The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest. . . . There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Isa. 57:20, 21.
Sin has destroyed our peace. While self is unsubdued, we can find no rest. The masterful passions of the heart no human power can control. We are as helpless here as were the disciples to quiet the raging storm [Matt. 8: 23- 27]. But He who spoke peace to the billows of Galilee, has spoken the word of peace for every soul. However fierce the tempest, those who turn to Jesus . . . will find deliverance. His grace . . . quiets the strife of human passion, and in His love the heart is at rest.
For every soul struggling to rise from a life of sin to a life of purity, the great element of power abides in the only “name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4: 12). . . . The only remedy for vice is the grace and power of Christ. The good resolutions made in one’s own strength avail nothing.
Every unholy passion must be kept under the control of sanctified reason through the grace abundantly bestowed of God. We are living in an atmosphere of satanic witchery. The enemy will weave a spell of licentiousness around every soul that is not barricaded by the grace of Christ. Temptations will come; but if we watch against the enemy, and maintain the balance of self- control and purity, the seducing spirits will have no influence over us. Those who do nothing to encourage temptation will have strength to withstand it when it comes; but those who keep themselves in an atmosphere of evil will have only themselves to blame if they are overcome and fall from their steadfastness. . . .
Men and women are to watch themselves; they are to be constantly on guard, allowing no word or act that would cause their good to be evil spoken of. He who professes to be a follower of Christ is to watch himself, keeping himself pure and undefiled in thought, word, and deed. His influence upon others is to be uplifting. His life is to reflect the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. . . . Eternal vigilance is the price of safety.
From God’s Amazing Grace – Page 99