"Voices of the World"
I was reading the First Presidency message online and something really jumped out at me. President Faust was talking about the voice of the spirit versus the voices of the world. He listed off these voices:
- Murmuring voices that conjure up perceived injustices.
- Whining voices that abhor challenge and work.
- Seductive voices that offer sensual enticements.
- Soothing voices that lull us into carnal security.
- Intellectual voices that profess sophistication and superiority.
- Proud voices that rely on the arm of flesh.
- Flattering voices that puff us up with pride.
- Cynical voices that destroy hope.
- Entertaining voices that promote pleasure seeking.
- Commercial voices that tempt us to "spend money for that which is of no worth, [and our] labor for that which cannot satisfy."10
- Delirious voices that spawn the desire for a "high." I refer not to a drug- or alcohol-induced high, but to the pursuing of dangerous, death-defying experiences for nothing more than a thrill. Life, even our own, is so precious that we are accountable to the Lord for it, and we should not trifle with it. Once gone, it cannot be called back.
I found that particularly interesting because of the "commercial" and "delirious" voices. They are not things we often think about as temptations of the devil, and even the other more obvious ones are many times put into the backs of our minds. I know I am guilty listening to many if not all of these voices but I haven't recognized them as temptations of the world, only as normal facts of life.
Having this written out in a list, for me, makes it easier to shun them because they are detailed out for me. If only everything were that easy.
- Murmuring voices that conjure up perceived injustices.
- Whining voices that abhor challenge and work.
- Seductive voices that offer sensual enticements.
- Soothing voices that lull us into carnal security.
- Intellectual voices that profess sophistication and superiority.
- Proud voices that rely on the arm of flesh.
- Flattering voices that puff us up with pride.
- Cynical voices that destroy hope.
- Entertaining voices that promote pleasure seeking.
- Commercial voices that tempt us to "spend money for that which is of no worth, [and our] labor for that which cannot satisfy."10
- Delirious voices that spawn the desire for a "high." I refer not to a drug- or alcohol-induced high, but to the pursuing of dangerous, death-defying experiences for nothing more than a thrill. Life, even our own, is so precious that we are accountable to the Lord for it, and we should not trifle with it. Once gone, it cannot be called back.
I found that particularly interesting because of the "commercial" and "delirious" voices. They are not things we often think about as temptations of the devil, and even the other more obvious ones are many times put into the backs of our minds. I know I am guilty listening to many if not all of these voices but I haven't recognized them as temptations of the world, only as normal facts of life.
Having this written out in a list, for me, makes it easier to shun them because they are detailed out for me. If only everything were that easy.
posted by Anonymous at 6/19/2006 02:37:00 PM
3 Comments:
That is very... eye-opening. I don't remember hearing that talk, or reading it, but it is so true. I sometimes am guilty of tuning out to good insights because of my "heard-it-all-before" attitude. Talks like these help me to remember that they are speaking by the power of the holy ghost, and only those "in-tune" get the real message. Wow. Those men are wiser than all the learned men in the world.
I bellieve it was in last months ensign it was a very good talk
yeah that is very good, good post. Very true. The question is, how to avoid them all.
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