Worldly Ambition
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you have mingled with the world and imbibed its spirit. My brother,
you must be born again. A mere form of Christianity is not of the
least value. It is destitute of saving power, having in it no reformative
energy. A religion which is confined to Sabbath worship emits no rays
of light to others. I entreat you to examine your own heart closely. You
have a combative, contentious spirit, and you are cultivating instead
of repressing that spirit. You should make a decided change, and
cultivate meekness, faith, humility, and love. Your soul is in peril;
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you will surely be subject to the strong delusions of Satan unless
you stop where you are and press against the current of worldliness
and ambition. Your relations with the world must be changed, and a
decided separation must take place. The positions which you occupy,
which are continually opening to you doors of temptation, must be
given up. Avoid politics; shun contention. Keep clear of every office
which would encourage those traits in your character that need to be
battled down and overcome.
My brother, you must make a strong, decided effort, or you will
never be able to cast off the works of darkness. Satan looks upon you
as his own. When you listen to the testimonies of God’s servants, as
at the late camp meeting, you are deeply convicted. But you do not
respond to the impressions of the Spirit of God; and as you mingle
with worldlings you drink in their spirit and are borne down by the
worldly current, having no moral power to resist its influence. You
become one with the world-loving, and your spirit is worse than theirs,
for your choice is voluntary. You love the praise of men, and you
love worldly possessions above Jesus. The love of mammon has been
woven into every fiber of your being and has become all-absorbing.
To eradicate it will be like plucking out the right eye or cutting off the
right arm. But I speak to you as one who knows: Unless you overcome
this intense love of money, it will cost you your soul’s salvation, and
then it would have been better for you had you never been born.
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Just as far as you love and
cherish the spirit of the world you will have a spirit of defiance and will
question and find fault with those who bring you the message of truth.
You will deride the truth, and will become a false witness, an accuser
of the brethren. The talents given you of God to be improved to His
glory will be actively employed against His work and cause. There
is no concord between Christ and Belial. You have already chosen
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