Ever wish someone would make choices for you when its hard to make them yourself? Ever think it would be better to have someone more responsible make the decisions for those who are reckless? The freedom to choose is essential to man’s dignity. We are beings that like to have the freedom to be and choose as we wish. When that choice is taken away we feel oppressed and demoralized.
Imagine if you had the power to make the perfect man or woman fall madly in love with you. What could be even greater than that? Having that man or woman fall madly in love with you out of their own free will and choice.
Make no mistake, we are at war with a being that desires to take the agency of man away – either by binding us with wrong choices or having unnecessary laws to make the “right” choices for us. There is a fine line to making the right choice for yourself, and being forced or compelled to do so. Agency was a necessary part of the plan of salvation. We must recognize that God has made us and the entire world around us to respond to our agency. How often have we heard these quotes:
“If there is a will, there is a way,” ”Anyone can do it, if you put your mind to it,” “I’m gonna be President of the United States”
God has made our lives and world a product of choice. Now, many do suffer from the ill treatment and choice of man. God realized and we must as well that many will suffer in order to have free choice. Such is the case whenever humanity is involved. But we must not forget that God has made it possible for us to find refuge from man’s evil will and joy in this short lifetime. God has been esspecially considerate to those who follow his gospel and often provides an escape for this faithful and fills their hears with joy. No matter what, we must remember that we ALWAYS have a choice.
Satan will always leed us to believe that we are a product of “uncontrollable” interest’s or desires. True that each man will naturally have a tendency to a different degree than another, if that be sexually, physically, emotionally, or mentally. Some can sit and read for hours, some can be active with little rest, some are deeply hurt from insensitive comments, some have no shame to speak their mind, however insensitive it might be, some enjoy art, health, technology, or economics. With each of these interests or desires comes many choices, and unique challenges for each person, never the same for each person. However, God has always given us the final choice on what we say or do.
Why do we have so much agency? Because that is purpose of this life, to be tested by God what we will choose. Pilots go through hours of simulation training, practicing making the right actions. It is in this setting the pilots skills are tested, and corrected if necessary. We live in a life where we are being tested by God, to see if we choose of our own free will to live and choose to do good or evil. Why choose good over evil. The list is endless, but most importantly is the fact that God wants us to become like him. As his children, he wants for us to grow up to be like him. And when we have become like him, we will partake in all that he has and can do. Of course, none of this is attainable without the sacrifice and redeeming love of Jesus Christ, his son. Is that not the greatest reward for choosing the right! You would think everyone would flood the churches and forgive all people their offenses. However, this is not the case. Many do not believe or even know this is the reward for choosing good over evil. Satan makes the clouds of doubt and confusion thick around us. And that is why we are here, to choose, amidst the doubt, confusion, and unsurity if we will live by faith and choose the higher road.
When God created man he said, “and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” - Abraham 3:25
Last of all, remember the choice is yours “Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life” – 2 Nephi 10:23
I have wondered, why do I need to be reading my scriptures and praying daily in order to be happy and have peace of mind? I think of many people who do neither and go about their lives just fine. I then remember the captains orders:
”Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” – 3 Nephi 18:18
We must not forget that the followers of Christ ARE at war with the powers of evil. The unseen battle between the forces of good and evil are real. Those who have chosen to follow Christ and have gained their own testimony of Christ’s divinity have been enlisted. You may consider your baptism as the point of enlistment to battle the forces of evil. What must a soldier do who is enlisted into battle? I would consider these guidelines to have direct spiritual application:
1. Know your enemy and his or her motive
2. Train thoroughly and be ready for all kinds of combat
3. Go into battle with confidence, fear will only increase your chances of loss
4. Keep yourself armed and always be on your guard until the conflict is over.
Just as Christ advised his Apostles in Jerusalem and his disciples in America, they must know their is an enemy and they must always be on guard. Ephesians reminds us to “Put on the whole aarmour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we awrestle not bagainst cflesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the drulers of the edarknessof this world, against spiritual fwickedness in high places.” Each piece of the armor must be remembered or we will be vulnerable to a fatal blow from the devil.
Helmet – Salvation
Sword – Spirit
Loins – Truth
Shield - Faith
Breastplate – Righteousness
Feet – Peace
Let us put on the amor of God and fight the good fight. “We are all enlisted till the conflict is over, happy are we!”
Why would God require we give him an entire day of the week? It is one of the oldest commandments, a yet the most overlooked. It might often be said of a good individual that he doesn’t swear, lie, cheat, and honors his parents. But rarely do you hear, he honorably keeps the sabbath holy.
Yet, it was third commandment of the ten uttered by God. Most a commandments were uttered in one scentance, but to keep the Sabbath day holy was given the most detail. God must have known that his law would have been overlooked and neglected much, giving him reason to further clarify an already simple commandment “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
What is holy on the sabbath day? This seems very subjective, but think of what a child would answer if asked “Is water skiing a holy activity?” I don’t think the child would link the word holy with recreation, unless he or she is much older and learned how to reason any issue until it is correct, in order to satisfy his ambitions. The honest point is, could you feel right to consider you activity holy if confronted by the Lord himself? The spirit knows best what is holy, not the mind.
