Hold Fast, November 14

Victory in the Conflict Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Revelation 3:11. Decisions may be made in a moment that fix one's condition forever.... But remember, it would take the work of a lifetime to recover what a moment of yielding to temptation and thoughtlessness throws away.... By a momentary act of will you may place yourself in the power of Satan, but it will require more than a momentary act of will to break his fetters and reach for a higher, holier life. The purpose may be formed, the work begun, but its accomplishment will require toil, time, and perseverance, patience, and sacrifice. The man who deliberately wanders from God in the full blaze of light will find, when he wishes to set his face to return, that briars and thorns have grown up in his path, and he must not be surprised or discouraged if he is compelled to travel long with torn and bleeding feet. The most fearful and most to be dreaded evidence of man's fall from a better state is the fact that it costs so much to get back. The way of return can be gained only by hard fighting, inch by inch, every hour.... Those who win heaven will put forth their noblest efforts and will labor with all long-suffering, that they may reap the fruit of toil. There is a hand that will open wide the gates of Paradise to those who have stood the test of temptation and kept a good conscience by giving up the world, its honors, its applause, for the love of Christ, thus confessing Him before men and waiting with all patience for Him to confess them before His Father and the holy angels.34Notebook Leaflets from the Elmshaven Library 1:74. Keep the conscience tender, that you may hear the faintest whisper of the voice that spake as never man spake.35Manuscript 121, 1898.