Chapter 93—Brings Peace and Rest
The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest.... There is no
peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Isaiah 57:20, 21
.
Sin has destroyed our peace. While self is unsubdued, we can find no
rest. The masterful passions of the heart no human power can control. We
are as helpless here as were the disciples to quiet the raging storm [
Matthew
8:23-27
]. But He who spoke peace to the billows of Galilee, has spoken the
word of peace for every soul. However fierce the tempest, those who turn to
Jesus ... will find deliverance. His grace ... quiets the strife of human passion,
and in His love the heart is at rest.
For every soul struggling to rise from a life of sin to a life of purity, the
great element of power abides in the only “name under heaven given among
men, whereby we must be saved” (
Acts 4:12
).... The only remedy for vice
is the grace and power of Christ. The good resolutions made in one’s own
strength avail nothing.
Every unholy passion must be kept under the control of sanctified
reason through the grace abundantly bestowed of God. We are living
in an atmosphere of satanic witchery. The enemy will weave a spell of
licentiousness around every soul that is not barricaded by the grace of Christ.
Temptations will come; but if we watch against the enemy, and maintain the
balance of self-control and purity, the seducing spirits will have no influence
over us. Those who do nothing to encourage temptation will have strength to
withstand it when it comes; but those who keep themselves in an atmosphere
of evil will have only themselves to blame if they are overcome and fall from
their steadfastness....
Men and women are to watch themselves; they are to be constantly on
guard, allowing no word or act that would cause their good to be evil spoken
of. He who professes to be a follower of Christ is to watch himself, keeping
himself pure and undefiled in thought, word, and deed. His influence upon
others is to be uplifting. His life is to reflect the bright beams of the Sun of
Righteousness.... Eternal vigilance is the price of safety.
[102]
148