He Did Deliver Me from Bondage
by Colleen C. Harrison
I Know in Whom I Have Trusted (2 Nephi 4:19)-Part 2
Step Three: Made the decision to reconcile ourselves to the will of God, offer our whole souls as an offering unto Him, and trust Him in all things forever. (2 Nephi 10:24; Omni 1:26; Mosiah 3:19; 2 Nephi 4:34)
Principle Three: Trusting God in all things is the highest form of worship I can extend to Him.
WHAT STOPS US FROM TRUSTING GOD?
If God will not fail us, then why do we hesitate and resist trusting Him? The following is a list of a few of the ways in which I have watched myself be distracted and discouraged from my willingness to trust God in all things.
1. Looking for answers in the intellect and learning of men. It is a very fine line between being taught of the Lord and being taught by the learning and intellect of mankind. There is so much truth to be found and gleaned and enjoyed through so many sources. The only way we can know we are following the right philosophy, the best path of thought or action, is to counsel with the Lord concerning everything to which we are exposed. We must never forget that the Lord can reveal wisdom directly to our minds and hearts.
Now, I Nephi.did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore it was not after the manner of men. (1 Nephi 18:2)
We must always remember that with all our reading, studying and searching out answers, the absolute last word in the construction of our program of recovery from addictive/compulsive behaviors (or from any problem) should be the Lord’s.
2. Fear of others’ opinions or craving the esteem or approval of others.
Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. (2 Nephi 8:7)
Oh, how often I have chosen foolishly, trying to obtain the “love” of others-ignoring my own conscience and the whisperings of the Holy Ghost because I was either afraid of others or seeking their good will. From consenting to premarital sex as a teenager to indulging in compulsive eating as an adult, I was driven by fear of the “revilings” (or just plain reaction) of other people. Through the Savior’s grace, we can find the strength and comfort needed to practice respecting His opinion and good will above that of all others.
3. Pride and self-reliance.
I will punish.the stout heart.and the glory of his high looks.
For he saith: By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am prudent.
Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? (2 Nephi 20:12-13, 15)
Don’t you love the word “prudent?” It’s a virtue when blended with and framed by our reliance on the Lord. Thinking we can practice it on our own-without the help of His Spirit-makes it just another form of pride and boasting in our own strength.
4. We don’t want what the Lord wants (self-will).
There have been times when I didn’t trust that things in my life were being cared for by the Lord-not because I couldn’t trust, but because I just plain didn’t want things to be happening the way they were. Slowly I am coming to feel more like Alma:
I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me. (Alma 29:9)
Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide. (Helaman 12:6)
If I were to ask you individually, if you wished to be sanctified throughout, and become as pure and holy as you possibly could live, every person would say yes; yet if the Lord Almighty should give a revelation instructing you to be given wholly up to Him, and to His cause, you would shrink, saying, “I am afraid he will take away some of my darlings.” That is the difficulty with the majority of this people. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 2:134; emphasis added)
Remember the quote by President Benson:
“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.” (Ensign, May 1988, p. 4)
The hard, cold truth is that sometimes as mortals, blinded by the veil of forgetfulness, we don’t want to put God first because we don’t want things to fall into their “proper place” just yet. Miserable as we like to pretend mortal life makes us, the truth is it feels pretty comfortable the way it is. All our worries and distractions, our compulsions, obsessions, and addictions have become like old friends who seem more familiar than a life entrusted to God.
5. It’s too hard.
The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it. (Ezra T. Benson, May 1988 Ensign, p. 4; emphasis added)
I think it’s that word task that gets us. Coming to a place of total trust and surrender to God’s will is just plain hard work. In fact, it’s the hardest work we will ever undertake. It is far harder than any other “good work,” and it is the one that is absolutely essential (3 Nephi 14:21).
6. Fear and worry.
Fear and worry have the effect of freezing us up, confusing and disabling us. “Frozen with fear” is a familiar saying, as is “Fear is the opposite of faith.” Faith in its highest expression is loving and trusting God in all things. When we choose to trust God that all things are happening for our good and for our instruction, we are not paralyzed by fear.
