Lesson 4 October 21 - 27
An Ounce of Prevention
Memory Text: (Prov 16:17 NRSV) The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their way preserve their lives.
"Scripture from the NEW KINGS JAMES VERSION" Copyright © 1982: Used by permission
Sabbath Afternoon
(Prov 17:22 NKJV) A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
(1 Cor 6:19-20 NKJV) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? {20} For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
(Prov 20:1 NKJV) Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
(Prov 5:1-9 NKJV) My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding, {2} That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge. {3} For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; {4} But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. {5} Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell. {6} Lest you ponder her path of life; Her ways are unstable; You do not know them. {7} Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. {8} Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, {9} Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;
(Prov 7:1-5 NKJV) My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. {2} Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. {3} Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. {4} Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your nearest kin, {5} That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words.
(Prov 14:7 NKJV) Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
(Prov 23:17 NKJV) Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;
Sunday
Health And Temperance
(Gal 5:23 NKJV) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
(1 Cor 6:19-20 NKJV) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
{1 Cor 6:20} For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
(Prov 17:22 NKJV) A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
(Prov 18:14 NKJV) The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?
The brain nerves which communicate with the entire system are the only medium through which Heaven can communicate to man and affect his inmost life. Whatever disturbs the circulation of the electric currents in the nervous system lessens the strength of the vital powers, and the result is a deadening of the sensibilities of the mind.--Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 347. {Te 13.1}
Satan is constantly on the alert to bring the race fully under his control. His strongest hold on man is through the appetite, and this he seeks to stimulate in every possible way.--Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 150. {Te 13.2}
Satan's Scheme to Wreck the Plan of Salvation.--Satan had been at war with the government of God, since he first rebelled. His success in tempting Adam and Eve in Eden, and introducing sin into the world, had emboldened this arch foe; and he had proudly boasted to the heavenly angels that when Christ should appear, taking man's nature, He would be weaker than himself, and that he would overcome Him by his power. {Te 13.3}
He exulted that Adam and Eve in Eden could not resist his insinuations when he appealed to their appetite. The inhabitants of the old world he overcame in the same manner, through the indulgence of lustful appetite and corrupt passions. Through the gratification of appetite, he had overthrown the Israelites. {Te 13.4}
He boasted that the Son of God Himself, who was with Moses and Joshua, was not able to resist his power, and lead the favored people of His choice to Canaan; for nearly all who left Egypt died in the wilderness; also, that he had tempted (p. 14) the meek man, Moses, to take to himself glory which God claimed. David and Solomon, who had been especially favored of God, he had induced, through the indulgence of appetite and passion, to incur God's displeasure. And he boasted that he could yet succeed in thwarting the purpose of God in the salvation of man through Jesus Christ.-- Redemption; or the Temptation of Christ, page 32. {Te 13.5}
Monday
A Brawling Mocker
(Prov 20:1 NKJV) Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
(Prov 23:20-21 NKJV) Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; {21} For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
(Prov 23:29-35 NKJV) Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? {30} Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. {31} Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; {32} At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. {33} Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. {34} Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: {35} "They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?"
(Prov 31:4-5 NKJV) It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; {5} Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
God Appointed the Inclinations and Appetites.--Our natural inclinations and appetites . . were divinely appointed, and when given to man, were pure and holy. It was God's design that reason should rule the appetites, and that they should minister to our happiness. And when they are regulated and controlled by a sanctified reason, they are holiness unto the Lord.--Manuscript 47, 1896. {Te 12.1}
2. The Inception of Intemperance Satan gathered the fallen angels together to devise some way of doing the most possible evil to the human family. One proposition after another was made, till finally Satan himself thought of a plan. He would take the fruit of the vine, also wheat, and other things given by God as food, and would convert them into poisons, which would ruin man's physical, mental, and moral powers, and so overcome the senses that Satan should have full control. Under the influence of liquor, men would be led to commit crimes of all kinds. Through perverted appetite the world would be made corrupt. By leading men to drink alcohol, Satan would cause them to descend lower and lower in the scale. {Te 12.2}
Satan has succeeded in turning the world from God. The blessings provided in God's love and mercy he has turned into a deadly curse. He has filled men with a craving for liquor and tobacco. This appetite, which has no foundation in nature, has destroyed its millions.--Review and Herald, April 16, 1901. {Te 12.3}
The Secret of the Enemy's Strategy.--Intemperance of any kind benumbs the perceptive organs and so weakens the brain-nerve power that eternal things are not appreciated, but placed upon a level with the common. The higher powers of the (p. 13) mind, designed for elevated purposes, are brought into slavery to the baser passions. If our physical habits are not right, our mental and moral powers cannot be strong; for great sympathy exists between the physical and the moral.--Testimonies, vol. 3, pp. 50, 51. {Te 12.4}
Encourage Not the Desire for Stimulants.--Let every soul remember that he is under sacred obligations to God to do his best for his fellow creatures. How careful should everyone be not to create a desire for stimulants. By advising friends and neighbors to take brandy for the sake of their health, they are in danger of becoming agents for the destruction of their friends. Many incidents have come to my attention in which through some simple advice, men and women have become the slaves of the drink habit. {Te 42.1}
Physicians are responsible for making many drunkards. Knowing what drink will do for its lovers, they have taken upon themselves the responsibility of prescribing it for their patients. Did they reason from cause to effect, they would know that stimulants would have the same effect on every organ of the body as they have on the whole man. What excuse can doctors render for the influence they have exerted in making fathers and mothers drunkards?--Review and Herald, May 29, 1894. {Te 42.2}
