Tongue and Cheek the title may be, but let’s face it, when people sin they are not hating the moments, it’s the aftermath which we see how much Satan blinds us. For those in faith that hold higher values it becomes as if we had completely forgotten everything we know and hold dear. The word remember escapes out of our our memory as it takes small and simple bad choices for our mind to become faded. It is as if we become numb to everything around us and sinning becomes a do or die type of mental sequence.
The idea of seeing and feeling how things really are is based on the way our Heavenly father would like us too see, feel, love experience life. You tend to notice things others don’t. I say, that it is due to spirit we members are given at Baptism which help us see things differently. We learn from Moroni that “by the power of the Holy Ghost we shall know the truth of all things.” (see Moroni 10:3-5) So if we learn to see the truth and feel things how they really are through the spiritual eyes, we maybe subject to remembering key things when we are tempted as opposed to “I don’t do this because it’s bad.”
Satan is using all the tricks of the trade from hell university and bringing only loaded guns with unfair size bullets that could destroy any marriage, relationship between a love one, a friends, and most target, a sealing between your sweet heart and our Savior.
Our amazing Church leaders teach us to obey the spirit and to keep ourselves worthy to enter Temple doors. The Temple is the most coveted desire for Latter-Day Saint because for us it is the closest practice we can achieve here on Earth that is closest to heave. It is our Father’s home. Then why do we still sin? Why on earth would we even get close to sinning knowing such powerful truth? Why would we ever give up the opportunity to enter? What happens at that moment of temptation? Why do we keep falling short when we truly know what we are about to do is so bad?
Well, let me share a few things that I personally have learned from my own, from others and from our Prophets (many of these things may seem familiar and have been taught before and know that each may be a Pandora’s box of information that can generate hours of conversation.)
So, let’s see if you fit into any of these phrases in which Satan has help you feel comfortable to get you to do things you really don’t want to or in other words, do things that are not really how they should be.
1.It will all work out, you’re not going to die:
By far the most common truth/ lie of all. Satan does tell the truth because he fully knows we know truth and he uses it to manipulate us to do what he wants. He is a no good, a good for nothing. He is nothing and he is so pathetic that he even needs to use Father’s virtues such as truth to get his way. He can’t force us to do things but he sure can tempt us. And if he can’t do that, then he gets other to do so. We may not physically die, but we will die spiritually.
2. Just this one time:
Ah, we hear this all the time. Just one puff, just one drink, just one kiss, just one rated R movie, just steal this once. Did we not learn from our savior’s Parable of the lost sheep. Let’s see if in a different perspective. We know that the Sheep is us and out of the 100, 1 left the flock. What about if that 1 simply decided “maybe I’ll go this way to see if the grass is greener somewhere else.” Our savior will always be there, yes, that’s what he does. But what happens if that “1 time only” got you so lost you could not see the help even when it’s on your face?
Remember, you don’t lose the spirit by sinning multiple times and you don’t become a sinner by sinning multiples times either. It just takes one time. At times we forget how polar opposites the Father and Satan are, if one little things causes us to lose our way, then the one little opposite thing may be the one to bring us back.
3. You can repent later if it really means that much to you:
I was going to title this one ” you can repent later if it really means that much to you plus, didn’t Jesus died for you so you could repent? ” That’s right using the Atonement like a game token at an arcade. You can’t just sin with the notion that you will repent later. This is spiritual debt, like using your Credit Card ‘I’ll just charge it now and pay it back on Friday when check kicks in.’
First of all, we are already in debt, so stop getting deeper in the hole. The Atonement is not a bank, it is a (above many other things) a healing virtue valid because our savior died for us. How many people are willing to die for you right now? Repentance is not planned, you use it every day for mistakes made, for sin caused. Yes, different levels of sins do exist and you can repent from planning your sin to then plan to repent later, but this is not how it works. True repentance comes with change. Think about it, the Atonement heals like a wound. A wound is healed by changing it’s distorted un-natural way to its normal healthy productive way. Repentance is the process on how we change, but we got to be willing to change. Anything else is wishful thinking.
The Atonement heals, anything yes, but you also need to be broken-hearted and have Godly sorrow “and if Men come unto to me I will show them their weakness… If men humble themselves unto to me and have faith in me, I will make weak things become strong unto me (see Ether 12:27) Elder Callister in the Infinite Atonement quoted a man saying he felt that to be fully repented of change he needed to act twice a much in order to do right. So for example, if you choose not to give your 10% tithing and the repented and felt the godly sorrow, next time you paid the tithing it would be 20% to reinstitute the last 10% you missed.
This of course, our beloved savior did not command, but what a wonderful example to show willingness to change. At the end if something does mean that much to you, don’t sin and if you do, simply repent and do what the savior ask “come, follow me.”
