The Whisper of Temptation

One of Satan's favorite tricks is to constantly whisper bad things to my mind. He sends forth insidious suggestions, and then when I valiantly reject them time after time, he sends one more thought, more insidious than all the rest. My what a bad person you must be, he says, to be imagining such things! 

Get out of town, Satan. I don't listen to you anymore. "It is an enticing, intriguing voice with dulcet tones. It is neither hard nor discordant. No one would listen to Satan’s voice if it sounded harsh or mean. If the devil’s voice were unpleasant, it would not entice people to listen to it." (James E. Faust, The Great Imitator) 

The truth is, I'M NOT THE SOURCE OF THOSE THOUGHTS! Satan is the one constantly talking in one ear.

“For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil”
(Alma 5:40).

Being aware of the devil is so much better. He would like to operate in secret and have you think that all the gross stuff he suggests is YOU talking. Keep an eye on him. As Paul said, “lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11).

Satan tells you That YOU are naturally a fallen, perverted person who WANTS that sort of thing. The truth is the opposite! We are sons and daughters of God! I think the Lord is pleased with me, because I try hard to repent, and I keep His commandments.

It's refreshing that Satan is ALWAYS working on us, EVERY day. We can always expect there to be new tricks and traps. There's ALWAYS something to look out for.

So, what's to be done about these insidious, constant voices?

The great truth is, WE ARE IN CONTROL!

James E. Faust teaches that, "we need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat."

Satan must grow frustrated if we persist in doing what's right, even in the face of powerful suggestions and temptations.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7)

Now, that's a comforting thought. Also comforting is James E. Faust's promise that "he cannot know our thoughts unless we speak them." 

"The humble followers of the divine Master need not be deceived by the devil if they will be honest and true to their fellow men and women, go to the house of the Lord, receive the sacrament worthily, observe the Sabbath day, pay their tithes and offerings, offer contrite prayers, engage in the Lord’s work, and follow those who preside over them."

What are some strategies for keeping the devil at bay?

We can determine not to heed him. Satan, fortunately, is currently only the enemy of our souls. He cannot physically terrorize us, unless we allow him access to our bodies, or he enlists the aid of a mortal servant. But like Lehi pressing forward towards the tree, we can heed them not. 

Notice what Nephi and the others were doing that gave them this option. They were partaking of the fruit of the tree! (the love of Jesus Christ.)

So, let's not spend the whole of our days FLEEING OMGOODNESS THE DEVIL WHAT IS HE UP TO NOW. Let us keep the Savior and our Father's Love firmly fixed in our minds. That will guide us through the mists of darkness which must surely arise.

Thoughts on the Creation Story in genesis.

If Satan "knew not the mind of God" and was seeking to "destroy the world" (Moses 5:6) by tempting Mother Eve and initiating the Fall, then how does that square with the fact that God revealed to us from the very beginning that the world was going to be a fallen place, necessitating a Savior?

Thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will. (Moses 5:9)

What incredibly encouraging words those are!

Also, Eve reveals her great spiritual maturity here, saying "Were it not for our transgression, we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient." (Moses 5:11) 

Here we have Eve recognizing four great blessings of the Fall:

1) Seed
2) Known good and evil
3) Known joy (of redemption)
4) Known eternal life which God giveth unto the obedient

They literally would have lived forever in a bland, boring paradise, picking fruit like children for trillions of years. Just the two of them. Let's look at why each of these blessings was impossible without the fall.

1) Could a child be born in paradise? Have you seen what a birth looks like? The pain and blood needed to bring a child into the world could only happen after the Fall.
2) How can you understand good and evil if all you have known is good? How could you know red if the entirety of your existence is shaded in blue? (Then why was Adam able to make a good/bad distinction between following the commandments of the Lord?)
3) Very simple. How can you feel the joy of redemption, having no need to be redeemed?
4) And last of all, Eternal Life is God's ultimate gift to those who prove themselves able to be obedient, even when the opposition is fierce. With no opposition, and practically no opportunities to break commandments, Adam and Eve could never have paid the moral sweat that it takes to convince God you're ready for the Celestial kingdom. 

Opposing with Love

We have a command to stand against the rising tide of evil in the world. We as Christians ought to stand for what's good and right. But often, we turn into the very intolerant and hateful bigots that everybody accuses us of being. 

