SATAN'S COLD WAR

 

I recently watched a very inspiring interview with Jim Caviezel who was promoting his latest movie.  The  interview quickly progressed into his passionate speech about the importance of fighting a battle when one presents itself as opposed to shrinking back thinking fighting is not acceptable. He spoke of how the Christian pastors of our day are opting for appeasement and are not engaging in Satan's 'cold war'. I will not name the context of his interview because I do not want to be drawn into political debates. What I do want to do is talk about Satan's 'cold war'. 

We might ask ourselves what that exactly is. In my mind it is everything that is overtly taught today as 'good' but is covertly an opposition to Christian values and teachings. It is anything that is leading us away from God. It is: political correctness; cancel culture; racism madness; greed for power; human polarisation; governmental abuse of human rights; denial of truth; spreading of lies; secret combinations; oppression of others for personal gain; vilification and slander of others, and the list goes on. The structure of our society reflects all of this. The frightening part is that it is upheld and even perpetrated by governmental and bureaucratic men who seek only one thing, power. Why is this frightening? Because it is  leading to Christian persecution at large which will one day culminate in the persecution of the 'church of the Lamb of God' (1 Nephi 14:12-3). That means us. 

Satan is raging in the hearts of men and only for one reason. Because he has been allowed to do it. He has no power except what we give him. Fighting an enemy that one cannot see can be daunting. Nephi, however, gave us hope when he wrote that he saw the power of God descending on the saints of the Church of the Lamb (1 Nephi 14:14).  And even though Nephi saw that our numbers were few and that we were scattered upon the face of the earth, we were 'armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory' (v14)

In 166 BC, Judah Maccabee led the Maccabeean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. When he and his men arrived at the temple and saw its neglected condition they rent their clothes and wept. Judah cleared the temple of all Greek statues and gods and restored it to its proper use. How could he not when the ensign he set up at the onset of the revolt was: "Who among the Gods is like unto thee O Jehovah?" (Exodus 15:11).  No one. What Greek gods could possibly rival the one true and living God? No god. Judah Maccabee fought for his God and he died fighting. His death stirred the Jews to renewed resistance and they achieved independence and the liberty to worship freely. 

We are the warriors from the front lines of heaven's battle sent to such a time as this to fight Satan's empire which spreads far and wide throughout the world today. To overcome the enemy of all righteousness (Moroni 9:6) we must first fortify ourselves against the powers of darkness that we might be endowed with the power of God. And secondly, we must stand up for righteous values by shunning the wrong and promoting the right. As we do so our efforts will reverberate throughout the earth. Even though small in number, we will 'come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners" (D&C 109:73; 105:31).

- Cathryne Allen, Did Not Our Hearts Burn When He Opened To Us The Scriptures?

published 2021 by amazon.com

THE CERTAINTY OF GOD

We can safely say that the signs of the times are upon us. Things will get worse and sufferings will intensify. Now, more than ever, we are in need of a beacon of hope and we all know who that should be for no man on earth could offer what He can.

In chapter 11 of Hebrews, Paul speaks extensively on faith of the ancients who did many marvelous things. He also speaks of many who had suffered insufferable things looking beyond this life to the eternal promise because 'God had provided better things for them through their sufferings' and for one reason: because without sufferings we cannot be made perfect (Hebrews 11:40a JST). I pondered why this would be so and came to understand that sufferings enhance our faith in God and who He is.

Abraham is the greatest example of coming to know God through faith, who 'against hope believed in hope' (Romans 4:18). We often say that Abraham's faith was counted by God as righteousness. And we often believe that it was his faith in the promise of a baby that makes it so. Inspecting Paul's take on the matter closely, however, clarifies this point to perfect understanding. It was not Abraham's faith in the promise that pleased God to such heights, but Abraham's faith in God's ability to fulfill the promise and integrity of His character which would bring the promise into fruition (Romans 4:21,22).  Likewise, Paul points out that it was Abraham's utter belief in God's ability to raise Isaac from the dead the instant he was sacrificed, so that He could fulfill the promise of a righteous posterity for his father, that enabled Abraham to commit to Isaac's sacrifice (Hebrews 11:17-19). 

