And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years.
In the early chapters of 3 Nephi, we see the Nephites and Lamanites become righteous as they observe signs of Christ's arrival and as they rely on God to overcome trials. However, in both instances, we the people as a whole fall back into less righteous activities.
After observing the new star (see 3 Nephi 1:21), the people began to fall away only five years later. We read that "the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen" (3 Nephi 2:1).
We learn that Satan was behind it all as he led the people to believe the things were "wrought by men... and thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing." (3 Nephi 2:2).
Later, in the 26 A.D., the Nephites had again returned to righteousness as they turned to the Lord for aid to defeat the wicked Gadianton robbers. We are told that by their righteousness, "they began again to prosper and to wax great;... and there was great order in the land; and they had formed their laws according to equity and justice" (3 Nephi 6:4). However, only five years later, in "the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness" (3 Nephi 6:17).
I have often been amazed by these two experiences. As a youth I never believed that an entire group of people could fall into wickedness in the short space of five years. I could imagine one or two people falling away - but not an entire civilization.
According to a Gallup Poll, shortly after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, 47% of Americans claimed to have attended church in the past 7 days. Most surprisingly, to me, was that in the early months of 2003, a follow-up poll showed the percentage had dropped to 38%.
In less than two years, Americans seemed to have forgotten the lesson to turn to God in all things (see Deuteronomy 4:30). Upon learning this, the idea of the Nephites reverting back to a sinful state suddenly seemed very realistic to me.
Perhaps most impressive about the events of 30 A.D. is that, while the Nephites gave way to sin, the normally wicked Lamanites had remained true to the gospel of Jesus Christ. "In the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord" (3 Nephi 6:14).
How can we remain steadfast and immovable?
The difficulty in doing so is best explained by King Benjamin: "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"(Mosiah 5:13).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell spoke of what he called the "ebb and flow of faith" - the reason we do not remain steadfast after receiving a testimony of the truth. He explained, "otherwise basically decent people simply get caught up with the cares of the world. If instead of drawing closer to the Master we become a stranger to Him, then we have lost our way. The decent people to whom this happens haven't engaged in major transgression, as a rule, but they have distanced themselves from the Savior, and He has become a stranger to them." As you look at the Gallup Poll chart above, you see that the faith of Americans seems to ebb and flow.
We can prevent ourselves from weakening in our faith, and thus remain steadfast, by consistently learning of Him. Elder Henry B. Eyring stated, "The Master... knows the mistake we can so easily make: to underestimate the forces working for us and to rely too much on our human powers. And so He offers us the covenant to 'always remember Him' and the warning to 'pray always' so that we will place our reliance on Him, our only safety. It is not hard to know what to do. The very difficulty of remembering always and praying always is a needed spur to try harder. The danger lies in delay or drift."
Our Heavenly Father knows the struggles your face on a daily basis: grades, friends, dating, work, drugs, family difficulties, and more. These concerns can cause us, even when we have the best of intentions, to be drawn away from the Lord. We are able to remain strong, immovable, and steadfast, only when we "always remember Him" (see D&C 20:77,79; 3 Nephi 18:7,11; Moroni 4:3; and Moroni 5:2) and "pray always" (see 3 Nephi 18:15, 18-19; D&C 93:49; Luke 21:36; 2 Nephi 32:9; and D&C 10:5).
When it comes to your spirituality, you can either progress or fall backward. You take a great risk in believing Satan's lie that can simply stand still. On the surface, it would seem like you should be able to do so, and that is how Satan is able to deceive you. However, ponder the following example:
Think back to the last time you felt the Spirit powerfully. Perhaps it was while attending a youth conference, in sacrament meeting, or during a family home evening. During the experience you likely experienced a "spiritual high." You felt the power of the Spirit and you felt great! Now imagine doing nothing more. A week later you may still feel that it was a great spiritual experience. A month later you may still remember it being a great spiritual experience, but the feeling has dimmed. As time passes your memories will dim. Unless you are constantly pursuing the Spirit, you will fall backwards - you can not stand still. You probably know someone who felt the Spirit at a youth conference and determined to remain steadfast, but was inactive less than a month later. Unless we work at progressing, we will ultimately forget God.
So how do we "always remember Him?" Simply by learning more of Him through reading our scriptures, as King Benjamin counseled. Additionally, we must pray always. However, sometimes we may not feel like praying - a feeling we get from Satan. "If ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray" (2 Nephi 32:8).
Brigham Young stated, "it matters not whether you or I feel like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do." He further added, "if the Devil says you cannot pray when you are angry, tell him it is none of his business, and pray until that species of insanity is dispelled and serenity is restored to the mind."
There have been periods in my life where I have not been as prayerful as I should have been. Then something bad would happen in my life and I would feel like I should pray for help. But then Satan would get to me and I would resist praying because I did not want to be one of those people that only prays when things are bad, then ignores God when things are good. Of course, when things became good again, I felt no need to pray and so the cycle continued. I knew I should pray, but my pride got in the way.
I was as the Nephites in 3 Nephi. "Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully rebel against God" (3 Nephi 6:18).
Never forget God. Do not allow yourself to become complacent with how your relationship with Him is going. Always seek to become closer to Him. You will find greater happiness as you do so.
Goals for this week:
- Pray always and always remember Him by reading your scriptures daily.
- Attend church weekly along with your youth activities. Actively participate in your church meetings. Speak up in class discussions. Just because no one else is doing it does not mean that you can not take the time to feel the Spirit by answering questions and listening.
No comments:
Post a Comment