The devil loves to tempt us into the opposite error of the one we are trying to avoid. So, first he will tell you to take it easy on the homosexuals, on the sinners, on the adulterers. Just love 'em, wink, and turn a blind eye to their sin. 

And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. 

And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.

~2nd Nephi 28:21-22

But that's not how Jesus operated. He tells us that "I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." (D&C 1:31) It's right there in the very first chapter of his Book of Commandments. 

So, we try to be brave. We take to heart the teaching that "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John 15:19) 

And oh, the devil loves that. Because then he tricks us into equating drawing fire with righteousness. So he appeals to our self-righteous pride, and we attack our chosen cause with gusto. We delight in wounding wicked egos and we figure the more hate mail we get, the more righteous we are.  

And then we become exactly what the world accuses us of being. Intolerant, hateful, close-minded bigots. 

C.S Lewis, as usual, has a clear perspective on the issue. 

“He (the devil) always sends errors into the world in pairs--pairs of opposites. He relies on your extra dislike of one to draw you gradually into the opposite one. But do not let us be fooled. We have to keep our eyes on the goal and go straight through between both errors. We have no other concern than that with either of them.”

So, what's the happy medium here? How can we fulfill the Father's command to stand for our values, and yet still remain happy, pleasant people who have a functional relationship with the rest of the world? 

Someday that might not be possible. When Soddom and Gomorrah get too wicked, you don't compromise. You leave. But I believe that there's still good work to be done among the world's inhabitants. Here's the key of the matter for me. 

I want to be a shining light. But not an incendiary one. 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

~Matthew 14:16

That's it. Stand up for what you believe in. State it firmly and unequivocally. But phrase it in terms of what you BELIEVE IN, and not what you don't BELIEVE IN. State that "I support God's plan for His children, which states that a man and a woman sealed together in the temple is the Lord's template for marriage, and will produce peace in this life and great happiness in the world to come." Let's avoid Westboro Baptist techniques. After all, you never got mad at a Catholic for stating "I love being Catholic! Here's all the good it brings into my life." But you would be plenty mad if a Catholic stated, "Mormons are brainwashed idiots. I can't believe they believe in a living prophet.... weirdos." 

Jeffrey R. Holland has urged us to be strong. 

"Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them." 

Stand up! But with compassion. Your daily modus operandi should be to defend your beliefs by building them up, not by tearing others down. 

And if the Holy Spirit instructs you to take a hard line on sin, then be fearless. Condemn the sin, but love the sinner. In the best spirit of D&C 121:43, remember that we are to be "reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy."

And most of all, when defending your beliefs, remember this final injunction delivered to Joseph Smith, who had, perhaps more than any modern American, good reason to be bitter, incendiary and scathing.

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. (D&C 121:45) 

Earning the Lord's Protection

How do we earn the Lord's protection against temptation?
How do we strengthen our spiritual defenses? (These will turn into green light behaviors.)
How do we weaken our spiritual defenses? (These will turn into yellow and red light behaviors)

Here is a scripture that sums up my experiences with temptation perfectly.

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and said unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 
~Matthew 26:40-41


This is often why we succumb to temptation. I am willing to obey the Lord's commandment, but the natural man's urging overcomes my resistance, and I transgress. My flesh is weak.

Nephi experienced this mortal tendency towards transgression. He lamented,

Why should I yield to sin because of my felsh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy? 
~2nd Nephi 4:27

The flesh is fallen, and will always be weak. There will always be a pull towards laziness, impurity, and apathy. It is through strengthening the spirit that we gain power to do what is right.

Perhaps the best way to get spiritual strength is to ask for it. In D&C 62:1, we read that Jesus Christ is  "your advocate, who knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted." 

Braving the Storm

So, there's a storm against the faithful out here. Everybody is super upset one way or the other about DSB. It's a storm that's taking a lot of my childhood friends. Logan is homosexual. JD is a member of BYUGSA.

So, what's a faithful person to do in such crazy times?

Number One: Protect the Nestlings. 

In the wise words of President Packer: "we need to protect our nestlings."

In These Things I Know, he says that, "we will not always be safe from the adversary’s influence, even within our own homes. We need to protect our nestlings."

"We live in a very dangerous world that threatens those things that are most spiritual. The family, the fundamental organization in time and eternity, is under attack from forces seen and unseen. The adversary is about. His objective is to cause injury. If he can weaken and destroy the family, he will have succeeded."

