The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Will you stand forever? Or will you go away?
These are questions Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge asked BYU students to ponder during his devotional address on Jan. 22.
As part of an assignment as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Corbridge needed to read through a great deal of material antagonistic to the Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.
“There may not be anything out there (of that nature) I haven’t read,” he said.
Reading this material always left him with a sense of gloom, which inspired him to write a response to these antagonistic claims.
The kingdom of God is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as described in the book of Daniel as standing for ever.
“The question is, will you and I stand?” Elder Corbridge said.
Now is a day where deception is everywhere, and the spectrum of deception is broad. It ranges from attacks on the Restoration, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, to those who claim to believe in the Restoration but are disillusioned with doctrine that conflicts with shifting attitudes of the day.
“Truth enables us to see clearly because it is the knowledge of things as they really are, as they were and as they are to come,” Elder Corbridge said. “Knowledge is crucial to avoid deception and discern between truth and error.”
One cannot be better than what he or she knows. Most people act based on their beliefs. Sometimes, though, their beliefs are wrong.
For instance, someone may believe in God and that pornography is wrong, yet still clicks on a site wrongly believing he or she will be happier, cannot help but click, isn’t hurting anyone else or it’s not that bad. But this person is wrong.
“When you act badly, you may think you are bad when in truth you are usually mistaken,” Elder Corbridge said. “The challenge is not as much closing the gap between our actions and our beliefs. The challenge, rather, is closing the gap between our beliefs and the truth.”
So how does one close that gap?
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
MaryannJanuary 29, 2019
I think it's very clear to all of us that Satan is working overtime to try to discredit the church and it's teachings. Most of us have experienced family members or good friends leaving the church. It is has been personally heartbreaking for me to witness this. I testify that if we are reading the Book of Mormon and praying daily, if we are reaching out in every possible way for the light, and making Jesus Christ our center and foundation, we will not be deceived. When I read the Book of Mormon there is a spirit that comes into my heart that transcends any doubts that come into my mind. I testify that there is great spiritual power and protection in reading and following the teachings in the Book of Mormon. There is nothing wrong with having questions, but too often those questions are a result of focusing on our doubts instead of our faith. The Book of Mormon opens the door for the spirit to enter my heart and fills me with a constant re-commitment to live the gospel. I also know there is great power and spiritual protection in following the counsel of our Prophet and other General Authorities of the church. If you keep the Spirit of the Holy Ghost with you, false doctrines or debates over events in church history cannot weaken your testimony.
ViolaJanuary 25, 2019
Read or listen to the whole talk. It is excellent. I especially appreciated his comment that when we do something wrong, it doesn’t make us bad, just wrong. We still need to repent and do better, but we don’t have to assign ourselves to the failure category.