"acknowledged the true God, and professed to serve Him ; Judas believed in Jesus as the Messiah, and united with His followers. But Balaam hoped to make the service of Jehovah the steppingstone to the acquirement of riches and worldly honor; and failing in this he stumbled and fell and was broken. Judas expected by his connection with Christ to secure wealth and promotion in that worldly kingdom which, as he believed, the Messiah was about to set up. The failure of his hopes drove him to apostasy and ruin. Both Balaam and Judas had received great light and enjoyed special privileges, but a single cherished sin poisoned the entire character and caused their destruction. PP 452.1"
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
The EGW passage draws a parallel between Balaam and Judas, both of whom sought worldly gain through their association with God/Christ. This aligns with the principle in Matthew 6:24 that one cannot serve both God and mammon.
"It is a perilous thing to allow an unchristian trait to live in the heart. One cherished sin will, little by little, debase the character, bringing all its nobler powers into subjection to the evil desire. The removal of one safeguard from the conscience, the indulgence of one evil habit, one neglect of the high claims of duty, breaks down the defenses of the soul and opens the way for Satan to come in and lead us astray. The only safe course is to let our prayers go forth daily from a sincere heart, as did David, “Hold up my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” Psalm 17:5 . PP 452.2"
"Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not."
EGW directly quotes Psalm 17:5 to support her point about prayer and avoiding sin. This is a clear and direct allusion.
"Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
The EGW passage describes how a single cherished sin can lead to the downfall of a person, which is the same principle as James 1:15, which states that lust brings forth sin, and sin brings forth death.