The
Enemy Does Not Give Up Easily
The Enemy Does Not Give Up Easily
By Ellen White
From
Ye Shall Receive Power, Page
348
Therefore rejoice,
ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters
of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come
down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short
time. Rev. 12:12.
Those who consecrate their all to God will not
be left unmolested by the enemy of souls. Satan will come to them with his
specious temptations, designing to allure them from their loyalty to God. He
will present to them his bribe, as he did to Christ in the wilderness of
temptation, saying, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall
down and worship me" (Matt. 4:9). {YRP 348.1}
But what should be the answer of the Christian to all the temptations of the
evil one? He should say, "I will not lend my influence in any way to the advancement of
anything save the cause of Christ. I am not my own; I have been bought with a
price. I am not to live to please myself; for I have been purchased, ransomed
by the blood of Christ. It is not possible for me to give to Christ more than
that which belongs to Him; for every moment of my life belongs to Him. I am His
possession, a servant employed to do the will of my Master." {YRP 348.2}
This is the only position that is safe for us to occupy; and if the individual
members of the church felt in this way, what a power would the church exert to
draw and win souls to Christ. It is this halfhearted work, the effort to serve God and the devil at
the same time, that leaves the church so destitute of
the Spirit of God. {YRP 348.3}
Were the members of the
church consecrated to God, were they in
the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace, were they organized for the
purpose of imparting to others an influence of good, the church would be indeed
the light of the world. Should the individual members seek to
represent Christ to the world in character and life, thousands would be
attracted to the Saviour, who now have reason to criticize the words and works
of those who profess the name of Christ. {YRP 348.4}
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us"
(2 Cor. 4:6, 7).--Home Missionary, Oct. 1, 1892. {YRP 348.5}