The first application of the atonement we will study and discuss requires that we recognize the voice of the Lord and discern what voices are of the devil. Once we can discern what is of the devil we can use the power of Christ to command the devil to leave us.
The Lies of Satan
“Whenever the adversary cannot persuade imperfect yet striving Saints such as you to abandon your belief in a personal and loving God, he employs a vicious campaign to put as much distance as possible between you and God… he will seek access to your heart to tell you lies—lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed in you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a thousand variations of that same evil theme.”
“As long as you allow these voices to chisel away at your soul, you can’t approach the throne of God with real confidence. Whatever you do, whatever you pray for, whatever hopes for a miracle you may have, there will always be just enough self-doubt chipping away at your faith—not only your faith in God but also your confidence in yourself. Living the gospel in this manner is no fun, nor is it very healthy. Above all, it is completely unnecessary!”
– “Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence” by By Elder Jörg Klebingat, Of the Seventy, General Conference October 2014
GOD’S VOICE IS KIND & GENTLE
When God speaks to us through the Spirit the messages are gentle and kind, they inspire and encourage, they instruct and move us to act.
If the thoughts in our mind are mean, cruel, vicious, despairing, discouraging, and immobilize us, they are not of God! They most certainly are of the devil.
Once we can identify and discern between the words of Christ and the lies of Satan, then we have a powerful tool to get Satan out and begin to hear Christ.
“The house of the Lord is a house of learning… There we learn how to rebuke the adversary and draw upon the Lord’s priesthood power to strengthen us.” — President Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him”
What instruction do we receive in the temple that teaches us how to rebuke the adversary? What we learn there about the power to rebuke Satan is also taught in the Pearl of Great Price in the story of Moses.
We can learn a great deal from Moses about how to call upon the power of Christ to rebuke Satan and get him out of our heads and our lives. (God to Moses Chapter 1, verse 12)
After the Lord showed Moses a vision beyond imagining, of all the works of God, worlds without number, and all of his purposes and glory, and all the ages of the Earth… After the Lord had departed and Moses was left to ponder, he said:
We learn from this story that Moses gained strength to resist Satan because of his knowledge of his worth as a son of God, his determination to continue always in prayer, and to worship only God. We also learn that even a sincere and striving saint like Moses can be afflicted by Satan. Satan returns to him over and over even though he is true and faithful. In fact, it is because of what he is doing right that he must face the buffeting of Satan. In the end it is the fourth principle that is key to Moses gaining power over Satan. When Moses used the power of Christ to command Satan to depart, Moses gained the victory over Satan. We can and should learn to rebuke Satan as Moses did when we, like Moses, are buffeted by Satan regardless of our righteous efforts to resist. We can use the power of faith in Christ and his Word by commanding Satan: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.
There is Spiritual Power and Confidence is Discernment: We Must Learn to Hear the Voice of the Lord
7 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VOICE OF THE LORD
1) The Voice of the Lord will not condemn the humble and contrite.
3) The voice of the Lord will speak peace to our hearts and minds.
4) The Voice of the Lord speaketh the truth in love.
5) The Voice of the Lord edifieth and leadeth to do good and judge righteously.
6) The voice of the Lord causes our hearts to be filled with joy.
7) The voice of the Lord speaks as a sacred friend knowing our inner heart and thoughts.
HOW DOES THE LORD SPEAK TO US?
WAYS THE LORD CONVEYS HIS WORD, DIRECTION, AND COMFORT:
1) Bring to our remembrance
3) Beareth Witness
12) Give us His Words to Speak
14) The Lord Speaks to Us Through Music
TOOLS WE HAVE TO DISCERN BETWEEN THE VOICES OF THE WORLD AND THE LORD:
“HEAR HIM”: “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” (Luke 9:35) The more we feast upon the words of Christ the more able we are to recognize the voice of the Lord and the more able we are to comprehend and discern the light from the darkness.
“BY THE VOICE OF MY SERVANTS, IT IS THE SAME.” (D&C 1:38) As we listen to and watch the prophets and apostles we will become familiar with how Christ would speak to us if her were here.
THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. I place this essential tool 3rd, and not first, because any voice or prompting we receive that is in any way contrary to the words of Christ from divinely appointed sources, contrary to the character of God as revealed to us in scripture, and in opposition to the words and deeds of His servants the prophets are of a certainty deceptions and not of God. We can know for a certainty that our promptings come from the Holy Spirit when we press them against the rock, who is Christ, and his words and they do not fall apart; if they stand firmly upon the foundation then they are of God. Our own personal witness from the Holy Spirit will be in harmony with #1 & 2.
BY THEIR WORKS YE SHALL KNOW THEM. “By their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also.” (Read Moroni 7:5-19) It is given to us to know the way to judge – we may know with a perfect knowledge – for everything which inviteth to do good and persuade to believe in Christ, is sent by the power of God. Be very careful that you know what is good – in our day many will call good evil and evil good, and put darkness for light and light for darkness. – wo we must immerse ourselves in the words of Christ that we may know for a surety what is good and what is evil.
Recognizing Satan’s messages, cultural influences, ideologies, and lies must begin with being fully immersed in the light. “I am the light that shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehendeth me not.” (D&C 88:49) In a scientific sense, a light in a dark room is obviously discernable, even overwhelming obvious, but it doesn’t work this way with spiritual darkness. When a person is in spiritual darkness it is blinding, the midst of darkness so thick that the light is not discernible, thus the darkness comprehendeth not the light of Christ. Notice in Lehi dreams that those wandering the midst of darkness do not wander into the tree of life, but they first lay hold upon the rod of iron and begin to press forward in the path. As they move forward in the path and hold fast to the rod of iron the brightness of the tree of life comes into focus, becoming brighter and brighter as they draw nearer and nearer, until they come to the tree and partake of the fruit. From that viewpoint they can perfectly discern the darkness and the scenes that lie around them, but only so long as they stand firm in the light of the tree. If they wander off they will be lost again in the thick midst of darkness.
In our day we must be clear about how to lay hold upon the fruit of the tree and stay firmly planted in the light if we are to survive spiritually. “Whenever the God of Heaven reveals His gospel to mankind, Satan, the archenemy of Christ, introduces a counterfeit.” (Ezra Taft Benson, “A Witness and a Warning.”) Satan’s counterfeits in our time are particularly pernicious and difficult to discern without the full illumination of the tree. Anyone and anything that counterfeits the true gospel and perverts the plan of salvation is an anti-Christ. Julie B. Beck taught that in our times we would recognize these counterfeits by this true gauge, “If it’s anti-family, it’s anti-Christ.”
The Doctrinal Mastery Core Document has very valuable teachings and tools for discerning truth from error and recognizing Satan’s counterfeits. In Principle #2 of Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, it teaches us how to examine EVERYTHING with an eternal perspective. It teaches that when we examine questions, ideas, or concerns with an eternal perspective, we seek help from the Holy Ghost in order to see things as God sees them. It teaches us to consider all things in the context of the plan of salvation. Implicit in this is the need to study the plan of salvation thoroughly and deeply, for the fuller our understanding of God's plan, the less likely we are to be deceived by the counterfeits. When we use the tools taught in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, we will examine questions and issues in proper context and discover the underlying assumptions of questions, concerns, and ideas presented to us – and we will be able to refrain from the questions which will lead us to correct answers based on the Lord’s standard of truth. Finally, we learn that we must never give more weight and importance to questions, concerns, or ideas that do not carry the saving power of covenants, ordinances & doctrines. We can learn to set aside those less important things when we can not reconcile them with what is most important and hold fast to the truths that we know.
What Does the Prophet Teach About Hearing the Voice of Lord and Rebuking Satan?
IN CONCLUSION:
Satan will never stop seeking to gain our souls, he will forever stalk us and fight against us. He will use any opportunity to burst into our minds and hearts. Let us do our very best, with the help of the Lord, to give him no power over us. When we forget how, when we take our eye off the Savior and allow ourselves to wander, let us immediately repent and rebuke Satan in the name of Christ. Remember, Satan and the Spirit of God cannot occupy your mind at the same time. We must learn to rebuke Satan and invite the Spirit into our hearts and minds, to fill us up, so there is no room for Satan.
