Abstain from the passions of the flesh, which war against your soul. – 1 Peter 2:11
The general nature of indwelling sin is that it is always at enmity with us. There can be no terms of peace. It must be abolished and destroyed, every part and parcel of it. Every drop of poison is poison, and will kill; and every spark of fire is fire, and will burn. We can admit no terms of peace or compromise. It is in vain to have any expectation of rest from lust, except by its death. Some, in the troubling of their corruptions, seek for quietness and laboring to satisfy them. This is to douse a fire with oil. Casting wood into the fire will not satisfy it, but increase it: so it is with seeking to satisfy sin by sinning, it only inflames and increases it. You cannot bargain with fire to take only so much of your house; you have no way to quench it. It is so with indwelling sin. Sin opposes duty, and temps us to unbelief, because of its enmity toward God. Every act of sin is a fruit of being weary of God. The great means to prevent the fruits and effects of this enmity is to constantly keep the soul in a universally holy frame. As we are directed to ‘watch unto prayer’ (1 Peter 4:7 KJV ), So watching every duty. Whatever good we have to do, and we find evil present with us, we must prevent it from parlaying with the soul. We must prevent its insinuating poison into the mind and affections. Be sure you are not worn out by its persistence, nor driven from your hold by its importunity. Do not faint by its opposition. It is so dangerous when the soul gives over in part or in whole, either by being wearied in the battle of sin against holy duties or wearied of communion with God. Labor to possess a mind of the beauty and excellence of spiritual things – obedience, and communion with God – so that they may be presented lovely and desirable to the soul and this cursed enmity of sin will thus be weakened.
-John Owen
The Fight of Faith 