For those sins that so easily beset us

John Piper offers a solution to “sin that easily besets us in the form of an acronym: ANTHEM

A– avoid sights and situations that arouse unfitting desires. Prevent what fuels your appetite for sin.

N– say NO to every lustful thought within five seconds. In the first two seconds shout “No, get out of my head!” In the next two, cry out, “Oh God, in the name of Jesus, help me. Save me now. I am yours.” Say it out loud. The Puritan writer John Owen said, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”

T– turn the mind forcefully towards Christ. Attack sin with the promises of Christ.

H– Hold the promise and pleasure of Christ firmly in mind. For how long? Until it pushes other images out. Hold it. Don’t let it go. Hold it until you win!

E– enjoy a superior satisfaction: Pleasure in Christ. If you have little taste for Jesus, competing pleasures will triumph.

M– move into useful activity, away form idleness and other vulnerable behaviors. Abound in the work of the Lord (see 1 Cor. 15:58). Replace deceitful lusts with a passion for good deeds.