Beware of False Imitations

In today's world...corruption abounds and false imitations thrive.
 

How dare they?! Rice Chex stole my face and put it on their cereal box. False imitation!

The holy scriptures are given to us by God so that we may have the knowledge needed to help us navigate through this world of sin and deceit. Many prophets have prophesied of our day and have warned us of the dangers that are all around us. Here are some scriptural warnings/examples:

- Matthew 24: 24 - "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

- Mark 13:22 - "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect."

- 1 John 4:1 - "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

- 2 Nephi 28: 12 - "Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up."

- Words of Mormon 1:15 - "And it came to pass that after there had been false Christs, and their mouths had been shut, and they punished according to their crimes;"

- Doctrine and Covenants 122:5 - "If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;"  

Satan is clever, seductive, and dishonest. He is the father of all lies (2 Nephi 2:18). Therefore, he will try extremely hard to trick us. There are deceptions all around us. Evil is dressed up to look good. Good is cut down to look evil. Satan works in many ways. Here are only a few examples: Teen drinking is accepted by many and is portrayed as the only way to have fun in high school. However, I was extremely happy in high school and I have never had a drink of alcohol. Abstinence before marriage is pure and is pleasing in God's eyes but in today's society it is chopped to pieces and is deemed "outdated". The devil corrupts. The devil cheats. The devil is evil! He tries very hard to imitate and twist things that are good so that he can trick us to do evil.

Here are some pictures of some look-a-likes:

No, no, no. This is NOT Zac Efron. It's my good buddy and fellow missionary, Elder Triston Rogers!

This IS Zac Efron. Elder Rogers is 1,000,000 times cooler (and Elder Rogers ties a lot better knot!).

This is my pal...Elder Jeremy Garcia. NOT Taylor Lautner AKA Jacob.

Taylor Lautner. Not as awesome as Elder Garcia huh? I think NOT.

 As you can see...there are many things that are similar out in the world. Satan uses "look-a-likes" to trick and hurt us. How do we know what is the truth and what is false? The scriptures tell us how. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7: 15-20). What these verses teach us is that we can judge something by whether it yields good "fruit" or not. Just like I cannot go to a corrupt and diseased tree and get a good and healthy apple, I cannot go to a crude, brutal, or vulgar movie and be uplifted. Everything that is good is of God and everything that is evil is of the devil (Moroni 7:15-17). With this knowledge we can go through this life in safety.

We also can use this knowledge to find truth. I have been blessed with a testimony of the Book of Mormon and of the prophet Joseph Smith. I have judged Joseph Smith of his fruits (the Book of Mormon). I receive only uplifting and joyous feelings when I read from its pages and I know that it is true because everything that persuadeth men to do good is of God (Ether 12:4). I know that all who read from the Book of Mormon with an open heart will come to know of its divinity and of the validity of Joseph Smith as one of God's prophets.

In conclusion...as we determine what's good and what's bad and surround ourselves with purity then we can be sure to stay away from Satan's fasle imitations.

I Was Taught By My Mother

I'm a "Momma's Boy". There. I said it. I also am very proud of it. I've got the best mom ever! During this Mother's Day season I have decided to give my mother some recognition for being the pure, kind, loving, loyal, trusting, and devoted person that she is. Of course, I cannot give her the recognition that she deserves because that would require much more than a simple blog post. As Maya Angelo said, "To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power." But I will try my best.

My mom and me.

DeAnn Kempton Lee is the most wonderful woman that I have ever met in my life and I love her to death. She was born in Bakersfield, California and spent her childhood in both Mesa, Arizona and California. She comes from a family of eight (three brothers and two sisters). She met my father, Dave Lee, when attending BYU in Provo, Utah. They were married and sealed for time and eternity in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Over two decades later I came along. Little Matty was born into the world at 12:04 AM on May 13th, 1991 (just a couple-three minutes shy of being born on Mother's Day!) with five anxious brothers and sisters and two loving parents waiting to take me home to our house in West Jordan, Utah. I was raised in Utah for seven years before moving to the great state of Washington because of a job transfer for my father.

