Mormon Direction

We all know of what God said about faith and what diminishes it. The most common thing is sin, or to be wicked, to abide in Satan’s rule or influence and so forth, but what many people do not realize is there are other things that also diminishes faith, such as the act of remaining in fear or fear based thoughts, choices and actions. Allow me to explain.

Everyone has shortcomings, personal faults that affect their life. God gave us shortcomings so that we may be made humble by them (Ether 12:27), but also by them, through faith and enduring, God can help us make these weaknesses into a strength when these shortcomings or faults are overcome in the right way (2 Nephi 3:13 / 2 Corinthians 12:10 / Hebrews 11:34).

What many do not realize is that by these inward personal faults, a person can easily diminish his or her faith instead of increasing it and this is all by their own doing, in how they use free will and choice and the manner of beliefs they carry and choose to live. This speaks of two sides, the good and the bad.

When a person chooses to overcome their shortcomings or personal faults, this is the good side, but only if they choose the help of the Holy Spirit and that person allows the Spirit to humble them. Then that person’s faith is increased, made deeper and more rooted and he or she gains an inner spiritual strength that withstands negative spiritual influences. This is a process that takes time if a person perseveres, abides in the Spirit, journals, prays, repents, remains obedient, that person will overcome their fault, made stronger and faith surer.

When a person chooses not to overcome their shortcomings or personal faults, ignores the Holy Spirit, whether or not they pray, chooses to forsake humbleness as part of the process, gives in to their faults or justifies them in any way to keep them, ignore them or both, that person’s faith is diminished, and the scriptures say so.

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When researching the word “adultery” in the scriptures a person will normally see that the word is associated with sex outside the union of marriage. Other scriptures that do not specifically refer to adultery against marriage, speak in a more general sense as to the nature of some people, as the reference, “adulterous people”, such as what is found in Jeremiah 9:2 and Mosiah 1:13. In reading these references, one wonders if God speaks of these people as all having sexual affairs. Since that does not show a sensible application of the word “adulterous”, then God must be applying that word to mean something else. So what does he mean?

We know that sexual adultery corrupts marriages and in turn, families. It is the affect of the act carried into a marriage or relationship that causes the corruption. As easily as the children suffer the sins of the parents without having committed the sin themselves, so shall the sin of adultery bear onto the members of the family in the same way.

What then can be the definition of adultery in order to understand its application in life and spirit?

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Usually it is the simplest thing that eludes our perceptions such that, what we think we see or understand is actually not the truth.

Life holds many such experiences, yet people take these experiences and facts of life (in mortality) for granted. Not realizing that these simple things have profound affects on our minds and hearts.

One such event came into my life years ago when I was beginning my membership into the Church. At that time I had no experience with the gospel, but had my own ideas and beliefs about spirituality and life. Of course, these personal ideas and beliefs were born of the world.

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I was going to speak a little on tattoos and what they reflect as to the spiritual state of the world, but recent events now brings me to speak on this topic of “Catering to Beliefs”.

I have seen many people from the Church on the Internet make such an effort to interact with others who are nonmembers. In their efforts, they try to be understanding to “opinions” and make the effort to avoid contention with other contrasting beliefs. These efforts have gone as far as appeasing others who have been contentious or degrading against other Latter-day Saints members.

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