Between you and the Lord

Between you and the Lord

I know many people that they left the church because of other members. That is their excuse. Why I am saying this? Simple because it is just an excuse. he true church of Jesus Christ ask to every person to gain a testimony of the truth to be baptized. The other churches, especially the Catholic church just avoid this simple procedure or even better they don't want you to pray because they say you could be deceived.

The Lord instead want you to have a testimony of His work for a simple reason, when you have it the church will be true no matter what. The Lord always has chosen to make covenants with his children. Baptism is a covenant, sacrament is another one and so on. It is like to go to a notary where you will receive a copy of the contract and every rule is well defined and explained to you just to protect you, because I am sure you demand that the other part should be serious on that. Why the Lord should make a covenant with you in a different way?

The ordinances are serious contracts, sealed between God and man. Every ordinance from baptism until the temple's ordinances are sacred pledges. If you break one of them because of a third party, not only is stupid, useless and harmful, but this is not correct because the third party is not involved in the transaction, the third party can't take God's place.

When you receive a testimony it is between you and the Lord. When you are baptized is between you and the Lord, when you take the Sacrament is between you and the Lord, your tithing is between you and Him, everything in the Gospel is between you and God. Other parties are not involved, they play other things in your life but they will not be responsible if you leave His church. So keep on mind if you will leave the church IT WILL BE BETWEEN YOU AND THE LORD, no one else should be blamed for that.

When, by your testimony, you are aware of the truth, what can make this reality to change? Nothing!

So why people go inactive after they did covenants?

God Himself gave an answer to this dilemma.

D&C 121:34
34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

D&C 121:35
35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson--

D&C 121:36
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

D&C 121:37
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

I'd like to focus on the fist two verses, especially on the second one "Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world,"

There is an opposition in all things it is written in the book of Mormon and Jesus declared that you can't serve God and Mammona.

Every person has the light of Christ to distinguish the good from evil. When a person has a testimony clearly has received more light and knowledge and surely more responsibility. God to reward this and to make sure to help the person in this new dimension of Knowledge gives to him the Holy Ghost, more light and understanding. Clearly the fight between good and evil intensifies because of the efforts of Satan, the opposition in all things become more evident and dramatic.

I will quote some scriptures

D&C 50:24
24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

D&C 82:3
3 For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.

Daniel 5:14
14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods [is] in thee, and [that] light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

D&C 84:45
45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

D&C 93:36
36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
D&C 93:37
37 Light and truth forsake that evil one.

D&C 93:28
28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

D&C 93:31
31 Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light.

D&C 93:32
32 And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation.

D&C 93:39
39 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.

This last verse is the key in this context

Why it will happen such thing?

Man is composed by material (body) and spiritual (spirit). The body is defined in the scriptures as carnal devilish and so on because it was made by earth, but the spirit can control the body because the spirit was born from God. For this reason the scriptures refers to at least two different Spirits. The light of Christ, or the Christ's spirit: this is given to every person at birth. By this every person is able to discern between good and evil, without it no one could be judged. The Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit, or God's spirit. This is given to the members of the church, like a special gift. The Holy Ghost is a dispenser of the gifts of the spirit. Clearly receiving more knowledge  we receive more responsibilities and so God provided more power to face them.

So our spirit is the key like our body. Satan struggles to have our body to control it, there are many references in the scriptures where we have an evidence of it. Satan also try to defile our spirituality because if it is able to weak it he will have more power on our body.

D&C 50:2
2 Behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world.

D&C 50:3
3 And also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you.

Matthew 13:19
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Spirit plays a crucial role in our perspective of eternity. Our Father in heaven is the father of our spirit bodies. We lived in a spirit world  before we were born. In our prayers we ask for His spirit. When the spirit leaves the body will come death. We will be resurrected and our physical body will have spirit at the place of the blood.

The spirit of the Lord is holy and pure, it is written that His spirit will renew our mind and body. The spirit of the devils is corrupted and degenerated. So if the spirit of the Lord is in control your body and mind will receive light and knowledge or in other words understanding and peace. When we leave the gospel or its teachings we are loosing control on our spirit and Satan will have more power. All our life will be a struggle to have this power or control, the problem will be when

Alma 34:34
34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

Alma 34:35
35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

Alma 34:36
36 And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, 

This is another punishment of the devils, they cannot enjoy and bear the Spirit of the Lord, they are excluded from His presence and with them His Spirit will not fight anymore, this will be the same punishment for the sons of perditions. So who will be overcome from Satan become blind and loose "light and truth" or in other words understanding and peace. Satan is depicted like a lion with no peace. Usually the people who abandon the church will have the same bitterness in their hearts because

"D&C 93:39
39 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience,"

Surely all the people who deserted the church at a certain point were weak in keeping the commandments or in listening to Spirit's promptings.

I am not writing this for the inactive people like condemnation, there are many inactive because they didn't understand what they did or maybe for laziness. but for those that are trying to blame their inactivity with somebody else fault. No one can excuse himself because what they did from the very beginning was between them and the Lord and the Lord will judge them for what They did and decided.