In his sermon in the synagogue, before teaching his people how to "lay hold upon every good thing," Mormon provided some instruction about how to distinguish between good and evil: All things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him... Continue Reading →
“Ask with a Firmness Unshaken, that Ye Will Yield to No Temptation” – Mormon 9:28
God will judge us in the end "according to the desire of [our] hearts" (Doctrine and Covenants 137:9). But our desires are not static and unchanging. They are affected over time by the decisions we make. As Elder Ulisses Soares recently taught, we are like a metal object, and temptation is like a magnet. The... Continue Reading →
“They Never Would Shed Blood More” – Alma 53:11
The Lamanites who were converted by the preaching of Ammon and his brothers had previously been "a hardened people," quick to engage in violence (Alma 17:14). After their conversion, as a symbol of their changed hearts, they buried their weapons "deep in the earth" (Alma 24:17). And this they did, it being in their view... Continue Reading →
What Is a “Flaxen Cord?” – 2 Nephi 26:22
Nephi prophesied that, in the last days, the devil would lead people "by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever" (2 Nephi 26:22). It's clear from the context that the "flaxen cord" described here was not strong. I envision a person with a very thin thread wrapped... Continue Reading →
Nephi’s Vision
The prophet Nephi was so impressed with his father's dream and his father's prophecies that he prayed to see what his father had seen. As a result, he saw a sweeping vision in which an angel showed him many future events and used them to explain the symbols from his father's dream. Today, I summarized the... Continue Reading →
Would God Lead Us Into Temptation?
During the Lord's Prayer, which the Savior gave as an example of how we should pray, He makes the following request: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13, Luke 11:4, 3 Nephi 13:12). The words are the same all three times this prayer appears in the scriptures: twice in... Continue Reading →
How Can I Avoid Being an “Unholy Temple?”
Four times in the Book of Mormon, we are taught a fundamental principle: God doesn't dwell in unholy temples. If we make choices which make us unholy, we cannot have His Spirit with us. Today, I examined these four passages looking for insights on how I can avoid cutting myself off from the Spirit of... Continue Reading →
How Can I Recognize the Temptations of the Devil?
The Book of Mormon teaches that there is a being in the universe who is trying to harm us and to thwart God's plan. His name is Satan (שָׂטָן - the Hebrew word for "adversary"), and he is commonly known as the devil, from the Greek word diabolos (διάβολος), which means "slanderer." He was once... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to “Watch and Pray?”
Just after participating in the Last Supper, the Savior walked with His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Telling His disciples, "Pray that ye enter not into temptation," He walked a little further, and knelt to pray (Luke 22:40-41, Mark 14:32-36, Matthew 26:36-39). Returning a little later, He... Continue Reading →
That I May Shake at the Appearance of Sin – 2 Nephi 4:31
31 O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin? (2 Nephi 4:31) Temptation is part of our mortal experience: we all sometimes want to do things that we know we shouldn't do.... Continue Reading →