The fall

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and 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

Friends, as I have been reading a little bit about the fall this week the above scripture really stood out to me. It made me do some self reflecting on my tendencies to be a natural man. I wondered if I am working to "putteth off the natural man" or if I am yielding "to the enticings of the Holy Spirit".

I will be the first to say that this life is difficult, challenging, and it is easy to forget who we are amid the turmoils of temptation. There is so much evil in the world today that tries to persuade us that what is wrong is right. There are many situations in life that cause us to lower our standards and make choices we wouldn't normally make if we want to be "popular".

As a Father of 4 wonderful children I have been given the responsibility to raise them in truth and righteousness. Like we learn in The Family: A Proclamation to the World; "individuals who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God."

I think we should all ask ourselves the following questions;

When away from your family do you act the way you want your children to act?
Do you participate in demeaning behavior?
Do you live the standards you are trying to teach your children at all times?
Are you yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and putting off the Natural Man?
Do the choice's you make daily draw you closer to God?
Am I using the atonement in my life?

I want to publicly recommit this day to follow the council of the above scripture  and "becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and 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."

I would like to challenge anyone who reads this to take the necessary steps to put the atonement to work in your life. That is what it is for, no matter how far you think you have fallen, it is never too late. The savior is waiting patiently to help us through our worldly struggles, but he will not do it unless we ask and act for ourselves.

I love the Lord