What can we learn from all this? Mostly, that now more than ever we need to know and trust the God we worship or we will not be able to withstand the turmoil that is yet to come upon us prior to His coming. How will we contain the discouragement and fear at bay?  Where should our focus be so that we can have hope against hope?

Some years ago it was given to me to know that I was in the Saviour's inner circle in pre-existence and that I admired Him greatly. I could see this inner circle in my mind when I was given this understanding and I could see that He had a perfect balance of godly attributes. He was powerful yet meek; strong yet merciful; intelligent yet humble; strict yet compassionate; vengeful yet protective.

Elder Tad Callister in his book The Infinite Atonement says that we voted for Christ in pre-existence because we not only knew that He could save us but that He would.....that He would not fail us. We knew first hand the integrity of His character. I imagine many of us were in that inner circle and we knew Him intimately. But how well do we know Him now? Have we proved Him in our lives to the point where we can trust Him that He will see us through the calamities ahead and beyond? Do we see Him on the pages of the scriptures that we read? Do we feel Him in our hearts? So I say to you: Who is Christ?

- Cathryne Allen

IN PRAISE OF GOD

I was  becoming saturated with the ills of the world and heading fast towards the road of hopelessness. And all this whilst, what I thought, was my greatest effort focusing on Christ. The induced isolation, the limitations, the lack of freedom, worldly mayhem; it all meant just one thing to me: an insufferable world.

Whilst reading Psalms one morning I came upon this scripture: "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving" (Psalms 69:30). As you know, most Psalms were written by King David. David was a man of war. In most of Psalms he pleads with God to save him from his enemies. At one stage he says that those that hate him without a cause are more than the hairs of his head! (Psalms 69:4).  David's life was one of turbulence. It ended in loss of exaltation due to sin. This however did not incite hopelessness in him. He knew he would not be exalted but he praised the God of Israel knowing that the Lord would not leave his soul in hell for the murder of Uriah and that he would still receive the gift of resurrection.  The gift of resurrection for the less valiant is to this day scripturally known as 'the sure mercies of David' (Isaiah 55:3). I reflected on the life of David and found his praise of God in the midst of his turbulent life quite inspiring.

Another such valiant example worthy of mention is found in the life of Nephi who lived under constant threat of his life by his brothers. Cast your mind on the journey to America when they bound him with bands that caused terrible swelling of joints and caused Nephi unbearable pain (1 Nephi 18:12-15) . I am sure most of us would at this point wonder why God was not protecting us from our adversaries if we were obeying all of His commands. But not Nephi. He knew God had a purpose (1 Nephi 18:11) so there was only one solution to this in his mind and that was to praise God. And not just once. He records that he praised God all day long,  despite the pain which would have had the power to discourage the strongest among us (1 Nephi 18:16).

Similarly, we have bands that bind us today. They are threatening our way of life and our happiness. Not until the Millennial peace, will this life ever be without its' opposing threats to our physical circumstances. To divert myself from the road of hopelessness I wondered what would happen if instead of whining and constant demands I was making to God, I just praised Him during prayer? Would I come to the point where like Nephi, I could praise Him all day long? Would hopelessness not lose its' grip on me as my thoughts are continually focused on the Prince of Peace?

During this the most difficult year many of us have ever known, may our minds be cast on the Lord of love who left us with this promise as He headed towards His crucible on Calvary: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).......for I am thy God....fear thou not; for I am with thee.......(Isaiah 41:10)

FAILING HEARTS

Recently the leaders of our Church have issued us with a mandate to 'Hear Him'. In Section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord talks a lot about hearts. He also gives us, the members of His Church, a glimpse of the days as they will be before His appearing. Prefacing this glimpse, the Saviour admonishes, "Hear my voice" and "harden not your hearts" (v 6). He then proceeds to elaborate on the state of men's hearts in the last days. In the midst of all the commotion in the world today, nothing is more obvious than the Saviour's prophecy that 'men's hearts shall fail them' (v 26) and that their hears will be turned from Him because of the precepts of men (v 29).

Right now the world is filled with hatred. Opposing the Saviour's commandment to 'love one another, as I have loved you' (John 13:34), the adversary has succeeded in creating division amongst the people  through wars, political agendas and health scares. We are fast becoming distrustful of one another through the present pandemic, intolerant of each other's political convictions, fearful of Government powers and judgmental of each other's successes. So bleak will things get that we are told "....men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another"(v 33).