I truly admire and love my mother for making the move from Utah to Washington. It was very hard on my father and her. They had very good friends that they left behind as well as a home that they had lived in for nearly twenty years. It was a tough move for my parents but they both got the feeling that they NEEDED to move for my brother who is two years older than myself, Brett, and me. Soon after we moved to Washington my mother's father (my grandfather) Larry "Papa" Kempton passed away. Not too long after that one of my mother's best friends who lived across the street from us in Utah passed away from injuries received in a terrible car accident. Both of my parents suffered much because of the losses. I know that they wanted to be closer to family and friends during the crises but they stayed in Washington. I don't exactly know why I needed to move to Washington but I do know that I have made some of my closest friends in Washington. I needed to influence people who lived there and I certainly needed to be influenced by people who lived there. I know in my heart that I would not be the person that I am today if I did not move to Washington at the age of seven. I admire my mother for honoring my father's new job assignment and I revere the faith that they both showed during those early times of struggle. Thank you.

One of my absolute favorite stories in the scriptures is found in the book of Alma within the Book of Mormon. It is of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors. Through much of the Book of Mormon there are wars and battles being fought between two main groups of people. The Nephites and the Lamanites. In the later chapters of the book of Alma the Lamanites are wicked and are trying to defeat the Nephites in battle. The Nephites are low on warriors and are desperate for help. Years earlier a group of Lamanites from the land of Ammon (Lamanite country) converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and joined the Nephites. They also promised to never go to war again. These men from the land of Ammon knew that the Nephite army needed warriors but they could not break the oath that they made years before. But after this oath had been made...these men begat sons. These sons were, "all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and ativity; but behold, this was not all - they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted" (Alma 53: 20). These men were entrusted by God to fight for the freedom that was rightfully theirs. They were led into battle by a great man named Helaman and they called themselves Helaman's 2,000 Stripling Warriors. These young men showed great courage and faith. Their leader, Helaman, wrote of them. He said, "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it" (Alma 56: 47-48). The 2,000 Stripling Warriors fought in multiple battles and NONE of them died. Zero. They fought with such faith and strength and they were blessed with protection.

Helaman and his 2,000 Stripling Warriors

I know that I am blessed with protection because of my mother. I love her so much. I do not doubt my mother knew it. I was taught by my mother. I was taught to fight for what I believe in. I was taught to love. I was taught to be kind. I was taught to be goofy. I was taught to be optimistic. I was taught to pray. I was taught to honor my father. I was taught to attend church. I was taught to follow Jesus Christ. Like the 2,000 Stripling Warriors, I am fighting. I am not fighting a physical war with swords and spears but I am fighting a spiritual war as I represent our Savior Jesus Christ as a missionary. I fight with my testimony that my mother helped me grow. I fight with the scriptures that my mother read with me. I emulate the kindness that my mother showed throughout my childhood. Like the 2,000 warriors, I was taught by my mother. Like the 2,000 warriors, I do not doubt. Like the 2,000 warriors I have not died in battle. I am stronger than ever before and it is because of my amazing mother. As I continue to allow myself to be taught by my mother I cannot go amiss.

Beautiful woman huh?

 Happy Mother's Day, mom. I love you.

Gratitude

I currently am serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a representative of Jesus Christ I have seen blessings in my life and in the lives of others that come from strict obedience to God's commandments. I have learned and gained so much. I would not trade these experiences for anything in the world.  The amount of time that I have (2 years) to serve Lord is precious and short. Therefore it requires whole-hearted dedication and a pure desire to serve God and serve His children. Because of this great circumstance I am unable to visit or see my family and friends during the 2 year duration. I am able to call my family twice a year. I am able to email and write them once a week. I am able to write my friends as well. As you can guess...I miss my family and friends a TON. But I know that we are being blessed because of this sacrifice. The people that I teach the Restored Gospel to are being blessed. I am being blessed. My family is being blessed. My friends are being blessed. Blessings all around! It is worth it.

