Today, as I was studying my scriptures, I was in the book of Alma , chapter 30. You all know the story, and if you don't go get a Book of Mormon and read it. It is the story of Korihor, the anti-Christ. Here is how the story goes basically, and just to make sure you understand, I am not directly quoting, this is what it says to me.
The Nephites are doing pretty good, there has been no contention in the land for a little while, but some of them are starting to think they don't need the Lord anymore, all because they have been so blessed. ( does this sound a little like our day, when all is going well, we forget the Lord). So along come Korihor, and man oh man does he know how to work the people. He starts telling them exactly what they want to hear. Basically, do what you want, there is no Christ, stop believing the prophets and those who follow them. EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY. Well a lot of the Nephites like what they hear, so Korihor gets a lot of followers. So he decides he has had so much success in Zarahemla, he will see how it goes in other cities. Well the next city he visits is the city where the Anti Nephi Lehi's are or the people of Ammon. The city of Jershon. Now this is the part that really caught me and I will discuss it more in a minute. They don't even listen to him, they tie him up and throw him out of the city, so he goes onto the land of Gideon, well they start to listen, and then they also tie him up, but they take him to the High Priest, who is also the Chief Judge. Well he has quite a talk with him and good old Korihor is pretty bold and basically tells Alma ( High Priest) that Alma and all the prophets and believers don't know what they are talking about. So he and Alma discuss and Korihor finally says, "Show me a sign", So Alma tells him that if it is the Lords will that Korihor will be struck dumb. And Korihor is struck dumb. So of course that is not what he wanted, so he finally admits( in writing now, because he can't speak) that he was deceived by Satan and he always knew there was a God. Then he writes down and ask Alma to ask the Lord to take away the curse, well Alma leaves it up to the Lord, and Korihor is left without speech, He becomes a vagabond and finally dies. So the end of the Anti-Christ.
Now the part that really struck me today starts in Alma 30:19 - 21. "Now this man went over to the land of Jershon also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, who were once the people of the Lamanites.
But behold, they were MORE WISE than many of the Nephites: for they took him , and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, who was a high priest over that people.
And it came to pass that he caused that he should be carried out of the land............."
What made the people of Ammon "More Wise". I thought about that and I thought of all the things going on in the world today. All of the different voices trying to get our attention, from within the Church and outside of the Church. I thought of all the times I have NOT been "more wise" and listened to some of those voices and got caught up in things that led me away from the Gospel. Things that made it so the Holy Ghost could not be with me. The times when I have been deceived by Satan.
I decided that what made the Ammonites "MORE WISE", was that they immediately took Korihor to the Church leader, in their land, and basically said, this guy is trying to deceive our people and we won't have it. In other words "SATAN GET THEE HENCE" They refused to listen to Korihor, instead they listened to the still. small, quiet voice of the Holy Ghost and not only listened, but obeyed.
There was another, in Galilee, that was also tempted by Satan, and he said very loudly " SATAN, GET THEE HENCE" HE recognized that the voice of the world, is NOT the voice of the Lord and HE followed and obeyed. And because HE did, we all can repent, make changes in our own lives, Choose not to listen to the voices of the world and say very loudly Satan Get Thee Hence.
We can be "MORE WISE", just like our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Ammonites and countless others throughout the history of the world, who Chose to Follow the Lord and not the voices of the world. It is not always easy, but when we do make that choice, it is always right, because the Lord will NEVER deceive us. HE will only lead us back to HIM.
I am so grateful that HE made that choice for me, to finish HIS Atonement, so I can repent and make the changes necessary in my life, to FOLLOW HIM AND BE MORE WISE.
May we all 'BE MORE WISE" about the voices we CHOSE to listen to.
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