They Depended Upon Their Own Strength.

I have always been amazed at how the Holy Ghost utilizes simple phrases, and sometimes only an ordinary word, to enlighten my understanding about a certain scripture.  His ability to guide me in such an unelaborated manner, yet with such penetrating depth, has intensified my testimony of Him, and has solidified my convictions regarding His wondrous role.

I am becoming more cognizant of the way He teaches me, and can discern the distinctive beat of my heart when I come across something during my scripture study that has a deeper meaning for me.  It has taken me some time to recognize what I am to do when I feel His voice, for I feel Him much more frequently than I hear Him.  I have learned to straightaway stop, provide all my attentions, and allow Him to teach me.  It doesn’t matter if it is a word, or a page, each time I permit Him to be my instructor, my comprehension seems to blaze with heightened illumination, which can only come from a divine source of light. 

I encountered such an opportunity the other day, and the experience has not left my memory.  It was especially tender, and although plain, proved to be quite profound to me, as I sought to liken it to current day circumstances, both personally, as well as extensively.  I discovered this teaching in the tenth chapter of Mosiah, specifically verses eleven through seventeen. 

This chapter describes Zeniff and his people.  Zeniff was the Nephite leader, who originally acting as a spy, found the land of his fathers, Lehi and Nephi, and desired to live within it.  With a group of others who had identical yearnings, he traveled to this land, and was given access to portions of it by the devious Lamanite king.  Ultimately, the king’s true objectives were revealed, and Zeniff and his people were in bondage to the Lamanites.  This chapter discusses one battle that took place between Zeniff, his people, and the Lamanites. 

I have read this chapter before, and originally my markings, which in my study suggest that I had found a unique teaching in a prior session, were sparse.  However, as I came upon verse eleven, I felt that distinct beat signaling the opportunity to dig deeper.  This specific portion of the verse was kept in my memory throughout the rest of the study, and has been a recurring phrase that as echoed in my mind:

Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they depended upon their own strength. Mosiah 10:11

The chapter goes on to explain that the Lamanites knew nothing of the Lord because they were taught by, and believed in, the tradition of their fathers.

It details throughout the following verses all of the corrupt ideas that the Lamanites had regarding the Nephites, which stem directly to the dishonest accounts of Laman and Lemuel regarding Nephi. 

Can you believe that!  Nearly four hundred years later, two men, which seems to be an unbelievably insignificant number compared to the, no doubt, thousands of descendants which have emerged since their time, had the ability to affect, alter, and modify the attitudes and beliefs of an entire people.  That is truly incredible to me.

This example is an extremely accurate illustration of the power of our decisions, choices, and especially, of our testimony, but also as equally forceful, the power of our sins.  If understood and accepted, it can motivate and empower us to choose the right, and to ensure that we are living a life that emulates goodness and encourages others, especially our future generations, towards Christ.

My Sins Are “Mine”

I am intrigued by one of Satan’s tactics, which I like to refer to as the “mine” strategy.  I am fascinated about it because it mimics a childlike behavior, which as adults we normally seek to train the child out of.  However, what seems to happen in the world today, is that we return to this “mine” mentality.

Now, I am an unlearned woman, one who holds little advanced education.  I am sure there is a study on this concept which seeks to explain this happening.  However, regardless of the temporal explanations, it is still one of Satan’s snares. 

We see this tactic used frequently to justify, or rationalize, the reasons why we make the decisions we do.  Here is a common example I seem to hear ever constantly: It is my body.  It doesn’t matter what I do to it, what I place in it, or how I treat it.  It is mine. 

It is a very common expression, but could be no further from the truth.  Our bodies are not ours.  They were created and presented to us by a loving Father in Heaven.  He provided them as a blessed gift, one which we hungered after, upon entering this mortal sphere.  Although He has counseled us how to care for it, He does not force us to do anything, and that includes not compelling us to protect the gift of our bodies.  This agency does not denote that this creation is our own.  It is still His.  It will forever be His.  The way we decide what goes on it, what we determine goes in it, is simply our opportunity to show gratitude to a merciful Creator.

