UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD

 

“The scripture says Noah lived 350 years after the Flood (Genesis 9:28). He lived to see Abraham’s day – Abraham being among the tenth generation of Noah’s descendants! During those ten generations extending over 350 years Noah saw many of his descendants re-establish the wicked abominations of the pre-flood period.” (W. Clen Skousen, “The First 2,000 Years” p 241)

It always seems to start with someone who seeks for power and in Noah’s day it was his great-grandson Nimrod. His message to the people he sought to control was not denial of God but rejection of God as he proclaimed: “Depart from the religion of Shem, and cleave to the institutes of Nimrod! (ibid)

It’s worth noting what these institutes were because some of them persist to this day:

1.      Placing man above God: Nimrod did this well by making a seat for himself in imitation of the seat of God in the tower of Babel…and as he sat upon it, all nations came and paid him divine homage. (Ginzberg, L., “The Legends of the Jews”, Vol. 1, p 1788)

2.      Elevating animals above humanity: “In many cases animal life was made more sacred than human life, and humans were sacrificed to animal gods. The curse of animal worship and the false philosophy associated with it survive to this day among large segments of humanity.” (“The First 2,000 Years” p 243) One such nation is India which considers cows sacred and links them to various gods, including Shiva (whose steed is Nandi, a bull) and Krishna, a cowherd.

3.      Astrology and Zodiac signs: The idea that human beings are somehow influenced in their daily actions by the sun, moon and stars destroys the concept of free agency and their horoscope predictions reflect divination and sorcery. Astrology crept into Israel’s idolatry and played a big part in replacing the worship of Jehovah in Jeremiah’s day (Jeremiah 10:2).

Heathen religions were popular because they were devoted to the stimulating and satisfying of human passion. They institutionalized immorality. Heathen’s religious practices, namely sexual perversions, mutilation of bodies and child sacrifices were so satanic in nature that they are too confronting to human sensibilities to be mentioned here in detail.

This is the most interesting part. Modern day historians attribute these degenerate religious practices to the ‘primitive minds’ of yesteryear and seek to excuse idolatry with its perversions to be an ‘upward reach of man’ and a means of expressing the ‘instinctive desire to worship’. (“The First 2,000 Years” p 246).

The truth is these heathen religions were promoted in contradiction of God’s truth which was already upon the earth. They were the means for man’s ‘instinctive desire to grasp for power’. We all know who is behind this power.

So much in our world is designed to addict us to ‘the natural man’ through the ways of the world which promote power, greed, self-gratification and self-promotion. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to keep ourselves unspotted from the world and to ‘come out from the wicked, to be separate and touch not their unclean things’  (Alma 5:57; 2 Cor 6:17; James 1:27; D&C 59:9).

It’s a gospel of love….for God, for our fellowman, for the eternal within us and for everything that is true, noble and good….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: The Gospel of Light by B. Laura Wilson) 

THE THIEVES OF PEACE

There existed in ancient America a secret society which proved to be the cause of affliction to the Nephites and Lamanites alike. The founder of this society was a man called Gadianton but the principles that upheld his society were of a far more ancient date (3 Nephi 3:9, Moses 5:29-31). Indeed the mastermind behind the whole operation was far more clever, apt and evil than Gadianton could ever hope to be. He was and is a thief in the night who comes to 'steal, kill and destroy' (John 10:10) and uses mortal men as his puppets to wreak destruction upon individuals, societies and nations. We know this personage as Lucifer, Satan and the Devil. We see him in the obviously destructive paths such as drugs, sexual depravities and murderous dispositions among individuals and leaders of nations and terrorists. However, his methods of destruction are subtle more often than not for he also moves in respectable circles and hides behind deceptive and seemingly good elements that form the fabric of a society.

Just eight years prior to Christ's visit to the ancient America this band of Gadianton robbers, under the leadership of Giddianhi sought to annihilate the Nephite nation. Under the guise of politeness and goodwill, and using flattery, feigning concern and making false promises, he wrote to Lachoneus, the governor of the land and demanded the surrender of the Nephites and their lands. Lachoneus refused and proceeded to prepare his people for impending battle. Lachoneus was a man of God so even though he prepared his people physically, his wisest move was to prepare them spiritually (3 Nephi 3:15,16). The people obeyed and when Giddianhi descended upon them with his armies, their immediate reaction was to 'lift their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies' (3 Nephi 4:8). When the battles were won and deliverance assured, Nephites' cries once again ascended to the heavens but this time in praise and gratitude knowing 'it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction' (3 Nephi 4:33).

