Jesus Christ

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes inadvertently nicknamed “The Mormon Church” by the media), like all Christians, believe in studying God’s word in the scriptures daily. The Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, along with other books containing God’s revelations to ancient and modern prophets, make up the canon of Mormon Scripture. We should feast our minds daily upon the word of God as contained in the scriptures. Sometimes, however, we let worldly voices take over our minds, crowding out the word of the Lord.

The World or the Word?

The world and the Word offer two different paradigms for living the good life. We all need to pause and see how much time we’re spending in each, and which sources of information fill our minds. How much time are we spending each day listening to the worldly view of the world’s media? How much time do we spend reading books that are of lesser value?  How much time do we spend playing or watching TV games and violent video games, or movies with inappropriate scenes but a “pro-social” message? How much time do we spend in the world, compared to how much time we spend in God’s word?

A pastor from Chicago named Kent Hughes wrote almost ten years ago:

I am aware of the wise warnings against using words like “all,” “every,” and “always” in what I say. Absolutizing one’s pronouncements is dangerous. But I’m going to do it anyway. Here it is:

It is impossible for any Christian who spends the bulk of his evenings, month after month, week upon week, day in and day out watching the major TV networks or contemporary videos to have a Christian mind. This is always true of all Christians in every situation!

A biblical mental program cannot coexist with worldly programming (R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2001, pp. 71-82.)

Hearing God’s Voice

The Book of Mormon is the religious history of a people who inhabited the Americas in ancient times, translated into English by the prophet Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In ancient America, the Savior appeared to these people after His resurrection. In the moments just prior to His appearance, God spoke to the people. The first two times He spoke, they did not understand the mild yet penetrating voice that was His. It was only when they turned their eyes towards heaven, and listened with full intent, that they understood His voice.

It took three takes for the inhabitants to respond aright. Once they did, they received a marvelous message and were blessed by His full appearance and ministry. But the reminder is compelling. What I hear from that simple account is the following message: “Stop. Completely. Shift Focus. Your Listening Ears Aren’t Enough. Your Hands Are Too Busy. Your Eyes Are Pre-occupied. Pay Full Attention. God Wants to Speak To You Now.”

That has caused me to reflect. What distracts us from turning our full attention to God? We need to set aside the media for a bit, shut off the outside voices, and be still with God. We need to immerse ourselves in His word so we can hear His voice daily. We’re so easily distracted. So easily detoured. So easily derailed.

As we fight for stillness in a noisy world, let us do so deliberately. Let us choose the Word more often than we have. Let us silence the world a little bit more. The world offers us shallow pleasures: sex, status, and salary. God’s word offers us everlasting joy and peace. Let us “renew our minds” and our spirits by regularly reading God’s Word–particularly, The Bible and The Book of Mormon.

Additional Resources:

Seeking Divine Guidance

Answers to Prayers through God’s Word

Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon or the Bible.

Tags: Bible, Book of Mormon, Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, God, God's voice, God's Word, hearing God, hearing God's voice, Jesus, Jesus Christ, listening to God, mormon, Mormon canon, Mormon scripture, Saint, world, worldliness

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