A Shield Against Evil
Hey Everybody!
This week has been extra spiritual! We had multiple opportunities this week to have some really great experiences, each one building off the former.
Let me rewind a little. Last Monday we went up a nearby mountain and hiked up to an incredible waterfall. The view from the outlook of the trail was a little further away than we expected, but fantastic none the less. We took our suits with us so we could get some great pictures, and that also lead to some great conversations with other hikers on the way up! haha.
On Thursday, we had the opportunity to join the other missionaries of our zone and the neighboring zone for a Zone conference. The entire conference was extremely enlightening, but the focus throughout was pretty clear. Our Mission President aimed the whole thing toward helping us fortify ourselves against any all temptations the Devil sends our way. He said that he wants us to become experts at this because once we master this, we can help others to do the same!
Then on Saturday we had a mission-wide conference call in which our Mission President talked even more about how we can fortify ourselves against Evils influences, and it was really great! He then sent out some talks that he wanted all of us to read on this topic. One of those talks mirrors the title of this email because it was my favorite one. “A Shield Against Evil” by Clyde J. Williams is an incredible talk that I would encourage all of you to read. He warns us against the main tools the devils uses to lead us away, namely Anger & Contention, Ignorance of Sin, and Rationalization amid the numberless ways he attacks us. You might notice that he does not have to make us do some great crime, simply make us lose track of priorities or put other things above our connection with God. If he does this, he is winning. Luckily, there are also plenty of ways that we can shield ourselves against this sort of trickery. First, remember that we are free to choose. No one can make us do anything, we always have a choice so be careful which side you are choosing. Second, we must hold to the rod or the word of God. We need to study out the teachings held within the scriptures and actually apply them to our lives. And Third, we must always be on the look out for Satan and his armies as they strive to draw nearer to us, and Pray always to have the strength to overcome their influence if they should enter our lives or get in our way. He mentions a few other ways as well, those are just the ones that really stuck out to me. Sorry this paragraph got so long, haha.
On Sunday as a whole mission fasted that the temptations of the Devil would not have any influence on our missionaries or the people we are teaching and that was probably the most powerfully I’ve felt the spirit in a while. God is real and wants us to succeed! So be quick to fortify yourselves and be ready to act on the voice of the Spirit when it comes to you.
Sorry this email got so long, this has just been the focus of pretty much my whole week and I thought I would share with y’all the things I learned!
I love you all and hope that you have an incredible week!
Until next week,