As Richard L. Evans so beautifully stated,
When we worry, we are less efficient; we contribute to the cause and slow down the cure. (An Open Road, p. 38)
THE PROPHETS’ EXAMPLES OF ADEQUATE, NOT PERFECT, TRUST
I include here just a few of the many examples of different prophets’ efforts to tell us that they too were mortal, and that they too were not able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles.
What they did do is repent continually, having a perfect brightness of hope and steadfastness in Christ. Every time they messed up, they kept up instead of giving up. Having come to know Christ personally, they were not guilty of the blasphemy we indulge in when we think we are somehow more powerful to mess up than Christ is to redeem.
I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins that do so easily beset me.
And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. (2 Nephi 4:18-19)
And there came a voice unto me, saying; Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. (Enos 1:5-6)
Or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man. But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind. (Mosiah 2:10-11)
Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God [Alma the younger speaking]. (Mosiah 27:28)
And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord. (Ether 2:14)
For now I had been tempted of the adversary and saught [sic] the Plates to obtain riches and kept not the commandment that I should have a [sic] eye single to the glory of God. (Joseph Smith, An American Prophet’s Record, p. 7)
CHRIST’S EXAMPLE-CHRIST’S POWER
As in all things, the answer to our lack of ability or power to muster this kind of trust is in God; in this instance, the answer is in the gifts of the Spirit. This is the time and place for us to be honest with ourselves and God and admit we cannot manufacture this kind of absolute surrender to God and His plan for us and others. This surrender is, like faith, hope and charity, a gift from God. If we desire (that’s our agency at work) this kind of trust and faith in God, He will supply it to us as a gift of the Spirit. All we have to do is ask. Remember, even if you only have a desire to believe, that is a sufficient beginning.
I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. (3 Nephi 11:11)
I do always those things that please [God]. (John 8:29)
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (John 6:38)
Even with the great ability he had, Jesus did nothing of himself. His whole effort was to do the Father’s will. All that he did, all that he spoke was given of the Father. If Jesus found it necessary to draw his course of action from God, how much more so do we have a need to be dependent upon the Father to determine the course of our lives in every detail! Those who would follow Christ cannot subscribe to the slogan, “I did it my way.” (E. Richard Packham, Born of the Spirit, p. 37)
CONCLUSION: There is no other name, way or means
Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll? (Mormon 5:23)
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God.and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved. (2 Nephi 10:24)
Finally men [and women] who are captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ. Their will is swallowed up in his will. (Ezra T. Benson, July 1989, Ensign, p. 5)
What more can be said? I can only share with you my absolute knowledge of the goodness and mercy of God. It is the sincerest desire of my heart to bear witness to others that He is good and merciful, long-suffering and patient beyond any mortal comprehension. I pray they may reawaken to a knowledge of His nature and character, and begin to desire to turn again to Him, not because of fear of Him but because of love for and trust in Him.
All too often, we Latter-day Saints live our lives so near to Him (through our ordinances and good works) and yet so far from Him (through our emphasis on “good son” busy work and so many other things outside of Him). At the center or bull’s-eye of everything we do should be our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Unfortunately we are too often firmly entrenched in the circles just outside that bull’s-eye, those circles marked “church, home, family, spouse.” These things are all good and most certainly given of God, but, at the same time, they are not God and can never give us the peace and security He can. They can never supply us with the unfailing support and guidance that only He can. We must be very careful not to set these things up as lesser or demigods and think service to them will substitute for coming to know the Lord personally. When we avoid coming to Him directly, we live far below our privilege-to receive His presence, His voice, and, in His own due time, His very face (D&C 88:62-68).
