Stupified

I've been reading Jonathan Edwards on Knowing Christ, a collection of sermons by Jonathan Edwards, and came across this passage from the sermon "God Makes Men Sensible of Their Misery":

There is much in your own heart, which tends to stupify you. It is the natural tendency of sin and lust, to stupify the conscience. And as corruption is reigning as yet in your heart, it will ever be ready to exert itself in such acts, as will have a great tendency to drive away your convictions. And Satan is doubtless diligently watching over you, striving in all ways to abate, and to take off, your convictions. He joins in with the sloth and lusts of your heart to persuade to negligence, and to turn your mind to other things. And the world is full of objects, which tend to take off your mind from the soul’s concern, and are constantly, as it were, endeavouring to take possession of your mind, and to drive out the concerns of another world.

Now the context of this passage deals with unbelievers coming to Christ and how they are distracted and pulled away by various things, but it struck me how applicable it is to Christians too. Two points I see worth dwelling on:

1. Sin deadens your spiritual senses, leaving you to walk blind and deaf in the world. The Spirit is unlikely to be heard when you've stopped up your ears because of sin.

2. There are lots of good (or not bad) things in this world that can distract us from the important matter of spiritual growth. I've found this many times myself lately when I feel I should be studying or reading something, but choose to watch TV instead. We can turn a "good" thing into a "bad" thing if we choose it instead of the things we know God want us to do.