Today as I was doing my personal scripture study I came across this verse in the Book of Mormon...
Moroni 7:12
"Wherefore, 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 continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and do that which is evil continually."
This scripture really stood out in my mind, "ALL THAT IS GOOD COMETH OF GOD, ALL THAT WHICH IS EVIL COMETH OF THE DEVIL". There is NO GRAY AREA here, you are either on the Lords side or you are not, there is absolutely no way to be on both sides. I think as human beings we walk a fine line of WANTING to be on the Lords side, but struggling with Satan tempting and enticing us continually to join forces with him. It is so important that we DAILY seek guidance from the Lord for everything in our lives, each day we need to kneel down and pray to our Father in Heaven for strength to be a WARRIOR in his army, to fight against the powers of the evil one, and to not be a casualty in this war of GOOD vs. EVIL.
This past Sunday my husband and I had the opportunity to go to a fireside and hear one of the founders of the Lifestar Sexual Addiction Recovery Program speak (this is a program that we have researched and would like to do ourselves). His talk was all about Warriors, what it means to be a Warrior in Gods army and how to become one. It was an INCREDIBLE talk and I am SO grateful that we were able to hear it. Since going to this fireside my husband and I have spoken many times this week about working hard to always be worthy of being a Warrior in God's army. Being a Warrior doesn't mean you are perfect, being a Warrior means that you have love and respect for the Lord and his commandments, it means that you admit when you are wrong and immediately seek repentance, it means that you STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN!
We need to have the faith of Nephi...
Nephi 3:7
"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my Father: I will go and do the things which the Lord commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."
The speaker also said something in his talk that really struck me, he talked about knowing who is stronger, the Spirit of God or the devil. There have been so many times throughout this journey with my husband that I have thought to myself, "I GIVE up, these addictions are too strong and there is no hope for us." I was SO wrong, and I am incredibly grateful for that. These addictions are very powerful, very controlling, and evil, but the Spirit of God is stronger, more powerful, and able to overcome all things. I wish that my husband and I could have been in the place that we are getting to now years ago, we are truly BEGINNING to surrender our lives over to the Lord, it has been a beautiful, humbling, and empowering experience! The spirit that has been in our home the last few weeks has been wonderful, I am making big changes in my attitude towards this trial, I am seeking to work on my problems and to grow closer to the Lord. In return I have seen growth and progress in my husband that I didn't know was possible, he has been a different person lately and we have had a different marriage. WHY DID IT TAKE US SO LONG TO CALL UPON THE POWERS OF HEAVEN FOR HELP, WHY ARE WE SO STUBBORN TO THINK THAT WE COULD HANDLE THIS DEMON ON OUR OWN? I don't know, but I feel incredible gratitude that it is happening now. Don't get me wrong, we have prayed, we have attended our Church meetings, we have gone to the Temple, we have done these things, but now it is our HEARTS that are changing, we are working towards FULLY putting our lives in the hands of the Lord and trusting that if we follow him completely, in our actions, thoughts, and feelings, HE WILL GET US THROUGH THIS. I believe that we went through certain experiences for a reason, a 'refiners fire' in a since, and after having those experiences we can look back and see where we have been(a place I NEVER want to go back to), but we can also see the direction that we are heading if we put our trust in the Lord Almighty and join HIS ARMY!
At the fireside the speaker talked about how Satan has infiltrated our homes, automobiles, pockets, and laps through radio, television, music, media, Internet, cellular phones, laptops, etc... THE BATTLE IS RAGING STRONG, so I ask...
WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON? ARE YOU GOING TO BE A WARRIOR IN GOD'S ARMY OR ARE YOU GOING TO BE A CASUALTY IN THIS WAR? Satan WILL NOT WIN this war, the Spirit of God is stronger, but it takes all of us joining together to fight the fight.
P.S. As I have thought about Warriors in my own life these people have come to my mind...
Christ
Joseph Smith
Emma Smith
The Pioneers
Adam & Eve
Brigham Young
Gordon B. Hinkley
Thomas S. Monson
Nephi
Moroni
Our former Bishop and his family
My Mother
My Grandmother
My Children!!!
These are just a few that I can think of now, but I'm sure if I were to spend sometime thinking about it that my list would continue to grow and grow!!! I hope to in the future feel worthy to add myself to this list.
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