Warned That They May Escape the Evil Results.--With the awful results of indulgence in intoxicating drink before us, how is it that any man or woman who claims to believe in the word of God, can venture to touch, taste, or handle wine or strong drink? Such a practice is certainly out of harmony with their professed faith. . . . {Te 42.3}
The Lord has given special directions in His word in reference to the use of wine and strong drink. He has forbidden their use, and enforced His prohibitions with strong warnings and threatenings. But His warning against the use of intoxicating beverages is not the result of the exercise of arbitrary authority. He has warned men, in order that they may escape from the evil that results from indulgence in wine and strong drink. . . . (p.43){Te 42.4}
Tuesday
Temptation To Sexual Lust
(Prov 5 NKJV) My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding, {2} That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge. {3} For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; {4} But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. {5} Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell. {6} Lest you ponder her path of life; Her ways are unstable; You do not know them. {7} Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. {8} Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, {9} Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one; {10} Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner; {11} And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed, {12} And say: "How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! {13} I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! {14} I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation." {15} Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. {16} Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? {17} Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. {18} Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. {19} As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love. {20} For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress? {21} For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths. {22} His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin. {23} He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
(Prov 5:3-9 NKJV) For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; {4} But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. {5} Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell. {6} Lest you ponder her path of life; Her ways are unstable; You do not know them.
{Prov 5:7-9} Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. {8} Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, {9} Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;
Wednesday
Treasure The Word
(Prov 2:10-12 NKJV) When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, {11} Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, {12} To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things,
(Prov 7:1-5 NKJV) My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. {2} Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. {3} Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. {4} Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your nearest kin, {5} That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words.
(Prov 14:16 NKJV) A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident.
(Prov 16:6 NKJV) In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.
(1 John 5:4 NKJV) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith.
(Mat 7:7-8 NKJV) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. {8} "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
(1 Th 5:18 NKJV) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(Psa 119:1-176 NKJV) Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD! {2} Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! {3} They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. {4} You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. {5} Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! {6} Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments. {7} I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. {8} I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! {9} How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. {10} With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! {11} Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! {12} Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes! {13} With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. {14} I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. {15} I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. {16} I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. {17} Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. {18} Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. {19} I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. {20} My soul breaks with longing For Your judgments at all times. {21} You rebuke the proud; the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments. {22} Remove from me reproach and contempt, For I have kept Your testimonies. {23} Princes also sit and speak against me, But Your servant meditates on Your statutes. {24} Your testimonies also are my delight And my counselors. {25} My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word. {26} I have declared my ways, and You answered me; Teach me Your statutes.
{Psa 119:27-176} Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wondrous works. {28} My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word. {29} Remove from me the way of lying, And grant me Your law graciously. {30} I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. {31} I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame! {32} I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart. {33} Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end. {34} Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. {35} Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. {36} Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. {37} Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. {38} Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You. {39} Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good. {40} Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness. {41} Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD; Your salvation according to Your word. {42} So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word. {43} And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances. {44} So shall I keep Your law continually, Forever and ever. {45} And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts. {46} I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed. {47} And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love. {48} My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes. {49} Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. {50} This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life. {51} The proud have me in great derision, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law. {52} I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD, And have comforted myself. {53} Indignation has taken hold of me Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law. {54} Your statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage. {55} I remember Your name in the night, O LORD, And I keep Your law. {56} This has become mine, Because I kept Your precepts.
