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in the best condition for His service and glory. Your bodies are not
your own.—
Testimonies for the Church 2:352
(1885).
(C) Balance and Victory
(Words of Promise and Hope)
Sincere Repentance and Determined Effort Necessary—Those
who corrupt their own bodies cannot enjoy the favor of God until they
sincerely repent, make an entire reform, and perfect holiness in the
fear of the Lord.—AM 29 (1864).
The only hope for those who practice vile habits is to forever leave
them if they place any value upon health here and salvation hereafter.
When these habits have been indulged in for quite a length of time, it
requires a determined effort to resist temptation and refuse the corrupt
indulgence.—AM 27 (1864).
Control the Imagination—The imagination must be positively
and persistently controlled if the passions and affections are made
subject to reason, conscience, and character.—
Testimonies for the
Church 2:562
(1870).
Subordinated to God’s Will—All who have any true sense of
what is embraced in being a Christian know that the followers of
Christ are under obligation as His disciples to bring all their passions,
their physical powers and mental faculties into perfect subordination
to His will. Those who are controlled by their passions cannot be
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followers of Christ. They are too much devoted to the service of their
master, the originator of every evil, to leave their corrupt habits and
choose the service of Christ.—AM 9, 10, 1864. (
Child Guidance, 445,
446
.)
Thoughts a Crucial Factor—Impure thoughts lead to impure
actions. If Christ be the theme of contemplation, the thoughts will
be widely separated from every subject which will lead to impure
acts. The mind will strengthen by dwelling upon elevating subjects.
If trained to run in the channel of purity and holiness, it will become
healthy and vigorous. If trained to dwell upon spiritual themes, it will
naturally take that turn. But this attraction of the thoughts to heavenly
things cannot be gained without the exercise of faith in God and an
earnest, humble reliance upon Him for that strength and grace which