War

Alma 2:21

"And Alma sent spies to follow the remnant of the Amlicites, that he might know of their plans and their plots, whereby he might guard himself against them, that he might preserve his people from being destroyed."

Many people wonder why the war chapters in the Book of Mormon exist. I think this scripture has much to do with one of the answers to that school of question. I like to think of stories as parables, meaning that whenever I hear a story I try to discern an eternal principle from it, learn and grow from it. When I read that scripture I thought to myself. "Hmm, that's very interesting how Alma chose to approach this war-time dilemma that he was in. He was pursuing his enemy in hopes to end the battle quickly, and so instead of just sitting around and waiting for the battle to come to him, he went and investigated his enemy so that he would be better prepared for the next encounter."

This obviously is nothing that is earth-shakingly brilliant, but it's rather quite obvious as far as war-strategy goes. But what I drew from it is that it parallels our battle with sin and temptation. What did Alma do while he was caught up in making sure that he won the battle at hand? He studied his enemy and figured out the best ways to prepare and encounter them. So I got to thinking, why don't we do that? The parallel I drew, as I mentioned, had to do with sin, and more specifically in thinking about what preparations we do in our daily lives to combat sin.

We truly are in the midst of a war, a war with Satan and his devils. Every day we are tempted, who do you think that tempation comes from? Certainly not our loving Father in Heaven, rather it comes from Satan, the father of all lies. He constantly assails us with temptaion in every shape and size, at all times of the day, and from places that we least expect it. So how does all of this tie into Alma's decision to do a little bit of espionage on the Amlicites? Well, simply put, why don't we do a bit of espionage on Satan and his tactics? Why don't we figure out what he's up to so that we can better fortify ourselves from his assaults? Better yet, in what ways CAN we fortify ourselves? And an even better question, if we have the ability to fortify ourselves against temptation, why don't we?

Well, it is late as of now.. I will probably expound on this in more detail in a future blog, but I need time to think and pray about it. I think I'm on to something here, and I want to take time to collect my thoughts on the subject.

The Difference

Alma 1:4-5

"And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.

And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money."

Well, tonight I went to the third wedding that I've ever attended. I don't remember much about the first one because I was so young, but I remember that it was in our house. The second one was the wedding of my great friend Stephanie. Both of those weddings were not in the temple obviously. And tonight, was Ben and Ashley's wedding. I was excited to attend the wedding, and I am so so so happy for them, but it was... weird. 

I listened very closely and very intently to everything that was said, the pattern in which things took place, what they placed emphasis on, and so forth. The pastor said numerous things that led the marriage towards God, and I was pleased that they were putting the focus of the union where it should be. However, that being said, it just felt like something was missing. When the pastor made the comment towards the end along the lines of "I have felt the presence of God here tonight," I... had to disagree. I really hadn't felt as though anything special had taken place in the sight of God other than two of his children got married for the space of time given to us in which to dwell on earth. Which obviously is a big step, and one that qualifies us for many rights and blessings not otherwise attainable, within the church or not, but it was missing a key ingredient: Priesthood Authority. 

I consider myself better able to tune into the spirit nowadays, thanks to the constancy in which I surround myself with spiritual-enducing media and practices (ie, scriptures, talks, music), and I can honestly say that it would be a stretch to say that God was with Ben and Ashley tonight as far as their wedding being what it should be. 

I love Ben and Ashley so much, and now, more than ever, I hope they find the path towards truth. I want more than anything for them, for their marriage to become an eternal marriage, and not something that ends when Christ comes again. I think about all of the non-temple weddings that have taken place over the course of time, and the pain and sorrow that will be prevalent when people realize that they are not going to be by the side of their earthly partner for the rest of eternity. Or maybe they will be, but not within the glory of the Celestial Kingdom. I don't quite know how the intricacies of the two lower kingdoms work as far as marriage go, but be that as it may, what is a marriage with out the ability to have an eternal increase?

Tonight strengthened my testimony of the sanctity of temple weddings, and the wonderful sealing power that is associated with them. I hope to live every day of mine in accordance with that testimony, so that one day I may be blessed enough to wed within the temple, for time and all eternity. I can't imagine anything on this earth that could bring me more joy than that fateful day.  :)

To Infiniti...

Mosiah 29:20

"...and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him."

I am at peace today, I just hope I can keep it up - no matter what my ever-changing schedule may present as a challenge. With faith and trust in the Lord, anything is possible.

Unwanted

Mosiah 28:3

"Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yes, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble."

Tonight I got a reminder of just how powerful music can be. I tend to think of songs whenever I hear phrases that match the lyrics of a song that I know. Tonight, while I was closing at work, one of my employees said a couple of words that match the lyrics from a song that I used to listen to on occasion a few years ago.. and it is not a very wholesome song in the least, quite explicit lyrics. Well, I have not listened to this song in quite a while, yet when I heard that phrase, it came back to me as though I had just heard it earlier that day, and immediately caused me to have a slightly different spirit about me. 

