Ways Willis wages war

In pursuing holiness, I've recently been using two concrete strategies in the midst of anxiety/depressive attacks:

1. Expel the lesser love with the greater. If Jesus came back and found me longing for something that wasn't him, I wonder who'd win the shame game. I can't simply rip out a love for sin without replacing it with another object of affection lest my heart be subjected to worse (Matthew 12:43-45). It doesn't matter if the idols themselves (items, persons, or ideals) don't have malicious sentiment against me, for the sake of winning the war I must have utter hatred of them relative to Jesus' place on my heart's throne.
2. But at the moment is it hard to love Jesus over this current idol? Get foresight and look at the outcome doe. My idols want nothing but to distort all of my faculties and leave me a bloody, pitiful mess on the side of the street with all the other prostitutes (am I not a prostitute when I idolize?) This is the outcome of every idol but Jesus. We can find this in scripture but past pain should testify to this as well. 

These are ultimately gospel-centered methods - not only because Jesus told us himself to do so - because we can effectively use them in light of the good news. No longer under the power of sin are we (Romans 6:14-18)! Die die die!!

Oh baby.

So like when parents have their newborn son (isn't it true you never hear people say "newborn daughter?"), through underslept eye slits and hoarse vocal folds they'll tell you, "I can't take my eyes off him!!" A literally overused phrase that I will refuse to characterize my offspring care. I mean, they look like aliens, sure. Except it's not clear whether God has made room for aliens to exist in the heavenly realms.

Anyways, during my interview for church membership, Pastor Wanho brought up how God is constantly watchful. "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His (2 Chron. 16:9)." A human father's obsession with his child, multiply it by 144000, and you come closer -- not really -- to an unexplainable security worth rejoicing and worshiping.

Don't trust in your prayer, your (little) faith, your baptism, sacraments, good works, or your own repentance.

In everything, trust Christ alone.