It’s so easy to get caught up emotionally in the events that
are going on in our religion, in our country, and in our world. The most common
emotion is anger. And while there are times where anger is justifiable and
needed, most of the time it is brought on by Satan and it impedes any type of
resolution or peace.
In the most recent General Priesthood session of conference,
the Lord’s Prophet Thomas S. Monson said:
“We are surrounded by
persuasive voices, beguiling voices, belittling voices, sophisticated voices,
and confusing voices. I might add that these are loud voices. I admonish you to turn the volume down and to be
influenced instead by that still, small voice which will guide you to safety.”
Also in the most recent General Conference Elder Vern P. Stanhill
said:
“When we consider thoughtfully, why would we listen to the
faceless, cynical voices of those in the great and spacious buildings of our
time and ignore the pleas of those who genuinely love us? These ever-present
naysayers prefer to tear down rather than uplift. Their mocking words can
burrow into our lives, often through split-second burst of electronic
distortions carefully and deliberately composed to destroy our faith. Is it
wise to place our eternal well-being in the hands of strangers? Is it wise to
claim enlightenment from those who have no light to give or who may have
private agendas hidden from us? These anonymous individuals, if presented to us
honestly, would never be given a moment of our time, but because they exploit
social media, hidden from scrutiny, they receive undeserved credibility.”
In 1 Peter 5:8 Satan is described as a “roaring lion.” The
Holy Ghost has always had the sign of the dove (Luke 3:22, D&C 93:15, 2
Nephi 31:8). Who is going to be heard first: a roaring lion or a soft spoken
dove? Experience has taught me that the angry yelling from Satan comes first,
and then when I am ready to open my heart and allow it, the quiet calming of
the Holy Spirit comes next. It is this distinction between the two voices that
has helped me determine what is of God and what is of the devil.
Satan wants you to be angry. He wants you to be so beyond
control in your emotions of hurt, anger, and betrayal that you cannot possibly
hear the gentle pleadings of love from the Holy Spirit; and in being unable to
hear the Spirit, you listen to Satan instead. If he can’t get to you directly,
he will use other people who are already angry. He will use their anger and
hatred to rile you up. They will say things that will make you so angry that
you lose the Spirit as you snap back at them. When that happens, I have learned
to take a step back, regain control of myself, pray for help and guidance, and
bring the Spirit back with me as I reenter the conversation (although sometimes
I have been prompted to not return to the conversation).
The Holy Ghost is the exact opposite. He wants you to be
calm, loving, and at peace. His guidance often takes longer to recognize
because what he is teaching you are things that must be learned and mastered
over time, while Satan’s anger and temptations are merely quick impulses. But I
promise that you can learn them and you can master them. It will take time, but
by focusing on one step at a time you can notice progress. For example, I
easily get angry; but I am getting really good at not reacting to my anger. I
am learning to control how I respond to what or who has made me angry. I wait
until I am in complete control of my emotions, and I have the Spirit to guide
me, and then I say what I am thinking and how I am feeling.
Satan’s voice may be louder, but the Holy Ghost’s voice is
stronger, as long as you allow it to be. How do you make the Spirit’s voice
stronger? Faith. Faith is not something that happens magically, we have to
choose it. (See Elder Neil L. Andersen’s “Faith Is Not by Chance, but byChoice”) When we do choose to have faith, the outcome is so wonderful:
“Whenever we willingly act with faith in Jesus Christ and
take another step, especially an uncomfortable step requiring change or
repentance, we are blessed with strength.”- Elder Randall K. Bennett (Your NextStep)
Strength! Faith gives us strength. It gives us strength to
overcome Satan and his temptations. And we will need that strength when our
faith is tested by those loud and angry voices.
“…we might feel embarrassed, uncomfortable, or confused
spiritually when we encounter a challenge to our faith. Generally, the
intensity and duration of these feelings will depend upon our reaction to them.
If we do nothing, doubt, pride, and eventually apostasy may drive us from the
light.” - Elder Vern P. Stanfill
It is so important to not let that embarrassment,
discomfort, and confusion weaken our faith. Just recently I was given some
information about Brigham Young that was meant to do just that. I felt confused
and frustrated that I didn’t have a response, I could not think of a way to
defend him. In the end faith was the answer. It took all night to feel better;
but after a long discussion with my husband and earnest prayer to my Heavenly
Father, I felt comforted and at peace as I chose faith, and my personal faith
was strengthened as a result.
I learned from that experience that it is ok to not have an
answer ready for everything. And if you do have an answer, it’s ok to not share
it. As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:
“…we believe in God because of things we know in our heart and mind, not because
of things we do not know. Our
spiritual experiences are sometimes too sacred to explain in worldly terms, but
that doesn’t mean they are not real.”
I love that last part. Just because something is too sacred
to discuss, does not make it any less important than the things that are being
discussed. You know what you experienced, you know how it made you feel, and
you know it was true. Leaving a conversation does not mean that you are weak or
the loser of the argument or beaten down. Being simple and soft spoken does not
mean you don’t know what you are talking about. Using faith as your answer does
not mean you are brainwashed. It’s ok to talk like the Holy Ghost because that
means you are letting Him guide you; and that is way more important than being
heard through loud and angry voices.