Barriers

The first barrier we face in mortality is that veil between earth and heaven. The second barrier we face is sin. Of course, I mean the barriers that keep us from God. There are plenty. The Tower of Babel was made to reach Heaven and that didn't please the Lord. We can't get to heaven by any means but Jesus Christ.

Many of us have barriers in the realms of sin that don't permit us to reach closer to God. Many things in the world have convinced us that they are necessary to our survival when in fact they are undermining our desires for true fulfillment and closeness to God. Material things as well as things we've grown an emotional attachment that takes priority in our lives like street racing or smoking or golf. There are plenty of things which could become barriers between ourselves and God.

The scientific world is relentless in trying to discover the new frontier, the next step, a new world, a bigger piece to the puzzle. Its great. We've been able to land a man on the moon and heal diseases. We've got some of the most amazing things the world has ever seen in our generation.

The wars are different, the work is different, and the mindset is different but the Gospel has remained the same because God is never changing. What He asks of us is the same as what He asked of Moses or Abraham, to let our hearts be His and our minds be steadfast in approaching His greatness and glory. He asks us undeviating commitment and in return we break through those barriers and progress into heavenly beings. Of course, the way to the Lord is not through our genius but our charity. He is no respector of persons and by small and simple things, brings to pass great things. The world will little note of some small expression of love but at the same time congratulate a small step in technology.

I'm not saying that education and advancements in society are barriers to God. In fact, Doctrine and Covenants proclaims that the glory of God is intelligence. He is the light that inspires our minds and brings us the abilities to bring to pass some amazing acccomplisments. Brigham Young believed as should all Mormons that the improvement of the mind, pleases the Lord. Education is even a form of worship. How much the advantage one has when He is intelligent? Nobody can be saved in their ignorance.

No, of course, the great barrier in our path to God is our pride. Priding ourselves on futile accomplishments while ignoring the great masses of the poor and the needy. Right now there are 27 million slaves in the world. Here are some more startling statistics, click to enlarge:


Now, how great of an accomplishment is it to have a man land on the Moon when so meny men and women and children can't land a meal? How great is our military technology when it hasn't granted anything but war? Its like Martin Luther King Jr. said "We have guided missiles and misguided men."

I'm speaking mostly in society terms but really are we so different individually? We spend much time securing our lives from a poor, dark and dangerous world while some are left out there. We spend more time worrying about our things than about people. Which is bizarre considering 99% of all things manufactured ends up in a dump 6 months later.

Its time to break down some barriers. The barrier that is trust in the system, securities, ourselves and monetaries that we have at the expense of our trust in God. These very things that promise us good lives are what keep us from experience joyful lives in God.

The Temple is a sacred place. Theres no other place on earth like it. Its all done to unifying people to each other and God. We make eternal promises to do so. We escape the throngs of worry and technology that has our lives for a time of peace and connection to the Holy Spirit. We leave behind the materialism and vainity of everyday life, for the spiritual and thats how we break through the barriers.

The Darkness of Self Justification

It is often the work of the adversary to tempt us into that realm of self justification. He is relentlessly trying to make us feel better without being better because its through these justifications that we become less and less able to take the Lord's counsel. Without the Lord, there is darkness. In the darkness the self justifcation is complete for there is nothing to expose the evil deeds and errors. In the dark and without hope is in the power of Satan.

Darkness is at the command of light. Where there is light, darkness cannot overtake it but by the will of the light stopping, it gives way for darkness to take over.

As Elder Uchtdorf said in the last General Conference "it appears that those who receive the Savior’s strongest reproach are often those who hold themselves in high esteem because of their wealth, influence, or perceived righteousness."

It was Abinadi the prophet who came as an exposing light to the errors of King Noah and his false priests. They're self justification came through the idea that they were prosperous and thus righteous. But, soon after Abinadi delivered his powerful message, King Noah and his false priests fell into destruction and were hunted like animals in the wilderness.

The Lord will warn the darkness to disperse or it will be forced to. Amos 3:7 "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets". He warns us through prophets to prepare the way of the Lord and if they people don't repent then they will be destroyed. As the scriptures say in 3 Nephi 20:20 a sword of justice hangs over us if we do not repent.

