Counseling
315
The atmosphere of your homes will be carried with you to the office,
and heavenly peace will surround your souls. Wherever the love of
Jesus reigns, there is pitying tenderness and thoughtfulness of others.
The most precious work that my brethren can engage in is that of
cultivating a Christlike character.—
Testimonies for the Church 5:558,
559
(1889).
Lead to Fountains of Living Water—He who seeks to quench
his thirst at the fountains of this world will drink only to thirst again.
Everywhere men are unsatisfied. They long for something to supply
the need of the soul. Only One can meet that want. The need of the
world, “the Desire of all nations,” is Christ. The divine grace which
He alone can impart, is as living water, purifying, refreshing, and
invigorating the soul.—
The Desire of Ages, 187
(1898).
Understanding the Worldly Point of View—An enlightened
judgment compels us to acknowledge that heavenly things are su-
perior to the things of earth, and yet the depraved heart of man leads
him to give precedence to the things of the world. The opinions of
[774]
great men, the theories of science, falsely so called, are blended with
the truths of Holy Writ.—
The Review and Herald, November 24, 1891
.
The Great Counselor—Come to God with all your needs. Don’t
go to others with your trials and temptations; God alone can help you.
If you fulfill the conditions of God’s promises, the promises will be
fulfilled to you. If your mind is stayed upon God, you will not go
from a state of ecstasy to the valley of despondency when trial and
temptation come upon you. You will not talk doubt and gloom to
others. You will not say, “I do not know about this or that. I do not
feel happy. I am not sure that we have the truth.” You will not do this,
for you will have an anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast.
When we talk discouragement and gloom, Satan listens with
fiendish joy, for it pleases him to know that he has brought you into his
bondage. Satan cannot read our thoughts, but he can see our actions,
hear our words; and from his long knowledge of the human family,
he can shape his temptations to take advantage of our weak points of
character. And how often do we let him into the secret of how he may
obtain the victory over us. Oh, that we might control our words and
actions! How strong we would become if our words were of such an
order that we would not be ashamed to meet the record of them in the
day of judgment. How different will they appear in the day of God