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Will the Key to Success
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show thyself a man.”
1 Kings 2:2
. To every child of humanity, the
candidate for an immortal crown, are these words of inspiration
spoken, “Be strong, and show thyself a man.”
The self-indulgent must be led to see and feel that great moral
renovation is necessary if they would be men. God calls upon them
to arouse, and in the strength of Christ win back the God-given
manhood that has been sacrificed through sinful indulgence.
He Can—He Must Resist Evil
—Feeling the terrible power of
temptation, the drawing of desire that leads to indulgence, many a
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man cries in despair, “I cannot resist evil.” Tell him that he can, that
he must resist. He may have been overcome again and again, but
it need not be always thus. He is weak in moral power, controlled
by the habits of a life of sin. His promises and resolutions are like
ropes of sand. The knowledge of his broken promises and forfeited
pledges weakens his confidence in his own sincerity, and causes him
to feel that God cannot accept him or work with his efforts. But he
need not despair.
Those who put their trust in Christ are not to be enslaved by
any hereditary or cultivated habit or tendency. Instead of being held
in bondage to the lower nature, they are to rule every appetite and
passion. God has not left us to battle with evil in our own finite
strength. Whatever may be our inherited or cultivated tendencies
to wrong, we can overcome through the power that He is ready to
impart.
The Power of the Will
—The tempted one needs to understand
the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature
of man,—the power of decision, of choice. Everything depends on
the right action of the will. Desires for goodness and purity are right,
so far as they go; but if we stop here, they avail nothing. Many will
go down to ruin while hoping and desiring to overcome their evil
propensities. They do not yield the will to God. They do not
choose
to serve Him.
We Must Choose
—God has given us the power of choice; it is
ours to exercise. We cannot change our hearts, we cannot control our
thoughts, our impulses, our affections. We cannot make ourselves
pure, fit for God’s service. But we can
choose
to serve God, we
can give Him our will; then He will work in us to will and to do