Wed, Jan 21st: DC 10; D&C 17:6 D&C 42:12 D&C 19:26–27 D&C 84:54–58
We just finished the Ute football season with an awesome win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Mark has watched and read many shows and articles about preparing to meet Alabama. The players watched film, studied up on the players strengths and weaknesses and devised a plan to overcome the odds againsts them. And boy did they overcome!! But that's a different subject. The subject at hand is: the Lord is telling Joseph and us about how Satan works. We are to study and observe and then devise a plan to overcome. It is remarkable how much opposition Joseph, his family and others around him had to put up with in order to bring the gospel to light. Some say that the amount of opposition makes an even greater testimony to the truth of this work (did Satan not figure this out?). We would do well to learn from what he had to deal with. Here's what I noticed:
- Satan uses anger as a tool (v 24). How does he create anger?
- He flatters you (v25) . . . appeals to your pride. . . wants to make you think you deserve one thing or another. Then you think in order to preserve your high and mighty status. . .
- He tells you to lie and deceive other people (v 25,28) knowing that if you know you're lying to other people so you can't be trusted, you will assume that other people can't be trusted either (v 28) so. . .
- He points out seeming injustices (v 28) to keep you distrustful and paranoid enough that you only rely on yourself for survival, eventually closing all possibilities of God in your life, because hey! you run the show! Flatter, flatter. . . .
So here's what we're supposed to do:
- Don't run faster than we have strength, but be diligent. Translation to me: The Lord has given you what you've got. If you work with Him to develop what you've got, you're in good condition. If you try to have or get more than what He has given you, it's false. Because strength doesn't come from what you get for yourself, but what you develop with the Lord. (v4)
- Pray always. This does not consist of muttering "amen" under your breath every five minutes. This means live in such a way that your life is an offering to the Lord in addition to formal prayer. (v5)
- Be obedient to the Lord's direction and leave judgement up to Him (v37)
- Read and remember the words of the Savior (v70)
- Read the Book of Mormon and do accordingly (84:54-58)
I don't know if anyone is really reading my posts every day, but I'm getting a lot out of the readings. It's been extremely helpful for me to break up the readings by day. It doesn't seem as insurmountable. Good stuff.
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