{Ps 119:57-176} You are my portion, O LORD; I have said that I would keep Your words. {58} I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word. {59} I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies. {60} I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments. {61} The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law. {62} At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments. {63} I am a companion of all who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts. {64} The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes. {65} You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word. {66} Teach me good judgment and knowledge, For I believe Your commandments. {67} Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word. {68} You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes. {69} The proud have forged a lie against me, But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart. {70} Their heart is as fat as grease, But I delight in Your law. {71} It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. {72} The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver. {73} Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. {74} Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word. {75} I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. {76} Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to Your word to Your servant. {77} Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight. {78} Let the proud be ashamed, For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; But I will meditate on Your precepts. {79} Let those who fear You turn to me, Those who know Your testimonies. {80} Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, That I may not be ashamed. {81} My soul faints for Your salvation, But I hope in Your word. {82} My eyes fail from searching Your word, Saying, "When will You comfort me?" {83} For I have become like a wineskin in smoke, Yet I do not forget Your statutes. {84} How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me? {85} The proud have dug pits for me, Which is not according to Your law. {86} All Your commandments are faithful; They persecute me wrongfully; Help me! {87} They almost made an end of me on earth, But I did not forsake Your precepts. {88} Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. {89} Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. {90} Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. {91} They continue this day according to Your ordinances, For all are Your servants. {92} Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction. {93} I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have given me life. {94} I am Yours, save me; For I have sought Your precepts. {95} The wicked wait for me to destroy me, But I will consider Your testimonies. {96} I have seen the consummation of all perfection, But Your commandment is exceedingly broad. {97} Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. {98} You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. {99} I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. {100} I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts. {101} I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. {102} I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me. {103} How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! {104} Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. {105} Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. {106} I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments. {107} I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. {108} Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, And teach me Your judgments. {109} My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law. {110} The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts. {111} Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart. {112} I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, to the very end. {113} I hate the double-minded, But I love Your law. {114} You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. {115} Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God! {116} Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope. {117} Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually. {118} You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, For their deceit is falsehood. {119} You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; Therefore I love Your testimonies. {120} My flesh trembles for fear of You, And I am afraid of Your judgments.
{Ps 119:121-176} I have done justice and righteousness; Do not leave me to my oppressors. {122} Be surety for Your servant for good; Do not let the proud oppress me. {123} My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation And Your righteous word. {124} Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy, And teach me Your statutes. {125} I am Your servant; Give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies. {126} It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as void. {127} Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold! {128} Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way. {129} Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them. {130} The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. {131} I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for Your commandments. {132} Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name. {133} Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me. {134} Redeem me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Your precepts. {135} Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes. {136} Rivers of water run down from my eyes, Because men do not keep Your law. {137} Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments. {138} Your testimonies, which You have commanded, Are righteous and very faithful. {139} My zeal has consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words. {140} Your word is very pure; Therefore Your servant loves it. {141} I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts. {142} Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. {143} Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights. {144} The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live. {145} I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes. {146} I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies. {147} I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word. {148} My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word. {149} Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice. {150} They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law. {151} You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth. {152} Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever. {153} Consider my affliction and deliver me, For I do not forget Your law. {154} Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word. {155} Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes. {156} Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your judgments. {157} Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies. {158} I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, Because they do not keep Your word. {159} Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness. {160} The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. {161} Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word. {162} I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure. {163} I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law. {164} Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments. {165} Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. {166} LORD, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments. {167} My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly. {168} I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You. {169} Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word. {170} Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word. {171} My lips shall utter praise, For You teach me Your statutes. {172} My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness. {173} Let Your hand become my help, For I have chosen Your precepts. {174} I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight. {175} Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; And let Your judgments help me. {176} I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.
Thursday
Sure Defenses
(Prov 14:7 NKJV) Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
(Prov 16:29-30 NKJV) A violent man entices his neighbor, And leads him in a way that is not good. {30} He winks his eye to devise perverse things; He purses his lips and brings about evil.
(Prov 22:24-25 NKJV) Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, {25} Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.
(2 Cor 6:14 NKJV) Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
(Prov 23:17 NKJV) Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;
(1 Cor 10:13 NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan. But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end. {DA 324.1}
"The last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so," said Jesus, "shall it be also unto this wicked generation." There are none so hardened as those who have slighted the invitation of mercy, and done despite to the Spirit of grace. The most common manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit is in persistently slighting Heaven's invitation to repent. Every step in the rejection of Christ is a step toward the rejection of salvation, and toward the sin against the Holy Spirit. {DA 324.2}
In rejecting Christ the Jewish people committed the unpardonable sin; and by refusing the invitation of mercy, we may commit the same (p. 325) error. We offer insult to the Prince of life, and put Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan and before the heavenly universe when we refuse to listen to His delegated messengers, and instead listen to the agents of Satan, who would draw the soul away from Christ.