Therefore, why do we have this commandment? God does not give commandments to benefit himself. Its all for our own good. The busy lives we live can cause us to forget the basics. Such as, why are we here on Earth, does work or family matter in the very end, when I pass will what I have done for myself or others matter most, what is my standing with God, am I a better person or am I worse.
If we don’t keep the sabbath holy, we loose the opportunity to reassess the status of our lives, families, and friends. More importantly, precious time to develop a relationship with God is lost. Our soul slowly begins to starve and we suffer more than we gain from not sacrificing in the past.
From my personal experience, my weeks are gauged in large part by my Sunday. If I fill my Sunday with recreation or task catch-up I’ll find my week somewhat empty and mundane. When I have filled a Sunday with gospel study, speaking with friends and family, and performing service, my week is enhanced with a renewed sense of importance, priorities, and awareness of blessings given. I have more patience, love, and wisdom. If only we realized how much we gained from the sacrifice, we wouldn’t consider it a sacrifice.
The people of God have usually had greater sorrows and greater joy than any other people. It has come to my attention that followers of Christ, who know the truth and have elevated themselves beyond the mediocre thought of the world, must hold close to Christ and his doctrines. The adversary, Satan, is wise to know where to attack where it counts most – Christ’s believers. Satan is not foolish enough to hack away at the leaves of the tree of his opposition. Would it be of greater benefit for an army to go against innocent, neutral civilians or attack the soldiers of their opposition first? Likewise, the adversary fights a war with good, and he places most of his resources on the righteous missionaries of truth. Those who can be counted among the few righteous Christians are an extremely valuable asset to God and are an essential target for Satan.
What do Christians need to realize? True Christians are rare and God needs them and wishes to make good use of them. If Christians fall away from God, or falter in their faith, the loss of Godly protection will bring a wave of opposition – making them spiritually handicapped. What kind of resistance should a Christian be familiar with? The kind that slowly strips the sword of the spirit of God, the helmet of salvation, or the shield of faith. Like all attacks on the righteous, it comes slowly – stripping them piece by piece. It comes from a lack of sincere prayer, a growing disinterest in reading the scriptures of God, a less grateful heart, looking for fault in others more often, considering service as a burden unless it benefits you in the end. These kinds of attitudes and temptations does not leave a Christian in depths of sin, which too often becomes an excuse for Christians to justify these behaviors, invariably leading them to worse behavior. The important element of these behaviors for the adversary is that they begin to remove divine support and leave the Christian more vulnerable for greater attacks.
The adversary is more interested in isolating and spiritually incapacitating a Christian. He wishes to get a Christian out of the picture as quickly as possible, keeping them away from other people. It is the Christian’s influence that Satan strives to remove. He can successfully do this by giving the Christian guilt and making them feel unworthy of their beliefs, making he/she upset over something unjust, guiding them see more of their trails and less their blessings. All these tactics work to distract the Christian and divert their attention elsewhere than with Gods children.
Christians hold a great responsibility. God is more than willing to provide all his resources for you to succeed as a soldier of the righteousness cause. It is imperative for Christians to go the extra mile in coming close to God for the adversary will go the extra mile in thwarting your influence on others. Both for good and evil forces – “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise” (Alma 37:6).
Good Christians, take charge and remember Christ your captain and God the Father your king. Remember Christ wants to use all that are enlisted. Remember, many that will embrace you who are mixed with those who will oppose you. Remember, faith, hope, and charity are weapons against the powers of evil and the guides to salvation. Remember, you are a child of a God.
In the Book of Mormon it is interesting to note how many occurrences the righteous people quickly return to wickedness. Usually in each account given the authors note the short passing of time. Some examples are included below:
20 years – 4 Nephi 1:24 & Moroni 9:11-12
Righteousness (enjoyed for 366 years): People were a Zion society, all things in common. All people in the American continent were righteous and believers of Christ.
Wickedness (returned to in 20 years): First signs – wearing of costly apparel and jewelry, goods and substance no more in common. Severity – after twenty years both Lamanites and Nephites are in the most vile sinners; they rape, torture, eat human flesh, delight in only evil, disregard children, curse God, and sorrow only for the fact they cannot be happy in their sins.
1 year – 3 Nephi 6:10 & 7:8
Righteousness (8 years): Nephites repent and praise God. Great order and prosperity, equality and justice. Church of Christ was strong and membership was high. Great construction and economic progress.
Wickedness (1 year): First signs – disputing among the people, boasting because of riches, distinguishing into ranks, wearing of costly apparel. Severity – church is completely broken up, people lead by any vain desires, secret societies return with the goal to kill the righteous, government is destroyed, an Antichrist is put into power.
