How can you recognize and reject Satan's counterfeits? How can the Lord help you?
"13 And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?
14 For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?
15 Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve.
16 Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten.
17 And he also gave me commandments when he called unto me out of the burning bush, saying: Call upon God in the name of mine Only Begotten, and worship me.
18 And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his glory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan." (Moses 1:13–18)
"24 And it came to pass that when Satan had departed from the presence of Moses, that Moses lifted up his eyes unto heaven, being filled with the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the Son;
25 And calling upon the name of God, he beheld his glory again, for it was upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God.
26 And lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days; for thou shalt deliver my people from bondage, even Israel my chosen." (Moses 1:24–26).
"1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." (Matthew 4:1–11)
And here's the end part of the commentary entitled: "With the Lord’s help, I can resist Satan." :
"Another lesson from Moses’s experience is that Satan tempts us with counterfeits of God’s truth and power. Think of some fake versions of things, such as an artificial plant or a baby doll. How can you tell they’re fake? Then consider the counterfeits Satan uses today to tempt you. What do you learn from Moses 1:13–18 about how to recognize and reject his counterfeits? How can the Lord help you? (see Moses 1:24–26).
See also Matthew 4:1–11; Gary E. Stevenson, “Deceive Me Not,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 93–96; “I Am a Son of God” (video), Gospel Library."
"Not everything that glitters is gold." Just saw this quote on the jacket of one of our students this morning. Perfect timing. I saw it right when I was pondering on counterfeits of God's truth and power or some fake versions of things which Satan tempts us with. This made me think of other examples like--not everything that is portrayed would make us happy does make us happy, not every smile is stemming from joy and happiness. Not everything that brings smile in people's faces is a source of lasting happiness. We can tell when something is fake when when examine it closely. We can also discern the counterfeits Satan uses today to tempt us when examine them closely and when we have a foresight of the consequences of actions that seem to bring happiness right now and yet only fleeting. When we turn to the Lord and call on His name in prayer and ask Him, the Lord can help us. He can make us strong so we can resist Satan.
No comments:
Post a Comment