Counsel to those new in the faith

I would like to address those of you who have come to a knowledge of the truth. You are young in the faith, and there is a great need for you to walk humbly with God. You must learn daily in the "School of Christ" by dwelling particularly—through meditation and conversation—upon the lessons He gave to His disciples. Walk with all humility of mind, distrustful of self and seeking wisdom from the God of wisdom. Ensure that all your ways and methods are in firm and close connection with the will of God so that there may be no confusion.

We must never forget how difficult it is to remove long-cherished errors from the minds of men, especially those taught from childhood. Bear in mind that earth is not heaven; there will be discouragements to meet and overcome. However, forbearance, tenderness, and pity should be exercised toward all who are in darkness. If we are to bring them to the light, it will not be solely through arguments. It must be through the work of the grace of Christ in your own heart, revealed in your character with firmness, yet with the meekness and simplicity of Christ.

Through much prayer, you must labor for souls, for this is the only method by which you can reach hearts. It is not your work, but the work of Christ by your side that impresses the heart.

Be determined that you will not be at variance among yourselves. Instead, let the peace of Christ reside in your own hearts; then, it will be an easy task to bring that peace into your own families. When the garden of the heart is neglected, poisonous weeds of pride, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency obtain a rank growth. We must individually "watch unto prayer."

The Responsibility of the Husband

The husband bears a great responsibility. The characters we form will speak loudly in our home life. If there is a sweet accord in the home circle, the angels of God may minister there. If there is wise management at home—kindness, meekness, and forbearance combined with firm principles—then be assured that the husband is a true "house-band." He binds the family together with holy chords and presents them to God, binding himself with them upon the altar of God. What a light shines forth from such a family!

A family that is properly conducted is a favorable argument for the truth. The head of such a family will carry out the very same kind of work in the church as is revealed in the family. Wherever severity, harshness, or a lack of affection are exhibited in the sacred circle of the home, there will assuredly be a failure in the plans and management of the church. Unity in the home and unity in the church reveal Christ’s manner and grace more than any sermon or argument.

Is the advanced truth we have received producing in our hearts the fruits of patience, faith, hope, and charity? Is it leaving a saving influence upon human minds, revealing that we are branches of the True Vine (Jesus Christ) because we bear the rich clusters of the Fruit of the Spirit?

Letter 6b, 1890.

A safe place : grab hold of the Lord

 In a world of uncertainty, we are all in need of something certain—something we can grab hold of. This world is chaotic, and things can change in a heartbeat. In the midst of such turmoil, we all search for security; we look for someone or something that will provide peace and certainty.

For many, that "someone" was a parent. As a child, a parent's arms were our safe place. When we cried, a loving parent rushed to hold us, soothe us, and let us know: "I am here; do not be afraid. You are safe." In childhood, we held onto our parents, and they provided a sanctuary and cared for our every need.

For many of us, the last time we truly experienced a "safe place" was in childhood. As we started school, we began to realize we were no longer the center of everyone’s world. Other children made fun of us; parents had less time for us and eventually began to ignore our tears. Consequently, many of us began to drift into darkness, loneliness, rejection, and anxiety. We started to think, "Unless I grab hold of something sure—unless I find a safe place in life—I will sink into despair and be a nobody."

It is at that time we begin searching for ways to "make a name" for ourselves. We ask: How can I become important again, like I was as a baby to my parents? What can I hold onto so I don’t drift into the abyss?

Different suggestions come our way:

• Good Grades: "They will make your parents and teachers love you."

• Popularity: "It will make your peers accept you."

• Gangs: "You will finally be part of a brotherhood."

• Pleasure: "It will numb your anxieties."

• Romantic Partners: "They will love you for exactly who you are."

• Money: "It will buy you security and status."

We put all our energy into grabbing these things, only to find they are like broken cords. We hold onto a romantic partner, only to find we are not their priority. We reach for fame, only to find it is fleeting. We achieve good grades, only to realize our parents are still unsatisfied. We hoard money, only to find we are constantly afraid of losing it. Everything we grasp for security proves futile, leaving us in a state of constant stress and fear.

There is only one truly safe place in this world, and only one way to find perfect peace: grabbing hold of the Lord Jehovah. The Lord is never too busy to pay attention to your cry. If you are His child, you are the apple of His eye. For the Lord, you are the center of His world; Jesus would have given His life to save just you. Your wellbeing and your salvation are His priorities. He will make you "famous" throughout the universe, for He calls you His own. You can join His "brotherhood," and His angels will encamp around you.

