Mind, Character and Personality, Volume 1 - Ellen G. White

Our only safety is to reject firmly the first
insinuation to presumption. God has given us grace
through the merits of Christ sufficient to withstand
Satan, and be more than conquerors. Resistance is
success. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.” Resistance must be firm and steadfast. We
lose all we gain if we resist today only to yield
tomorrow.—The Review and Herald, April 8,
1880. (HC 95.)
Avoiding Presumptuous Acts.—There are
those who recklessly place themselves in scenes of
danger and peril and expose themselves to
temptations, out of which it would require a
miracle of God to bring them unharmed and
untainted. These are presumptuous acts, with
which God is not pleased. Satan’s temptation to the
Saviour of the world to cast Himself from the
pinnacle of the temple was firmly met and resisted.
The archenemy quoted a promise of God as
security, that Christ might with safety do this on
the strength of the promise. Jesus met this
temptation with Scripture: “It is written, ... Thou
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” In the same way
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