4. Everyone else is doing it, look how happy and okay they are:
Trying to fit at times is more nerve racking than a 500 pound man trying to wipe is butt. You tend to dress, try, say and act in very stupid immature manners just so that others can accept you for who you truly are not. This will bring misery, bitterness against those who truly love you for who you are and most importantly, accepting yourself for who you are and eventually, who you can become. Why can’t you be the one making the changes, being the example and staying true to yourself?
Look, just because someone may look happy does not mean they are. You ever heard the phrase, “fake till you make it?” What a sad way to live, fake. But why live that way? You are a literal Son and Daughter of our Father in Heaven and you are the most worth to Him. (see Moses 1:39) You can overcome your weaknesses, you can live a real truly happy life. Happiness is when you have come to realize that you are a daughter or son of our Heavenly Father. Pure pressure is pure nonsense. In the words of Dave Ramsay “Be weird and live weird so that one day to can live and give like no one else.”
5. Do you remember how you felt last time you did this, those where some good days:
This one is a very sneaky and tricky temptation from Satan specially for those who are converts of have lived a worldly life before. Why, because not every time you sin you felt guilt, you where genuinely enjoying what you used to do. At times, when you let’s would drink alcohol,it could have been at a siblings weeding or family reunion where ample amounts of love and mixed in with a great atmosphere can trigger these way of thinking.
Being a former Chef, food and restaurant nostalgia was the case bad for me.
Satan will use these comforting times of memory to remind you on how you felt which is such a genius tactic because one of the most important word if not the most important word in the scriptures is “Remember”, so while we are taught to remember the scriptures, Satan uses this familiar way of thinking against us. These nostalgic times will have you telling yourself, well, I turned out fine let’s just do it one more time. I’ll repent later and before you know you are being bombarded with the other tricky phrases.
If you have move on from something bad in your life, leave it in the past. As Elder Holland taught us, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
6. No one will know and no one needs to know:
That’s right, no one will or no one may not. Except our father in Heaven. Satan really wants to you think you can hide or worst, try to hide from our Heavenly Father.
In John Bytheway’s book Moroni’s Guide To Surviving Turbulent Times, he teaches that at times we may say,
“That rated R movie does not offend me” but John’s replied is,
“Maybe so, but it offends the Spirit.”
If you really cared about yourself, you would care to have the spirit with you at all times.
Although you are the sinner with the secretes, it does not mean you are not offending anyone else. But that’s one things that sins does, it turns you into a selfish individual, not just a secretive sinner.
This one maybe the most “comforting” trick of them all.
7.Science says it’s a good thing, it’s proven, if anything you will learn from it:
This one is particular annoying one for me, because science is late compare to revelation and since many things are still being discovered, it can at times be very bias simply because scientist have yet to figure out another way.
How many times have you heard, “this is good for you” just so that you could hear months later “this is actually bad for you” This happens a lot when addressing foods that we ought to eat or not eat. We know that alcohol is a driving force of cause of deaths in many different forms, but yet, we still hear, an 8.oz cup of red wine is good for the anti oxidants. Man! So is water with fruit, raw eating, smoothies, veggies, vinegar and so many plant base foods. What a disturbing idea. I could see a stupid conversation going somewhat likes this
“Hey Sally how are you?”
“Ugh, I’m so hung over from Jake’s party on Sunday. I feel like a got hit in the head with a bowling ball and my body feels so week.”
“I know how you feel. Drink some red wine so you can sober up and the antioxidants can restore your body.”
!!!!
This is so stupid and yes, I give this scenario because I’ve actually heard humans with brains talk likes in more times than I like to remember. Just because science or a study has found this about an 8.oz cup of wine does not mean it’s good for you and besides, we are not to stand by man’s standards alone. Do you really think that our Father in heaven does not have plants and fruits that can be good for your system to be cleanse? Come on?
At the end
While at the MTC, we were asked to watch a talk given by Elder Bednard to a group of Missionaries in which he asked, “How do you know it is the spirit of the Lord or your own thought?”
He replied, “Be a good boy and a good girl, do what you are supposed to be doing and you will know it the voices you hear come from the Spirit.”
my best recomendation to anyone is to strive to live life as closest to the savior as possible, to be that good boy and that good girl and keep ro make covenant with our Father In Heaven and I promise you that you will begin to hear and feel the promptings of the Spirit of God guide you and teach you along the way.
So, there you go, a few simple phrases that Satan uses to temp you or comfort you. I like would to hear your thoughts. This is a very exciting topic and one which every human relates to. And if you have other phrases you may want to share with me, I’ll post them and I’ll add them to this blog if you would like.
MORMONRABILIA 