Pattern For Avoiding Deception

Pattern for Avoiding Deception

Doctrine & Covenants 52:14-19

I chose this one to accompany this topic because of the dark surrounding the flowers... I call this acrylic "Trusting the Light".  It reminds me of just that... to not fear the evil around us, knowing that Light will always triumph over darkness  And when we focus on the Light and let it shine through us, the world becomes a little brighter, filling with a little more hope!  We can bloom amidst the darkness!

I love that the scriptures are full of patterns and recipes for a protected, joyful and abundant life! 

Doctrine and Covenants 52 shows us a pattern for avoiding the ever-increasing, cleverly-laid deceptions that are so prevelant in our day.  As I read, I realized I have so many things to repent of and to work on but was grateful to have such a perfect, straight forward "pattern" to follow.  This is what I learned:

14 And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations

15 He that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances.
16 He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances.
17 And again, he that trembleth under my power shall be made strong, and shall bring forth fruits of praise and wisdom, according to the revelations and truths which I have given you.
18 And again, he that is overcome and bringeth not forth fruits, even according to this pattern, is not of me.
19 Wherefore, by this pattern ye shall know the spirits in all cases under the whole heavens.

What is deception, really?  There is the usual definition: The act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid. – Miriam-Webster.  But sometimes this is not so black and white. Subtler instances might be things that may indeed be “truth”, but that distract us from seeing greater “truth”, or maybe “truth” that can blur our reality, blinding us against real “truths”. 

For instance, as in May 2020, another heartbreaking incidence of police brutality divided our country.  Protests  turned violent and ended in unnecessary injuries and even death as well as destruction and looting of businesses and property.  The “truth” is that incidences of police brutality sometimes do happen and yes, justice needs to be served, but what ISN’T true is that all police are bad and that lashing out is somehow the answer. Anger, unquelled, is contagious and can quickly elevate a crowd into a dangerous frenzy or at the very least blind the eyes to the real solutions…

I guess this is why this “pattern” for avoiding deception is so all-encompassing and so pertinent for our day.

1.     Vs. 15 “He that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances”.

It is no wonder that praying with a contrite (repentant) heart is the first thing listed in this pattern.  (Ok, hang with me...  repentance, when understood, is a joyful thing and WE ALL need it).

Did you know that guilt is NOT from God? No, I believe Heaven sees us like we see a toddler, just learning to walk. We celebrate each step forward, and when they lose balance and fall down, we lovingly help them up and encourage them onward, knowing that with every fall, they learn something new that helps them become more balanced with every step and indeed with every fall. This is the process of growth… honest mistakes are part of the learning and growth we are  here on earth for & Heaven rejoices when we get back up via the beautiful gift of repentance.

God provided a Savior BECAUSE HE KNEW that we would fall and fall and fall some more. So why does repentance often seem like such a scary thing? At least for me, it was fear of judgement and somehow feeling as though I was the only one in need of the Atonement. That’s why I love the invitation to “fear not” in Alma 7:15 “Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you…”.

Imagine Heaven’s sadness when we listen to the lies that tell us we are too unworthy to receive this gift. No, They truly rejoice when we use it! Despite being a sometimes difficult process, it can & should be a joyful one as we keep our eye on the Lord and focus on His love and mercy!

So, let’s cut ourselves (& others) a little slack when it comes to making mistakes. We just need to get back up, ignore the adversary’s attempts to lead us into feelings of guilt and unworthiness, pray with a repentant heart, with real intent and turn our experience into wisdom. This understanding has taken me more than half a lifetime to learn and has made all the difference to me!

So, going back to the original topic, we might ask why repentance is such a big deal when it comes to avoiding deception. I’ve come to understand that when the stain of sin darkens our lenses, we are unable to see clearly, making it easy for deception to creep in. But, gratefully, we can keep our lenses clean daily, even minute by minute through the beautiful gift of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I testify that Joy, freedom and safety come when we reach up and grasp His outstretched hand- for it really is ALWAYS there.

