One-third and he's not stopping. He wants you, me and everyone else. And he's powerfully deceptive.
Over the years I have heard and witnessed those who have said, "I would never get married outside of the temple. I would never get pregnant outside of marriage. I would never do drugs. I would never do that with him. I would never do that with her." Then they come in seeking forgiveness and they can't believe what they have done. They can't believe that what they said they would "never do", they actually did.
Realize that with Satan "just a little" leads to a lot and "just this once" leads to all of the time. But he's genius in convincing us otherwise.
Years ago I was invited by a dear friend to show up at the church because he needed my support. He was a good friend. When I arrived at the church I was directed into the Bishops office. I sat there with my friend not really knowing what was going on. As the meeting started, I realized that the Bishopric, very lovingly, was holding a court for my friend. I was shocked to hear the allegations and confession of my friend to drug trafficking cocaine all over the world. I was dumbfounded and my mind was spinning and wondering how? He was a returned missionary. I had been in his home numerous times for dinner and social gatherings where the Spirit was truly felt. He was a few years older than me and I looked up to him. I witnessed his testimony and love for the Savior on many occasions. His good parents were both temple workers. He was a good friend and I loved him like a brother. Soon the meeting concluded with love and support expressed by each member of the Bishopric. As Todd and I walked out of the building and into the parking lot, I asked my friend "how, how did it start? How did it happen?" He simply said, "It started small and grew out of control."
On another occasion (with humility, I share this story) about a year after we were married, a neighbor of mine, in the same ward, was hired by the airlines and referred me to an interview for a position. According to him, they had many openings and he knew the department manager personally and would put in a good word for me. Peggy and I were so excited, especially for the travel benefits my friend spoke of. I saw myself surfing all around the world: Australia, Tahiti, Africa, anywhere and everywhere. I took up my friend's offer and went down immediately for an interview. I was hired on the spot. My dream of travel was coming to pass; I saw myself on a plane bound for Australia. The manager of the department spoke of the benefits, the pay; I felt really good. Then we talked about my work schedule. In my mind, it was a Monday-Friday job. Since I was a new recruit, I was informed that Sundays were a requirement. I was considered the low man on the totem pole. At that point, that plane that I was on, bound for Australia, crashed, taking down all of my exotic dreams of travel and surf. My countenance dropped and he noticed. He was also a member and emphasized the importance of the Sunday policy for new-hires. There was no getting out of it. I told him thank you, but I was raised in a home where strict observance of the Sabbath had become something I just couldn't sacrifice. As for my neighbor, he slowly became inactive and became heavily involved with those at work, indulging in behavior unbecoming of a true follower of the Savior.
Please remember the words of my friend, Todd: "It started small and grew out of control."
Realize also that Satan's influence and teachings are so powerful that in today's world one plus one does not always equal two when what you thought and believed was the norm or right is no longer the norm. Moroni warned us of this in Moroni 7:14 when he said, "Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil." And he continues in 17: "But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil and believe not in Christ and deny him and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him." That's how powerful his influence is. Remember, he convinced Laman and Lemuel that they were wronged by their younger Brother Nephi. Though untrue, this propaganda was handed down from one generation to the next for 1,000 years, which eventually lead to the entire destruction of the Nephite nation at the hands of their children. As Mormon wrote,
"And my soul was rent with anguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried: O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! How could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss" (Mormon 6:16-18).
The evil one speaks to us in our heads 24/7 trying to convince us, as Moroni taught, that wrong really isn't that wrong and that right really isn't that right. He won't go away. He will talk and talk and talk, taking this angle and that angle until we succumb. And, I might add, he doesn't care who you are. We all have our evil moments. There's a saying that reads, "When you're further away from the Lord today than you were yesterday, guess who moved." The further you're away from the Savior, when not reading your scriptures and not saying your daily prayers, the further you are from His voice, from His touch, and the louder and louder the voice of the evil one becomes. And, I might add, the more persuasive and convincing his voice becomes. At times, because of our seemingly busy schedules and priorities, we are so far away from our loving Savior, that Satan's voice is the only voice we hear. As you hear voices in your head, ask yourself, "Who's talking to me?"
