WHO DO WE HEAR?

"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? 

Where is the knowledge that we have lost in information?" 

                     ~T.S.Elliot


Every day there are so many people that just walk around with headphones in their ears, some even so much as to only have one side of the headphone in and the other side out so they can attempt to be involved in the world around them. For the sake of explanation, I'm just going to call this being "Plugged In". This plugged in idea is an influence that has seemed to overwhelm the youth and young adults in our times today.

Now, please don’t take this the wrong way, I love my music and iPod, but in observation of others you can see the extreme that I'm getting at. In a way, one's dependency on being plugged in has gone to new extremes and watching this has caused me to raise some questions as of what is going on and when did music become so infectious. Of course many would argue that they just love their music or they are not really listening to anything, that it might be educational, or the most ridiculous of all, that they can multi-task. Have you ever tried talking to someone that is plugged in? Your conversation results in, what?, hold on, and un-plugging one side of the head so you can only be paid a slight amount of attention. These are all very good ideas and observation, but there is more behind the scene than we often like to think. 

We live in a world today where there is an increasing onslaught of distractions and temptations. We learn in the scriptures how to listen to the Spirit and how His voice comes,

 "And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul—." (Helaman 5:30)

  There is so much noise in the world, and with in all of that noise how do we ever think that we can hear the still small voice of the Holy Ghost? We can't, no one can. Every time we plug our mind in and seek after the fads and trends of the world, whether it is headphones, cell phones, texting, or just being worldly, we disconnect ourselves from that perfectly mild voice of the Spirit. 

The Holy Ghost communicates with us by feelings and thoughts in our hearts and minds, but when we give in to worldly influences our hearts and minds are no longer available to the Spirit. These vital communications usually come as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, temperance, gentleness, goodness, faith, and meekness just to name a few. 

With this line of communication we are able to better judge choices and action in our day to day lives and most often these acts that we do are to bless the lives of others. So in all, take time to smell the roses, un-plug your mind of the worldly things and seek for a better and I do know as one does this that they will be able to bless their lives and even better, bless the lives of others.

Watch and Pray

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

                                                                                                                          (Matt 26:41)

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him." (3 Nephi 18:15)

To often when we find ourselves praying and asking for forgiveness, it is because we forgot to be "watchful". Throughout the scriptures we learn that prayer can become a source of strength. We pray and look for the ways that it can strengthen us in our lives, but we never can seem to fully find it. The problem doesn't come because God doesn't hear our prayers. As a matter of fact, He really does here them. The problem comes because we are praying to late. Of course, we need to pray and ask for forgiveness, but the Lord wants us to be "watchful" and use prayer to head off the temptation and sin before we falter. When faced with temptation and the attack of Satan, if we are watchful, we can then pray and build up a defense to keep ourselves safe. Strength from prayer comes while we are battling with Satan, not asking for forgiveness. A powerful strength to overcome temptation will be found as we pray in the heat of the battle. A watchful vigilance of our lives can help us to overcome our weaknesses as we find strength and trust in the Lord. Cutting off the temptations, cuts off the Adversary giving us power and righteousness in our lives. A power that can only come through our Savior, Jesus Christ, by being watchful and prayerful.