Utilizing this concept, in conjunction with the scripture,  I have pondered continuously on how Satan utilizes this technique relating to our sins.  I do believe that there are some sins that we make ignorantly, however, I feel, from my own experience, that most of the time we have a firm understanding when we engage in something we should not do.  In fact, most of the serious sins are banned, or restricted, even within our mortal setting.  Enticements to these sins are led by Satan, but perhaps, the part we overlook most frequently is the constant whisperings which encourage the “mine” attitude: Don’t worry, these are your sins.  The effects will only come upon yourself. You are free to make your own choices, and no one should be worried about what you decide to do or not to do. 

Do you see what Satan is doing here?  He is finding every way possible to attack the portion of this mortal life that he detested the most: agency.  Can you recall how terribly against agency he was in the premortal sphere?  He absolutely opposed it, and was so passionate about canceling the idea, that he impudently brought forth a plan that was contrary to the Father’s.  Do not be deceived, he still hates agency.  That is why our agency is depleted and destroyed when we follow after him through sinning.  He continually utilizes any and every opportunity to defile it.  It is, and always has been, apart of his main objectives.  Here he is displaying the eat, drink, and be merry philosophy.  Use your agency, he declares, your choices will only affect you.  He is desecrating a divine gift from the Father. 

Satan first works to have us commit sin.  Next, he seeks to persuade us to excuse that sin in whatever way we can find.  He strives to keep us from repentance, for the Atonement allows us to recognize the seriousness of our errors and motivates us to avoid it in the future.

In opposite fashion, Satan wants us to accept the sin, and apply it as a customary habit.  Once the sin is adjusted to life, our vision will be distorted in two ways.  One: we no longer see the severity of the sin and begin to defend it, or two: we recognize that the sin carries consequences, but what we “get” from the sin is worth the repercussion.  We adopt the “mine” perspective, feeling that our sins are our own, and that others should have no part, for we will be the only one who will experience the effects of our choices. 

Make no mistake, this is where he is deceiving you the greatest.  For our actions, and the consequences for those decisions, are never delivered to ourselves alone.  We are naïve to believe that any decision we make will only have to ability to benefit or hinder ourselves.  Choices, especially those in regards to sin, always involve a set of consequences for others. 

If you view the plan of our Father, it is made to be as such, although He desires that our choices are always for the betterment of those around us.  Our purpose on this mortal sphere is individual, however, it is also deeply-rooted with the emotional and spiritual connections to a multitude of God’s children.  These attachments are found in every aspect of life, within every sort of relationship we acquire.  We need each other, and are dependent upon each other for everything, even, and especially, for our salvation.  This patterns much of our life on earth.  We necessitate others, and they require us. 

The Effects of Sin

Sinful, unrighteous, unvirtuous decisions and actions deliver consequences.  These ill effects are not only administered to ourselves, but instead, are trickled down into the lives of others that surround us.  I do not believe that there is any sin which has the ability to only inflict sorrow upon ourselves alone.  Sins always have repercussions for others, and I would be bold enough to declare, that in a majority of cases it is the innocent that become wounded. 

From personalized experience I can only describe the anguish that accompanies these consequences as suffocating.  It can make life seem unendurable to manage the oppressive weight that partners another’s bad decision.  Truly, it has the ability to completely obliterate a heart.  It has the capability of disorganizing and demolishing another’s life as they know it.  If it occurs in a child’s beginning years, it may have the potential to alter their entire existence.  I know I am not alone when I recount these specific effects, for I would say that each one of us, at some time, has encountered this type of heartache. 

Additionally, from personalized experience, I can describe the regret and despair that occurs on the other end, watching another suffer because of a wrong decision that I have made.  It is a deep form of agony to observe someone you hold dear suffer because you have engaged in a sin that has broken their heart.  No matter how you seek to rectify it, the deed is done. 