In tough times we must hearken to the counsel found in the great hymn, "Count Your Blessings". Can you guess what we must do? We need to count our blessings! There is a fantastic quote that is up in the home of one of my best friends, Elder Daniel Houston (currently is serving a full-time mission in the Colorado Denver South Mission). It states: There is always always always something to be grateful for. I love that quote. It is so true! Even when times are incredibly hard and nothing seems to be going right...there is always something to be grateful for. Here are three examples for you. One pop-cultural. One personal.  One scriptural.

Luke Skywalker literally holding on for dear life with one hand

1. Pop-Cultural - People who know me know that I deeply love the Star Wars saga. I cannot help myself. It is simply a dynamite series that I can watch over and over. Those of you who are familiar with Star Wars will remember that at the end of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker is in a light-saber duel with Darth Vader. Luke gets his hand cut off by Vader's blaring red light-saber. No good huh? WELL, Luke stayed positive and kept trying with his other hand. Others were counting on him. He didn't give up and let Darth Vader kill him! He kept holding on for dear life (literally) and he was able to survive. After that epic duel with Lord Vader, Luke was then able to get a robotic hand that looked and acted just like his real one. Huzzah! Everything worked out for Luke (and the galaxy!) because he kept holding on. He was grateful for his hand that he still had and he made the most of it.
2. Personal -  Just recently I was going through a tough time. I continued to work hard and do the best that I could as I served the people in my area. Because of obedience I was given a blessing from God. It did not come in the way that I expected it to but it came nonetheless. As I mentioned earlier...missionaries get to communicate with family and friends on a very limited basis. Therefore...missionaries love to get mail. So, on Monday April 18th, 2011 my brother, Brett Lee, sent me an email telling me that he had JUST sent off a package for me in the mail. This made me so happy! The package that I received a few days later was amazing. It was heartfelt and full of love. It was just what I needed. Also, I got an Easter package from my mom and dad. I also got some top-notch letters from some very good friends from back home that brightened my day (you know who you are!). To those who were a part of this series of awesome mail...thank you thank you thank you! I am so grateful for these simple but powerful blessings.
3. Scriptural -  In the Book of Moroni (contained within the Book of Mormon) there are absolutely awful things happening. Terrible sins are being committed by previously righteous people. There are only a few "good" people left and they are spread apart. It is a truly diabolical and dark setting. Anyone would have the urge to be depressed. Even in the midst of all of this evil, a father (Mormon) and a son (Moroni) are able to build each other up through a series of letters (or "epistles") with pure testimony and perfect hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They teach and brighten each other through their prayers and their kind words. "My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever" (Moroni 9: 25). Hope. That is what keeps us together in times of darkness. Mormon was able to remind his son, Moroni, of the perfect hope contained in Jesus Christ. There is always something to be grateful for.

President Thomas S. Monson

There are times when we are in a slump and things aren't going well for us. Stuff happens! Life isn't exactly fair. But God does expect us to do the best with the situations that we have been given. President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk called, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude" (check it out...it's pretty much amazing). Within it he states, "We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude". I love that. To be positive and happy we must have an attitude gratitude. President Monson also said, "My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

I know within my heart that as we are strictly obedient to God's commandments we will receive blessings. I know that as we are grateful for what we have been given we will lift ourselves and those around us and God will be even more pleased with us. I hope that we all may fill our hearts with "an attitude of gratitude" as we realized that there is always always always something to be grateful for.

Family

Those who know me know how much I love and care about my family. They mean everything to me. My parents are wonderul examples and my brothers and sisters are my best friends. I have learned so many things from them. As I look to the examples that my family members set I am given a guiding light which if I follow I will be led to goodness, happiness, and peace.