If we are hungering and thirsting after righteousness, seeking him in faith, trusting Christ in wholehearted belief, searching the scriptures with real intent, and feasting upon the words of Christ we WILL HEAR HIM and we will recognize and discern clearly between God’s voice and Satan’s.
We can learn a great deal from Moses about how to call upon the power of Christ to rebuke Satan and get him out of our heads and our lives. (God to Moses Chapter 1, verse 12)
After the Lord showed Moses a vision beyond imagining, of all the works of God, worlds without number, and all of his purposes and glory, and all the ages of the Earth… After the Lord had departed and Moses was left to ponder, he said:
“I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed…
“And it came to pass that when Moses had said these words, behold, Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me.
“And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?… I can judge between thee and God…
“Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten.
“I will not cease to call upon God… Depart hence, Satan.
“When Moses had said these words, Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me.
“Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory.
“And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.
“And it came to pass that Satan cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and he departed hence, even from the presence of Moses, that he beheld him not.
– Moses 1:12-22
We learn from this story that Moses gained strength to resist Satan because of his knowledge of his worth as a son of God, his determination to continue always in prayer, and to worship only God. We also learn that even a sincere and striving saint like Moses can be afflicted by Satan. Satan returns to him over and over even though he is true and faithful. In fact, it is because of what he is doing right that he must face the buffeting of Satan. In the end it is the fourth principle that is key to Moses gaining power over Satan. When Moses used the power of Christ to command Satan to depart, Moses gained the victory over Satan. We can and should learn to rebuke Satan as Moses did when we, like Moses, are buffeted by Satan regardless of our righteous efforts to resist. We can use the power of faith in Christ and his Word by commanding Satan: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.
There is Spiritual Power and Confidence is Discernment: We Must Learn to Hear the Voice of the Lord
7 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VOICE OF THE LORD
1) The Voice of the Lord will not condemn the humble and contrite.
- D&C 136:33: “My Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the condemnation of the ungodly.”
- D&C 63:64: “That which cometh from above is sacred… spoken with care… in this there is no condemnation.”
- Enos 1:5: “There came a voice unto me saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.”
- John 3:17: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
- John 8:11: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
- James 4:10: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
- 1 Peter 5:5: “Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
- Psalms 34:18: “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
- D&C 52:15: “Wherefore he that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances.”
- D&C 84:88: “And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
- Isaiah 49:13: “The Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.”
- Jacob 3:1: “I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions.”
3) The voice of the Lord will speak peace to our hearts and minds.
- Psalms 85:8: “The Lord will speak… peace unto his people, and to his saints.”
- D&C 6:23: “Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?”
- Alma 58:11: “The Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.”
4) The Voice of the Lord speaketh the truth in love.
- Ephesians 4:15: “Speaking the truth in love, [that we] may grow up into Him in all things.”
- Titus 3:2: “Speak evil of no man… but [be] gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.”
- Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
- Moroni 8:26: “The Holy Ghost… filleth [us] with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.”
5) The Voice of the Lord edifieth and leadeth to do good and judge righteously.
- D&C 11:12: “Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.”
- D&C 52:16: “He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances.”
- D&C 84:45: “For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”
- D&C 6:15: “Thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth.”
- Ephesians 5:9: “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.”
- Alma 58:11: “He did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.”
- Titus 2:1: “Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.”
- Ether 3:12: “Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie.”
- Moses 1:6: “He he is full of grace and truth.”
- Isaiah 45:19: “I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.”
- I Corinthians 11:32: “We are chastened of the Lord.”
- Hebrews 12:6: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”
- 2 Nephi 28:30: “I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.”
- Mosiah 4:20: “He has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy.”
- Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
- John 3:29: He that “heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.”
7) The voice of the Lord speaks as a sacred friend knowing our inner heart and thoughts.
- Exodus 33:11: “The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”
- D&C 6:16: “There is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.”
- Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
- 1 Nephi 11:11: “He spake unto me as a man speaketh with another.”