When you view both sides, it is made evident that sin, and its disastrous consequences, are nothing to trifle with.  Satan makes them look intriguing, and may even convince us that the ramifications are worth the sin, but in the end we are left alone, gasping for breath, for he never stands by his followers.  He has been an abandoner from the beginning. 

I learned from a wise mentor that one should never talk about sin, without also discussing the healing power of the Atonement.  I have never forgotten that counsel, nor have I misplaced the way it saved a sinner such as I.  It is essential that we recognize that when we have sinned, or when another’s sin has caused a burden to fall upon us, we are not left to withstand the sorrow alone.  Our Savior can mend all things.  And not only mend, but can completely restore.  He is the only one who can rebuild what we have destroyed.  He is the only one who can heal even the deepest torture.  We have faith in Him and know that because of His Atonement we can be rescued, whether we are the offended or the offender. 

However, it must also be acknowledged that the Atonement cannot relieve us from all earthly consequences.  There are effects that come from our sins that may completely transform parts of our lives.  We may lose relationships, we may battle with an inescapable addiction, or we may have destroyed something, or someone, that can never be replaced in mortality.  Our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ have entrusted us with agency, and they have the ability to heal our wounds, but they cannot reverse outcomes, because it may impede on another’s agency.  The best way to avoid these regretful occurrences is to avoid sin with all seriousness, and utilize the Atonement daily, because we are all currently imperfect.    

Perhaps, the greatest effect of sin is clarified through the scripture found in Mosiah.  Laman and Lemuel’s evil and wicked decisions created an entire group of people whose main objective was to destroy the Nephites.  They did not seek to kill them because they had been personally offended, but instead held firm to the traditions of their fathers, which was based on a corrupted version of the truth. 

The consequence that Laman and Lemuel received for their actions was a separation from God.  The consequence their posterity received was distance from God for they knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord.  They knew nothing because they had been taught nothing.  And the next seven words explain in detail how severe the consequence was upon them: Therefore, they depended upon their own strength.

That sentence makes me shudder.  Can you imagine not having the strength of the Lord with you, and all that you had to buoy you up during good or bad, thick or thin, was your own strength? 

I can perfectly visualize such an existence, for I remember a time in my life, not too long ago, when I, too, had distanced myself from God and all I depended on was myself.  It was horrific.  Life was overwhelming in every aspect.  I had a great outward display of confidence, but inside all that filled me was panic.  Sheer panic.    The meaning of life was chaotic and jumbled and peace was a feeling that I rarely ever encountered.  Relying on your own strength in place of God’s is like trying to row a steamboat with a paddleboat oar.  You don’t go far. 

This recorded result illustrates how deeply our unrighteous decisions can affect our posterity.  When we fail to follow the Lord, His ways become strange to us.  Seeking to provide explanation for His puzzling methods, we may create artificial beliefs or ideologies which begin to be carried down throughout our generations.  Our fabricated ideas, become our posterity’s reality. 

Our choices do, and will, have an effect on our posterity.  Never allow Satan to persuade you otherwise.  This scripture is proof of how extensive our consequences can run.

Lastly, by recognizing that our decisions affect our future generations, I am absolutely not declaring that our choices limit our posterity’s agency.  Never.  Indeed, we all have our own agency to decide what is right and wrong.  Just because we come from a line of people who have made unrighteous decisions, does not denote that we, too, will follow after.  There are examples in the scriptures, and in everyday life, of individuals who utilize their agency for good, even when surrounded by evil or falsified ways. 

Similarly, there are many examples of unrighteous seed who have sprung from righteous progenitors.  This scripture story houses a perfect example, for the righteous King Zeniff fathered King Noah who was a wicked and vile leader that corrupted the Nephite people. 

We all have the gift of agency and it is not restricted nor controlled by another’s decisions.  However, our choices do have the ability to produce undesired effects that can add difficulty, and heartache, to another’s existence.    

