The Beginning of Evil by Moody

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 26, 1882

The Beginning of Evil.

By Moody

MANY come to me and say they have such evil thoughts that they think that they cannot be Christians. But that is not so unless you yield yourself to evil thoughts. Satan is tempting you, but he must be resisted. We are not to blame for the birds that fly over our heads, but for letting them make their nests in our hair. I am so busy I don't have time to yield to temptation. People who allow themselves to brood over their trials and troubles have a hard time of it. Keep engaged in hard work and you will be healthy. Neglect family worship and the study of the Bible and you will fall into sin.

Men don't go down all at once into the depths of some great, open sin. The world may not have known or seen the sins that have led to this denouement, but they have been committed. The thing often has been going on for a long time. I had an apple tree on my farm that didn't do well. I asked my brother what the trouble was. He went at it, dug into it, and found and got away the worms that were destroying it. How many have some secret sin which is like the worm at the root of the tree. It takes the life out of us. It puts us out of communion with God. Such persons go in the prayer-meeting and talk and talk, but there is no unction. Let God take the knife and cut deep, or a bitter reaping time will come. Christ was tempted and "he is able to succor them that are tempted."