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Temperance
Those who indulge a perverted appetite, do it to the injury of
health and intellect. They cannot appreciate the value of spiritual
things. Their sensibilities are blunted, and sin does not appear
very sinful, and truth is not regarded of greater value than earthly
treasure.—
Spiritual Gifts 4a:129
.
Less Susceptible to Holy Spirit’s Influence
—To a user of stim-
ulants, everything seems insipid without the darling indulgence. This
deadens the natural sensibilities of both body and mind, and renders
him less susceptible to the influence of the Holy Spirit. In the ab-
sence of the usual stimulant, he has a hungering of body and soul,
not for righteousness, not for holiness, not for God’s presence, but
for his cherished idol. In the indulgence of hurtful lusts, professed
Christians are daily enfeebling their powers, making it impossible
to glorify God.—
The Sanctified Life, 25
.
Fosters Desire for Stronger Stimulants
—By the use of tea and
coffee an appetite is formed for tobacco, and this encourages the
appetite for liquors.—
Testimonies for the Church 3:563
.
Some Have Backslidden
—Some have backslidden and tam-
pered with tea and coffee. Those who break the laws of health will
become blinded in their minds and break the law of God.—
The
Review and Herald, October 21, 1884
.
God’s People Must Overcome
—Those who have received in-
struction regarding the evils of the use of flesh foods, tea and coffee,
and rich and unhealthful food preparations, and who are determined
to make a covenant with God by sacrifice, will not continue to in-
dulge their appetite for food that they know to be unhealthful. God
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demands that the appetites be cleansed, and that self-denial be prac-
ticed in regard to those things which are not good. This is a work
that will have to be done before His people can stand before Him a
perfected people.—
Testimonies for the Church 9:153, 154
.
Determined Perseverance Will Bring Victory
—Those who
use these slow poisons, like the tobacco user, think they cannot live
without them, because they feel so very bad when they do not have
these idols.
Why they suffer when they discontinue the use of these stimu-
lants, is because they have been breaking down nature in her work of
preserving the entire system in harmony and in health. They will be
troubled with dizziness, headache, numbness, nervousness, and irri-