I had a young man come to see me to confess, and in the process of doing so he said, "Now Bishop, don't tell me to read the scriptures and say my prayers; that's all I'm ever told. You guys say the same thing over and over again. I responded with, "If you know another way to get close to God, you tell me." He's now reading and praying and feels the spirit of the Lord stronger than ever.
In 2 Nephi, chapter 2, Lehi describes the fall and mission of Lucifer. We read starting with verse 17:
"And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.""And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind." "But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.""And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.""Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.""And now, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life."
"And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom." (2 Nephi 2:17-18; 24-29)
From Lehi's words, we realize that the devil has one mission, which is to make all men, that would be you and me, miserable like unto himself and to bring us down to hell by death in sin, and then we become his forever, in his kingdom. Imagine waking up to that. That thought alone is spookier than PCC's Haunted Lagoon. You want a spooky experience this Halloween, think about that one for a while.
President Hinckley, in a talk given October 7, 2006, during the Priesthood Session of General Conference, shared a letter of one who is trapped in misery, as Lehi described. President Hinckley begins with,
"I previously mentioned pornography. It easily becomes an addiction of the worst kind. Let me read to you from a letter I received from a victim:
I would like to share something with you that I have not been able to share with anyone else. I am a 35-year-old male. For most of my adult life I have been addicted to pornography. I am very ashamed to admit this, but for the most part, my addiction is as real as that of an alcoholic or a drug addict.The main reason for my writing is to tell you that the Church can't do enough to counsel the members to avoid pornography. I was first introduced to this material as a child. I was molested by an older male cousin, and pornography was used to attract my interest. I am convinced that this exposure at an early age to sex and pornography is at the root of my addiction today.I think it is ironic that those who support the business of pornography say that it is a matter of freedom of expression. I have no freedom. I have lost my free agency because I have been unable to overcome this. It is a trap for me, and I can't seem to get out of it. Please, please, please plead with the brethren of the Church not only to avoid but eliminate the sources of pornographic material in their lives. Besides the obvious things like books and magazines, they need to turn off cable movie channels in their homes. I know many who have these services and claim that they are able to screen the bad things out, but this is not true.Pornography and perversion have become so commonplace in our lives that the sources of this material are everywhere. I have found pornographic magazines by the roadside and in dumps. We need to talk to our children and explain how evil these things are and encourage them to avoid looking at them when they come across them.Finally, President Hinckley, please pray for others and me in the Church who may be like me to have the courage and strength to overcome this terrible affliction.I am unable to sign my name, and I hope that you will understand.' " (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Rise Up, O Men of God," October 2006, Priesthood Session, 176th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
As we can see, his mission is to make all men miserable as he is which is evident in the letter just read. As the young man wrote and I quote again: "I have no freedom. I have lost my free agency because I have been unable to overcome this. It is a trap for me, and I can't seem to get out of it. Please, please, please plead with the brethren of the Church not only to avoid but eliminate the sources of pornographic material in their lives."
This good brother uses the word "eliminate the sources of pornographic material in our lives" Pornography is a billion dollar weapon of mass destruction. It is a weapon of spiritual destruction, a weapon of eternal destruction. It will destroy your eternity. And if you are involved with it you can't treat it with a simple soft slap on the wrist.
Going back to the pre-existence, I am amazed with the power of influence the evil one had to turn one-third against the Father. Think of it, One-third actually chose Satan's plan and chose to follow him-while in the presence of God; choosing to turn their back on the Father forever. Incredible!
By choosing Satan realize that they believed him over the Father and the Son.
Now you may be thinking, as I have, how they, the one-third, could do that! How one-third could be so easily fooled to turn their back on the Father, while in the Fathers presence, and the Son, and choose someone who was so obviously evil, wicked and unrighteous.
[Pointing to the audience] I believe one-third would be right here if you could all kindly please stand, those in this section right here, please, thank you! See how easy that was? Please be seated.
