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The Thoughts must be Centered upon God, October 24
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for
the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1
Peter 1:13
.
A storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it?
We need not say: The perils of the last days are soon to come upon us. Already
they have come. We need now the sword of the Lord to cut to the very soul and
marrow of fleshly lusts, appetites, and passions.
Minds that have been given up to loose thought need to change. “Girding up
the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to
be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as children of obedience, not
fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance:
but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner
of living; because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy” (
1 Peter 1:13-16
,
A.R.V.). The thoughts must be centered upon God. Now is the time to put forth
earnest effort to overcome the natural tendencies of the carnal heart.
Our efforts, our self-denial, our perseverance, must be proportionate to the
infinite value of the object of which we are in pursuit. Only by overcoming as
Christ overcame shall we win the crown of life.
Man’s great danger is in being self-deceived, indulging self-sufficiency, and
thus separating from God, the source of his strength. Our natural tendencies,
unless corrected by the Holy Spirit of God, have in them the seeds of moral
death....
In order to receive help from Christ, we must realize our need. We must have
a true knowledge of ourselves. It is only he who knows himself to be a sinner that
Christ can save. Only as we see our utter helplessness and renounce all self-trust,
shall we lay hold on divine power.
It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this renunciation of self
is to be made. At every advance step heavenward it is to be renewed. All our good
works are dependent on a power outside of ourselves; therefore there needs to be a
continual reaching out of the heart after God, a constant, earnest confession of sin
and humbling of the soul before Him. Perils surround us; and we are safe only as
we feel our weakness and cling with the grasp of faith to our mighty Deliverer....
“Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in
Him” (
Proverbs 30:5
).—
Testimonies for the Church 8:315, 316
.
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