Why was this particular portion of Nephite history important enough to be included in the pages of The Book of Mormon? Because it provides us with the perfect formula for deliverance from the thieves of peace. This formula runs in this sequence: humility - repentance - supplication - deliverance - gratitude. Contrast this story of Nephites' victory with the story of ancient Israel. When the Lord issued commandments and instructions for their conduct at the start of their deliverance from Egypt, He assured them that He will be 'their God' (Exodus 29:45). And He wanted to be, desperately, but Israel was far from being humble and obedient and as a result they landed themselves in bondage over and over again. Their history is a monument to stupidity and obstinence. When they cried for a king to rule them despite all the battles the Lord won for them, Jehovah, the God of heaven and earth, who has all power to deliver both spiritually and physically, out of His infinite mercy acquiesced saying to the bewildered Samuel: "Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them" (1 Samuel 8:7). One cannot even imagine with what heaviness of heart the Saviour would have uttered these words. Those who are His true disciples would understand this because they believe Nephi's declaration that "...He loveth those who would have Him be their God" (1 Nephi 17:40).

We, who live in the modern world, still live with the Gadianton robbers. They infiltrate our society in many ways and seek to destroy our peace. Their labours affect all aspects of human life. They are 'conspiring men in the last days' (D&C 89:4) who harbour evil designs in their hearts for the purpose of getting gain. They do Satan's bidding and seek to "steal, kill and destroy". Their works are secret and the fruits of their labours become the silent thieves of peace resulting in suffering of the populace at large, which suffering comes to us by way of stress, worry, anxiety, depression, financial burdens, grief, sorrow, poor health, bondage of addiction, fear, to name a few. Like Nephites of old, we should know that there is only one sure place where we can find salvation from such destructing forces. The deliverance assured, the formula the same: humility - repentance - supplication - deliverance - gratitude. The recognition of the Lord's power to deliver and our dependence on Him should be the precursor of putting our lives into order sufficiently enough to qualify for the powers of heaven to be released on our behalf. Sometimes we may wonder how we can repent of the very thing that is beyond our capability and that we are supplicating the Lord for. Repentance might not always mean discontinuance of the wrong things we are doing but the right things we are omitting to do, such as more regular and fervent prayer, seeking the spirit, having faith, regular scripture study, or more committed Church attendance. In other words, we must be found doing what we can to qualify for heavenly help. There has to be effort and exertion towards righteousness.

When your moment of retribution came in the garden of Gethsemane, the Saviour saw and felt your life; your pains, your tears, your struggles, your stresses. He knows the thieves of your peace and He has power over them but you must believe and acknowledge that belief on bended knee. In fervor of hope He calls: "Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matt 11:28). We who answer that call know Him as -

The Great Deliverer
The Son of God
The Lord of Hosts

The Lord of Glory

The Son of Righteousness

The Stone of Israel

The Holy Messiah

The King of Glory
The Everlasting Father

The Prince of Peace

The Holy One

The Eternal God

The Saviour

The Mighty One

The Great I am

"for I am the Lord that healeth thee"

- Exodus 15: 26

HOW TO USE THE POWER OF THE ATONEMENT

I adore words.  I am a firm believer in their power.  I constantly pray that I will be blessed with 'the tongue of angels' so I can expound the words of Christ in my speaking, teaching and writing.  There are no more powerful words to me than the name of Jesus Christ.  I always delight to read stories in the scriptures where the ancients have invoked the blessings of heaven by using the Saviour's name.  One such example is Alma who delivered himself and Amulek from prison by pleading for strength according to their faith which was in Christ (Alma 14:26). 

To make the Atonement active in our lives, we need to call upon its' power in such a manner that it would affirm our faith in Jesus Christ.  If we do not believe in Him, we have no claim on His power.  When working on something as serious as overcoming addictions, we might need to do this several times a day.  The Atonement is the source by which power will come to us that has been taken away.  The Saviour has overcome the world and we can overcome it too through the power He gives us. 

I learnt about this power and how to use it at the time of my divorce when I felt that nothing else would be able to heal the crippling emotional pain I was experiencing.  I invoked the power of the Atonement on daily basis, several times a day, and through it achieved the very result I wanted.  Knowing how powerful words are, I carefully worded my daily petition: 
"Through my faith in Jesus Christ I ask for the power of the Atonement to heal my broken heart, to replace resentment, anger and the sense of injustice with love, peace and forgiveness". 
This phrase became my mantra. I used it every time I felt a wave of pain wash over me. It didn't happen overnight but it happened just like I asked and in good time.  I was healed and survived incredibly well.  Thereafter, I preached about the Atonement and its' healing power many times.  I came to understand it was the greatest tool that was given to us to survive this life.  It was the tool we voted for before this world began.  It was the tool that I think we understood very well in our pre-existence, the only tool through which we could obtain godhood.

When praying for the power of the Atonement to overcome an addiction, I suggest the following wording:

"Through my faith in Jesus Christ I ask for the power of the Atonement to strengthen me in my time of weakness, to give me power over my addiction even unto deliverance."

If you want to be more specific, you could say:

"Through my faith in Jesus Christ I ask for the power of the Atonement to strengthen me in my time of weakness and to free me from my addiction to _______________."

You can use this formula whenever you need to call upon the power of the Atonement for anything you deem is worthy of its assistance.  I testify that it works.  The Saviour is real and so is His power. He suffered indescribable pain so you and I can have eternal life.  And He has provided the way so we can get there.  This is grace.  He cannot live our lives for us so it is up to us to access His grace to lift us to higher ground.  We cannot say that we can't make it, because we can.  Through the grace of God we can do all things.  And if we believe that we can't, we are not His disciples.

