The lesson was based Elder M Russell Ballard’s October 2010 General Conference talk, O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One.
Temptation/Addiction
Just like with fly finishing, each person, each circumstance, and each instant are very different and Satan carefully craft the bait for each one of us, each circumstance, and each instance.
Satan makes evil look good and good look evil. There are many counterfeits that he sets up to make the truth look ridiculous.
2 Nephi 28:22
22 And behold, others he aflattereth away, and telleth them there is no bhell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful cchains, from whence there is no deliverance.
We have become a pleasure driven society. The following are some examples.
Isaiah 40
Esais is the Greek equivalent of Isaiah.
Luke states that the savior will bring salvation to the heathen nations - wiki Gentiles/missionary work
Isaiah 40:4
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isaiah could be speaking metaphorically about people. The savior’s genealogy was that of royalty and yet He was a carpenter. He was a carpenter and yet he was the Son of God.
Matthew 10:7
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
At hand means it has come.
Eating locust was not uncommon in John the Baptist's day, but it was generally eaten by the poor. The point was brought forth that maybe his diet was much like missionaries eating ramen in our day.
Matthew 3:10
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Fruits are works. Those who do not produce good works are cast off.
Just because one is a child of Abraham, or of Israel, or that one has confessed that Christ is ones savior one will be cast off if one does not produce fruits meet for repentance.
Fruits meet for repentance - you display what is important to you in your actions. They are indicators that your character has changed. Wiki repentance/character
The Family: A Proclamation to the World
Moses 6:5-6
5 And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration;
6 And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled.
“...it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Of Things That Matter Most”, October 2010 General Conference)
President Hinckly gave the following introduction to “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”.
“With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn. In furtherance of this we of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles now issue a proclamation to the Church and to the world as a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family which the prophets, seers, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history. I now take the opportunity of reading to you this proclamation:” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 98)
Heavenly Father generally refers to us as his children and not as inhabitants of the earth.
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
“In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World )
Realize means to make it happen.
The proclamation is a road map on how to be a husband, wife, father, mother, child of God.
President Hinckley followed the proclamation with, “We commend to all a careful, thoughtful, and prayerful reading of this proclamation. The strength of any nation is rooted within the walls of its homes. We urge our people everywhere to strengthen their families in conformity with these time-honored values.” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 98)
From the Bulletin
"If we will hold fast to the Church's proclamation on the family, we will see that we hold the jewels, as it were, that can enrich so many other things. Let the world go its own way on the family. It appears to be determined to do that. But we do not have that option. Our doctrines and teachings on the family are very, very powerful, and they are full of implications for all the people on this planet." Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Insights from My Life," Ensign, August 2000, 7.
Temptation/Addiction
Just like with fly finishing, each person, each circumstance, and each instant are very different and Satan carefully craft the bait for each one of us, each circumstance, and each instance.
Satan makes evil look good and good look evil. There are many counterfeits that he sets up to make the truth look ridiculous.
- Ancestor worship vs Genealogy and temple work
- Genealogy and temple work appear to some as ancestor worship, which is practiced by some cultures. Sometimes this is in place of or side by side with worshipping God. Genealogy and temple work does not include worshiping ancestors. It shows concern and respect for our ancestors, but they are not to be worshipped.
- Communism vs Law of Consecration
- Communism is defined by dictionary.com as, “a system of social organazation in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.”
- Communism has often been tied to oppression of the people from whom the goods, services, and money are collected and whom they are supposed to be distributed back to as needed.
- Due to the horrible atrocities that have been perpetrated by many who have implemented Communism, many as very suspicious when a system of pooling resources and leveling the chasm between rich and poor is spoken of.
- It should be remembered that The Law of Consecration is not a system of giving hand outs to anyone, rich or poor. It is a system of everyone giving 100% for everyone.
- Waco, Jim Jones, and “Fundamentalists” vs The Law of Consecration and a people of common beliefs living in communities together and voting the same on social issues.