He is one-third and growing and his evil influence is as powerful today as it was in the pre-existence. Even, I'll say, even more powerful today than ever before than the pre-existence, or since the beginning of man! How can I make that statement? Because not only does he have his one-third but he also has all those, everyone, who has ever chosen to follow him while in the flesh, since the beginning of time. And their evil influence is still felt and followed in every corner of the world far and near; their influence is even felt within our own homes. For example, think of Hitler and the evil he stood for and the many that followed him and believed his beliefs; and then murdered millions at his command. And yet today, 70 years later, as evil as we know Hitler was, yet he continues to have a following in the world. In fact, right up the street here on Kam Highway, at Tanaka store, on Fumi's shrimp truck some vandal has spray painted a swastika on the north side of his truck.
There's a story in the Book of Mormon that we are all familiar with that shows, one, the deceptive power of Satan and, two, the misery that is experienced when we choose to follow Satan's deceptive influence. It is the sad story of Korihor, who at one time was a believer, but was sadly deceived and then later destroyed and killed.
As we read in Alma chapter 30, we learn five valuable lessons when we fall, as Korihor did, to the deceptive power of Satan and the misery and destruction that follows. Reading from verse 42, we read the words of Alma to Korihor,
"Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about...."Now Korihor said unto him: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe.""Now Alma said unto him: This will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance.""Now when Alma had said these words, Korihor was struck dumb.""And now when the chief judge saw this, he put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou convinced of the power of God?""And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God.""But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me.""And it came to pass that the curse was not taken off of Korihor, and he went about from house to house begging for his food.""And it came to pass that as he went forth among the people, yea, among a people who had separated themselves from the Nephites and called themselves Zoramites, being led by a man whose name was Zoram, and as he went forth amongst them, behold, he was run upon and trodden down, even until he was dead.""And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell." (Alma 30:42,48-53,56,59-60)
This is exactly what Lehi spoke of five hundred years earlier: "And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind" (2Nephi 2:18).
How can we continue on with the hope that we can win and overcome and endure to the end? That we can beat Satan and his army of evil and say as Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
Here are 4 points to remember:
1. Realize that Satan's plan is a plan of misery and eternal demise
See his deception for what it really is-put a face on it, his face. Whatever he would have you do, realize that misery will follow. Follow the Saviors rebuke: "Get thee hence, Satan" (Matthew 4:10).
2. Read the Book of Mormon - read it every day
I'm going to suggest three to five chapters a day. For me, the first chapter at times is words, by the second chapter the characters come to life and by the third chapter I begin to feel the Spirit. Read, read and read it every day. I had a young man come to me once and tell me that he no longer feels the Spirit when he reads the Book of Mormon.
My advice to him: "Read it until you do." because there's no way you're going to read that book and not feel the spirit of God, impossible! Become acquainted, become friends with Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Ammon, Moroni, and the many others. Know them by name. Know their words. Feel their spirit and their love for the Savior and their love for you. They knew what they were writing and they knew who they were writing for, for you.
The prophet Joseph Smith taught: "The Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."
There are two things that happen when reading the Book of Mormon:
1. You are brought into the light to "Know" what is right.
2. You have the power to do what you know is right.
By reading the Book of Mormon you become acquainted with His voice, His touch, [and] I believe His power. As Moroni stated,
"And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever" (Moroni 10:7).
It is a powerful book to ward off evil.
While serving in the little village of Taga Savaii, I was laying asleep one night when I was awakened by the presence of darkness, heavy darkness. I remembered the teachings of my father that when you feel the presence of evil, utter the words, "In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the priesthood I hold, I rebuke the evil in the room." The darkness was so heavy, that I struggled saying those words. But I did and the darkness was lifted immediately and light entered that little hut. I remember that I then reached for my Book of Mormon and held it close to my chest, and slept like that the rest of that night. I slept like a baby.
Now years later and just a few months ago, I shared that experience with one of my boys. One night, late, I went around the house checking the doors and windows, and my family as they lay asleep. As I entered my son's room, I noticed him sleeping, holding something to his chest. I walked over to look closer and noticed it was the Book of Mormon. As I looked at him, I was so grateful that I shared that story.