The Lord Jesus is a strong tower into which the righteous run and are safe. He is the heavenly currency that never fails. He is the Rock of Ages upon which you can lay the foundation of your life. He is the ultimate partner who loves you with an everlasting love—the only One who knows the good, the bad, and the ugly about you, yet will never leave nor forsake you.

In a world of chaos, Jesus is the only stability. In a world of uncertainty, He is the only certainty. Lay hold of Him by faith, and you will find hope and security.

Friends, let us do everything in our power to wrestle with God in prayer. Let us study His Word daily and share our anxieties, sorrows, and fears with Him. Let us hold onto Him and say, like Jacob, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." Grab hold of the Lord for all your needs, and He will keep you in perfect peace.

Sexual sins will ruin you

 Sex connects you at a spiritual level with another person. When performed within marriage, it connects you with your spouse and glorifies God. However, when done outside of marriage, it not only ties you to that person but also invites the influence of spirits that encourage immoral acts. Sexual sin is one of the fastest ways to connect oneself with the enemy. After all, sex is an act of worship, and sexual sin brings darkness into your most intimate union.

Sexual sin establishes a deep spiritual bond with the first person you sleep with. This is why breaking up with that first person can have such a devastating impact on you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. You may feel as if you are being torn apart—as if you are losing a part of yourself. The truth is, you are losing a part of yourself.

There are laws established by God that are as inescapable as gravity. God declared that "the two shall become one flesh." The sexual act brings two people into a union; therefore, separation is always devastating and long-lasting.

After you break up with your first partner, it often becomes harder to truly connect with the next person, even as it becomes "easier" to sleep with others. Your moral perceptions weaken, and the power of the enemy in your life grows stronger. This is why "love" becomes harder to find and relationships become more difficult. People become frustrated and move from one relationship to the next, increasing their spiritual ties with others and "breaking apart" their own souls. This leads to depression, anxiety, and various illnesses as the power of these forces increases within their inner lives.

By the time a person who has practiced sexual sin is ready to get married, they are often already broken. The seeds of a fractured marriage have already been sown. In marriage, it becomes harder to connect with a spouse because you are already fragmented by connections with so many others, making you more vulnerable to adultery. Sexual sin ruins you. This is why marriage is so broken in our society today; it has reduced many to shells of human beings who have nothing left of themselves to give to their spouse.

While sexual sin will ruin you, God can restore you. Friends, the ways of the Lord are meant for your protection and welfare. Sex is designed exclusively for marriage, and only there can you enjoy its true blessings. Any intimacy outside of marriage will ruin you in one way or another by tying you spiritually to darkness.

But God can break you free.

• Bring your past before the Lord: Ask Him to heal you.

• Ask for freedom: Pray that the Lord breaks you free from any immoral lifestyle and gives you the power to overcome.

• Seek self-control: Sexual sin reveals a lack of self-control; ask God to provide this fruit of the Spirit, as its absence will destroy a marriage.

In 1 Corinthians 6:18, it says, "Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body." This is because the body is intended to be a Temple of the Holy Spirit; sexual sin attempts to turn that temple into something else.

Many still carry ties from past sins. Let us confess these before the Lord and ask for victory. Our society is descending into madness as more people get entangled in immorality, and Satan is destroying them mentally, spiritually, and physically. Let us not be stubborn like the majority; let us "flee from sexual immorality" and pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

As the world drowns in marital breakdown and misery, let us return to the Lord. Let us ask Him for the power to break every evil tie and cause us to cling to Him alone—and to cleave to our spouses as God intended.

Flee from immorality, break the ties with darkness, and cling to Jesus.

The Lord God will help me

 Children never ask their parents to be created. You have never heard a child say, "Parents, please make me." It would be a nonsensical statement. Because it is the parents who decide to bring children into the world, it is their fundamental responsibility to take care of the fruit of the womb. A parent who brings a child into this world and refuses to care for them is a wicked parent.

In our society, many people are "giving birth like rabbits," living for themselves while neglecting their children. They leave the burden to grandparents or the government. These are irresponsible and selfish parents. It is better not to have children at all than to bring them into the world and refuse to help them.

However, there comes a time when a child thinks they are "grown" and no longer need a parent’s help. Some want nothing to do with their family; they want total independence to do as they please. In such cases, there is nothing a parent can do but let the child go their own way.

God is the Supreme Parent—the Father of us all. You and I never asked God to create us or bring us into this world; the Lord brought us here by His own will. While many do not survive the womb or infancy, the Lord has allowed you and me to have life.