- John 10:4: “The sheep follow him: for they know his voice.”
- John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
- Ether 12:39: “I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language.”
- 1 Chronicles 28:9: “The Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee.”
- Psalms 139:1-4: “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.”
- James 2:23: “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”
- John 15:13-14: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”
HOW DOES THE LORD SPEAK TO US?
WAYS THE LORD CONVEYS HIS WORD, DIRECTION, AND COMFORT:
1) Bring to our remembrance
- John 14:26: “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
- Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
The Spirit often connects with us spirit to spirit. A feeling a voice as though a memory is awakened from things our spirit already knows from a pre-mortal time. An epiphany of light as though we are remembering something we already know is true. I thought of the scripture in Romans 8:16 “ the spirit itself witness with our spirit…” this was a beautiful thought. So I have added this to the list of characteristics of the voice of the Lord.
3) Beareth Witness
When we bear record of the good news of the gospel, our spoken testimony invites the Holy Ghost to bear His witness of the truth of the message.
4) Voice of Warning
7) A Still Small Voice that Pierces the Soul
- D&C 1:4: “The voice of warning shall be unto all people.”
- Acts 26:14: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
- D&C 9:9: “But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought.”
7) A Still Small Voice that Pierces the Soul
- 3 Nephi 11:3: “They heard a voice as if it came out of heaven… it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center… yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.”
- Helaman 5:30: “They heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul.”
- Ezekiel 43:2: “his voice was like a noise of many waters.”
- 1 Kings 19:12: “A still small voice.”
- 1 Nephi 17:45: “Ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.”
- D&C 133:22: “And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.”
8) Carries to the heart and makes it burn
- 3 Nephi 11:3: “It did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.”
- 2 Nephi 33:1: “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.”
- Genesis 31:11: “And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream.”
- Acts 9:7: “hearing a voice, but seeing no man.”
- Acts 10:13: “There came a voice to him.”
- Enos 1:5: “There came a voice unto me”
- 1 Nephi 17:45: “feel his words.”
Often the Spirit speaks to us through others, and that in service to others we convey the love of God and his voice is heard powerfully in this way as well.
12) Give us His Words to Speak
- D&C 100:5-6: “Speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts… For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.”
We hear God's words when we are able to speak the words God would have them speak in the moment when they needed to, and not for themselves as much as for those they serve and love. It brought to my mind this verse from D&C 100:6 “For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.” This is another very important way that we hear the voice of the Lord, and sometimes we recognize his voice after we said just what was needed in that moment and we have a sense that those words were not our words at all.
Often we sense the guiding power of the Lord in her life as the sails of her life’s ship are filled by the directing winds of the Lord at her back. She expressed her faith in the Lord to move her in the direction he wants her to go. There was a profound truth in this observation that I had not identified in my scripture search though it is in the stories of the scriptures. It is a very important way that the Lord conveys his will to his, instead of voice it’s his directing hand. I am certain that a scriptures search of the key words directing hand, the Lord’s hand, would be rich with descriptions of this aspect of how God “speaks.”
One story that came to my mind was the story of the Jaredites. The story of the Jaredite journey to the promised land is a great allegory of the guiding hand of God in directing our course as we pass through the deep waters of life on our way to our eternal destination. Let me share the aspects of this allegory that expand upon the beautiful visual Becky shared as she expressed the unseen hand of the Lord filling the sails of her life ship.
First symbol in the allegory is the “barges” built by the Jaredites “according to the instructions of the Lord.” These barges can represent our inner lives, our homes and families. A very important feature of these barges is that “they were exceedingly tight” so that no water could penetrate the inner vessel. What could we do to build our life boats, our inner lives, so they would be “tight like into a dish” so that the waters of the deep, a symbol of the temptations, sins, and storms of this life, could not penetrate us? There are many scriptures that teach this principle, but one that comes to mind from Helaman’s descriptions of his faith and valiance of his stripping warriors. He said: “They did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness… [And] because of their exceeding faith… [they] did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power…. their minds [were] firm, and they [did] put their trust in God continually.” When we build our lives according to the instructions of Lord, our lives will be tight like into a dish, and we will be safe in the deep waters and storms of life will not overcome us in our journey through mortality.
