Ellen White emphasizes that overcoming temptation is possible through a combination of divine power and personal effort. She presents a balanced view where God's help is essential, but human will and cooperation are also required.
Here are some key principles from her writings on this topic:
**1. Divine Power is Essential:**
The ultimate power to overcome comes from God. She states, "Temptations to the indulgence of appetite possess a power which can be overcome only by the help that God can impart" (
CTBH 22.2).
**2. Personal Effort and Will-Power are Necessary:**
While God provides the strength, human effort is required. "You must resist temptation. Although you may have been overcome, although moral debasement may have marked your course, it need not always be thus. Jesus is your helper. In his strength you can overcome the beguiling power of appetite. Summon will-power to your aid" (
CTBH 147.2).
**3. The Role of Faith and Prayer:**
Faith and prayer are presented as vital tools for victory. "By faith and prayer all may meet the requirements of the gospel. No man can be forced to transgress. His own consent must be first gained... Cry unto the Lord, tempted soul. Cast yourself, helpless, unworthy, upon Jesus, and claim His very promise. The Lord will hear" (
5T 177.2).
**4. Resisting is an Active Choice:**
She clarifies that yielding to temptation is a choice and that we have the power to resist.
* "It is Satan's act to tempt you, but your own act to yield. It is not in the power of all the host of Satan to force the tempted to transgress. There is no excuse for sin" (
4T 623.2).
* "So we may resist temptation, and overcome Satan. The Lord says to us, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” James 4:7, 8" (
SJ 48.5).
**5. Hope for Those Who Have Fallen:**
For those who feel discouraged by past failures, she offers hope and a path forward. "Feeling the terrible power of temptation, the drawing of desire that leads to indulgence, many a man cries in despair, “I cannot resist evil.” Tell him that he can, that he must resist. He may have been overcome again and again, but it need not be always thus... But he need not despair" (
MH 174.6).
**6. The Importance of Self-Knowledge:**
Understanding one's own weaknesses is a key strategy in avoiding temptation. "He who understands well his own character, who is acquainted with the sin that most easily besets him and the temptations that will be most likely to overcome him, should not expose himself needlessly, and invite temptation by placing himself upon the enemy's ground" (GW92 371).