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Testimonies for the Church Volume 4
Christ’s have crucified the flesh, with its affections and lusts; but the
brutish part of your nature takes the lines of control and guides the
spiritual. This is God’s order reversed.
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Your faithfulness in labor is praiseworthy. Others in the office
would do well to imitate your example of fidelity, diligence, and
thoroughness. But you lack the graces of the Spirit of God. You are
an intelligent man, but your powers have been abused. Jesus presents
to you His grace, patience, and love. Will you accept the gift? Be
careful of your words and actions. You are sowing seed in your daily
life. Every thought, every word uttered, and every action performed,
is seed cast into the soil, which will spring up and bear fruit to life
eternal or to misery and corruption. Think, my brother, how the angels
of God look upon your sad state when you let passion control you.
And then it is written in the books of heaven. As is the seed sown, so
will be the harvest. You must reap that which you have sown.
You should control the appetite and in the name of Jesus be a
conqueror on this point. Your health may improve with correct habits.
Your nervous system is greatly shattered; but the Great Physician can
heal your body as well as your soul. Make His power your dependence,
His grace your strength, and your physical, moral, and spiritual powers
will be greatly improved. You have more to overcome than some
others, and therefore will have more severe conflicts; but Jesus will
regard your earnest efforts; He knows just how hard you have to work
to keep self under the control of His Spirit. Place yourself in the hands
of Jesus. Self-culture should be your business, with the object before
you of being a blessing to your children and to all with whom you
associate. Heaven will look with pleasure upon every victory you gain
in the work of overcoming. If you put away anger and passion, and
look unto Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of your faith, you may,
through His merits, develop a Christian character. Make a decided
change at once, and be determined that you will act a part worthy of
the intellect with which God has endowed you.
When I was shown the present condition of man in physical, men-
tal, and moral power, and what he might become through the merits
of Christ, I was astonished that he should preserve such a low level.
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Man may grow up into Christ, his living head. It is not the work of
a moment, but that of a lifetime. By growing daily in the divine life,
he will not attain to the full stature of a perfect man in Christ until his