The second symbol in the allegory are the stones lite by the finger of God that the Jaredites might not be left to travel in darkness, but to have light continually. This light represents the gift of the Holy Ghost that can be a light to us continually if we have built our lives after the instructions of the Lord. This light cannot be extinguished by the storms of the world because it is not worldly, it is heavenly light that shinneth eternally. In this part of the allegory the Lord also provides a way for them to breath throughout their journey, which I think is a precious connection between our total spiritual dependence on the Lord and his provisions for our temporal welfare as he preserves our lives in our mortal journey.
It is in the third symbol of the allegory that I see the truth Becky brought to our discussion. Jared has one more concern that he brings to the Lord when he asks, “whither shall we steer?” And the Lords response is: “For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth. And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come.” Theresa Lord tells Jared that he will be their rudder, he will steer their barges, they must trust in him even when it seems that the storms will overcome them, they will not for they are in His hands. I particularly like when he says “for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth,” it was this phrase that came to my mind when Becky was describing the Lord filling her sails as if his very voice, his breath, was pushing her sails and guiding her life. This is a real way that we experience “the Lord’s voice” but not as words, rather it is a guiding power we trust in as we orient our lives toward him and carry His light within. We can trust that he will direct us in the right path even when we do not know beforehand which way we should go.
*The Jaredite story is found in Ether 2
14) The Lord Speaks to Us Through Music
- D&C 25:12: “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.”
The spirit speaks to us through music. I thought of the scripture, “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.” (D&C 25:12) The Lord uses heavenly music to speak to us. So I have also added this to our list for how the Lord speaks to us. What is beautiful about this idea is that music becomes a two-way communication between God and us, because it is like a prayer. Since Joycelyn talked about the song in her mind, I thought how wonderful it would be to be able to hear the gospel symphony and her head.
TOOLS WE HAVE TO DISCERN BETWEEN THE VOICES OF THE WORLD AND THE LORD:
“HEAR HIM”: “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” (Luke 9:35) The more we feast upon the words of Christ the more able we are to recognize the voice of the Lord and the more able we are to comprehend and discern the light from the darkness.
“BY THE VOICE OF MY SERVANTS, IT IS THE SAME.” (D&C 1:38) As we listen to and watch the prophets and apostles we will become familiar with how Christ would speak to us if her were here.
THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. I place this essential tool 3rd, and not first, because any voice or prompting we receive that is in any way contrary to the words of Christ from divinely appointed sources, contrary to the character of God as revealed to us in scripture, and in opposition to the words and deeds of His servants the prophets are of a certainty deceptions and not of God. We can know for a certainty that our promptings come from the Holy Spirit when we press them against the rock, who is Christ, and his words and they do not fall apart; if they stand firmly upon the foundation then they are of God. Our own personal witness from the Holy Spirit will be in harmony with #1 & 2.
BY THEIR WORKS YE SHALL KNOW THEM. “By their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also.” (Read Moroni 7:5-19) It is given to us to know the way to judge – we may know with a perfect knowledge – for everything which inviteth to do good and persuade to believe in Christ, is sent by the power of God. Be very careful that you know what is good – in our day many will call good evil and evil good, and put darkness for light and light for darkness. – wo we must immerse ourselves in the words of Christ that we may know for a surety what is good and what is evil.
D&C 46: 7: “But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.”
D&C 50:31: “Wherefore, it shall come to pass, that if you behold a spirit manifested that you cannot understand, and you receive not that spirit, ye shall ask of the Father in the name of Jesus; and if he give not unto you that spirit, then you may know that it is not of God.”
D&C 50:2-3: “Behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world. And also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you.”