My Mom and Dad (Dave and DeAnn) with my niece Scarlett

Amazing brothers and sisters (L to R: Alicia, Scott, Laurel, me, Michelle, Brett)

I know that families make up the most important social unit that we are given by God. He places us in families so that we can learn (to love, to be kind, to be patient, etc.), grow (physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc.), and to become more like Him. Our loving Heavenly Father has provided our families with scriptures that we can study together and learn from with each other. There is a story in the Book of Mormon that describes what we must do to succeed in this life and feel the love of God. This story is referred to as "Lehi's Dream" or "Lehi's Vision" and is found in the eighth chapter of the first book of Nephi. Within this dream or vision Lehi (a prophet and father) finds a rod of iron (representation of the Word of God - scriptures) that leads directly to a tree with fruit (representation of the love of God) above the whiteness and pureness of anything that we can imagine. When one eats of this fruit one becomes happy. Lehi partakes of the fruit and immediately desires that his family partakes of it also. The account is written from Lehi's perspective and it states, "And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit. And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also...I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go...I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit. And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also" (1 Nephi 8: 12-16). The full text can be found here.

An artist's depiction of Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life

What I love about this vision is that it clearly shows us the great importance of families and also the great bond that is found within them. Whenever I find something new, exciting, and fun I immediately want to share it with my family. This is especially true with something that is as spiritual and uplifting as the love of God. As described in the Book of Mormon and the other standard works the only way to truly feel the love of God is to obey His commandments and hearken to His words found in the scriptures. When Lehi partook of the fruit and tasted the love of God for himself he immediately thought of his family. He wanted them to feel the love of God in their lives as he had. He searched for them so that he could help them in their path as they held fast to the iron rod. Only when they stuck together and were obedient could they partake of the love of God together.

The fullness of Christ's gospel found only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helps us along the pathway to righteousness and the love of God. In 1995 under the direction of President Gordon B. Hinckley he and the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote something called, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World".

As I read "The Family" I receive feelings from the Holy Ghost that families can last forever. I know in my heart that these words are from God and that they have been given to us through prophets. His prophets give us direction so that we may have pure happiness in our relationships. I know that as we abide by God's commandments we will have joy in these relationships. As we keep an eternal perspective on things we are blessed with clarity and peace.

I am excited to have a future family of my own. I do not know what my future wife's name will be. I do not know what she will look like. I do not know how many children we will have. BUT I do know that I plan to be married in a temple of God. I do know that my family will be together forever as long as we follow the commandments and honor our covenants.

This is why I hold my family so dear to my heart! I trust them and love them. They are good friends as well as blood relatives. This is the way that God wants our family relationships to be. He knows that we have the potential to stay together for all of eternity and that this life is the best time to make these relationships last. Be kind to your parents. Thank them for all that they do! Be an example and be a friend to your siblilngs. Love your spouse and hold your children in high esteem. If you are not married yet (LIKE ME) then prepare yourself (spiritually and emotionally) for marriage.

Twice a year we have the opportunity to hear from our living Apostles and prophets. Many of them focused on eternal families and marriages. Elder Richard G. Scott gave a touching talk called "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage" that was especially amazing. I advise you to read it and give it thought (as well as all of the other amazing talks!).

I hope to follow the great examples of my family members and carry their traits into my own fatherhood. I know that it is what God would have me do.

Be Thou An Example

One of my favorite scriptures is found in the New Testament in Paul's first epistle to Timothy. It reads, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in fath, in purity" (1 Timothy 3: 12). There are many things that stick out to me from this simple verse but the overwhelming principle taught within is that we must be great examples to others.


Fathers must be great examples to their sons.

Before we can be a great example we must humble ourselves and remember our youth. This is the FIRST thing that we must do. Children are perfect and pure. They do no wrong. "Becometh as a child, submissive, meek humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3: 19). Whenever I read scriptures I think about my nieces and nephews and how perfect they are. I love them so much and I see innocence in their eyes and purity in their actions. It is pretty crazy to think that we all were that innocent and pure once. But I know that if we humble ourselves and apply the same innocence and light that we had in our youth then we will be so much better off! We will come closer to our brother Jesus Christ and we will be able to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. Our Savior and Redeemer taught, "Whosever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18: 4). Children are fantastic examples. To look up to them is to look up to Heaven.

My nieces and nephews L to R: Kaiya, Ben, Isabel, Scarlett, Jake, and Sarah. Perfect!