- Much of the same issues as with communism are common with Waco, Jim Jones, and “Fundamentalists”, further making the law of consecration be perceived as evil.
- Due to the evils that have been done by radical groups, when it is spoken of by people of common faith moving into communities together and voting out things they do not want in their community people often think of the members of the community as mindless followers. This sentiment is expressed, even if those in the community are highly educated and put lots of thought into what they are doing.
- Discrimination vs Decency
- Sacrificing virgins vs the ancient law of sacrificing animals as a symbol of Christ
- In your face religion vs teaching correct principles and that god is real
- Fantasy wizardry vs the priesthood
- Gaudy rituals vs the ordinances of the gospel
- Environmental extremists and animal abusers vs using the planet and being good stewards of it.
- The earth and everything on it have been given for the use of man. Not to abuse them. It has been given to us to use animals to help us and even to eat them. Animals have not been given to us to kill for sport. Animals have not been given to us to eat with every meal every day in large quantities to the point that we have large factory farms that are an abuse of the animal and to the point that humans are morbidly obese.
2 Nephi 28:22
22 And behold, others he aflattereth away, and telleth them there is no bhell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful cchains, from whence there is no deliverance.
We have become a pleasure driven society. The following are some examples.
- Skipping church or other responsibilities on the sabbath to watching the game, going boating, hunting, or skiing.
- Living to eat instead of eating to live. Having the pleasure of the food be our primary driving force rather than the nutritional value.
- Spending too much of our income on pleasurable food rather than focusing on what is nutritious.
- Spending time watching TV rather than doing our duty.
- Spending money, or worse, using credit to buy things to give us pleasure (big TV, cars, boats, electronics) rather than saving for a rainy day or retirement or helping the poor. Do we buy what we need or do we go into excess?
- Justifying premarital sex to make sure spouses are compatible sexually before getting married. As if sex is critical to the success of a marriage. As in most things in marriage, you grow together.
Isaiah 40
Esais is the Greek equivalent of Isaiah.
Luke states that the savior will bring salvation to the heathen nations - wiki Gentiles/missionary work
Isaiah 40:4
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isaiah could be speaking metaphorically about people. The savior’s genealogy was that of royalty and yet He was a carpenter. He was a carpenter and yet he was the Son of God.
Matthew 10:7
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
At hand means it has come.
Eating locust was not uncommon in John the Baptist's day, but it was generally eaten by the poor. The point was brought forth that maybe his diet was much like missionaries eating ramen in our day.
Matthew 3:10
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Fruits are works. Those who do not produce good works are cast off.
Just because one is a child of Abraham, or of Israel, or that one has confessed that Christ is ones savior one will be cast off if one does not produce fruits meet for repentance.
Fruits meet for repentance - you display what is important to you in your actions. They are indicators that your character has changed. Wiki repentance/character
The Family: A Proclamation to the World
Moses 6:5-6
5 And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration;
6 And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled.
“...it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Of Things That Matter Most”, October 2010 General Conference)
President Hinckly gave the following introduction to “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”.
“With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn. In furtherance of this we of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles now issue a proclamation to the Church and to the world as a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family which the prophets, seers, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history. I now take the opportunity of reading to you this proclamation:” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 98)
Heavenly Father generally refers to us as his children and not as inhabitants of the earth.
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
“In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World )
Realize means to make it happen.
The proclamation is a road map on how to be a husband, wife, father, mother, child of God.
President Hinckley followed the proclamation with, “We commend to all a careful, thoughtful, and prayerful reading of this proclamation. The strength of any nation is rooted within the walls of its homes. We urge our people everywhere to strengthen their families in conformity with these time-honored values.” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 98)
From the Bulletin
"If we will hold fast to the Church's proclamation on the family, we will see that we hold the jewels, as it were, that can enrich so many other things. Let the world go its own way on the family. It appears to be determined to do that. But we do not have that option. Our doctrines and teachings on the family are very, very powerful, and they are full of implications for all the people on this planet." Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Insights from My Life," Ensign, August 2000, 7.
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