Recognizing Satan’s messages, cultural influences, ideologies, and lies must begin with being fully immersed in the light. “I am the light that shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehendeth me not.” (D&C 88:49) In a scientific sense, a light in a dark room is obviously discernable, even overwhelming obvious, but it doesn’t work this way with spiritual darkness. When a person is in spiritual darkness it is blinding, the midst of darkness so thick that the light is not discernible, thus the darkness comprehendeth not the light of Christ. Notice in Lehi dreams that those wandering the midst of darkness do not wander into the tree of life, but they first lay hold upon the rod of iron and begin to press forward in the path. As they move forward in the path and hold fast to the rod of iron the brightness of the tree of life comes into focus, becoming brighter and brighter as they draw nearer and nearer, until they come to the tree and partake of the fruit. From that viewpoint they can perfectly discern the darkness and the scenes that lie around them, but only so long as they stand firm in the light of the tree. If they wander off they will be lost again in the thick midst of darkness.
In our day we must be clear about how to lay hold upon the fruit of the tree and stay firmly planted in the light if we are to survive spiritually. “Whenever the God of Heaven reveals His gospel to mankind, Satan, the archenemy of Christ, introduces a counterfeit.” (Ezra Taft Benson, “A Witness and a Warning.”) Satan’s counterfeits in our time are particularly pernicious and difficult to discern without the full illumination of the tree. Anyone and anything that counterfeits the true gospel and perverts the plan of salvation is an anti-Christ. Julie B. Beck taught that in our times we would recognize these counterfeits by this true gauge, “If it’s anti-family, it’s anti-Christ.”
The Doctrinal Mastery Core Document has very valuable teachings and tools for discerning truth from error and recognizing Satan’s counterfeits. In Principle #2 of Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, it teaches us how to examine EVERYTHING with an eternal perspective. It teaches that when we examine questions, ideas, or concerns with an eternal perspective, we seek help from the Holy Ghost in order to see things as God sees them. It teaches us to consider all things in the context of the plan of salvation. Implicit in this is the need to study the plan of salvation thoroughly and deeply, for the fuller our understanding of God's plan, the less likely we are to be deceived by the counterfeits. When we use the tools taught in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, we will examine questions and issues in proper context and discover the underlying assumptions of questions, concerns, and ideas presented to us – and we will be able to refrain from the questions which will lead us to correct answers based on the Lord’s standard of truth. Finally, we learn that we must never give more weight and importance to questions, concerns, or ideas that do not carry the saving power of covenants, ordinances & doctrines. We can learn to set aside those less important things when we can not reconcile them with what is most important and hold fast to the truths that we know.
What Does the Prophet Teach About Hearing the Voice of Lord and Rebuking Satan?
“He communicates simply, quietly, and with such stunning plainness that we cannot misunderstand Him… Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval. As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.
“We can also hear Him in the temple. The house of the Lord is a house of learning. There we learn how to part the veil and communicate more clearly with heaven. There we learn how to rebuke the adversary and draw upon the Lord’s priesthood power to strengthen us and those we love.”
“We also hear Him more clearly as we refine our ability to recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. It has never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you than right now. In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is the messenger. He will bring thoughts to your mind which the Father and Son want you to receive. He is the Comforter. He will bring a feeling of peace to your heart. He testifies of truth and will confirm what is true as you hear and read the word of the Lord.
“What will happen as you more intentionally hear, hearken, and heed what the Savior has said and what He is saying now through His prophets? I promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation, struggles, and weakness. I promise miracles in your marriage, family relationships, and daily work. And I promise that your capacity to feel joy will increase even if turbulence increases in your life.
— President Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him”
IN CONCLUSION:
Satan will never stop seeking to gain our souls, he will forever stalk us and fight against us. He will use any opportunity to burst into our minds and hearts. Let us do our very best, with the help of the Lord, to give him no power over us. When we forget how, when we take our eye off the Savior and allow ourselves to wander, let us immediately repent and rebuke Satan in the name of Christ. Remember, Satan and the Spirit of God cannot occupy your mind at the same time. We must learn to rebuke Satan and invite the Spirit into our hearts and minds, to fill us up, so there is no room for Satan.
If we are hungering and thirsting after righteousness, seeking him in faith, trusting Christ in wholehearted belief, searching the scriptures with real intent, and feasting upon the words of Christ we WILL HEAR HIM and we will recognize and discern clearly between God’s voice and Satan’s.
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