There is a very great and important work for our conferences in America to do. We are to
carry the work in America in such a way that we shall be a strength and help to those who are
proclaiming the message in distant countries. Every nation, tongue, and people is to be aroused
and brought to a knowledge of the truth. Something is being done, but there is much yet to be
done, much to be learned right here at this Conference, in order that the work may go forward in
a way that will honor and glorify God.
My soul has been so burdened that I have not been able to rest. What line can we dwell upon
that will make the deepest impression upon the human mind? There are our schools. They are to
be conducted in such a way that they will develop missionaries who will go out to the highways
and hedges to sow the seeds of truth. This was the commission of Christ to His followers. They
were to go to the highways and the byways bearing the message of truth to souls that would be
brought to the faith of the gospel. I felt deeply in earnest as I saw how much needs to be done in
the places I have recently visited. We must stand in the strength of God if we are to accomplish
this work.
In his labors each worker is to look to God. We are to labor as men and women who have a
living connection with God. We are to learn how to meet the people where they are. Let not such
conditions exist as we found in some places when we returned to America, in which individual
church-members, instead of realizing their responsibility, looked to men for guidance, and men
to whom had been committed sacred and holy trusts in the carrying forward of the work, failed of
understanding the value of personal responsibility and took upon themselves the work of
ordering and dictating what their brethren should do or should not do. These are things that God
will not allow in His work. He will put His burdens upon His burden-bearers. Every individual soul has a
responsibility before God, and is not to be arbitrarily instructed by men as to what he shall do,
what he shall say, and where he shall go. We are not to put confidence in the counsel of men and
assent to all they shall say unless we have evidence that they are under the influence of the Spirit
of God.
Study the first and second chapters of Acts. Light has been given me that our work must be
carried forward in a higher and broader way than it has ever yet been carried. The light of heaven
is to be appreciated and cherished. This light is for the laborers. It is for those who feel that God
has given them a message, and that they have a sacred responsibility to bear in its proclamation.
The message of present truth is to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord. Let us
understand this, and let those placed in responsible positions come into such unity that the work
shall go forward solidly. Do not allow any man to come in as an arbitrary ruler, and say, You
must go here, and you must not go there; and you must do this, and you must not do that. We
have a great and important work to do, and God would have us take hold of that work
intelligently. The placing of men in positions of responsibility in the various conferences, does
not make them gods. No one has sufficient wisdom to act without counsel. Men need to consult
with their brethren, to counsel together, to pray together, and to plan together for the
advancement of the work. Let laborers kneel down together and pray to God, asking Him to
direct their course. There has been a great lack with us on this point. We have trusted too much
to men's devisings. We cannot afford to do this. Perilous times are upon us, and we must come to
the place where we know that the Lord lives and rules, and that He dwells in the hearts of the
children of men. We must have confidence in God.
Wherever you may be sent, cherish in your hearts and
minds the fear and love of God. Go daily to the Lord for instruction and guidance; depend upon
God for light and knowledge. Pray for this instruction and this light, until you get it. It will not
avail for you to ask, and then forget the thing for which you prayed. Keep your mind upon your
prayer. You can do this while working with your hands. You can say, Lord, I believe; with all my
heart I believe Let the Holy Spirit's power come upon me.
If there were more praying among us, more exercise of a living faith, and less dependence
upon some one else to have an experience for us, we would be far in advance of where we are
today in spiritual intelligence. What we need is a deep, individual heart and soul experience.
Then we shall be able to tell what God is doing and how He is working. We need to have a living
experience in the things of God; and we are not safe unless we have this. There are some who
have a good experience, and they tell you about it; but when you come to weigh it up, you see
that it is not a correct experience, for it is not in accordance with a plain, Thus saith the Lord. If
ever there was a time in our history when we needed to humble our individual souls before God,
it is today. We need to come to God with faith in all that is promised in the word, and then walk
in all the light and power that God gives.
I felt very deeply when our brethren who have come from foreign fields told me a little of
their experiences and of what the Lord is doing in bringing souls to the truth. This is what we
want at this time. God does not want us to go on in ignorance. He wants us to understand our
individual responsibilities to Him. He will reveal Himself to every soul who will come to Him in
all humility and seek Him with the whole heart.
There are schools to be established in foreign countries and in our own country. We must
learn from God how to manage these schools. They are not to be conducted as many of them
have been conducted. Our institutions are to be regarded as
God's instrumentalities for the furtherance of His work in the earth. We must look to God for
guidance and wisdom; we must plead with Him to teach us how to carry the work solidly. Let us
recognize the Lord as our teacher and guide, and then we shall carry the work in correct lines. We
need to stand as a united company who shall see eye to eye. Then we shall see the salvation of
God revealed on the right hand and on the left. If we work in harmony, we give God a chance to
work for us.
In all our school work we need to have a correct understanding of what the essential education
is. Men talk much of higher education, but who can define what the higher education is? The
highest education is found in the word of the living God. That education which teaches us to
submit our souls to God in all humility, and which enables us to take the word of God and
believe just what it says, is the education that is most needed. With this education we shall see of
the salvation of God. With the Spirit of God upon us, we are to carry the light of truth into the
highways and the byways, that the salvation of God may be revealed in a remarkable manner.
Will we carry forward the work in the Lord's way? Are we willing to be taught of God? Will
we wrestle with God in prayer? Will we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? This is what we
need and may have at this time. Then we shall go forth with a message from the Lord, and the
light of truth will shine forth as a lamp that burneth, reaching to all parts of the world. If we will
walk humbly with God, God will walk with us. Let us humble our souls before Him, and we
shall see of His salvation.--Review and Herald, October 21, 1909.