And now for the hope that lies in us: "But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved...." (v 32). Elder Bednar has once said that when you gain entrance to another's heart, you stand on holy ground. Could we not then count each other's hearts as holy places too?  I don't think we can turn the tide as the Saviour has already outlined the future as it will be, but I am pretty sure we, as His disciples, can be the means of saving many, and there is a way. This way is to resist Satan's opposition to Christ's commandment to love one another. And here is the interesting part. Have you ever wondered why the Saviour's said 'love one another' and not 'love everyone'? Quite simply, it is far too hard for us mortals to love 'everyone' at once. It is far easier to love one person at a time and by loving one person at a time, we end up loving well......everyone. Imagine this simple scenario. If each one of us loves five people and those five people love five people each and those five people love five people each and so on. The energy of this love would be spread so far and wide that in the end we would love 'everyone'. In this world of ours, could we not turn the tide of failing hearts for many?

And what is the ultimate goal of loving others? Simply this: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples....." (John 13:35). Our love is the greatest tool by which we can bring others to the fountain of all love; the love that brings peace, the love that brings salvation, the love that brings eternal life. The love of a God who has loved us and died for us that we might be glorified and have eternal joy in the mansions of Him who has loved us best.

- Cathryne Allen, Did Not Our Hearts Burn When He Opened To Us The Scriptures?

published 2021 by amazon.com

UNDERSTANDING OUR WEAKNESS

I don't know of anyone who sees weakness as a positive thing. None of us want to be weak. We don't want to be seen as weak and we don't want to feel that we are weak. The world tells us we need to be super achievers and excel in all we do and that it is up to us to make ourselves successful.  For this reason we persist in making goals and tackling that which is beyond our capacity to overcome, relying solely on our motivation and willpower.  Both motivation and willpower are incredibly difficult to maintain and so we beat ourselves up when we fall short. And in the process we allow our weaknesses to define us.

Consider alcoholism. The weakness of drinking has now become the weakness of disease. I consider the mental aspect of alcoholism to be the most dangerous one. I do not agree with Alcoholics Anonymous who define people as 'alcoholics'. What's worse is that they tell people they are alcoholics for life. I get it, they want people to be vigilant but what happens when you label yourself? You act and behave according to that label. If you think you are an alcoholic you will always struggle with the temptation to drink. Even some who abstain from drink for years fall off the wagon because in the end what does an alcoholic do? An alcoholic drinks.

The danger comes in saying 'I am'. I AM is highly declarative. Once declared, it becomes a reality you live by. The Saviour declared himself to be The Bread of Life, The Fountain of Living Water, Alpha and Omega, The Great I AM, because that's who He is. It is important that we recognise that what we do is not who we are. In my opinion, It is better to say, "I am dealing with the issue of alcoholism" than to say "I am an alcoholic". This gives one hope that he or she can become free from the weakness of drinking. The world, however, does not offer this hope.

This is where it becomes important to understand 'weakness'. According to the Bible Dictionary, weakness is the primary condition of mortality and a state of being in this fallen world. It is unavoidable because mortality means weakness. Weakness means being human. The weakness of mortality is manifest in individual weaknesses and frailties that each person has.  In Ether 12:27, Christ told Moroni: "If men come unto me I will show unto them their 'weakness'. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble...."  Notice the word of 'weakness' is singular here. This is the condition of being weak. What the Saviour is referring to here is the weakness of mortality, not our individual weaknesses, of which He speaks in the latter part of the scripture when He says: "...for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them". The weak things He speaks of are in reference to 'weaknesses'.

The latter part of this scripture is where the hope of freedom lies. This is where Alcoholics Anonymous get it partly right. They acknowledge their powerlessness and turn their will over to their 'higher power'. This is where their success comes from, not from drumming into people that they are alcoholics. Herein lies the importance of recognising our weak condition of mortality and thereby acknowledging that we cannot rise above it without the divine power. This is the conviction which propelled us to accept Christ as our Saviour in the beginning. The weakness of mortality was given to us to bring us to the source of all power, that source being Christ. Discovering this truth in mortality is like stepping back in time behind the veil.

