Ponder the Path

Rebuking Satan and discerning the Lord’s Voice from Satan and the voices of the world. 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 confi...

We’ve come to the end of this study and thorough examination of the commandments of God and His expectations of our obedience to them. We have looked at the consequences of keeping the commandments and rebellion against them, but at the center of all is the principle of love for God, for as Christ has said: “If ye love me keep my commandments.” — John 14:15 I love the word keep in this scripture. Keep means “to have and retain possession of something.” We have been given God’s commandments as a precious gift, and he wants us to possess them, to retain them, for them to become part of us. To keep call also mean: “cause to continue in a specified course.” Is this not what the commandments to for us when we make them the guide by which we live, when we are diligent in our striving to obey them? Another definition of keep is: “continue doing or do repeatedly or habitually.” As we keep his commandments, the living of them becomes habitual until we become as He intends us to be, even as He i...

The greatest antidote to covetousness and all its attendant vices and sins, is to live a humble and grateful life oriented toward love of God and all men. “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.” — Doctrine & Commandments 59:21 How can one know whether your desire for something is a righteous desire or covetousness (unrighteous desire)? There are two basic ways to judge, 1) Is your desire also God’s desire for you? 2) Are you seeking to acquire that desire in God’s way? Of course, in order to answer these questions honestly, a person must be living a life dedicated to feasting on the words of Christ through scripture study and prayer, that they might discover what God desires for them to do and what it means to live in God’s way. When we live our lives with a humble and grateful heart, and a love for God and our fellowmen, we will be spiritually inclined toward compa...

Covetousness is a quality of the carnally minded. It is synonymous with other carnal sins such as envy, contention, divisions, thievery, adultery, and murder. Envying leads to strife and divisions. Covetousness is characterized by pride and selfishness, which leads to conceit and rebellion. Covetousness and its related sins and vices lead to perilous times marked by conspiring men whose lusts inspire secret criminal combinations. The rampant disobedience to the final five “Thou shalt nots” will bring about the destruction foretold by prophets. “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” — 1 Corinthians 3:3 “They covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.” — Micah 2:2 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasph...

The sin of covetousness is not related to how much a person has, a person can be rich and never be satisfied. The poor are just as likely to find contentment in their need as the rich. Covetousness afflicts the poor and the rich. “From the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness.” — Jeremiah 6:13 The nature of covetousness is the restlessness of never having enough to satisfy. As the proud and covetous man looks always to his own way and for his own gain, meaningful contentment will ever elude him. “They are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” — Isaiah 56:11 Weather rich or poor, when life is focused first on the material, there will never be enough to satisfy, but rich or poor, when spiritual welfare is the first priority and it rules the material, then even when giving the last mite, there will be inner peace and satisf...

When we love our own property more than doing the will of God, when our love for our things causes us to be unwilling to be generous or sacrificing, then we covet our own property. It is important to note here, that God wants heartfelt freewill offerings. Charity is powerful in its ability to change both the giver and receiver, but the power is lost when the offering is not free, when it is required. Those who see taxes for social welfare as Christian, misunderstand the essential need for freewill giving. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: and giveth it willingly with his heart.” — Exodus 25:2 “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” — Deuteronomy 15:11 “Give to him ...

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” — Exodus 20:17 Coveting is not an innocent yearning or simple desire to possess or have something, coveting in a scriptural sense is an unholy desire that expresses itself in greed, envy, jealous lusts, entitlement and ingratitude. It is a grievous sin because it leads to the pursuit of self over all. Covetousness seeks to tear others down in an avarice ambition and self-promotion. It is a wanting that is not satisfied. We can come to understand the sin of covetousness by looking at its opposite. The opposite attitude is characterized by a generous nature, a grateful heart, and a selfless desire. A person without a covetous nature is a humble hard-working person who is satisfied with the life God has given them. They seek self-improvement for godly purposes and accept the trials and tribulations...