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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