It's Monday morning, February 3rd, and we're getting ready to kick off the 2014 conference

for pastors at the Minneapolis Convention Center this afternoon, and your purge are

greatly appreciated for the conference and for Pastor John and Sinclair Ferguson and Michael

Horton and for all the pastors that will be in town.

And your questions keep coming in, so we keep going.

Today's question is from Katie Elias, who listens in from Canada.

She writes, Pastor John, I recently read your blog post about embracing weakness as a means

to show God's strength.

How can I discern between a weakness that needs accepting and a besetting sin that needs

eradicating?

How do I know if I'm making an excuse for a besetting sin by saying it's just a natural

weakness?

Oh my, that is such a good penetrating question.

It calls for the only way I know how to make those really difficult distinctions in our

souls.

Our motivations is the revealed word of God.

And isn't it remarkable how Hebrews says that in relation to making distinctions?

Because it says in 412, Hebrews 412, the word of God is living inactive, sharper than

a two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit joints and marrow and

discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart, isn't it exactly what she's asking

about?

How can I discern my thoughts?

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