In the inspired words of Jordan Mulder, "I think it has become apparent to many of us that dialogue is not the ultimate answer for restoring family values. There are few listening ears, and even fewer willing to actually consider every perspective."

So instead of talking about it, do what you must to defend your family.


Number Two: Stand Firmly and Kindly 

"Alma taught that “the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.” (45:16)  We cannot endorse, support, or encourage these lifestyles at all.

"Tolerance is a virtue, but like all virtues, when exaggerated, it transforms itself into a vice. We need to be careful of the “tolerance trap” so that we are not swallowed up in it. The permissiveness afforded by the weakening of the laws of the land to tolerate legalized acts of immorality does not reduce the serious spiritual consequence that is the result of the violation of God’s law of chastity."

And in the words of Jeffrey R. Holland, "Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them."

Number Three: Love all people 

"For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them."
~Luke 6:32.

Realize that other people are just as confused, just as emotional, and just as anguished about the subject as you are. Choose to love them! Don't get angry! Be calm and kind and loving. 

Overcoming Weaknesses: A step-by-step guide

Nobody likes being that one guy who finally goes to bed at 2:30 AM after licking the ice cream carton clean and wishing he hadn't watched so many cat videos on youtube. We all have things we need to improve. Fortunately, this is a variable Heavenly Father accounted for in the pre-mortal life.

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble, and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." 

~~Ether 12:27

As some have pointed out, this doesn't necessarily say weaknesses. God does not prepackage your addiction to twinkies and insert it into your spiritual DNA (take that sucker!) but rather arranged through the Fall for mankind to operate from a base of weakness while in this life.

This is such a fascinating scripture that I think it deserves a line-by-line dissection. Let's take a look.

If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness: 

Well, there you have it. We are stupid and shortsighted, with beams stuffed into our eye sockets. We are quite equipped to deal with the day-to-day challenges of being nice to our neighbors, working at our jobs, and reading our scriptures. Often, we don't realize how weak we are until we try do the hard stuff in the gospel, like forgiving our enemies, living a consecrated life, or sharing the gospel, the real meat of what Christ wants us to do. But when a man actually tries to follow the Lord's commandments, it gets a little challenging:

 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

~~3rd Nephi 12:48

I give unto men weakness that they may be humble:

And not only that, we also get double-whammy sucker punched both by Satan and the Natural Man, neither of whom want us to change. They like our flabby weaknesses because it alienates us from the strict and uncompromising perfection of God. So, when we try to change, we often end up exposing just how far our weakness actually extends, and it can be a little bit surprising and very humbling.

And my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me: 

But yet, there is hope. God has made man weak, but he does not intend for us to stay weak. God's grace can help us.

What is God's grace? David A. Bednar quotes the Bible Dictionary to help us find out.

"The main idea of the word [Grace] is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ…  It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts." 

I love that! Grace is the power, available in Christ, which allows us to "receive strength and assistance to do good works that [we] otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power." 

Power. To help us do the things we cannot do on our own. 

For if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them: 

So, how do we lay hold upon this grace? By coming unto Christ. We'll talk a little bit about what that means tomorrow in part II.

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

 

Feeling special

My whole life, I've struggled with having confidence in myself. I want to feel special, that is my deepest, most overpowering thirst.

I tried to be smart because it made me feel special. So, I ended up as a know-it-all.

I tried to be a good missionary, because it made me feel special. So, I ended up panicking and getting depressed when I encountered my weaknesses.

I wanted to find an amazing wife, (beautiful, outgoing, accomplished) so that people would think, "wow, he must be special to have attracted a woman like that."

I spent countless hours in the gym trying to pack on muscle, convinced that if I was fitter, people would think me special.

And now lately, I have been spending lots of effort and money on clothing, trying to feel attract...what? Girls? Attention?

And all the things I've ever suppressed in my personality, writing, fandom, singing, I've banished all that because people wouldn't approve.

In short, I want people to notice me and tell me I'm special, and I want them to be sincere!!! 

All my major sources of disquiet in life have come because I simply don't feel special and I seek for affirmation in  the wrong places. I am focused outward, not upward.

How could God possibly make me special, especially if everybody else is just as equally special as I am?

When I feel the Spirit, I feel special.

"For they that are after the flesh do mind things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." 
~~Romans 8:5