There is no doubt, if a person lives according to the revelations given to God’s people, he may have the Spirit of the Lord to signify to him his will, and to guide and to direct him in the discharge of his duties, in his temporal as well as his spiritual exercises. I am satisfied, however, that in this respect, we live far beneath our privileges. (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 32)
We have the Savior’s own words to describe the “privilege” we have been promised and the preparations we must make to receive the fulfillment of the promise:
It is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am-not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual. (Doctrine & Covenants 67:10)
When I think of all the years I was so outwardly “active” in the Lord’s behalf-attending church, holding positions-and at the same time, in the confines of my own inner, private life, so unbelieving of His promises, I am tempted to great sorrow. How long I “rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive [me]” (Mormon 6:17), thinking myself beneath or beyond His mercy and grace. It was not until my addiction brought me into a Twelve Step process that I saw how I could “humble [myself] before [God]“ (Steps 1-3) and “strip [myself] from jealousies and fears” (Steps 4-10). Taking those steps prepared my heart and mind to be sensitive to spiritual experiences, to personal communication from Him. It can be done! I know because I have lived it. He loves even the most lost of lambs and the sincerely repentant thief (Mark 15:27; Luke 23:41-43). I have received His assurance that there is nothing I have ever “stolen” from anyone, or failed to give anyone, for which He will not compensate. He will restore their loss tenfold as soon as they are ready to look to Him for recompense (recovery).
As I watch people choose other forms of comfort and power instead of choosing to be one with Christ, my heart desires to cry out even as Mormon’s, “O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! [Not in action, but in heart and trust.] O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you?” (Mormon 6:17).
Preparation for discussion of principle four: “WO UNTO THE uNCIRCUMCISED OF HEART” (2 Nephi 9:33)
Step 4: Made a searching and fearless written inventory of our past in order to thoroughly examine ourselves as to our pride and other weaknesses with the intent of recognizing our own carnal state and our need for Christ’s Atonement. (Alma 15:17; Mosiah 4:2; Jacob 4:6-7; Ether 12:27)
Day 1:_ 2 Nephi 9:33-An “uncircumcised heart” is a heart that is still hardened from within with fear, anger, resentment, guilt, and other negative feelings we choose to harbor there. A heart in this condition is unclean and unfeeling, not able to sense and receive the whisperings of the spirit. To “circumcise” our hearts, we must be humble enough to reveal our innermost self. List briefly one memory you have in each of these areas-fear, resentment, and guilt-that has not been totally cleansed from your heart.
Day 2:_ 2 Nephi 9:34–“Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell.” When we read this scripture, we usually think of the final judgment, but I want you to think of it in the context of today. To lie is to be untruthful or, in other words, not filled with the truth. Who is the Spirit of Truth? (D&C 93:8-9) Whose counsel do you lose when you don’t think, speak and act in truth? Who are you most likely to be untruthful with before anyone else? In my life, I am most likely to be untruthful to God and myself. Do you see this in your life? Write about a time when you were untrue to God and/or yourself. Write about how and why we are thrust down to hell even in the same hour that we separate ourselves from the truth.
Day 3:_ Mosiah 4:2-To view ourselves in our own “carnal” (worldly) state is to look honestly at ourselves, particularly at our weaknesses and sins. How does honestly facing our mistakes and weaknesses help us to actually forsake them? How does pretending and denying or minimizing them serve to prolong them?
Day 4:_ Mosiah 4:30-This verse teaches us about the three levels at which we can commit sin, or in other words, separate ourselves from God. What are they? Using these three levels as a guide, write an inventory of your sins from yesterday (those things you did that created distance between you and God).
Day 5:_ Mosiah 23:9-The word “snare” means trap. Write a brief history of one particular weakness that you feel trapped by. List all the attempts you have made over the years to quit doing this destructive thing. Write about how each new failure made you feel.
Day 6:_ Alma 36:12-13-Remembering our sins, under any circumstances, is a painful experience, but this verse and others throughout the scriptures plainly demonstrate that to be caught in our sins is the most exquisite pain of all. Write about whether you think it would be better to face our sins and weaknesses voluntarily, now, while we yet have time to repent.
Day 7:_ 3 Nephi 8:1-“Whit” means a tiny or (seemingly) insignificant amount. Some synonyms for it are “particle,” “atom,” and “speck.” Write about how thorough our repentance needs to be to have miracles (like being healed of our addiction) happen in our life.
The second half of this chapter will be posted next week.
He Did Deliver Me from Bondage can be found at most LDS bookstores or purchased online at www.rosehavenpublishing.com
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