It doesn't please the Lord to lose us. Thats why He calls us to repent. To forsake our deeds and come into the light. When we justify ourselves we are calling God a liar because we are proposing that what is evil is okay and what is good doesn't matter. What audacity to say to He that created the Heavens and the Earth that we know better than He does. Depending on what we love, we will serve, and it is through prophets of God that we know Him and light.

As it says in Doctrine and Covenants-
For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated.
And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed.

Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh;

And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.

And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;

For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant; They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.

Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments;

By calling a prophet and giving commandments, the Lord is revealing His mercy. He is giving light again to our darkness, showing us how we should be to please the Lord. After hearing the voice of the Lord calling you, you are then in the position to accept and reject His light. If you reject the light then you will face the consequences of that sword of justice, for you have rejected mercy.

The Lord is light and is the path of safety and happiness.

4 Nephi: The Secret to a Happy Society, A Warning of Destruction

This book is only one chapter long but covers the course of a few hundred years, it has almost a complete summary of the Book of Mormon, in the respects of how a great people fell into destruction. Thats the great lesson we get from the Book of Mormon; a warning of how to not fall into destruction as these people did.

4th Nephi shows us some tips and amazing facts about the people. In verse 2 it says "the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another." The whole land was converted! Thats happened so few times in history.

Verse 3 says "And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor...but they were all made free and partakers of the heavenly gift." What another amazing statement. This also hasn't happened very often for it seems there is always poor in the land but everybody was rich.

The point here is the Lord is showing us that we can live happier His way than by our own ways. Men without the influence of the Lord, begin to set their hearts on money or things of the world rather than God and His people, and then there are classes, covetousness, pride, lust, and oppression (much like today).

Verses 5,7-10 explains how the people had many miracles wrought and began to build up those cities that were destroyed earlier.

A common theme running in the chapter (and the Book of Mormon) shows that the people had "no contentions", it says that 4 times through out the chapter, in verses 2, 13, 15, and 18. No contentions. How did they avoid their contentions? Verse 15 says "because of the love of God."

Verse 16 says "And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God"
The people were happy because of their unity and love of God.

They were so prosperous because of their righteousness. They had everything they could ever want or need because they put the Lord first.

But now the fall.

Verse 24 says they began to be prideful due to their "costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world."

Verse 25 says "And from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them"

Verse 26 says "And they began to be divided into classes."

Now, they're not about the love of God but the love of "the fine things of the world." Sadly, how often does this happen in societies today! How common a mistake we make. Just like today and just like the whole Book of Mormon; this is a recipe for destruction. The rest of the chapter explains how there were many churches built up, the people began to be completely divided again, the children were taught to hate, their pride grew and the secret works of mafia like people were rampant through out the land.

Let this chapter be a warning to us.

Justice and Redemption; He Can Only Save What We Give Him

I love this scripture:
Mosiah 15:27
Therefore ought ye not to tremble? For salvation cometh to none such; for the Lord hath redeemed none such; yea, neither can the Lord redeem such; for he cannot deny himself; for he cannot deny justice when it has its claim.

At first you may think its sort of a bleak scripture that shows a God of wrath but really it shows a loving God because the Lord is telling us, constantly, that He can make us better and even perfect, but only that part of our heart that we give to Him. If we don't give Him anything then He cannot help us. Thats why He doesn't just ask for a part of us, but the whole thing; all we can give, everyday.

Offerings

Some things may seem good, but if they are done in a way that is not the Lord’s way, then it is evil.

And Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not to call upon God. And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said: I have gotten a man from the Lord; wherefore he may not reject his words. But behold, Cain hearkened not, saying: Who is the Lord that I should know him?

And she again conceived and bare his brother Abel. And Abel hearkened unto the voice of the Lord. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him, saying: Make an offering unto the Lord. And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect. Now Satan knew this, and it pleased him. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain: Why art thou wroth? Why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee according to his desire.

