I am starting a new blog- this is totally different then my Interior Design Blog- it has nothing to do with cupcakes. I am not sure exactly what this blog is going to be like, or even if I will keep it long, I am just going to figure it out as I go.
Today, I am just going to share what I have been thinking about the last two days.
I teach a Book of Mormon study class in my ward (that is my local congregation). I teach the women, once a month, at someone's home. It is generally not a large group- maybe ten people or so.
In October, I've decided to teach on just one verse, Helaman, chapter 5, verse 12.
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
So- anyway, I have been giving a lot of thought to that scripture lately, in preparation for my lesson, and yesterday I had a breakthrough!
My bad day:
cleaned the house
went to lunch with a friend
worked in the afternoon
went to Pilates
dinner with the family
spent the evening with the family- FHE
my favorite TV show that night
bed
So- you ask, why was that such a bad day? It really shouldn't have been. My bad day wasn't about something that happened to me- my bad day was in my thoughts. It was regular stuff- my house (no matter how many hours a day I spend cleaning) is perpetually cluttered, which drives me insane, my kids don't obey well enough, and my thoughts started to lay into my husband and my lack of baseboards and my guest bath. (I won't get into that) Poor me, huh?
OK- so when you put things on paper, they sound ridiculous, but the day before someone hurt my feelings, and so everything was blown out of perspective for me. I was in a horrible mood. No matter how I tried -lunch with my friend was great- but my mood was too bad to shake-- I thought Pilates would help, but it couldn't.
By the end of the day, my mood was horrible, near depressed. I started thinking about my scripture that I had studied that morning:
12. And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Clearly, the devil had LOTS of power over me :) The phrase, "no power over you" made me think of the description of the adversary's lack of power during the milenium.
Nephi, says this:
1 Nephi 22: 26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.
and in Doctrine and Covenants 45:55, Christ says:
In Revelations, John teaches:
20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
I liked a few clues. It sounded like there are two different ways that Satan would have no power. In Revelations and the Doctrine and Covenants, it sounds like Christ will bind him, and take away his power. Nephi, on the other hand says, "becasue of the righteousness of his people", saying that the people's righteousness will bind Satan. I do not doubt that it is both. But perhaps, through righteousness I can learn here and now, to let Satan have less power over over me.
In D&C 45- the phrase "in the hearts" was used.
Some other uses of the word "heart":
Helaman 13:5 And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart
Alma 31: 2 For it was the cause of great sorrow to Alma to know of iniquity among his people; therefore his heart was exceedingly sorrowful
I could go on and on- but in thinking about the word "heart"- in the scriputures it almost never seems to be referring to the blood pumping organ in my chest- that is not where words are put, that is not where I ponder, that is not where I feel sorrow- those things happen in my thoughts.
The Lord put words into Samuel's mind, in his thoughts. Nephi pondered the scritures in his thoughts. Alma felt sorrow in his thoughts.
So- going back to Doctrine and Covenants 45- Satan shall be bound that he shall have no place in my thoughts.
Back to Helaman 5- when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon me, it shall have no power over me- no power to enter into my thoughts, to upset my mind, no power to make me feel sad, or frustrated, or depressed.
OK- so I don't have all the answers yet- but I am now thinking that this scripture is about thought control- what do you think?
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