You're Strong Enough (4 page)

When going on a quest or battle against Satan, would you ever consider going without shoes? No, of course not! Shoes protect our feet against the different climates and surfaces we must climb on during our quest. Similarly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, hope, repentance, baptism…) is what will protect us against the evils designs and fiery lies of the dragon, Satan.

In Isa 52:7, it is written, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings…” The good tidings are the Gospel the Savior brought to Earth while on His quest and is available to us today. His Gospel will keep us strong and unwavering when Satan and his angels try to attack us.

Shoes, like the gospel, will protect us in any circumstance or environment we encounter.
If you want to finish this quest with honor and become a true prince or princess, you must be prepared to walk great heights to be like our Father in Heaven.
Anyone can achieve great heights (live with God again) while defeating the dragon by embracing faith, repentance, baptism and the fullness of Christ’s Gospel.

The Shield of Faith

Shields can be moved in many directions, blocking the evil forces and the weapons of our enemies. Similarly, faith is the ultimate shield on Earth. The importance of a shield is stated in Eph 6:16, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” This tells us that, with a shield of faith, we will not only dodge the fiery darts, but quench them. Faith is our ultimate weapon against the dragon, for it will shield us against his deceptions and the fire of temptations.

As we have faith in Jesus Christ, who went before us, and our Heavenly Father’s plan, we can know that all our efforts and energy on our quest will produce the ultimate victory of becoming a prince or princess at the right hand of God.
Faith is believing that we are of royal birth and that God gave us what we would need to come back home victorious.

Faith has the power to move mountains, change hearts, heal souls and pave the pathway to return home. Faith is the shield that quenches the fiery darts of Satan. It is indispensable on our homeward quest.

The Helmet of Salvation

Just as a helmet can protect the head from fatal wounds and severe brain damage, similarly, hope of salvation protects us from doubt, fear, and hopelessness. In Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began,” states we can be assured eternal life if we follow God’s counsel and plan.

If we are sent on this quest to prove ourselves worthy of living in the Kingdom of God as a prince or princess and then are told by Satan that the quest isn’t real, would you continue your quest? No. You would give up if you did not have hope for salvation.
You must have hope that this quest is real and will lead to your just reward as prince or princess.
That is why hope is compared to a helmet. Helmets are essential in any battle, as is hope essential during our quest for eternal life as heirs in God’s Kingdom.

When our Heavenly Father presented us with the royal armor of God, He knew not all would receive it or use it when on Earth. He knew that many would think they could go on this quest with no protection at all. But, because He loved us so much, and since every human on Earth passed their first test as warriors of truth and freedom by being on the winning side of the war in Heaven, He wanted to give us some eternal gifts that would assist us on our individual quests. The first gift is called the light of Christ.

The Light of Christ

Our Heavenly Father explained that everyone on Earth will be given the light of Christ to guide them and help them discern good from evil in their life. This light would warn us of the poor choices we might encounter and any evil or danger that is on our path. It will be there as our conscience to guide us through our life and quest. He knew we were taking a risk leaving His presence, and not all would use the armor of God. Therefore, He wanted to make sure
everyone
was given an equal chance to find the truth about themselves, their quest (purpose) and His plan.

Our Heavenly Father explains that, though each of us will have this gift on Earth, it is still up to us to use the power of our free agency to make good choices. With the light of Christ, we can know whether the choices we are making are good or not.
This light can illuminate the path we are taking in times of darkness.

Our Heavenly Father explains that the light of Christ is His way of helping us on this quest. The better the choices you make, the stronger the light (feelings) will get.

God then warns us that Satan will try to take away every gift God gives us. Therefore, the more we ignore those warning feelings, the quieter and dimmer the light of Christ becomes. If we continue to make wrong choices and ignore the light of Christ, soon it will disappear and we will find that we are walking aimlessly in the dark. On that day, the devil becomes our guide.

God counsels that the choice to listen to warning feelings is ours. He tells us that there is power in our choices. If we choose to listen to our conscience, then we are allowing our conscience to be more powerful, a brighter light on the pathway. If we ignore those warnings and discount the light of Christ, we are giving our power (agency) to Satan.

After explaining the benefits of the light of Christ and warning us of Satan, our Heavenly Father then asks who we will want to be our guide. Jesus Christ, who has our best interests at heart and will lead us to the Kingdom of God (happiness and safety), or, Satan who will take over our conscience and lead us to pain, suffering, unhappiness…and a failed, forgotten or lost quest?

Fruits of the Spirit

The second gift our Heavenly Father gave all His children on Earth is to know when truth is being spoken or read, and to know when we receive answers to our prayers. This gift is called the Spirit of God.
When you feel the Spirit of God, you are feeling truth, a confirmation that you are doing what is right, that the answer to the question you just asked is correct, and that you are on the right path.
The Bible talks of this Spirit in John 14: 26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” The Spirit can also help us remember the truths we were once taught.

The Spirit can feel like the chills, a sudden feeling of happiness, or warmth in your chest. The Spirit can also feel like warm honey is being poured down from your head to your toes. You may feel like crying, or that the Earth’s colors look brighter and you enjoy being outside more. You may suddenly get wonderful ideas for how to be better, or your understanding is enhanced or enlightened. You may start feeling stronger or more confident in your ability to conquer the dragon. Basically if it feels good, it’s from God.

These are called the fruits of the Spirit. They confirm that God is communicating with you and that you are on the right path for your life. After discussing what the Spirit feels like, our Heavenly Father mentions that when you get an answer, remember that Satan will test you. Therefore, God encourages us when we get an answer or prompting, to follow it
immediately.
Satan will try to convince us that it wasn’t from God and will try even harder after we get answers from God to thwart our new conviction to stay on the path.

The Spirit can be a constant guide throughout our lives. It is there to warn of us danger and confirm good choices.
As we embrace this gift of being guided in our lives, we will find a strength inside to stay true to our course and to our Heavenly Father’s
plan.

After our Heavenly Father has explained and extended to us our gifts, talents, armor of God, light of Christ, and fruits of the spirit, He hugs us tightly and tells us about two more things: the Veil and Honor.

The Veil

Our Heavenly Father explains that the Veil is like memory loss. Our memories of the Preexistence are still there, but will be tucked deep down in our minds. We must prove to Heavenly Father we are worthy of a crown without knowing exactly the obstacles we will encounter. Having a veil over our minds teaches us to have faith and hope for things to come.
Because of the Veil, we can rediscover that we once were warriors of light and truth in the preexistence.
The veil also encourages us to seek truths we once knew, and to find faith again that God is our Father and that we are of royal
birth.

Though the Veil hides our memories, God asks us to remember that He has a plan for us and we must have hope that we will be worthy to live with Him again through His son, Jesus Christ. He explains without the veil, our quest would be like walking in green pastures for only a mile with no bumps in the roads. Could we truly be tested on this Earthly quest if we knew every step to take? No. Therefore, the veil encourages us to reach out to God, to use His armor, to listen to the Spirit, to embrace the light, and ultimately to conquer through our own efforts using faith. For faith is believing things that cannot be seen, but are true.