3 years – Heleman 11:36
Righteousness (6 years): Both Lamanites and Nephites are at peace, church of Christ spreads throughout the land, frequent revelations from God, people fight against dissenting secret combinations or societies.
Wickedness (3 years): First signs – Nephite people simply begin to forget God, begin to practice iniquity, do not seek to mend their ways. Severity – Nephites wish to kill prophets and teachers of righteousness, mock the prophesies of God, set their hearts on treasures, consider it foolish to believe in Christ, desire to kill believers.
Today seems to be a time of strife and disrespect. I find too many people mocking the diligent door knockers of the Jehovah Witnesses, disgracing Catholic cathedrals and their saints, laughing at Sikh turbans, and criticizing the Muslims form of dress or prayer. Proper respect for all religions is just as important as respecting different ethnicity, race, and lifestyles. It is interesting that under this same banner of respect and acceptance, I have seen a communities rally against religions for denying the practice of certain lifestyles. I would like for both Atheists and Spiritualists to both live how they choose – AS FAR AS THAT LIFESTYLE DOES NOT IMPOSE UPON THE OTHER. The christian should not force his/her beliefs upon the atheists, nor the atheist force his/her beliefs upon the christian.
The freedom OF religion does not mean the freedom FROM religion. This nation was founded under Christianity while accepting all other beliefs and practices, including the right to not believe in any religion. It’s important to note that even though God discourages false churches – he permits them to exist. He wishes for us to choose as we wish. Even during the millennium, when Christ is physically reigning on Earth, many people will not belong to the Church of God. As long as those people live making the right choices under their understanding, they will be permitted to be among Christ.
In addition, I would like to mention certain scriptures that are sacred to other faiths. Some insights of the gospel of Jesus Christ can be applied in other works such as the Koran, Apocrypha, Mahayana sutras, Buddhavacana and so on. It should not be forgotten that billions of God’s children believe in these works of scripture, which do contain some of the truth. Their works should be respected just as much as any of our own most holy scriptures.
Truly, peace and success comes from bridling passions and desires. When you choose to distract from the issue at hand to satisfy your curiosity – you are then left with the consequence of leaving behind the issue. Such as leaving important work to be done for surfing the web. We are left with having to complete the work and possibly staying later and missing time with family. Think of proper nutrition. What would happen if you ate whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted. If you have a sweet tooth you will undeniably suffer lack of health, decreased energy, emotional setbacks, and weight gain.
I have gone through the process of changing my eating lifestyle of eating junk all day to eating whole and well cooked foods. I make sure I get a balance vegetables, fruits, grains, proteins, and vitamins. Disciplining myself to live more healthy was at first hard – and not that fun. That has changed and now its more like a journey; I enjoying thinking of new ways to eat more healthy and give my body more of what it needs most. My appetite changed and I would crave eating carrots instead of cake, in fact I sometimes feel sick when I eat cake. My body had energy throughout the day, my mind was more sharp, I had better sleep, and I would avoid sickness (I haven’t had to stay home sick for over 4 years). I strongly believe that just as I gained a better health through disciplined nutrition, we can gain a better life through a disciplined mind, mouth, and heart.
Brideling passions doesn’t mean not doing what you enjoy – its doing what you should do that gives you the liberty to do what you enjoy. Especially sexual passions must be put within the bounds the lord has set. Then, at the proper time, these passions are enjoyed more than the undisciplined sexual addict. Even if it is hard for us to accept it, I believe in the end we will find that the lord was right all along and that his commandments truly bring peace, happiness, wisdom, intelligence, creativity, and success.
I have been contemplating what we read, hear, and see determines what we think. I truly believe there is a bit of nature and nurture in each of us. However, I think for some their nature forms more of who they are and for some their nurturing. I am compelled to think that, no matter your disposition, our surroundings and media truly shape our sense of identity.
As for myself, I am greatly affected by media, especially literature and movies. Stereotypes, words, actions, emotions from media stimuli often leave its residue on you. When I’m back from an action movie I drive a bit faster, think I can be more heroic, and often think of something more adventurous I could add to my life. Is this good or should I not get personally involved? It depends. We need to determine where our values lie and then surround ourselves with stimuli that encourage those values or they will be hard to maintain. If I have a commitment not to smoke – but surround myself with movies about smoking and people that smoke – I’m going to be persuaded to do otherwise. It doesn’t mean that it will force me to smoke, that is a choice, but the physiology behind my choice making has been altered in favor of smoking.
It’s not wonder both God and Satan which to be a daily influence in our life. If we read the stories of God’s servants in the scriptures will their example not come to mind when making simple or critical decisions. If I read People magazine more religiously, will I not think of the example of popular stars when making simple or critical decisions? For each person it can affect them to a different degree, but none are left untainted.
The first and foremost commandment from God:
3 Thou shalt have ano other bgods before me.
God continues to clarify this essential commandment – old testament
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