Doctrine & Covenants 10-11: "That Ye May Come Off Conquerer"

 The Come Follow Me Study material for February 1-7 is Doctrine and Covenants 10-11.

• Doctrine and Covenants 10 - The Lord tells Joseph that they will not retranslate the lost 114 pages of the manuscript because Satan has a plan to manipulate the original manuscript to make it look like Joseph's translations are inconsistent, and therefore, not of God.
• Doctrine and Covenants 11 - The Lord responds to Joseph's questions from Hyrum and explains the functions of the Holy Spirit.

There's always so much inspiration in studying the scriptures, and I'm trying to hold back and no overwhelm, so I've picked three topics that I will touch on briefly, that aligns with topics in the Come Follow Me guide:

1. Satan seeks to destroy the work of God
One of the themes and discussion points for Doctrine and Covenants 10 is the different ways that Satan tries to destroy the work of the Lord. In learning about these ways, we see that Satan continues to use the same methods today. That means that his methods work on enough people that it's worth his effort. Isn't that a scary thought?

I've made a chart below but I'll focus on just one of the way that Satan seeks to deceive. In Doctrine and Covenants 10:7, the Lord says:

7 And for this cause I said that he is a wicked man, for he has sought to take away the things wherewith you have been entrusted; and he has also sought to destroy your gift.

What gifts do you have today that the devil might be trying to steal away from you? I've talked about spiritual gifts many times in the past, particularly here "Moroni 10: Come Unto Christ and Be Perfected in Himk" so I won't go into detail about this again. However, I do want to share a simple chart about spiritual gifts from "Friend" magazine, March 2017, called "What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?"

One of the spiritual gifts you could be given, for example, is "showing love." Can you see how the wicked might want you to lose that gift, so that you didn't go about doing good for others? 

(Click to enlarge)

2. The Lord's "wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil."
In Doctrine and Covenants 10:43, it says:

43 I will not suffer that they shall destroy my ^awork; yea, I will show unto them that my ^bwisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

I think one of the faith-building things about the pandemic is how much members of our church have been able to see the guidance that the Lord has given with this in mind. What examples can you think of? 

A few that come to mind for me:

• The Lord guided Moroni to abridge a second record knowing that Joseph Smith would lose the 114 translated pages of the manuscript, so that the records of these people wouldn't be lost.
• The prophet creating two-hour church and home-centered church in advance of the pandemic.
• The guidance from church leaders for decades to build up our home storage and reserves for emergencies like this one.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:

There are still a lot of unknowns about this virus. But if there is one thing I do know, it is that this virus did not catch Heavenly Father by surprise. He did not have to muster additional battalions of angels, call emergency meetings, or divert resources from the world-creation division to handle an unexpected need.

My message today is that even though this pandemic is not what we wanted or expected, God has prepared His children and His Church for this time. 

"God will do Something Unimaginable," October 2020 General Conference 

 

3. If we ask of God, we will receive
I still have my seminary scriptures, from when I was a teenager, with these verses of Doctrine and Covenants 11:12-14 highlighted, with my note on the side that these are "functions of the Spirit."

12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your ^atrust in that ^bSpirit which ^cleadeth to do ^dgood—yea, to do ^ejustly, to walk ^fhumbly, to ^gjudge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall ^aenlighten your ^bmind, which shall fill your soul with ^cjoy;

14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of ^arighteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

What an incredible gift. When we are baptized, we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, and that gift, that Spirit, "leadeth to do good." I love to read the different ways that the Holy Spirit can guide us, and that if we turn to him, he can "enlighten your mind" and "fill your soul with joy."

A decade ago, President Boyd K. Packer said:

“The gift of the Holy Ghost, if you consent, will guide and protect you and even correct your actions. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought or a feeling put into your heart. … It is not expected that you go through life without making mistakes, but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit. This promise applies to all members of the Church.”

President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Counsel to Youth,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 17–18.

I am so grateful that I can go through this life, and the trials that inevitably come, knowing that with God, all things are possible, and that with the gift of the Holy Ghost, and my faith in my Savior, I can "come off conquerer."