The Desire of Ages, p. 324 (continued)
So long as one does this, he can find no hope or pardon, and he will finally lose all desire to be reconciled to God. {DA 324.3}
Friday
(Psa 44:5-8 NKJV) Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. {6} For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me. {7} But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us. {8} In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah
(Rom 6:1-14 NKJV) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? {2} Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? {3} Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? {4} Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. {5} For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, {6} knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. {7} For he who has died has been freed from sin. {8} Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, {9} knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. {10} For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. {11} Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. {12} Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. {13} And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. {14} For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
(Rom 8:37 NKJV) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
(Jude 1:24-25 NKJV) Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, {25} To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
Fundamental of Christian Education, pp. 77 - 81(not included with lesson help)
The law of temperance must control the life of every Christian. God is to be in all our thoughts; His glory is ever to be kept in view. We must break away from every influence that would captivate our thoughts and lead us from God. We are under sacred obligations to God so to govern our bodies and rule our appetites and passions that they will not lead us away from purity and holiness, or take our minds from the work God requires us to do. Read Romans 12:1. {CH 42.1}
Adherence to a Simple Diet If ever there was a time when the diet should be of the most simple kind, it is now. Meat should not be placed before our children. Its influence is to excite and strengthen the lower passions and has a tendency to deaden the moral powers. Grains and fruits prepared free from grease, and in as natural a condition as possible, should be the food for the tables of all who claim to be preparing for translation to heaven. The less feverish the diet, the more easily can the passions be controlled.
Counsel on Health, p. 42 (continued)
Gratification of taste should not be consulted irrespective of physical, intellectual, or moral health. {CH 42.2}
Indulgence of the baser passions will lead very many to shut their eyes to the light; for they fear that they will see sins which they are unwilling to forsake. All may see if they will. If they choose darkness rather than light, their criminality will be none the less. Why do not men and women read and become intelligent upon these things, which so decidedly affect their physical, intellectual, and moral strength?--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 352 (1869). (p.43) {CH 42.3}
Of all the lessons to be learned from our Lord's first great temptation none is more important than that bearing upon the control of the appetites and passions. In all ages, temptations appealing to the physical nature have been most effectual in corrupting and degrading mankind. Through intemperance, Satan works to destroy the mental and moral powers that God gave to man as a priceless endowment. Thus it becomes impossible for men to appreciate things of eternal worth. Through sensual indulgence, Satan seeks to blot from the soul every trace of likeness to God. {DA 122.1}
The uncontrolled indulgence and consequent disease and degradation that existed at Christ's first advent will again exist, with intensity of evil, before His second coming. Christ declares that the condition of the world will be as in the days before the Flood, and as in Sodom and Gomorrah. Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart will be evil continually. Upon the very verge of that fearful time we are now living, and to us should come home the lesson of the Saviour's fast. Only by the inexpressible anguish which Christ endured can we estimate the evil of unrestrained indulgence. His example declares that our only hope of eternal life is through bringing the appetites and passions into subjection to the will of God. {DA 122.2}
In our own strength it is impossible for us to deny the clamors of our fallen nature. Through this channel Satan will bring temptation upon us. Christ knew that the enemy would come to every human being, to take advantage of hereditary weakness, and by his false insinuations to ensnare all whose trust is not in God. And by passing over the ground which (p. 123) man must travel, our Lord has prepared the way for us to overcome. It is not His will that we should be placed at a disadvantage in the conflict with Satan. He would not have us intimidated and discouraged by the assaults of the serpent. "Be of good cheer," He says; "I have overcome the world." John 16:33. {DA 122.3}
(Psa 119:28-40 NKJV) My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word. {29} Remove from me the way of lying, And grant me Your law graciously. {30} I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. {31} I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame! {32} I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart. {33} Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end. {34} Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. {35} Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. {36} Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. {37} Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. {38} Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You. {39} Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good. {40} Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.
(Mark 5:18-20 NKJV) And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. {19} However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." {20} And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
(Rom 7:18-20 NKJV) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. {19} For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. {20} Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
(Gal 6:3-5 NKJV) For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. {4} But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. {5} For each one shall bear his own load.
(Psa 121 NKJV) I will lift up my eyes to the hills; From whence comes my help? {2} My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. {3} He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. {4} Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. {5} The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. {6} The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. {7} The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. {8} The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.
(Prov 28:13-14 NKJV) He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. {14} Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
(Psa 32:1 NKJV) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
(Phil 4:6-9 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; {7} and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. {8} Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things. {9} The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
(Acts 2:21 NKJV) And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.'
(Mark 14:38 NKJV) "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(1 Th 5:15 NKJV) See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
(Rom 12:9 NKJV) Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
(Rom 12:14 NKJV) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
(Rom 12:17 NKJV) Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.