Can we really risk that? Can we allow ourselves to welcome into our minds things that we wouldn't want there during our most personal moments? If that song happened to pass through my head whilst I was at church, or at the temple... I would really be upset with myself for ever hearing the song in the first place. If I'd never allowed myself to hear it, or if I'd purposefully avoided it after hearing it once, it would never be able to plague me while I am doing something, let alont while I'm having a sacred experience. 

But really, it goes beyond music (though music sure is the most powerful form of media we have, in my opinion). Movies, television shows, internet clips, books, any form of media-intake that we have available to us will always be with us in at least a small sense. Can we really risk having any of that come back to us when we don't want it there? Satan can't plant things into our brain that aren't already there, but he certainly does have the capability of taking what is there, and making it surface. We need to keep ourselves spotless from the world, and that is one of the most important aspects of it. 

I have blogged on this before, but I felt it was important to bring it up again, because I certainly had a shocking reminder of it tonight, and I was beside myself.

Hearken!

Mosiah 27:24-26

"For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.

And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yes, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."

My heart cries out in thanksgiving for the power of the atonement. There is nothing worse in this mortality than the feeling of eternal guilt, for my heart has felt it. However, that feeling has led me to also understanding the joy of eternal forgiveness and happiness. 

"For behold this is my work and my glory; to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

There is no greater feeling that I can imagine, than coming to the realization that you have achieved Celestial Glory. I look forward to that day with earnestness. I yearn for it. Every fiber of my being aches for it. I no longer strive for righteousness out of fear of the alternative, for that can only carry you so far. 

But what I think most people miss in this life, is that God is cheering us on. How can we reject the aid and guidance of someone who is both omniscient and omnipotent? People constantly try to fight and wrestle with God, thinking that their decisions are better than what he would have for us. What an arrogant and prideful viewpoint! God's work and God's glory is to help us and guide us along the path to eternal life. Let him!

He is willing to open door after door for us, all we have to do is give him the opportunity to do so. Through prayer and scripture study, we develop our abilities to discern his counsel and his guidance. So why would we not participate in these things with an open heart and with true intent? 

True Conversion

Mosiah 26:22-24

"For behold, this is my church; whosoever is baptized shall be baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever ye receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive.

For it is I that taketh upon me the sins of the world; for it is I that hath created them; and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a placea t my right hand.
For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth and shall have a place eternally at my right hand."

So, I have been pondering today about the various stages of conversion to the gospel, and I think I have a grasp on my thoughts now. I look at people in the church, and really, in any religion, and I see various types of people, categorically if you will.

Some seem to be doing all the right things when they're at church and around their church buds, but then you see them out late at night hanging around (and talking differently) with other crowds of kids, and it makes you wonder. Some people openly say they are searching for religion, but don't seem to be making any outward strides to finding a relationship with God. Some people seem to be making very concerted efforts towards righteousness, but always seem to get side tracked and are always making up ground. Some people do mostly a great job of living their religion, and only have a few slip ups here and there. And then there are those people that don't even think about religion, they just go about their day helping people out, constantly smiling, and always seem to love life.

Now, obviously I missed a few descriptions of people, but you get my drift. What is it about people, when it comes to religion and righteousness, that makes us all so different? What goes on in our hearts and minds that differentiates us from the next person? Well, I have come up with the 3 levels of conversion to attempt to illustrate a point.

1) Going through the motions.
This stage of conversion is the first sign of an effort towards righteousness. We figure out what it is that we SHOULD be doing, and even though our psyche may not agree, we do it anyways. Doing so often conflicts with what we may think to be the correct course of action given a decision, but we put aside our instincts in order to get in the habit of doing what we feel we should be doing.

Many people are in this stage of conversion, and often times those people appear to be hypocrites, while that may not be a correct judgment at all. They realize things that should be different in their lives, whether or not their heart is in alignment with this school of thought or not. And in coming to that realization they force themselves to do things they otherwise would not do. This is a hard thing to do constantly, and therefore they find themselves not "going through the motions" some times, and when someone witnesses this, it often times creates the perception of someone who is confused and lost.

However, we all must start at this stage, because the things of righteousness simply do not come naturally. We are naturally selfish beings, so being selfless is often times a foreign concept. We naturally are prideful and want glory, therefore being humble is quite often a task for us when we are first introduced to the topic (some people find out about humility whilst still a young child, others don't see its benefits until much later in their life, we all go through our own experiences and trials). However, it is what it is, and we all spend varying amounts of time in this stage.

2) Obeying because it is "what is right."
At first glance, this seems exactly the same as stage number one, but there is a bit of a difference. In stage number one you are mentally converted to what is the correct course of action or behavior. Here, your heart becomes more closely aligned to righteousness. You choose a faith that makes sense to you, one that you believe is correct, and you begin living according to that faith.