The Affects of Righteousness

Additionally, and identically, when we make righteous, virtuous, steadfast decisions we benefit others, especially, but not limited to, our own posterity.  Although we may not see the results of our righteousness, goodness and virtue always have a tumbling effect. 

Zeniff and his people, which are on the opposite side of this story, are a great example.  Zeniff made poor decisions in acquiring the land of Lehi-Nephi because of his overzealousness to exist there.  His consequences were the bondage that the Lamanites placed not only on himself, but on all of his people.  However, the Nephites had been taught of the Lord.  They knew His ways, they understood what they must do to be released from their bondage, and they knew of, and trusted in, His strength. 

Their knowledge and ability to have access to the Atonement and to the strength of the Lord came from the righteous decisions of Nephi, and was continued forward by their own virtuous actions.  Nephi’s good choices, as well as the continued obedience of the Nephites, enabled his posterity four hundred years later, to be forgiven of their sins and to have power over their oppressors. 

We may never know what the affect of our righteous decisions will be.  Although we may not witness anything during mortality, it does not suggest that we have not created an influence.  The tumbling affect of our righteousness will occur, whether we inhabit this mortal sphere, or are in the heavens.  We must never be disheartened.

Knowing that righteousness will undoubtedly add influence, we must be careful with how we define failure.  Perhaps, we feel we have failed because of the current status of our present posterity.  There may be some who have made decisions that have taken them away from the Lord.  However, as we continue on a path of righteousness we are setting an example that they may look towards when they seek to come back to His arms. 

The Lord’s timing is unmatched and is perfected.  Our success cannot be determined based on our own timetables.  Never lose hope.  Not in yourself, nor in the Lord.  Continue forward with fervent dedication to what you know is true. 

I have a very strong testimony of the truthfulness of this, for I was once the one who had made decisions that had taken myself away from the Lord.  However, I was blessed to utilize the stalwart example of my Grandmother, who never waivers in righteousness, nor in her love for me.  When I finally decided to embark on the pathway home again, her faithful example helped me to understand what I must do to gain access to the Spirit of the Lord.  My journey was individual, but was continuously inspired by her goodness, by her virtue. 

Additionally, we must not feel overwhelmed by understanding that what we do has an influence on others.  We know our flaws so well, that we may worry that our imperfection may cause unintended consequences to fall on those we love, or onto those that follow after us. 

This should not burden us.  Following the Lord’s ways will never add weight. As we seek to walk with the Lord, all things will be made right.  We do not have to be perfect to have a righteous affect.  In fact, the moments where we are not perfect, but humbly utilized the Atonement, may be the spark that teaches another who is struggling and desperately wants to find their way home again.  The gospel is not for a perfected people, it is a sanctuary and refiner for the currently incomplete. 

Depend Upon the Strength of the Lord

Our decisions and choices are truly not our own.  What we decide to do upon this earth has a lasting affect, whether for good or bad.  The lie that Satan seeks to convince you, the one that labels sins and their consequences as “mine”, is a deception.  It is one that is abusing and defiling your divine gift of agency.  Do not allow him to manipulate you in such a manner.

We have been taught of the Lord.  We know of Him, of His ways, and of His strength.  Because of this we have been blessed with the ability to overpower the temptations of the destroyer.  When we call upon the Lord, He will add His strength unto us and we will be victorious, every single time.  Because we have been blessed with access to such divine light and knowledge, our responsibility is to emulate what we know to be true.  As we do so, others around us will be motivated and encouraged towards good.  

We cannot lose the understanding that we need each other.  We are sent to this earth in family units, and are continuously surrounded by others, that we may all come together in our journey back home.  We have the ability to righteously affect everyone we come into contact with. 

Most importantly, we have been given a divine and serious responsibility to teach and prepare our posterity to walk in the ways of the Lord.  It is true that this is accomplished by our words, but it is our behaviors and decisions that are most significant.  Words, no matter how eloquently delivered, are only muffled phrases released by a overtaxed tongue, if our actions are not parallel.   