As I reflect back...I realize how big of an effect certain people have had in my life. In good and bad ways. Some of these people know the effect that they have made on me but many of them probably do not have a clue. This also means that, unbeknownst to me, I have been an example to other people. I hope that I have left a positive impact on others but I know that I have made mistakes in my life as well. BUT it truly is up to us what kind of legacy we want to leave behind.

I draw much strength from the people in my life. My dad is extremely humble and hardworking. My mother is loving and compassionate. My brothers and sisters are simply hysterical while being wise at the same time. My closest friends (you know who you are!) are loyal and dedicated. Certain church leaders throughout my life are knowledgeable and are full of charity. My mission companions have been diligent and obedient. It is my hope that I can have a portion of the good qualities that these great people have. I thank them for their great examples.


Awesome brothers and sisters! L to R: Michelle, Alicia, Brett, me, Scott, Laurel

Now, there is only One person that we can ALWAYS turn to. He is always there for us and He is Our Perfect Example that we lean on and learn from. I am talking about our brother Jesus Christ. Christ's ultimate example was His Father. "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5: 19). The qualities and attributes that Christ showed in His life make up the exact template that we should strive to emulate. Of course we will fall short of Jesus Christ's perfect example but He will carry, lift, inspire, direct, and help us every step of the way. We must look to Him in every aspect of our lives. Remember Paul's words to Timothy: "Be thou an example...in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Jesus Christ is the One who inspired Paul to write these words. Let Jesus Christ inspire us to be kind to one another. Let Him direct us to help those in need. Let Him lift us in our times of struggle. Let Him be our ultimate example.

I know that as we look to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, we will in turn be good examples to those around us. Thus, we all will come closer to Heaven.

Forgiveness

We have a loving Heavenly Father who cares about and knows each and every one of us. We are His children. We lived with Him as spirits before we ever came to this earth. We agreed upon a plan developed and led by our Heavenly Father and our brother Jesus Christ that would allow us to come to an earth. On this earth we are able to gain a body and experience. Our goal in this life is to live our lives in the best way that we can so that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again.

Our lives are difficult, challenging, and at times disappointing. We will make mistakes in this life but God has provided a way for us to correct these wrongs through a process called repentance. The Atonement of Christ (His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His resurrection) is what makes repentance possible. Through the Atonement we are able to access Christ's grace in our lives so that through Him and His mercy we can repent of our sins and shortcomings.

The 5 steps to repentance are A, B, C, C, and D. They are: 1) Acknowledge (that you have sinned). 2) Be sorry for what you have done. 3) Confess your sin to the proper authority (most confession is made to our Heavenly Father in prayer). 4) Correct wrongs that you have made. 5) Don't do it again. Once we go through this process and we feel the Spirit working through us we can be assured that we have been cleansed of our sins."Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1: 18).  Again, all of this is only possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

There is an underlying principle within the repentance process that is absolutely critical. I am talking about forgiveness. In order to gain true repentance there MUST be forgiveness.

It is clear and obvious that we must confess our sins to God and seek forgiveness from Him but one thing that is often forgotten is that we must confess our sins and seek forgiveness from those who we have wronged. For example...if we have cheated on a test then must seek forgiveness from our teacher and perhaps even our classmates on top of seeking forgiveness from God. We must make right what we have wronged. Completely. This means that if we have told a lie or have stolen something then we must tell the truth and pay for/return what we have previously stolen. This is all a part of the "Correct wrongs that you have made" step in the repentance process.

"Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more" (Doctrine and Covenants 58: 42). Even though I have read this scripture many times I still have struggled to forgive MYSELF. I have indeed made mistakes in my life and I have sought forgiveness through repentance but if I continue to live in darkness and continue to doubt myself then I am only doubting Jesus Christ. If we have gone through the steps of repentance then we have no need to second guess ourselves. If we do that then we are second guessing the Savior. He loves us so much that He suffered for us. He trusts us so much that he provided repentance for us to return and be with Him and our Father. Repentance is real. Repentance is pure. Repentance is possible. In my life I have witnessed and experienced sin. I also have witnessed and experienced forgiveness. There is nothing more beautiful as being cleansed through Jesus Christ. A prophet in the Book of Mormon, Alma, described to his son the contrast of guilt and joy before and after the Atonement had brought repentance into his life. He said, "Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36: 21).

