This week in my Pathway journey I studied Helaman 10-16
using the assigned study skill visualize.
I was studying in the Institute Study Guide this week for
added insight because I was lead student. It states: Trust and approval come by
obedience to all of God’s commandments. Helaman chapters 10–12 highlight how
important it is to heed the promptings of the Spirit. Only by doing so can we
be sure we are living according to God’s will. These chapters also highlight
how important it is to want what God wants. The Lord knew Nephi would “not ask
that which is contrary to [God’s] will” (Helaman 10:5).
As we prove faithful in the small things, the Lord will trust us with the
greater things.
Several times in Book of Mormon history the people passed
through a cycle of righteousness, prosperity, riches, pride, wickedness,
destruction, humility, and righteousness again, this is known as the pride
cycle. We see this very prevalently throughout this scripture study block.
Hello people, how can you keep repeating the same mistakes, it boggles the
mind. And then I reflect on little bad habits that bring me down and keep me
from being worthy of the spirit, aha, I see what your trying to tell me here
Lord, I see.
I asked myself,” If I had lived in the days of Samuel the
Lamanite, would I have accepted these prophets and perhaps even stood against
the masses in their defense? I hope so, I only have my current life choices to
go by. But I choose to sustain, follow and support the prophets of my day so I
believe the answer truly is yes.
What is the difference between having a hard heart and a
broken heart. In Helaman 16:15 paraphrased it
states: Nevertheless, the people began to harden their hearts, all save
it were the most believing part of them, both of the Nephites and also of the
Lamanites, and began to depend upon their own strength and upon their own
wisdom…..17 And they began to reason and to
contend among themselves, saying…..18 That it is
not reasonable that such a being as a Christ……will he not show himself unto us
as well as unto them….20 But behold, we know that
this is a wicked tradition, which has been handed down unto us by our fathers,
to cause us that we should believe…..therefore they can keep us in ignorance,
for we cannot witness….21 And they
will, by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great
mystery which we cannot understand, which will keep us down to be servants to
their words….22 And many more things did the
people imagine up in their hearts, which were foolish and vain…. 23 And notwithstanding the signs and the wonders which
were wrought among the people of the Lord, and the many miracles which they
did, Satan did get great hold upon the hearts of the people upon all the face
of the land.
That leads into: the difference between hard & firm? Firm
people can still be shaped, they can bend, if you push them, they will push
back to regain their firm stance. Firm people cannot be persuaded to do wrong.
Hard people, on the other hand, will not listen to others, they refuse advice
or help. They reject the authority and spiritual guidance of God and the
leaders, they depend on themselves. So let’s compare the “firm” Lamanites in
Helaman 15: 6-10 and the “hard” Nephites in Helaman 16:12-15. The Lamanites
where firm and determined, their hearts were changed when they repented, they
shared the gospel even when they were rejected they stood firm, bending but not
breaking. The Nephites were determined not to listen to the righteous teachings
of their parents, they rationalized and doubted their words, they stubbornly
chose to imagine that they were bad and deceitful teachings. They were easy
prey to the adversary whispering doubts and slander against their parents.
This week’s religion portion was truly inspiring for me,
I felt lifted up. I will continue the fight against the pride cycle in my own
life. I will continue the search to find out “How can I” become more like my savior
and like these wonderful book of Mormon prophets that inspire me as well. I
found this amazing video that portrays this desire so beautifully, watch it.
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