Bring on the war

In Institute yesterday, we were talking about how God is the only one that knows your thoughts and knows the true intentions on your heart. 

Alma 18:32 - "And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning."

It was then brought up that Satan can't read your thoughts at all. He can put thoughts into your mind, (like doubt, temptations, immoral thoughts, etc.) but after these thoughts are placed into your mind he has NO idea what you're doing with them. He doesn't know if you are dwelling on them. He doesn't know if you're playing and tossing these ideas in your mind and considering acting upon them. He has no idea what you're doing with them UNTIL you choose to act upon them. 

Satan places a thought in your mind, he sits back and waits to see if you act upon it, that's when he starts jumping up and down with excitement saying, "Yeah, I got one!"

So how does Satan know your weaknesses? He knows them because of past actions. He sees what you do and how you respond to situations and he watches very carefully to know what he can do to trigger you the next time. But he will never know if you have a thought you're tossing around in your mind until you actually do something about it. HOWEVER, Heavenly Father knows. He sees it all. Jesus Christ knows, that's how he helps and carries you through it all.

I was listening to the greatest talk this morning. It's called "The difference one can make" by Larry Johnson. It's been my favorite talk ever since my very first days at Seagull Book. This talk is about a young boy by the name of Kent Williams, and the influence he has. Every time I listen to it, I can't wait to become better! I evaluate my life and decide on something to work on. This statement from the talk hit me hard today  - "I'm in an all out war against Satan." Kent would write in his journal about ways he was improving and things he could work on. He worried about every little detail in his life and wanted to become as Christlike as he possibly could while on this earth. He wanted to use every single talent and gift Heavenly Father blessed him with to take on this war against Satan. 

As I've been thinking about the example of Kent, I've been reflecting on my own life and what talents I'm not using and what messages my every day actions are sending to Satan. 

How does Satan view you without knowing your thoughts? Does he see you as a strong and faithful servant? OR does he see you as someone willing to bend and break if the right temptation were to come along?

It's the little things that actually matter. I know Heavenly Father has blessed me with an incredible talent of writing notes and crafting little gifts to take to people and just let them know they are loved. I have been slacking. I know Satan watches the little things I do or the lack thereof. He sees the little things that tempt me, like speeding to get to class on time. The more he sees what I am or am not doing, the more he knows exactly what thoughts and temptations to feed me. If I want to win the war against Satan, not only do I have to strive to be Christlike in every single moment, giving me more protection against Satan and drawing me closer to the Savior. But I also have to be aware of what Satan is and isn't seeing in my life. It was like an "ah-ha moment" for me. 

The fact that Satan doesn't know what we are thinking and will never be able to read our minds is such an incredible protection we are being blessed with. It's a way to have greater power over what buttons of yours he can push. If he sees you aren't living in faith, he knows it's the simple little things that can push you over farther. However, when he sees just how dedicated to your faith you are, and when he can actually see the armor of God you are wearing, he's not going to tempt you with the big things because he can fully see he's not going to win. He looses his power.

Commit to being in a war against Satan! What things do you need to add to your life? What gifts and talents have you been blessed with that you haven't been using? Satan is watching your every move and when he sees you forget to read your scriptures, even if just for one day, he knows you don't have the strength you need to fight him and that's when he can start to control your mind with doubt and pride. It's the little thoughts we have moment-to-moment and day-to-day that create our words and our actions.

Let the attributes of Christ work within you and become apart of who you are! The less you act on even the littlest temptation like dwelling on fear, the more Satan will see that he is never, ever going to win! You can have complete POWER over Satan when you choose to adhere to every principle, standard, and commandment that the gospel requires.

Make the Savior your absolute best friend, not Satan. Jesus Christ wants nothing more for you than ultimate happiness. He would do ANYTHING for you. He has already given you the greatest gift you will EVER receive.