One other thing that we must do is forgive others. Anger, hatred, and grudges are all terrible things! They slow down other people's repentance processes. There are those out there that need us to forgive them for wrongs that they have done unto us. I believe that this is something that all of us can work on a little bit harder. We must be kind to everyone. The Savior taught that we must even love our enemies. He said, "But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you" (Matthew 5: 44).

I know that the Savior's Atonement is real. I know that His grace is sufficient for all of us after we do our part and repent. I love Jesus Christ and it is a privilege to represent Him and His church.

Spirit of Fear

Hey! Being out here on my mission I have learned so many things. But there is one thing that has been pressing on my mind lately and I feel that I should share it.

There are influences all around us. Good and bad. It is up to us to choose what we want to focus on and how we want to react. Our loving Heavenly Father has given us the Holy Ghost to inspire and prompt us to do what is right. Everything that is good is of God. On the flip side...everything that is evil is of the devil. God gives us good and happy feelings. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..." (Galatians 5: 22-23). However, the spirit of Satan is the polar opposite of these words found in the New Testamant. The fruit of Satan's spirit is hate, depression, chaos, greed, aggressiveness, evil, doubt, pride, wildness. God does not give us feelings of doubt, hate, malice, etc. Things truly are light and dark. Good feelings are of God. Bad feelings are of the devil. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1: 7). Through faith in Jesus Christ we develop faith in ourselves and our fellowmen. This allows our hearts to soften and to love. We will be given a sound mind and will receive power. Satan does NOT want this to happen. He will do anything to prevent this. He prevents it through fear.

My senior year of high school we were having a discussion on fear in my english class. A fellow classmate asked the question, "what is fear"? I thought about this as we discussed the topic and have thought about it since. Fear is the absence of faith. No one portrays the Satan's use of fear better than The Joker played by Heath Ledger in the classic movie, The Dark Knight. If you remember...The Joker is wreaking havoc on Gotham City. He isn't doing this through mass murders or nuclear bombs but he is doing it through FEAR. Doubt and fear are opposed to faith. The Joker describes himself as an agent of chaos and anarchy. He puts fear into the city and then the fear spreads until the entire city is in total chaos. They almost destroy themselves until hope and trust is re-introduced. From this, we can learn that if we fill ourselves with fear then it will spread to others and destruction may follow. We also can learn that we can save ourselves from fear with hope, faith, trust, and love.

Satan will do anything to bring us down. He will introduce fear and then influence us to a point where we are in a chaotic state. Fear leads to sin. Sin leads to despair. Despair IS chaos. Satan's influence is far reaching. He is extending his grasp to more and more areas and is bringing down more and more of us. We must fight this. The best way to combat Satan is to avoid him altogether. We must trust in our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. That leads us to trust in ourselves and help us be more confident.

One way that Satan destroys lives is through fear of falling down the social ladder. As we trust in God and put our struggles in the Lord's hands then we can be confident in ourselves to overcome the temptations that Satan throws at us. We can be strong when Satan tries to trick us through intimidation before a sports game in high school or a big test. We can stand tall when Satan tries to deceive us through peer pressure to drink alcohol, do drugs, live an immoral life, etc. We are strong (much stronger than Satan)! The devil tries to make us think that we are weaker than we really are. He wants us to be afraid and abandon hope. Satan can even influence us through scary movies. My counsel is...don't watch them! When we willingly subject ourselves to fear we fall prey to Satan.

When we surround ourselves with a good environment we are putting an armor of protection around us. We must read our scriptures, pray always, and be humble. Anything is possible if we have faith (Moroni 7: 33). We can and will win the battle against fear and Satan as long as we trust in God and rely on the Lord. Fight the spirit of fear with the Spirit of Light.