Satan and Temptation

March 19, 2018

Got T mail today! My companion is elder Abadicio from the Philippines. Fuster says he's good so I guess we'll see! Still in Weyburn and we are gonna be moving apartments end of the month so that's good news!
So we started the week off real good! Got a text from our vehicle coordinator shortly after we got done shopping saying our van was finally done! Turns out they wanted their car back that day, so we tossed our plans to go to swift at 6 away and drove back to Weyburn so they could get their car back.... On the way to Weyburn we set plans for us to stay with Moose jaw for the night so we could get to swift earlier in the day, but like the rest of the day that didn't happen! Ha-ha we texted and called the guy when we got to Weyburn but no answer. So we waited at the shop for a bit, nothing. Finally 7:17 we decided to go have dinner and hope he texted back soon. About the time we got dinner done I asked Fuster if he was texting the right number and stuff. Turns out he wasn't.... Ha-ha which made sense because I wrote down the guy’s cell number so we could let him know when we got there but Fuster seemed like he knew what he was doing when he called him so I didn't ask how he got the cell number or anything. Guess I shoulda! Something to laugh at later in life I guess. I was laughin right after we found out the mistake, but Fuster wasn't. Ha-ha
Got some good news! We are moving out of our old place the end of the month, to a place me and Fuster picked out! It's gonna be nice. Got lots of cleaning to do here before that happens though.
Well finally got exchanges done! 8hrs of driving later.
Exchanges were good for me and fowler! We had a good time talking and telling stories. Did some tracting in a very small apartment building that shoulda had only 4 places in it but had almost 10. The halls just about didn't let me and fowler walk through them... They were pretty narrow.
Knocked on one door that had a half inch gap at the top of it and looked like it wasn't even on its hinges ha-ha it was one of the most interesting places iv knocked since Flin Flon, It was fun.
The rest of the week we did the usual tracting and driving around to Estevan seeing people, giving blessings, and moving new people in. Found a few people while in Estevan. A LA lady from Saskatoon that I think is LA because she didn't know there was a church in Estevan. The other lady was someone the elders worked with at the Salvation Army back in the day. Super nice lady, might even come to church after general conference! Both of them.
Many of you know by now that I got to facetime a friend back home and do a lesson. It went good, lots of good things discussed. President Craig thought it a good idea so he gave me permission to do a facetime lesson for a few weeks. Wish I could facetime all of you but unfortunately the mission probably wouldn't allow it...
Talked to a lady Sunday night that we have been trying to meet with the past bit but haven't been able to. It was really good! She has been going through a hard time with her mom dying the other day, and being on the waiting list for surgery on a broken ankle since April last yr., and kids getting bullied and yeah it’s been rough for her. As we told her get Father in heaven knows her and all her trials she's going through and how he can help her she began to cry. The spirit was so strong in her little home. Before we left we said a prayer with her and for her. It was a really good experience for all of us I think. Something we all needed.
So yeah this week was good! Got some pretty good weather this week! Spring is on 'er way!! About time!
Love ya all, talk to you next week! 

 

             Elder Nelson and Fuster

 

 

Satan and Temptation

Helaman 5:12

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.

                               

Satan wants to do everything he can to stop you from becoming great. He will tempt you with anything that he thinks will catch your attention. 

We are all tempted in this life, it is a part of God's plan. It gives up the opportunity to choose for our self what you are going to do here on earth. However Satan is bound to rules and boundaries with what he can do on this earth to tempt us. He cannot take away your agency and make you choose to act of those temptations that is why we have to be careful. He will lead you ever so slowly into his traps that you don’t even notice sometimes. In the book of Mormon it says: And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

As you center your life on Christ and his teachings you will be able to withstand the temptations of the price of this earth (Satan). Read the Book of Mormon every day. It will provide you with the spiritual strength you need. Along with reading, pray always, and attend all your church meeting. These are all seemingly small and simple things I know, but why would the prophet and apostles tell us to do these things so much if they did not have some value to them. It is often the small and simple things we do that are the most important. If we are not doing these things we are commanded to do the door is opened so much more to the adversary, inviting him in to come and sit with us there on the couch and put things into our minds and thoughts that you don't need. Take time to sit down and read the scriptures. If you don't have time to sit down and read, pull up the gospel library app on your phone and listen to the scriptures as you do what you are doing. Make time to pray each day, it is essential that you connect to your heavenly Father ever day letting him know how your day was, and what you need help with. As you do this I know your relationship with your heavenly father will grow stronger, and that door that was open to Satan will continue to have a smaller and smaller gap to invite him in. 

When you find yourself being tempted take a step back and look at your situation and what is causing you to be tempted. It could be that you are doing nothing. Remember the idol mind is the devil playground. It might be the people you are with. Are they doing things that are below the standards you hold? If they are leave the situation. There are times when you might be doing everything right and you still are tempted. That is because Satan works the hardest on those who are on the right path. There's a story I hear every once in a while and it goes something like this. There was a man watching people walking the streets and he could see demons at many of their backs following. One man he saw only had one demon following him. This man said to his friend "that man must be very righteous to have only one." Another man shortly after walked by with several demons following him. The man turned to his friend again and said "that man must be horribly wicked to have so many with him." the friend then turned to him and said” would a wicked man need so many demons to follow him and tempt him. Or would the more righteous?"

This is a very rough draft of how the story goes but you get the point. The story shows that if the devil has cough you in his grasp he doesn't need five demons following you, you only need 1 or 2. The one trying to be the best he can will have often many trying to drag him down because it is much harder to get someone who is making the right choices in life fall.

If you have acted on the temptations that come in life know there is a way out. It is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we can become clean again. Use that atonement, it is there for all of us. We all fall at one point in life and need help getting back up. 

Your heavenly father loves you and wants you to return to live with him again after this life. It will be hard, and it will take time to overcome certain things, but it is nothing we can't handle. 

In a dream of Joseph f Smith the prophet Joseph Smith said to him "Joseph your late." to which he replied” Yes, but I am clean." 

Strive to always be clean and the lord with bless you in your efforts. He will welcome you with open arms as you say to him "yes I am late, but I am clean." 

Again, I know your heavenly father loves you and will help you through any challenges that come into your life no matter how big or small they seem. 

 

*If you want to hear the dream of Joseph f Smith listen to president Hinckley’s talk be ye clean.