Our righteous decisions will have the ability to influence, steady, stimulate, and enliven our future generations.  Our agency has been provided, and it is a divine gift from a trusting Father in Heaven.  One who has confidence that our life, and the choices we decide to make, will allow our posterity to have knowledge of Him, and above all, that they will know how to depend upon the strength of the Lord. 

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Walk With Me.

I appreciate Enoch and the scriptures that surround and describe the experiences he encountered during his time on this mortal sphere.  Two accounts within his story are specifically tender to my heart, for they have offered me a great deal of illumination regarding confused portions of life.  One has brought enlightenment regarding my Heavenly Father, and the other created an awareness about myself.  Because I believe that obtaining a deeper understanding of who and what we are is essential in more fully comprehending who and what our Father is, I will start with the latter.

When I think of Enoch the first word that blazes across my mind is humility.  As I seek to labor towards acquiring such a characteristic and employing it in each moment of life, I frequently ponder on him and review the example he has set.  In fact, I believe that Enoch encompasses all of the qualities which King Benjamin declared were necessary in order to abandon the natural man and accept the calling of a saint.  Submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love… Indeed, Enoch seems to have secured each of these attributes.  It is no wonder that as a prophet, he led his people in the most complete form of righteousness.  So full was their faith and obedience that they were called Zion, a term we utilize today to describe purity of heart or place, and were lifted up and received unto God as His own.  Truly, this exceptional prophet left behind more than a legacy, he provided a perfected template of virtue.

My most favored feature of Enoch is that his humility existed far before his calling as a mouthpiece for the Lord, which can be the first indicator of why he was chosen.  Although we do not have comprehensive details of Enoch’s life prior to being called as a prophet, we can assume, because of his character, that he was a saintly man all of his existence.   He lived in a time of wickedness and depravity, so much so that the Lord describes His reaction to their corruption as fierce anger.  However, existing amongst an intense society that celebrated in divine defiance, Enoch remained secure and unwavering to the iron rod.  Perhaps, our current experience of living in the middle of an ever-eroding culture can help us relate to the difficulty Enoch faced in staying righteous while being surrounded by wickedness.  Not only is it enervating, but it can present a form of loneliness that has the ability to engulf a soul.

Additionally, we learn that he was considered an outsider and rejected from the people because he had a temporal weakness, which he describes as being slow of speech.  In fact, he expresses that the people hated him for this mild imperfection.  When I read his words, I envision a man who perhaps defined himself as insignificant, and one who may have struggled with confidence.  However, he was a man who feared God and sought to walk uprightly, sustaining intense obedience to the commandments, regardless of what others chose to do around him.

One day, the Lord called upon Enoch to accept the role of a prophet and to call upon the vile people to repent.  Enoch’s reverence towards God is demonstrated as he immediately bows himself before his Maker.  However, he had not forgotten his weaknesses, and feeling inadequate for such a blessed responsibility he replies:

Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant? Moses 6:31 

His response is really remarkable to me, specifically the first eleven words.  In order to be worthy of such a calling, Enoch had to have demonstrated immense faith, and confirmed to the Father that his righteousness was continuous and immovable.  Yet, he never allowed his obedience to stand as a marker of superiority.  Never did it puff him up with pride.  Instead, he enabled it to keep himself humble and meek, recognizing his dependencies as a mortal man, which required him to rely upon God in all things.  Interestingly, this modest perspective is what assisted in qualifying him for such a unique role in the Lord’s work. 

Listen to the tender response of the Lord:

Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee.  Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good…Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.  Moses 6:32, 34

As the scripture account continues onward, all that the Lord promises is fulfilled.  Enoch is a powerful leader, and indeed, he moves mountains, and turns rivers. 