Unless we understand on a deeper level that we need the Saviour to enlarge our capacity, we will not be able to overcome our mortal shortcomings and navigate our mortal journey successfully long term. What is in reality this deeper level of understanding? It is a consistent appeal to Christ, in faith, to endow us with His atoning power so we can permanently overcome the weaknesses of this life and become free.

The Saviour 'descended below all things' for a purpose, so that He might comprehend all things (D&C 88:6), meaning all our sins and our weaknesses. In the words of Elder Tad Callister: "....you cannot sink farther than the light and sweeping intelligence of Jesus Christ can reach.....as long as there is one spark of the will to repent and to reach, He is there....." (The Atonement of Jesus Christ, April 2019). 

- Cathryne Allen, Did Not Our Hearts Burn When He Opened To Us The Scriptures?

published 2021 by amazon.com

A BETTER WORLD

"Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. Moroni spoke of it in the Book of Mormon as "hope for a better world". For emotional health and spiritual stamina, everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of 'good things to come'. My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the 'light that is endless, that can never be darkened'. It is the very Son of God Himself."
- Holland, Jeffrey R., "An High Priest of Good Things to Come", October 1999

Imagine if this world was perfect. If there were no calamities, wickedness or turmoil....Imagine if this telestial life was an easy ride; one of constant happiness and devoid of strife. Would we, as disciples of Christ, be yearning for our Celestial home which is our ultimate destination? Would we be yearning for Christ to come back to make resurrection and eternal life possible? Some say that there have been bad times on this earth since year one and what we are experiencing now is not new. That is true but never before have calamities and scourges come with such intensity, frequency and speed. There will soon come a time when there will not be a period of respite; when we will long for peace, rest and freedom from oppression of every kind; when we will know beyond a shadow of doubt that He is our only hope, our Deliverer, our God. It will be a time when we will say, in the words of John the Beloved: Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20)

- Cathryne Allen, Did Not Our Hearts Burn When He Opened To Us The Scriptures?

published 2021 by amazon.com

THE COMPASSIONATE CHRIST

If you feel that nobody understands the anguish of your heart, I am here to tell you that there is one person who does. I have been struggling of late with certain long held debilitating fears and for which I had sought healing through prayer. My petition was in these exact words: "Please heal all that is broken in me". Following my prayer, as is my custom, I opened my scriptures randomly to a page in Ezekiel from which stood out one marked sentence: "Thou shalt know that I am the Lord". Whilst studying and pondering 3 Nephi the following day, I had an exquisite experience where I was taken into the Saviour's presence in my mind's eye and was granted the healing I sought at His hand, which was outstretched to me in beckoning repose. The words which He spoke to me validated me as a person and validated the pain I had experienced in my life. This was the single most significant vision I have ever had because it afforded me personal understanding of the compassion of Christ. 

This year as I studied 3 Nephi, I came to truly understand Nephites' experience with Christ during the three days of His ministry among them. I know now why they bathed His feet with their tears (3 Nephi 17:10) because I was given the privilege of bathing His outstretched hand with mine. The Book of Mormon account tells us that the Saviour ministered amongst these ancient people with compassion (3 Nephi 17:6). The same is true of His ministry amongst the Jews prior to His death. The New Testament mentions Christ having compassion towards the people on many occasions (Matt 9:36, 20:34; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13), especially at Lazarus' grave which was directed towards those who were grieving (John 11:35).  However, I imagine His compassion reached a new level post Atonement. Fresh from the cross of Calvary, trailing the memory of the Garden, where He experienced every agony known to man, the Saviour's compassion was intensified to the point of tears when He ministered among the Nephites (3 Nephi 17:21,22). 

Why is this scriptural account of Christ's compassion important for us to have and to understand? Because He who has suffered it all, understands it all. He understands the diminished self worth that comes through the sufferings of mortality. He understands our human inability to rise above certain scars that we bear with exhausting endurance. He understands the fears that we cling to and count on for protection from perceived pain. He understands it all because He has felt it all. And because He understands the scars of each heart, He knows the path of healing we individually need. Should we not seek such and bathe with our tears His outstretched hand? 

In the words of beloved Isaiah: "Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no fathoming to his understanding....He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength....Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31)

- Cathryne Allen, Did Not Our Hearts Burn When He Opened To Us The Scriptures?

published 2021 by amazon.com