We often talk about the necessity of spiritual growth, but we rarely discuss the logistics of the battle. I came across a one-year reading plan of William Gurnall’s The Christian in Complete Armour. The grand theme of this book is spiritual warfare and we are furnishing ourselves with the “spiritual arms” necessary for the daily fight. While tackling an unabridged volume of more than 1,100 pages may seem intimidating, the reading plan below makes the task far more manageable.
Sin never relaxes. It never takes a vacation. Our indwelling sin doesn’t lie down and wake up the next moment. The Puritan John Owen wrote that sin may be most active when it seems to be the most dormant to us, hence we must be vigilant and vigorous against it in our spiritual warfare at all times and in all conditions, even when there is least suspicion. As Owen famously warned, we must “be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
The reading plan (page one, page two, and page three) breaks it down into manageable chunks of reading only a few pages per day. Because it follows a 5-day-a-week reading plan, it allows two days within the week to catch up if needed or to reflect on what has been read throughout the week.
This emphasis on spiritual warfare is inseparable from the Puritan doctrine of mortification of sin. For further encouragement along these lines, see my collection Be Killing Sin or It Will Be Killing You: Puritan Quotes on Mortification, which brings together insights from John Owen, William Gurnall, Thomas Watson, and others.
Hi Jessica! This sounds like a great book, and that Owen quote is superb. Thanks for sharing both. It’s nice to know what’s out there. Keep spreading your finds! =)