And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God…He spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.  Moses 7:13

When you view this story from start to end, recognizing that a humble, submissive man, one who held a weakness which caused him to be rejected by his community, was turned into a powerful leader of God, one whose faith moved mountains and whose virtue created a people who were so righteous that the world was unworthy of them so it was taken up by God Himself, it may send the heart into a palpitating fit.  At least that is the effect it has on my heart.  It is incredible.  Truly incredible.  And more than just that, it is real, true, and confirmed by the consistency in which the Lord has demonstrated over and over in those He chooses to be His servants.  This experience is not a one time happening, but is an illustration of God’s power, and of man and woman’s opportunities if they allow Him to stand as their strength.

What do these scripture teach us about ourselves?  They demonstrate the majesty of our potential and the immeasurable capabilities we hold within.   This is because we are composed of divine nature.  Most importantly, it explains that these potentials and capabilities are revealed and magnified when partnered with our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We must have faith in Them, as well as in Their abilities, in order to reach our full capacity.  Additionally, it instructs us of the necessity of weaknesses in this mortal experience.  It teaches us of the importance in recognizing them, adds clarity for enduring them, and above all, it provides enlightenment regarding how to overcome them. 

Recognizing Our Weaknesses: The Gift of Humility

When we envision leaders, do we see them as perfect beings?  We might because of the depth of love and respect we carry for them.  However, their power and greatness is derived from God.  They are made able because they are meek and humble and because they allow God to navigate them.  Now this is said with utmost respect and does not suggest that the significance of our blessed leaders be devalued.  They deserve reverence because they are great.  However, they are not necessarily grand because they have been endowed with exceptional mortal abilities.  Instead, they possess a fierce version of faith, and retain a deep form of commitment to the Lord, which is shown through careful and consistent obedience.  This has enabled the Lord to fill their mouths and they are enlightened and directed by the Holy Ghost.  Their innate capabilities are enhanced and intensified because they have secured themselves to Christ.  This is what sets them apart, and it is important to note that it is not withheld to any, but is up to us to acquire. 

Likewise, Enoch was not a perfect man.  He did not possess every extraordinary skill set and ability, yet he became a powerfully influential prophet.  He did not meet all the qualifications which the world deemed essential in being a leader.  Outside of leadership, because he lacked worldly ideals, he was repudiated and was labeled as one not even worthy of attention.  Indeed, Enoch was not mighty relating to the ways and to the vision of the world, but he was not overlooked, minimized, nor neglected by the Lord.  For the Father knows the heart, recognizes devotion, and views weaknesses as opportunities.  God has always utilized those who seem to have limited abilities or potentialities in definition to the world. 

What Enoch did carry was the gift of humility.  Something that is commonly disregarded by telestial standards as something great.  This attribute enabled him to be selected and to become an instrument in the Lord’s hands.  I assume from the words Enoch spoke to the Lord, that he was very well-versed in his weaknesses.  He was completely shocked to find the Lord calling on him, for he had a strong awareness of his imperfections.  What he might not have understood in that moment, is that his ability to recognize his weaknesses could have been a component in being selected as a chosen vessel unto the Lord.

Recognizing and accepting our weaknesses is imperative because it is required in order to experience spiritual growth.  We must know of our areas in need of improvement that we may be made humble.  Humility is what allows the Lord to mold us into who we are destined to become.  Without it we are hesitant to the workings of our Maker, for, perhaps, we feel we know better than His omniscient hand. 

Additionally, the failure to recognize where we are weak subjects us to pride.  We lose the realization that without God in every detail of our lives, we are nothing.  We simply cannot misplace this understanding.  We are nothing without God.  Everything we have, everything we are, all that we possess, all that we secure, and all which we achieve comes by way of Him.  It is true that our labors assist us in acquiring, but those efforts are traced with the power of a loving Heavenly Father who provides what we need in order to obtain.  Keeping an awareness of our weaknesses allows us to keep a constant retention of the complete necessity of our Savior and Father in our lives. 

