How Satan Works...

[Guest Member_Deleted]

When someone comes to me and states: I know the church isn't true because of its history.... I wonder why they can't see past it...

It is this wondering which has brought me to this understanding:

Take the concept help.. when put into differing circumstances... it can be good or it can be bad...

In its virgin and unplanted thought... it is always good.

But put the wrong kind of help in any circumstance and you have destruction... not help but the opposite of help... example... the small chick trying valiantly to get out of his shell... someone comes along with the concept of help being making someone's burden lighter... for instance.... and they take that little bird out of its shell...

Help, making someone's burden lighter... has now turned into destroying it...

We can see the same thing happen in our parenting experiences... they call

it tough love... when you make one of your children tow a line that you could

easily tow for them... but they would not benefit from your 'help' or lightening

their burden when put in this context...

We saw this confusion in the discussion on why God lets bad things happen to goo people.....

Now take this a step further... the concept of 'good' not always being good...

and you can see how Satan works his twisting convincing ways among the

children of men...

He will reach us by saying something that sounds 'good'... lets take the word

knowledge... for instance..

Knowledge is a good thing right ? But is it always a good thing? Could some

knowledge be destructive? Yes... when it is put into the wrong context... being seen as one thing... like the help of the chick, but should actually be put into another context...of understanding... that doing the work for the chick wasn't considered help, help would have come in leaving the chick alone.

If we think all knowledge makes us better and brings us closer to God who knows all... then we are badly mistaken.

Sometimes... like with the little chick, we have to adjust the UNDERSTANDING of

that knowledge.. to make it still bring us to God...

There is a scripture which says... Wisdom is the principle thing...get wisdom... but

with all your getting... get understanding...

So what the principle element missing in many concepts like 'help' or 'knowledge'

when Satan has his hand in it... is this understanding. He will throw out a 'knowledge' card when he uses the history of the church to make it seem 'wicked' church and leaders.... and He will put it out as if it is the only way

this knowledge can be looked at... and he will especially make sure that it is conceived as 'knowledge is a good thing'...

But then when examined more closely... one can discover that the 'knowledge' is limited and biased... it lacks several elements necessary to be what is referred to in the scriptures... as pure knowledge. In order for this knowledge to be pure knowledge... it has to have several more vitalizing conditions surrounding it...

As Satan only works for 'death and destruction' we have to see that when he puts something out and labels it generically 'good', 'knowledge', 'help'... that it isn't the pure knowledge that gives everlasting, abounding, enlarging of the soul... kind of knowledge... it actually does the opposite...

Now what are those vitalizing conditions? The Lord has explained this in many scriptures... one being used when describing the difference between the 'letter of the law' and the 'spirit of the law'.... one brings death... one brings life and freedom...

It is interesting that when the scriptures describe Satan and his works... it is often accompanied with the turns of enslavement, chains, being brought down....and death and destruction...

This is why we have to have the SPIRIT...

Now to move to the next level...

Satan leads one to believe that if there were things written down which didn't appear to be completely or even partially correct in the concept of 'right'..... which also can be a 'relative' concept..... then one would have just cause.... (just also being relative...as is 'cause'...) to deny the validity of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS.

So many are lost because they stumbled on concepts which at first glance sounded 'right' or 'wrong'... but in actuality weren't 'right' or 'wrong' in their correct understanding and context. What they are getting is half truths or NOT TRUTH... the opposite of truth... because it is incomplete lacking understanding...

One illustration is God commanding Nephi to kill Laban.... OH NO>>>>> bad bad bad... cause killing is bad.....

NOT in this instance....with the proper understanding...and that given through the SPIRIT of the LAW...

I know I haven't developed this concept as far as my understanding could... but I think I have started with the fundamental insights which will give anyone who would like to... a chance to understand some of the arguments given by anti mormons... they constantly use... plantitudes based upon stagnant virgin concepts... throwing out words they know are primarily understood on only one level among religious people... and then they proceed to build their entire case against the church based upon these sterile and dead foundations.

The living Spirit is required to correctly understand any and all conceptual words like 'help .'good' ...bad'..'knowledge'..

So... bring UNDERSTANDING through the SPIRIT... to any and all of the words and concepts people throw up to you... see past their initial claims.... look beyond what they want you to see... and go all the way to the 'pure knowledge' which enlarges the soul and brings you to God.

IOW Look to God and live...

[Traveler]

Satan’s work and glory is to bring about the immorality and infernal life of man :)

The Traveler

[Guest Member_Deleted]

Originally posted by Traveler@Nov 18 2005, 04:14 PM

Satan’s work and glory is to bring about the immorality and infernal life of man :)

The Traveler

←

LOL... I have never heard that one before... it fits.. :)

[Setheus]

They way Satan works and is so succesful is that he ever so sweetly distracts your attention from the straight and narrow way. Just a whisper. A complement perhaps. Anything to get you to take a slight notice. Then he gives you a little more of the same. Maybe a gentel nudge. Now you're moving perpindicular to the iron rod but just over a few inches...now he starts to gradually v-off the two paths little by little, moving you away from the straight and narrow path at what ever degree is comfortable to you....for some he can only split gradually at say a .04 degree angle....for others he can be more drastic and lead you at a 45 degree angle. And for a few weak or rebelious spirits he even talks you into just turning around and going the other direction. All the while being your best and sweetest and mose pleasurable friend....until he's got you and then he becomes your master. He has you think that now there is NO other way except for his and you have no choice except to keep going the way you've chosen. After a while you forget you're even lost and it just becomes the way it is.

[StrawberryFields]

What you said is SO TRUE Setheus.