Therefore, as our Supreme Parent, it is the Lord’s responsibility to take care of us. Because the Lord is my Father and I am His child, I will go to Him for all my needs. He is not like a selfish earthly parent; He is ever-ready to help those who call upon Him.

Because the Lord is my Father, He will help me. In the difficulties of life, I will call upon Him:

• When I am sick, I will call upon the Lord.

• When I cannot pay my bills, I will call upon the Lord.

• When I face a difficult exam or problems at work, I will call upon the Lord.

• When my car breaks down or my relationships are failing, I will call upon the Lord.

• Most importantly, in my struggles with sin and worldliness, I will call upon the Lord.

I will call upon Him in my hour of need because He is a loving Father with tender mercies and compassion for His children. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and the downtrodden. His hand is not "too short to save," nor is He weary of helping.

However, the Lord cannot help those who think they are too "grown" or independent. Those who believe they can handle life on their own will find no help from the Lord, for they have chosen to be independent of Him. God will not force Himself upon those who think they don’t need Him.

No prayer means no help. Those who refuse to call upon the Lord are essentially claiming to be self-sufficient. Many people carry heavy burdens, full of anxiety and stress, simply because they will not bring those burdens to Jesus. Pride keeps them from kneeling to ask for help. Many are perishing while Jesus stands near, ready to save.

Friends, God is your Father. He made you out of love and for a specific purpose. Therefore, no matter what you are going through—big or small, light or darkness—call upon the Lord, and He will surely help you.

As the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 50:7:

"For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed."

Call upon the Lord today.

God is faithful and true

 God is faithful and true. In a world of falsehood and unfaithfulness, you can always put your trust in the Lord. People often say one thing and do another, but you can always rely on God to do exactly what He says. God cannot lie, and His Word is certain. Even if you do not see its fulfillment yet, wait for it; in due time, it will come to pass.

God is true in His judgment. He declared to Adam and Eve, "On the day that you eat of the forbidden tree, you will surely die." Though the Devil promised Eve she would not die, what happened after they ate? Death entered the world. Through one man’s sin, death passed to all humanity. Every time you attend a funeral or pass a cemetery, remember God’s Word: "In the day you eat of it, you shall surely die."

God’s Word remains true concerning your sins today. The Lord says in the book of Ezekiel, "The soul that sins shall die." When you commit any sin, a form of death comes to your soul.

• Tell a "small" lie, and a piece of your integrity dies.

• Envy what someone else has, and your contentment dies.

• Commit sexual sin or gossip, and your purity is stained and your trust in others is killed. Every sin brings a measure of death.

God’s Word is true even when there is a delay. Many of us continue to do what the Word of God condemns because we do not see the immediate effects of death. Eve didn't see any negative effects the moment she ate the fruit. When Adam saw her, she appeared the same as before. But the truth is, the process of decay was already working within her; it simply wasn't evident to the naked eye.

It is the same with us. You may be "living your best life" in rebellion against God, but the process of spiritual death is already working through your soul. In due time, you will feel the emptiness, the nakedness, and the mental decay.

There is no escape for sinners from God’s judgment. Adam and Eve experienced the nakedness of soul that resulted from sin, and soon they heard the voice of the Lord in the garden. We will all come into judgment. You may enjoy a life of sin now, but the day is coming when you must give an account to the Eternal God. Death in this life does not spare anyone from the judgment to follow. Your money, fame, and good looks will not save you; every person must give an account for the things done in the body.

However, God’s Word is also true in this: there is One who can rescue us from the power of sin—the Lord Jesus Christ. The same God who declared, "You shall surely die," has also declared, "If anyone has the Son, he shall never see death."

Jesus is able to save you from whatever sin you are dealing with—pride, lust, greed, envy, or hatred. Bring your burden to the foot of the cross, and you will surely gain the victory because God is faithful and true.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. There is restoration in Him. If we see people dying as a result of God's Word being true, we must realize we can also live as a result of His Word being true.

Fortify your mind with the Scriptures. Ask the Lord to purify your thoughts and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Ask Him, "Renew in me a right spirit; make me a new creature," and He will surely do it.

The last thing you should ask God every day in prayer is: "Lord, keep me from falling back into sin and my former life. Lead me in the path of life, in the way everlasting, and to the gates of Paradise." The Lord will lead you there because He promised to keep us from falling if we daily follow Him and abide in His love. God is faithful and true; put your trust in Him.

Lord, my prayer today is: keep me from falling into sin and lead me in the way everlasting. I trust that You will keep me and lead me. Amen.