Cast Satan's Influence Out

One of the invitations that President Nelson gave us in his recent conference talk on spiritual momentum was this: “Learn about God and how He works.” He suggested that to do this we must learn to discern between God and Satan just as Moses did when Satan came tempting him. Moses “knew how to call upon God” for help and commanded the adversary to depart. President Nelson commented, “We should follow that example. Cast Satan’s influence out of your life! Please do not follow him down to his ‘gulf of misery and endless wo.’” We cast out his influence as we plead with God in pray to see us through temptation and the “fiery darts” of the adversary. As we consider the spiritual fall of both David and Solomon this week, we wonder how things might have been different if they had pleaded with the Lord like Moses to deliver them from temptation. Surely He would have helped them resist the evil that ultimately overcame them if they had prayed always. David once prayed, “Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me” (Psalm 59:1). If only he had continued consistently that prayer to be delivered from the enemy of all righteousness who inspired him in those terrible acts he committed. We need daily prayer and pleading to be protected from the pressures of the evil one and “cast Satan’s influence out of [our] life.”

                President Nelson continued with this warning: “With frightening speed, a testimony that is not nourished daily ‘by the good word of God’ can crumble. Thus, the antidote to Satan’s scheme is clear: we need daily experiences worshipping the Lord and studying His gospel.” There is a saying attributed to the Polish pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski (and sometimes others) that goes like this: “If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it.” I think that principle applies well to our study of he scriptures and daily efforts to commune with the Lord. If we miss just one day there will indeed be an impact in our lives as the Spirit diminishes and the adversary seeks to gain influence over our spirit. And it only takes a few days of missing for the impact to be big enough for others to notice a change in us. In order to successfully navigate the “tribulation” of our days and the events leading up to the second coming of the Lord, we must remember this admonition of the Savior as He warned of these things: “And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived” (JSM 1:37). Like those in Berea we must remember to “search the scriptures daily”(Acts 17:11). As Nephi invited us, we should “feast upon the words of Christ” to know the things that we should do each day (2 Nephi 32:3). These words to the Prophet Joseph were surely meant to instruct all of us: “You shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the scriptures” (Doctrine and Covenants 26:1). We must “give Him a fair share of [our] time” as President Nelson pleaded. Jehovah’s invitation to Joshua was for us as well: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein” (Joshua 1:8). To escape the influence of the adversary we need daily treasuring and searching and feasting and meditating with the scriptures. I love Isaiah’s direct invitation: “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read” (Isaiah 34:16). As we do so we will have the “positive spiritual momentum” that President Nelson invited us to cultivate to protect us from temptation and lead us back to our Father in Heaven.