ADDICTIONS AND THE ATONEMENT

So many of us have addictive natures and just about all of us can become addicted to something at some point in our lives.  Addictions range from eating chocolate, to compulsive shopping to pornography.  Some are not so destructive and some can destroy us and keep us in chains for years.  What is the worst addiction?  The one that plagues you.  What is the worst aspect of an addiction?  Being stripped of one's power.  An addiction is inverted faith in something outside of ourselves which takes us away from God and his power to save.  If you have been using an addiction as a way of coping with your life, you have more faith in your addiction to get you by than you do in  the Saviour of the world and His power to succor you from day to day. And if you believe that it is impossible for you to overcome your addiction, you are denying the power of the Atonement.

Addictions are so prevalent in our society that they have become one of the greatest tools the adversary has to disempower us.  He wants us to believe that our addictions are who we are, that they are our true nature.  This is a craft very easily accomplished by the world which convinces us that we are what our behaviour labels us to be.  The world tells you that you are an alcoholic, a sex addict, a compulsive eater, a drug addict, a gambler.  The world uses labels and Satan uses the world. 

Satan seeks to confuse us as to our identity by undermining our spiritual origin.  Consider the encounter that Moses had with both God and Satan.  When God the Father appeared to Moses he proclaimed Himself to be "the Lord God Almighty" and he reiterated to him a number of times that He was His father by calling him "Moses, my son".  This stands out in stark contrast to Lucifer who appeared immediately after the Father withdrew and addressed him as "Moses, son of man".  (Moses 1:4,6,12)  When we label ourselves with worldly labels we forget that we are a son or daughter of God.

There is another reason why labelling ourselves is dangerous. If you believe that you are for instance an alcoholic, you will act as an alcoholic because what does an alcoholic do?  He drinks.  If you believe you are an alcoholic and will always be an alcoholic, even if you are on the wagon, you will eventually return to drink to confirm that inner belief, the belief that says that's who you are.  A good example of this is Robin Williams who after 23 years of being sober went back to drinking.  If you are constantly attending meetings that are constantly telling you you are an alcoholic, you will feel there is never escaping this addiction. This can be incredibly discouraging, disheartening and disempowering.  As you can tell, I do not agree with AA.  I am not undermining the seriousness of alcohol addiction but am rather trying to give you hope that there is a better way if you want it.  You are not an alcoholic but a son or daughter or God.  Alcoholism is an addiction, it is not a definition of who you are or of your self worth.  Therefore, it is better to say "I am a son or daughter of God with an addiction to alcohol".  It is not who you are, but what you are when you are drinking. You might want to contend with me here and say that going to meetings and being told that you are an alcoholic all the time keeps you in remembrance of your addiction and thus ensures success in abstinence.  I am of the opinion that suffering the consequences of our addictions keeps us in remembrance better. And there are always consequences.  I have been a witness to this through someone close to me. 

We should be extremely careful when we speak the words "I am" because what you say you are, you will believe and you will act according to that belief.  When we say "I am", we own that definition.  This is why it is important for us to understand our spiritual origin, to know ourselves, our gifts, talents, our character, our weaknesses and our strengths.  It is also important to understand our purpose and our destiny.  And what is our destiny?  We are destined to become gods.  It also goes without saying that we need to have a relationship with God and know Him as our Father.

Consider the Saviour and how well He knows Himself.   In several instances in the scriptures He calls himself "The Great I Am".  What He is saying is, this is who I am:

"I am the bread of life" (John 6:35)
"I am the good shepherd" (John 10:14)
"I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25)
"I am the light of the world" (John 8:12)
"I am the way, the truth, the life" (John 14:6)
"I am the true vine"  (John 15:1)
"I am the first and I am also the last" (Isaiah 44:6)

No wonder He is The Great I Am! How many of us speak so positively of ourselves?  How many of us proclaim ourselves to be scriptoreans, servants, forgivers, hard workers, believers, healers, people lovers, helpers, peacemakers, good mothers?  We are more likely to hear such negatives as:

I am a procrastinator
I am a glutton
I am an addict
I am uncaring
I am unthoughtful
I am dumb
I am stupid
I am weak
I am fat
I am unlovable

The scriptures say that our words and our thoughts will condemn us (Alma 12:14).  This does not mean only the bad things we say about and to others.  This also means that what we think and say about ourselves corrodes our spirits, damages our self-esteem and distances us from our spiritual identity. 

I believe God who says He can change the inner man and make out of us new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:16a(footnote),17).  Once you allow Him to change you through the power of the Atonement,  you will turn to Him to help you handle life's difficulties rather than your addictive behaviour.  Such is the power of the Atonement.  It can purify us and refine us and cause all imperfections to fall away as dross.  Our addictions can then become something positive, a vehicle which has enabled us to come unto Christ. And this is where we want to be, in His safety and in His care.