen and simplifies the concepts with modern English and everyday analogies in an attempt to familiarize the reader with the role that sin plays in the life of a Christian post-conversion.
Tackling subjects such as the indwelling nature of sin in contrast to the indwelling work of the Spirit, methods to guard one' ...more
Tackling subjects such as the indwelling nature of sin in contrast to the indwelling work of the Spirit, methods to guard one' ...more
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Favorite book this year!
This has been my favorite books this year. I highly recommend it to EVERY SINGLE BELIEVER. The nature of sin and knowing how to kill sin is an aspect of the Christian life that many do not understand. Kris Lundgaard does a fantastic job clarifying and offering practical ways in how to go about it. He is such a clear writer and goes so deep without long drawn out chapters. Truly, please pick up this book and read it.
This has been my favorite books this year. I highly recommend it to EVERY SINGLE BELIEVER. The nature of sin and knowing how to kill sin is an aspect of the Christian life that many do not understand. Kris Lundgaard does a fantastic job clarifying and offering practical ways in how to go about it. He is such a clear writer and goes so deep without long drawn out chapters. Truly, please pick up this book and read it.
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