Satan poses such a different perspective, and he has from the beginning of time.  He celebrates and broadcasts pride as a basic requisite in attaining greatness.  He was so full pride that he thought to alter and modify the plan of salvation created by our perfected Father.  He must have failed to see his own limitations, and because of this, believed that he knew better than the One who stood celestially flawless.  His inability to recognize his weaknesses, and to notice that he, like all of the Father’s children, was in desperate need of counsel and direction, resulted in the greatest penalization thus experienced: complete and total separation from all things celestial, terrestrial, and eventually, even telestial.  His existence will be had from the agonizing corners of outer darkness.  This is why pride is so dangerous.  It’s pathways are steep and treacherous and lead to remarkably devastating consequences. 

Satan entices us with pride, tempting us to view our achievements and our possessions as a product of our own exertions.  He persuades us that weaknesses are mortifying, and that we cannot be accepted if they are displayed.  Because of this we may seek to hide or overcompensate for our imperfections.  We may publicize an artificial display of confidence, which normally is exhibited through uncharitable means.  When this type of perspective becomes our reality we become more powerless than ever before, simply because we have lost the attachment with God.  Pride will always drowned the Spirit, and it is unable to grasp breath in our lives until it is utterly demolished.  That is why prophets have warned us to avoid pride like we would the vilest plague, for it will infest our lives in the same destructive manner. 

More than just acknowledging our weaknesses, we should seek after them. 

We must ASK the Lord to show unto us where we stand weak.  This may be a foreign idea.  I know it was for me.  Asking the Lord to show me my weaknesses?  Wouldn’t this make me terribly miserable?  The answer is that it should not, but it does depend upon our attitude.  If we view weaknesses as a sign of perpetual deficiency instead of a momentary inability, it can result in gloom.  However, sorrow is never a result of the Father or Savior, so if we recognize depression as our outcome, we are most certainly better connected with Satan than with the Father.  When we change our perspective, understanding that weaknesses are opportunities of refinement, and the best, that purification is achieved by working hand in hand with the Father and with Christ, we find joy, for what more thrilling opportunity could be had? 

Inquire of the Lord to show your weaknesses unto you, and be humble in accepting them.  And then secure your faith and, most of all, prepare your heart.  For you will witness the most miraculous transformation.  Your once weak areas will shine as magnificent strengths.  You will be awarded the grand opportunity of observing the greatness and power of God in your own life. 

He will refine us, He will provide for us, He will fortify us to ensure that we are worthy of the celestial rewards which await.  We are not perfect, and we should not expect perfection, nor should we seek after it.  Perfection will not attend us until we are far beyond this side of the veil.  By humbly accepting our weaknesses we give access to the Omnipotent hand to fortify and transform.   

Enduring Our Weaknesses: Sustaining with Anchored Faith

Another quality that Enoch demonstrated, which is extremely admirable, is enduring righteously aside the awareness of his weaknesses.  I can only imagine how devitalizing his speech impediment was.  Clearly, one result was the way it stole public confidence from him.  This was made evident when he explained to the Lord that he worried the people would simply disregard him if he tried to speak the Lord’s words.  Although, this mortal imperfection had reduced his assurance, he never allowed it to pull him away from the iron rod.  He stayed firm.  He did not seek for societal applause, but for approval of the Father.  His goodness and obedience despite living in a society that corrupted the Lord’s words and ways, as well as one which completely rejected him, allowed Enoch to be worthy of being an instrument in the Lord’s hands.  It was his anchored faith, despite oppression, which allowed him to be trusted. 

If Satan is unable to capture us by way of pride, he does not become too troubled, for he has other stratagem.  Instead of enticing us to hide away our weaknesses, he may encourage us to view them through a magnifying glass.  Perhaps, he targets our confidence and exaggerates our imperfections.  We quickly lose self-respect, and desperately yearn to be noticed by our peers.  We forget the need to be in the world but not of it.  Our weaknesses become the force that pull us away from the straight and narrow path, because we crave to be accepted, to be recognized, to be….included.  

