enemy territory.

I had a YW leader tell us in a lesson a while back that the minute we step outside our house, we have entered enemy territory.

There are very few safe places left in the world... because we are attacked by so many things coming from every direction that have a horrible influence on us every single day.

Think about the fact that humans have lived on this earth for about 8,000 years. Of course there have been periods of time when people were incredibly disobedient and prideful...

But it is shocking to see how many new horrible influences have popped up just in the last few decades. The media is a huge one...

We are being told every day that immodesty, immorality, homosexuality, and profanity, (etc, etc...) are all okay! That these things are normal, in fact.

Well. They're not. They're not okay. Or normal.

It's as simple as that.

Even though sometimes it seems that we're the abnormal ones.

I'm not saying this to offend anyone... I'm really not.

The problem is... the more you are exposed to these things - no matter how strong you think you are - they start to have an effect on you.

Maybe it's simply that you become less sensitive to them...

Or maybe it's something bigger.

"I promise you that you will be protected and sealed from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Ghost. The gift of the Holy Ghost, if you consent, will guide and protect you and even correct your actions. He is a spiritual voice that comes in your mind as a thought or a feeling. Take hold of your life and order yourself to be better. You will be watched over and protected that you yourself will know, by the promptings of the Holy Ghost,  which way to go. I promise you that it will be so."
(Boyd K. Packer)

Maybe you are fine and you are managing just fine in your daily life.

Or maybe your priorities are becoming blurred. Maybe the enemy really is breaking you down.

Well it's okay. At least it can be. Everyone is impacted by these things. Don't beat yourself up if you aren't in the place you wish to be. Heavenly Father knows how you feel. He knows you better than you know yourself.

Start with little things. Try to put yourself in positions where you can feel the Holy Ghost.

Heavenly Father will know that you are trying.

And I promise that you will feel the Spirit.

When you see something that is inappropriate or wrong... well... the fact that you know it's wrong is a prompting from the Holy Ghost.

At EFY... they talked about the Light of Christ... which everyone has. It is your conscience.


The ability to know right from wrong is a God-given gift.


Whether you decide to act on those promptings... well... that is up to you.

But I know that you will be immensely blessed just by trying a little harder to eliminate the negative influences in your life.

Work harder to avoid them, rather than just to resist them.

Little by little.


And you will make your Father proud.

And no matter who you are... isn't that what you ultimately want?

A happy, healthy, and fulfilling life - living in a way that makes God proud of you?

Give it a try.

That life may not be as far away as you think.

shoes and ships and sealing wax: avoiding the adversary

I was laying in bed several nights ago when a little snippet of The Walrus and The Carpenter popped into my head very randomly.

I haven't seen Alice in Wonderland in several years and couldn't completely remember the story of the walrus and the carpenter... so I got out of bed, went upstairs, and, at two in the morning, read about The Walrus and The Carpenter.


And realized that it was a blog post waiting to happen.


So, without further adieu, here's the clip that gave you nightmares as a kid...
[But has a great moral!]




Notice how the walrus kept the carpenter from running down there to eat the oysters at the beginning.

They needed to be lured.




You know how you [supposedly] are supposed to tell kids what to do rather than what not to do?

Like... "keep the sand in the sandbox" rather than "don't throw the sand"??


Well... I usually try to focus on what is good to do...

Except for now.

Because it is important to realize that Satan is real and that he is powerful.

But remember that he only has the power you give to him.


Curiosity can be a dangerous thing.

It can get you into trouble sometimes.


So don't be curious. 


Try avoiding rather than resisting temptation.

One of my YW leaders used chocolate chip cookies to illustrate that just last Sunday.

[pretend you aren't supposed to be eating a cookie...]

With no cookies to be seen, she asked, "are any of you tempted, sitting here in Young Women's, to eat a chocolate chip cookie?"

Well, of course not. There weren't any chocolate chip cookies around.

Then she brought some into the room.

"How tempted are you now?" she asked...

Of course, the fact that eating a cookie was now an option planted the idea in our minds.

She passed out the cookies.

"How tempted are you now?"

Pretty tempted.

Then she had us take a small bite, but eat no more.

How tempted were we to finish the cookie?


Well... I do love cookies...


Anyways. If you aren't supposed to be eating a cookie, don't go into the kitchen where they are being made.
If you have trouble dressing modestly, don't go into a store where there is mostly immodest clothes.
If you have a hard time keeping the Word of Wisdom... don't go to a party where they are serving alcohol.

Doesn't that make it a little easier?

Avoid making the decision altogether.


1/3 of the host of heaven are all around us... trying to get us to give in.

They watch you to determine your weaknesses.

Your weaknesses will be different from others. My weaknesses are different from yours.

Identify your weaknesses. It will help you know what sorts of things you need to watch out for.


Pray for help and stand strong.


Remember, we already know which side is going to win in the end. If you already knew the outcome, why would you bet on the losing side?



Be aware... because just like the walrus, Satan tempts you little by little.

Of course there is always a way back, but you would be making things a whole lot easier on yourself if you never went down that road in the first place.



Now wasn't that positive? :) 

I think that The Walrus and The Carpenter really has a good moral to it.

And I liked the chocolate chip cookie analogy.



Oh... and I should probably mention that I will be in California visiting family for the next two weeks. So my blogging schedule might end up a little irregular.

Who knows.

Bye!