Religion in the Daily Life
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might be kept from sinful influences if they were surrounded with
good associations and had words of kindness and love spoken to them.
My dear brother, I hope you will not become discouraged because
your feelings so often master you when your way or will is crossed.
Never despond. Flee to the Stronghold. Watch and pray, and try again.
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and
He will draw nigh to you.”
Upon another point be guarded. You are not at all times as cautious
as you should be to abstain from the very appearance of evil. You are in
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danger of being too familiar with the sisters, of talking with them in a
light and foolish way. This will injure your influence. Guard carefully
all these points; watch against the first approach of the tempter. You
are highly nervous and excitable. Tea has an influence to excite the
nerves, and coffee benumbs the brain; both are highly injurious. You
should be careful of your diet. Eat the most wholesome, nourishing
food, and keep yourself in a calm state of mind, where you will not
become so excited and fly into a passion.
You can be of great service in the office, for you can fill a place of
importance if you will become transformed; but as you now are you
will certainly fail of doing what you might do. I have been shown that
you are rough and coarse in your feelings. These need to be softened,
refined, elevated. In all your course of action you should discipline
yourself to habits of self-control. With the spirit you now possess you
can never enter heaven.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God.” Can any human dignity
equal this? What higher position can we occupy than to be called the
sons of the infinite God? You would be ready to do some great thing
for the Master; but the very things which would please Him most, you
do not do. Will you not be faithful in overcoming self, that you may
have the peace of Christ and an indwelling Saviour?
Your afflicted son needs to be dealt with calmly and tenderly; he
needs your compassion. He should not be exposed to your insane
temper and unreasonable demands. You must reform in respect to the
spirit you manifest. Ungovernable passion will not be subdued in a
moment; but your lifework is before you to rid the garden of the heart
of the poisonous weeds of impatience, faultfinding, and an overbearing
disposition. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” They that are