2. Vs. 16 “He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances.” This is the 2nd part of this “pattern”. This time it mentions “speaking” and this also with a contrite spirit as well as with language that is meek and edifying. 

 The idea of speaking only meek and edifying language being connected with the ability to avoid deception is one that honestly had never crossed my mind, but it makes perfect sense… When I think of “meek & edifying language”, gossip, criticism, sarcasm, etc. are not even on the spectrum! (Hmmm…mental note taken!)

I can see the truth and wisdom of speaking only “that which edifieth”. I realized that I should also be more generally aware of what comes out of my mouth.  Do I focus my conversations on the light or more on the darkness?  I see now, how focusing more on the evil of what is happening in our world only gives greater power to it by elevating the frequencies of fear, anger, frustration and division.

These negative frequencies spread like wildfire and can open us all to the influence of the adversary and his carefully laid deceptions. This just might be the greatest tool the adversary employs.  Is this why the Lord commands us to "fear not" so many times throughout the scriptures?

We see so much of this in our world today. Everywhere: in the media, the government, our social circles, in our own homes, in our own minds and even, sadly, in our churches. The focus on the negative is so rampant (and I, myself, have pretty much been the best at it… I think that is why this verse struck me so deeply.) .

While it might be good to be informed of the evil in our world today, I see the wisdom in concentrating mainly on Light and Truth. But, you might ask, “What about 2 Nephi 9:9 where it says: “…the father of lies…who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light…”.  If this is truly possible, don’t we need to know more about it so we can tell the difference? Don’t we need to understand all his tactics so we don’t fall to them?”…

When pondering this, I realized that darkness can never FULLY disguise itself as Light… it says “nigh unto”, (which is still pretty darn close).

 So what can we do? I remember someone in General Conference, I think it was, said that in order to detect  counterfeit money, officials don’t study the counterfeits. They will tell you that to be able to tell the difference you have to be “completely and intimately acquainted with the real thing”. In this case the “real thing” is light!

President Nelson, in April 2022 Conference, reiterated a great example from the scriptures.  He said:

     "Moses provided an example of how to discern between God and Satan. When Satan came tempting Moses, he detected the deception because he had just had a face-to- face interaction with God. Moses quickly realized who Satan was and commanded him to depart.[See Moses 1:16 see also verses 1–20 When Satan persisted, Moses knew how to call upon God for more help. Moses received divine strength and rebuked the evil one again, saying, “Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship.”Moses 1:20."
     Then he emphasized... "We should follow that example."

The more acquainted we become with Light and Truth, the keener our ability to see with spiritual eyes what would be otherwise undiscernible.  We will be guided away from the “pits”& deceits of the adversary. This is the gift of the Holy Ghost in action.

     “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.” 2 Ne. 32:5 

 I realized that we cannot fully “receive” the Holy Ghost if we are filled with anger, hatred, resentment, animosity or fear, etc

A seed cannot reach its potential of bringing forth beautiful blossoms if it stays in the darkness of the soil. It instinctively knows it must push upward, seeking for the Light. And then in its new life it blooms despite the dark of night, trusting each day the sun will rise.  We are the same.

When “Light”  is the focus of our lives and conversation, we are not only protected but we can be filled with joy and peace. President Nelson has told us that focusing on JOY will be ESSENTIAL for surviving spiritually. Is this why he talks about joy so much- because it is part of the pattern for not being deceived? I think so!

3. The third part of this pattern is beautiful too. It begins, actually, with the last half of the first two verses we’ve already discussed, where it repeats in both verses: “if he obey mine ordinances”.  The ordinances allow us to make covenants with the Lord which, in turn, allow us to be endowed with increased Power from on High if we are faithful in keeping them. 

We covenant with God certain things and He gives us power, line upon line. Power to not only withstand the evils of the day, but to even do miracles in His name. We grow in that power as we learn to more fully “obey His ordinances” until at last we come to the point where in John 14:12, Christ tells us we will do things even greater than He… 

    “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do...”

