Discussing Assurance - Failure to distinguish between Temptation & Sin

Continuing the series on issues that may cause a lack of assurance of peace with God we look today at distinguishing between temptation & sin:
(For more information on this series go here)
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Here's what Patton says:

Not distinguishing between the temptations of Satan and your sins.
The devil will tempt you, even though you are a Christian, yea, because you are a Christian. He tempted Christ Himself, and you cannot prevent his suggesting wicked thoughts to your mind. Spurgeon says you cannot prevent the crows from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.

Let us ever keep in mind that we have a wicked nature in us, which makes these temptations most dangerous. If our hearts go out towards the temptation, and we love the wickedness suggested, and think over it, and dwell on it, it becomes sin; and this is too often the case. Then we need to confess our sin, and to ask God for Christ's sake to forgive us, and to keep us from it in future; and we should believe that blessed promise:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1: 9)

Yes; we should believe that we are forgiven, because God says it, and walk before Him as a forgiven child. Let us take care, however, not to abuse this blessed promise, and use it as an encouragement to go on in sin, and thus make a false use of the blood of sprinkling. We shall soon lose assurance if we do.

But if our souls hate the wicked thoughts suggested, and we fly away to Christ, and trust Him to deliver us from the evil, He will do it, and the temptation will not be followed by sin.

One of the most godly young men I ever knew told me that he believed a hundred wicked, blasphemous thoughts came into his mind one day in an hour, that his soul hated them, and he went to the corner of a field, and lay down and called upon Jesus to deliver him from them.

Now these "fiery darts" came from the Wicked One; and yet the devil suggested to this young man: "You a Christian, and these thoughts coming into your mind! You are no Christian." And the young man was almost persuaded that he was not.

Again, the devil sometimes tries to make Christians believe that God is a dreadfully hard taskmaster, and that He demands things which He does not demand at all, and when they do not do these things, they think that they are not Christians.

He tries to make them think that if they are Christians, they must never smile, nor wear a decent bit of dress, and that they must speak to every human being they meet about Christ, and that unless they have Christ in their mind every moment, they cannot be Christians.

He does like to discourage them, and to take away their peace and joy. Let us not be ignorant of his devices.
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