Thought Habits
227
Day and night dreaming and castle-building are bad and exceed-
ingly dangerous habits. When once established, it is next to impossible
to break up such habits and direct the thoughts to pure, holy, elevated
themes. You will have to become a faithful sentinel over your eyes,
ears, and all your senses if you would control your mind and prevent
vain and corrupt thoughts from staining your soul. The power of grace
alone can accomplish this most desirable work. You are weak in this
direction.—
Testimonies for the Church 2:561
(1870).
Crowd Out the Evil With Good—Parents can choose, if they
will, whether or not their children’s minds shall be filled with pure
and holy thoughts and sentiments, but their tastes must be disciplined
and educated with the greatest care. They must commence early to
unfold the Scriptures before the expanding minds of their children
that proper habits and tastes may be formed.... The elements of evil
cannot be exterminated except by the introduction of food for pure,
[662]
solid thought.—
The Review and Herald, November 9, 1886
. (HC
202.)
Avoid Negative Thinking—As we are not our own, as we are
bought with a price, it is the duty of everyone who professes to be a
Christian to keep his thoughts under the control of reason and oblige
himself to be cheerful and happy. However bitter may be the cause
of his grief, he should cultivate a spirit of rest and quietude in God.
The restfulness which is in Christ Jesus, the peace of Christ, how
precious, how healing its influence, how soothing to the oppressed
soul! However dark his prospects, let him cherish a spirit to hope for
good. While nothing is gained by despondency, much is lost. While
cheerfulness and a calm resignation and peace will make others happy
and healthy, it will be of the greatest benefit to oneself. Sadness and
talking of disagreeable things is encouraging the disagreeable scenes,
bringing back upon oneself the disagreeable effect. God wants us to
forget all these—not look down but up, up!—Lt 1, 1883.
Peril of Dwelling on Earthly Things—If your thoughts, your
plans, your purposes, are all directed toward the accumulation of the
things of earth, your anxiety, your study, your interests, will all be
centered upon the world. The heavenly attractions will lose their
beauty.... Your heart will be with your treasure.... You will have no
time to devote to the study of the Scriptures and to earnest prayer