The Lord makes offers to us as well. They are blessings and callings that we can accept or reject. When rejecting them, we reject the Lord, as well.

Its important to discern the things that are offered us from the Lord and from Satan. Satan offers us things that seem good but in fact are not. It might be something that seems harmless and good, but in fact is bad because it is from Satan. One of Satan's greatest tactics is to offer us something thats not evil necessarily but not the greatest good and thus robs us of having a greater blessing; such as choosing college or military over a mission or getting married outside the temple. The lesser choice is an evil choice just because it is not the greatest good. We must not forget that.

We must, in turn, offer our greatest good to the Lord for it to be accepted, and for it to be the greatest good it must be done in the name of Jesus Christ and not Satan.

The Repentance Dance

Repentance is difficult because you have to learn new things. Learning new things is awkward and embarrassing. Thus instead of trying we’d much rather stay to ourselves. Like dancing, its much easier to sit on the sidelines but the Lord says we must dance. There is no other way to enjoy ourselves. Sure its easy to sit on the side pointing at the believers and laughing but anyone can criticize, not everyone can dance.

Repenting

Every time I find myself going down a wrong road, my first reaction is to justify it by saying its not wrong. My second action (after realizing it is wrong) is to justify myself by putting on a mask of innocence. The mask wears off, the grief sets in.

Grief is to the spirit what pain is to the body. When we sin we hurt ourselves. We have two ways to remedy the pain of our spirit. By covering it with pride or by healing it with repentance.

To heal we must deal with our mistake and thus annihilating our pride or justification. The Lord is happy when are hearts are sincere and open, not hiding, withholding or in denial about our fallen state. Our hearts will grow cold, hard, unforgiving and unloving if we aren't careful. We must let our hearts be open and soft because then we are receptive to the Lord and then He can heal us of our sins. The scriptures say to "offer for sacrifice unto the Lord a broken heart and contrite spirit." Thats the only offering He will accept. He doesn't take money, objects, lies, or lip service. He wants the heart and spirit. Interesting insight into whats really valuable in life.

We must be closed to the evil influences but open to the good. Our hearts must be open, but not stupid. We must seek the Spirit for guidance, but not accept an evil spirit. Our hearts must be soft but our determination strong. Satan would have us to have hard hearts and loose morals. This is quite the contrast of the two roads we are to choose from.

The promised prizes for choosing between good and evil are similar in definition but drastically different in application-

-The Lord promises all that He has. Satan promises all the riches of this world.

-The Lord grants us complete freedom from the bondage of sin if we follow Him. Satan grants us the freedom to follow our appetites and passions as he chains us to them until we lose our free will.

-The Lord would have us realize that every hair on our heads are numbered and that we are His most precious creations; giving us a world to have joy therein through our prosperity and development into being more like Him. Satan would have us think that the world is nothing more than a place for us to use and abuse and everyone is just objects for self gratification.

Both God and Satan promise riches, freedom, satisfaction and kingdoms. But, of course one is correct and the other a liar.

Satan lies to us, tricking us into valuing falsehoods ourselves. Tricking us into thinking that we are so great, as we build houses upon the sand "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." 3 Nephi 14:27.

This is why repenting is so difficult; we want to say good is evil and evil is good. Isaiah commented and gave a warning to those that do that- "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" 5:20.

As we repent our hearts swell with love for God. When we stop repenting, we stop swelling and eventually our hearts grow hard and cold again. We must endure to the end with increasing in humility and love for the Lord.

The Lord will not tolerate our sins but He will tolerate paying for them. Often its hard to let go of our mistakes because we often want to pay for them ourselves (if at all), but thats not the Lord's way. The key to repentance is humility. He wants to pay for them, because only He can, but, only we can let Him. The Lord is mighty. He wants us to trust Him because he is the great Healer but only by our faith in Him. How do we gain that faith? By letting Him take undeserved responsibility for the sins, relieving you from them on your conscience. In return, you follow His Holy Spirit and keep His commandments the rest of your life. That is the only way to repent. It works. It gives you peace, love, hope, strength, wisdom, knowledge, freedom, and your world back.