Preparing for the Crisis – Steps to Life

August 16 – 22, 2026

Key Text

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13

Study Help: Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 199–202; Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 516–520

Introduction

“Search the Scriptures for yourselves, that you may understand the fearful solemnity of the present hour.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 216

Sunday

1 OUR GREATEST CONCERN

1.a. What should be our greatest concern while the door of probation is still open? Acts 16:30; Matthew 16:26 (compare Revelation 7:13–17).

Note: “Are our people reviewing the past and the present and the future, as it is unfolding before the world? Are they heeding the messages of warning given them? Is it our greatest concern today that our lives shall be refined and purified, and that we shall reflect the similitude of the divine? This must be the experience of all who join that company who are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 56

1.b. What is the secret to gaining spiritual victory? Hebrews 12:2

Note: “Many make a serious mistake in their religious life by keeping the attention fixed upon their feelings and thus judging of their advancement or decline. Feelings are not a safe criterion. We are not to look within for evidence of our acceptance with God. We shall find there nothing but that which will discourage us. Our only hope is in ‘looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.’ There is everything in Him to inspire with hope, with faith, and with courage. He is our righteousness, our consolation and rejoicing.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 199, 200

“We must look to Christ for strength and grace, and we shall gain the victory as surely as Jesus died for us.” The Sanctified Life, 93

Monday

2 THE NEEDED ASSURANCE

2.a. What assurance should we seek every morning? Exodus 33:14, 15

Note: “Morning by morning, as the heralds of the gospel kneel before the Lord and renew their vows of consecration to Him, He will grant them the presence of His Spirit, with its reviving, sanctifying power. As they go forth to the day’s duties, they have the assurance that the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit enables them to be ‘laborers together with God.’ ” The Acts of the Apostles, 56

2.b. How can we obtain this assurance? Luke 18:7, 8. Under what conditions are we in danger of forfeiting God’s presence?

Note: “It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not cooperate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.” The Desire of Ages, 324

“It is now that we are to learn [the] lesson of prevailing prayer, of unyielding faith. The greatest victories to the church of Christ or to the individual Christian are not those that are gained by talent or education, by wealth or the favor of men. They are those victories that are gained in the audience chamber with God, when earnest, agonizing faith lays hold upon the mighty arm of power.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 203

Tuesday

3 HOW WE ARE ENABLED TO STAND

3.a. What would we see and do without delay if our eyes could be opened? Ephesians 6:12–18. Who only will be able to stand in the last great conflict?

Note: “If our eyes could be opened to see the good and evil agencies at work, there would be no trifling, no vanity, no jesting or joking. If all would put on the whole armor of God and fight manfully the battles of the Lord, victories would be gained that would cause the kingdom of darkness to tremble.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, 41

“None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict.” The Great Controversy, 593, 594

3.b. As we bear the whole armor of God, what position and action will make us victorious in the spiritual battle? James 4:7, 8

Note: “The soul that loves God, loves to draw strength from Him by constant communion with Him. When it becomes the habit of the soul to converse with God, the power of the evil one is broken; for Satan cannot abide near the soul that draws nigh unto God.

“ ‘Draw nigh to God.’ What is the result of this? We cannot draw nigh to God and behold His loveliness and compassion without realizing our defects and being filled with a desire to rise higher. ‘And He will draw nigh to you.’ The Lord will draw nigh to him who confesses to his brethren the wrongs he has done them, and then comes to God in humility and contrition.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, 937

“The forces of the enemy of all righteousness are strongly entrenched; only by the power of God can the victory be gained. The conflict before us calls for the exercise of a spirit of self-denial, for distrust of self and for dependence on God alone, for the wise use of every opportunity for the saving of souls. The Lord’s blessing will attend His church as they advance unitedly, revealing to a world lying in the darkness of error the beauty of holiness as manifested in a Christlike spirit of self-sacrifice, in an exaltation of the divine rather than the human, and in loving and untiring service for those so much in need of the blessings of the gospel.” Prophets and Kings, 74

Wednesday

4 SALVATION, A JOINT OPERATION

4.a. In cooperation with divine strength, what is absolutely necessary if we would be victors? Philippians 2:12, 13; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 John 3:3

Note: “No one of us will gain the victory without persevering, untiring effort, proportionate to the value of the object which we seek, even eternal life.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 511

“God cannot save man against his will from the power of Satan’s artifices. Man must work with his human power, aided by the divine power of Christ, to resist and to conquer at any cost to himself. In short, man must overcome as Christ overcame. And then, through the victory that it is his privilege to gain by the all-powerful name of Jesus, he may become an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ. This could not be the case if Christ alone did all the overcoming. Man must do his part; he must be victor on his own account, through the strength and grace that Christ gives him. Man must be a coworker with Christ in the labor of overcoming, and then he will be partaker with Christ of His glory.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 33 [Author’s italics.]

4.b. How does the apostle Paul describe his efforts in the interest of his own salvation? 1 Corinthians 9:25–27; 15:31, last part; 2 Timothy 4:7, 8

Note: “Paul attained to the full moral stature of a man in Christ Jesus. By what a process was his soul developed! His life was a continual scene of hardship, conflict, and toil.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, 903

Thursday

5 VICTORY WITHIN OUR REACH

5.a. How does the apostle summarize the essentials of a victorious Christian life? Colossians 1:23, 27; Galatians 2:20; Titus 2:11–14. Why must we examine ourselves daily? 2 Corinthians 13:5

Note: “Who is it that is ruling the world today, and who is it that have chosen to stand under the banner of the prince of darkness? Why, it is nearly the whole world at large. All the world that have not accepted Jesus Christ have chosen for their leader the prince of darkness; and just as soon as they stand under his banner, they have connection with evil angels. Either the evil angels or the angels of God are controlling the minds of men. Our minds are given to the control of God, or to the control of the powers of darkness; and it will be well for us to inquire where we are standing today—whether under the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel, or under the black banner of the powers of darkness.

“We must make every preparation in our power in order to resist the enemy of souls. Every provision has been made; everything in God’s plan has been arranged so that man should not be left to his own impulses, to his own finite powers, to carry on the warfare against the powers of darkness in his own finite strength; because he would certainly fail if he were thus left to himself.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, 1120

5.b. What work is to be done by the Holy Spirit, through us, in behalf of the world? John 16:8

Note: “The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to exalt the Lord alone, and guided the pens of the sacred historians, that the record of the words and works of Christ might be given to the world. Today this Spirit is constantly at work, seeking to draw the attention of men to the great sacrifice made upon the cross of Calvary, to unfold to the world the love of God to man, and to open to the convicted soul the promises of the Scriptures.” Gospel Workers, 286

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

What is our greatest need today and how can it be fulfilled?
Why is an active prayer life essential?
How are we to draw nigh unto God—and what will be the results?
What should we learn from the daily life of the apostle Paul?
How only can the world be warned today?