Character Formation
141
Slander can be lived down by our manner of living; it is not lived down
by words of indignation. Let our great anxiety be to act in the fear of
God and show by our conduct that these reports are false.
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No one can injure our character as much as [we] ourselves. It
is the weak trees and the tottering houses that need to be constantly
propped. When we show ourselves so anxious to protect our reputation
against attacks from the outside, we give the impression that it is not
blameless before God and that it needs therefore to be continually
bolstered up.—MS 24, 1887. (3 BC 1160, 1161.)
Controlled by Will—You cannot control your impulses, your
emotions, as you may desire, but you can control the will, and you can
make an entire change in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ,
your life will be hid with Christ in God and allied to the power which
is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from
God that will hold you fast to His strength; and a new light, even the
light of living faith, will be possible to you....There will be in you a
power, an earnestness, and a simplicity that will make you a polished
instrument in the hands of God.—
Testimonies for the Church 5:514,
515
(1889).
Defects Can Be Overcome—Let no one say, I cannot remedy my
defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail
of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will.
If you will not, then you can not overcome. The real difficulty arises
from the corruption of an unsanctified heart and an unwillingness to
submit to the control of God.—
Christ’s Object Lessons, 331
(1900).
To the heart that has become purified, all is changed. Transfor-
mation of character is the testimony to the world of an indwelling
Christ. The Spirit of God produces a new life in the soul, bringing
the thoughts and desires into obedience to the will of Christ; and the
inward man is renewed in the image of God. Weak and erring men
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and women show to the world that the redeeming power of grace can
cause the faulty character to develop into symmetry and abundant
fruitfulness.—
Prophets and Kings, 233
(1917).
Defective Characters Sometimes Inherited—There are all kinds
of characters to deal with in the children and youth, and their minds
are impressionable. Many of the children who attend our schools have
not had proper training at home. Some have been left to do as they
pleased; others have been found fault with and discouraged. Very little