Sin, Temptation

First, look for a sense of inevitability about the sin. If this lust has long lain in the heart, corrupting it, and its power and prevalence have been allowed to develop without strong efforts to deal with it, then such a soul sickness becomes serious. Perhaps it has been permitted through worldliness, ambition, or even studies, to dominate over other duties for a long time – especially over communion with God. - John Owen, Sin and Temptation, 169.