 This “Marvelous work and a wonder”, these miracles, will be necessary to build Zion, gather Israel and help usher in the second coming of our Lord.

Verse 17 continues this thought: 

    “And again, he that trembleth under my power shall be made strong, and shall bring forth fruits of praise and wisdom, according to the revelations and truths which I have given you.”

What is His power? It is the priesthood. And what does it mean to ‘tremble under His power”?
I’m reminded of weight training during my track running days & lifting weights heavier than I could comfortably bear. This caused me to tremble under the weight. Yet it is the cause of that “trembling” which ultimately builds strength. Our weaknesses offer us humility and that in turn offers us great strength and power in Christ. 

    Jacob 4:7 “Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.” 

Humility (always acknowledging God's hand and that it is His power) is requisite for using the power of God.

I love Paul’s testimony of this in 2 Cor. 12: 9-10 

    “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 

Doesn’t that just have to be the greatest oxymoron ever?! What an amazing reminder that it is through our acknowledgement of our weaknesses and the process of overcoming (repentance), that our strength is made perfect.

I hope I can remember Paul’s example forever…. To be honest, his ability to “glory in infirmities” amidst all that he went through is beyond my comprehension! If we can just remember that it is in and through Christ that we can transform our weaknesses as well as any difficult life experiences into stepping stones; each perfecting us little by little, ever increasing our ability to serve with greater and greater power.

I believe this is what is meant when this verse continues… we shall “bring forth fruits of praise and wisdom”. These are the fruits we are to bring forth. The Lord needs us to come up unto this power, His power, in order to accomplish His work before He comes again.

This, I believe, is why the Lord continues in verse 18.

    “And again, he that is overcome and bringeth not forth fruits, even according to this pattern, is not of me”. 

We would be wise to take this warning seriously. I think this is why the Prophet is trying to get us to understand (and use) our Spiritual gifts and the power (Priesthood power) of our temple covenants. We need the strength of the Lord to overcome so as not to be overcome, and He needs us to “bring forth fruits of praise and wisdom”.

This is a huge part of not being deceived. Are we not promised protection through Temple ordinances & our covenants? Some might ask: “if that is the case then why do some temple-attending people still fall to deception?” This is a question I have pondered deeply and I believe the answer lies in the word “intention”…

Lately, during our General Conferences, I keep hearing the word “intentional”. Power AND protection come from intentionally keeping those covenants. I had to ask myself: Do I really understand and keep my covenants with intention? Am I a different person when I leave the temple than when I went in?

Elder Bednar is always teaching us to “act and not be acted upon”… being intentional is “acting”. If we are not, then we are being acted upon and most likely by the adversary.  We must have “CONTSTANT VIGILANCE”!! (as Mad Eye Moody would say).  That is what it takes! That’s why the ability to constantly repent is such a wonderful companion to this principle! 

We live in this mortal, fallen world and are constantly bombarded with distractions. When we lose focus (and we often do), we can pick ourselves up, course correct, gain wisdom and move forward hand in hand with the Lord. 

Another key reason for not receiving the promised power or protection of our covenants stems from unbelief. Unbelief is a very real plague of our day.  The Lord is the Light, the Life and the Way. Even when our faith is not yet strong, we can be like the young father in Mark 9:14-24 and plead: “Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief”. I pray this, often…

4. And then, to finish, the Lord goes on to say in Vs. 19.

    “Wherefore, by this pattern ye shall know the spirits in all cases under the whole heavens.”

 It is my testimony that we truly can put all of our trust in the Lord and that as we daily "repent", “pray with a contrite heart”, strive to “speak only that which edifieth, intentionally keep our Covenants, and determine to have joy despite whatever is going on in the world, we can & will “come off conquerer” (Doctrine & Covenants 10:5) against the cunning deceits of the adversary.

I will end with another wise Harry Potter series quote:

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”~Dumbledore 


Blessings on your day,

Nikki