Exclusivity is a very popular strategy which Satan has deployed from the earliest of times.  Simply stated-no one likes to be excluded.  May I suggest that this is because it is unfamiliar to us.  We were each sent from a sphere that was all-inclusive, hence, our hearts long for it.  Satan is aware of this and utilizes schemes of including some and excluding others as a theme for life.  We see this tactic used in continuous ways in our world today, from game shows and fashion acceptances, to cliques and societal outlines of what is “in” and what is “out”.  This strategy is convincing because we want to be embraced, we want to be noticed, we want to be loved. 

Our weaknesses, the very things which enable us to receive the transforming power of God, must not be the things which impede us from experiencing life at His side.  Like Enoch we must stay firm.  We must allow our weaknesses to be anchors within our faith, not opponents to it.  We must disregard the opinions, labels, and treatment which the world places upon us because of our imperfections.  This can be hard, but every sacrifice will be worth it. 

Our labors must not be placed in receiving worldly acclamation, but instead in pleasing our Heavenly Father.  Our weaknesses must be handed over to the Lord and not to man.  For man will only deepen and intensify where we are deficient because they most commonly employ material plasters which will undoubtedly wear and fade.  But with God, we are fortified and those weaknesses will have the ability to blossom into spectacular capacities, which prepare us for our entrance home.

Overcoming Our Weaknesses: Walk with Him

Ultimately, what allowed Enoch to be changed into such an incredible leader was the intensity of his faith.  Before the scripture which describes all that Enoch’s discipleship brought to pass, it lists the most important seven words of the entire verse: so great was the faith of Enoch.  Faith is what enabled Enoch to speak the word of the Lord so fiercely that it had the ability to make the earth tremble, make mountains flee, and rivers to turn their course.  Indeed, Enoch’s great faith allowed the Lord to strengthen and enable him to assume his role as a mighty prophet of God. 

Identically, we must have faith in order to receive the strength which the Lord seeks to provide for us.  We must have faith when we recognize our weaknesses, knowing that they are opportunities to be improved, and not symbols of our inadequacy.  We must not allow them to burden us, but instead, must permit them to be a gateway to a loving Heavenly Father, one who seeks to uplift and perfect. 

We must have faith while enduring our weaknesses.  We must remember that it is not the praise of the world that we are after, but instead the approval of our Heavenly Father.  We must have faith that the Lord sees us differently, and that He sustains an overwhelming amount of love for us, even in our unperfected state.  We are His children.  He glories in our growth, and delights in the moments He has to refine us, because He aches to for us to be with Him again.  Although He craves for our refinement, His love is not subject to perfection.  It never has been and it never will be. 

And most importantly, we must have faith to overcome our weaknesses.  Our faith is what allows the Lord to fortify us, without it He is unable.  This is not because He lacks the power to so, but because He is such a fierce protector of our agency.  Our faith enables Him to enter our lives and transform our weaknesses into mighty strengths.  However, He will never proceed without our consent, which comes by our agency, and our faith is contingent upon that agency.  When we choose faith, we choose the Father.  When we choose faith, we choose Christ.  When we choose faith, we choose strength.  

How we do we acquire faith that enables miraculous transformation?  We do as the Lord commanded Enoch, we walk with Him.  Walking with the Lord means opening the door where He stands waiting.  It entails humbly accepting the revealed weaknesses which He presents to stimulate our divine motivations.  It denotes receiving His guidance, counsel, and chastisements.  It signifies recognizing that He has the ability to convert our weaknesses into strengths, which will allow us to be an instrument in His hands all the days of our life.  It promises that we will become who we are destined to be.

Walk with the Lord, every day, every minute, in every moment.  He will uplift us.  He will provide.  He will release us from Satan’s snares which deform the divine purpose behind weaknesses upon this mortal sphere.  He will manifest our potentialities and empower us to fulfill our designated and premortally appointed callings upon this earth.  We must recognize, endure, and overcome our current weaknesses.  This can be done, for with God all things are possible, and our abilities are included within that beloved definition.

Walk with Him.

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