3. Become anxiously engaged in helping, serving and saving others
Elder Whiting refers to it as "prophetic priorities". In other words, what are our prophets speaking about today? Saving souls, helping others, and serving others. Realize that it is not about you and that it never has been. What happens is that the evil one would have us become so consumed with us and in love with our own lives, pursuits and interests; our goals and successes and our titles and things, that we have very little time and interest for others.
As noted in the scriptures, "We become lovers of our own flesh" (see 2 Timothy 3:2). And as Moroni wrote after the demise of his own people, said he; "Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy and the naked and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not" (Mormon 8:39).
Remember the words, "Some men climb the ladder of success only to realize that when they reach the top, it's leaning against the wrong wall" (Zig Ziglar,"See You at the Top," Pelican Publishing Co., 2000).
Realize that if our pursuit of titles and things were that important to Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Our Savior probably would not have been born in a manger. His earthly father probably would not have been a carpenter. He probably would not have been referred to as Jesus, and He probably would not have been introduced during His baptism, or to the Nephites, or to the Prophet Joseph Smith as simply, "This is my beloved son" (see Matthew 3:17; 3 Nephi 11:7; JSH 1:17).
Do not allow titles and things to define whom you are, or how you will feel about you, or have them place you above others. The evil one is great at that, to convince you that, for example, you get a cool new car and all of a sudden in your mind you're cool, and all of a sudden you're tempted to do things, in your mind, [that] cool people do. That's what the building that Lehi saw was all about. Of course, those in the building are different for all of us. But the building, nevertheless, was noted by Lehi as off the ground and my interpretation of that is that those we esteem, those we think cool, those we place above the Savior and His teachings, those that have the persuasive power to take us by the hand and step off the path, are those who reside in the building.
As the popular words go: "Who's in the house? Satan." As The Prophet said; "Oh be wise, what more can I say" (Jacob 6:12). Let us be engaged in doing good for others. Remember the song:
Have I done any good in the world today?Have I helped anyone in need?Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?If not, I have failed indeed.("223: Have I Done Any Good?," Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, no. 223)
And the words of the poet:
Tis the human touch in the world that counts,the touch of your hand in mine.That means far more to the ailing heartthan shelter, bread or wine.For shelter is gone when the night is o'erand bread lasts only a day,but the touch of the hand and the sound of the voice lingeron in the heart always.
It has always been about others. That's the example Our Savior set and taught when He said, "Feed my sheep; Love the neighbor as thyself; And if any man will sue thee at the law and takeaway thy coat let him have the cloak also; And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain; Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away."
In this past General Conference, President Monson taught the following in regards to serving, helping and caring for others. Said our Prophet,
"The Savior taught His disciples, 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.'I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish ”and in effect save their lives."Often we live side by side but do not communicate heart to heart. There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out, 'Is there no balm in Gilead?'I am confident it is the intention of each member of the Church to serve and to help those in need. At baptism we covenanted to 'bear one another's burdens, that they may be light.' How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day-to-day living interfered and you've left it for others to help, feeling that 'oh, surely someone will take care of that need.'We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we're doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the 'thick of thin things.' In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes." (Thomas S. Monson, "What Have I Done for Someone Today?" October 2009, Sunday Morning Session, 179th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
4. Have Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
Remember, He did what He did knowing that we would slip and fall. His love places us back on the path where He awaits us, always with open arms. As he lovingly promised in Matthew 11, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
And in 3 Nephi, Chapter 11, we read of the Savior's love for those who witnessed His visitation, as prophesied:
"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.""And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.""Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world." (3 Nephi 11:10-11,14)
And His loving words to the woman who was caught in adultery and broke the law, a law that He gave. When she was confronted by her accusers, He said, "He who is without sin let Him cast the first stone." Then He wrote in the dirt. When He raised himself, He turned to her and asked: "Woman where are thine accusers?" And her response was, "Master, they have gone and accuse me not." And with that He lovingly said, "Neither do I, go and sin no more" (see John 8:3-11).
May we embrace the Love of Our Savior and find hope and forgiveness always, at times when we stray from His path. May we find Power in His love and His truth and turn our backs on the evil one and his deceptive influences as we move forward knowing that through Jesus our Savior, we will win!