Now that your heart is aligned with the aforementioned religion, it becomes easier to follow in righteousness because you now believe it is the right thing to do, as opposed to just knowing it. This is where you become a more faithful person, you appear to do all the right things, and are honestly a very religious person.

This is where most people, that have chosen a religion, and attend every week (or as often as possible) fall. They fulfill their church callings faithfully, they read the scriptures daily, they do everything that they believe is righteous and holy. These are good people through and through that seem to only have a few faults, but hey, don't we all?

3) True conversion.
This is, I believe, where we should all be striving to end up.

In stage 1, our minds were converted.
In stage 2, our hearts were converted.
Here in stage 3, finally our soul, our every moral fiber, is converted.

I have described this, to a point, in previous blogs, but I want to go into further detail this time. When I talk about converting your soul, you no longer worry about what the "rule set" of your respective religion is. This is where you begin living the standards of the church because the principles of your religion are the same principles in which YOU believe, no just because your church says they are correct. You don't fully reach this stage of conversion until you don't have to think about your actions based on what is "right", but rather you naturally "choose the right" with out having to consciously think about it.

This is where you begin living the gospel in your every action, word, and even thought. Again, not because you are trying to strive towards the model of behavior defined by your church, but because every fiber of your being strives towards it simply because that is what it is programmed to do.

When you are truly converted to the gospel of Christ, your every thought is turned towards the betterment of those around you. You fulfill your church callings because you honestly believe that is the best way you can show your appreciation for the love that Christ gives you, because that is the best way you can reach out to your fellow brethren. You read the scriptures daily because you honestly can't get enough of them. They come alive and jump off of the pages to you. You listen to the prophets and apostles with anxious ears so that you can get to know them better and understand their spirit. You don't even notice 'things of the world' any more because you're so caught up in the spiritual aspect of life and righteousness, that you are no longer enticed by the cheap alternatives Satan gives you.

You may have been doing all of these things already, but there is a new meaning and purpose to them. You are no longer having to remind yourself to get things done pertaining to righteousness, they simply become second nature.

There is a scripture I like that illustrates this vast difference:

Mosiah 3:19
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Let's break that scripture down a just a little bit.
We are all natural men, we can thank Adam for that, though it's nothing we should be ashamed of. It is part of our test, in order to be rewarded for living a Christ-like life, don't we have to change something about us? What would there be to reward if we were born with the ability to lead a perfect life without difficulty? In the New Testament, Christ often references "rewards in heaven." What are we deserving of if we don't have to overcome something? That obstacle we must overcome is the natural man.

So you might ask, what is the natural man? King Benjamin clearly defines that here, by defining the opposite. He describes things that the natural man isn't: submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, and willing to submit to his father. Can you honestly say that as a human being, with carnal instincts that you are humble? have patience? loving towards EVERYONE? meek? I sure can't.

So now how do we overcome the natural man? King Benjamin also explains this. By yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, understanding and accepting the atonment of Christ (for, you have to understand it to be able to accept it), and by becoming as a little child (see: the previous paragraph).

Well, what are the enticings of the Holy Spirit?
He testifies of Jesus Christ and of Truth. Which Truth can only be understood to be the correct way to live our life.

Moroni 7:32
"And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men."

Moroni 10:5
"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

Those are quite the enticings! The enticings of faith in Christ, as well as our sacred covenants, and oh wait, the truth of all things! Sounds like someone I should definitely give heed to. We have scriptural evidence here that the Holy Spirit speaks to both our mind and our heart, which equates to our soul. The Holy Spirit really is behind everything we do, he is our constant companion and friend. He, along with the Father and the Son, want the best for us, and is willing to aid us in whatever thing we set out to achieve in righteousness.

Let's let him into our hearts and start living the gospel because it comes naturally, not because we know or feel that it is right! I can honestly say that it has begun feeling natural to me. I'm not perfect by any means, but it is the greatest feeling in the world. :)

Mortality

Mosiah 25:24

"And they were called the people of God. And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed, and propsered in the land."

I look out the window and I behold the eternities,

Though my eyes are not what they could be.

What do I behold? What is out there?

I would not be able to see it if it were not for thee.

My hands are busy here, always following commands,

Though slow at first, they eventually keep up pace.

Whom do they serve? Are they the hands of man?

They strive to do nothing but bring a smile to thy face.

Gibberish here, half-uttered words there,

Praise, slander, idleness, silence, they can evoke a tear.

Why so loud? Do they not all count?

Every spoken word should take into consideration thine ear.

Fleeting in, fleeting out, sometimes they stick,

Thinking of that, this can become, thinking not, never is so.

Can he not sense them? Are they not under control?

Through discipline, nothing but good thoughts can grow.

We once had a choice, to continue choosing or to not,

Two choices were presented, life eternal or otherwise.

Why would we go on not choosing? Why give in?

Our choices should be towards him, I do surmise.