Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2 - Ellen G. White

There are three watchwords in the Christian
life, which must be heeded if we would not have
Satan steal a march upon us; namely, Watch, pray,
work. Prayer and watching thereunto are necessary
for advancement in the divine life. Never was there
a time in your history more important than the
present. Your only safety is to live like a
watchman. Watch and pray always. Oh, what a
preventive against yielding to temptation and
falling into the snares of the world! How earnestly
should you have been at work the past few years,
when your influence was extensive.
Dear sister, the praise of men and the flattery
current in the world have had greater influence
upon you than you have been aware of. You have
not been improving your talents—putting them out
to the exchangers. You are naturally affectionate
and generous. These traits of character have been
exercised to a degree, but not as much as God
requires. Merely possessing these excellent gifts is
not enough; God requires them to be kept in
constant exercise; for through them He blesses
504