Taking Advantage of Christ's Power, We Are What We Do, Getting Over Doubt Quickly
The Disciple-Leader Newsletter #46 // December 10, 2023.
Discipleship. Leadership. Mental Performance.
DISCIPLESHIP
“The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them."
Mark Twain
This is a universal principle, particularly with how it pertains to our discipleship.
The person who doesn't honor their covenants has no advantage over the person who hasn't made them.
The Book of Mormon provides clarity on this topic: "Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have bee endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state. But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made" (Mosiah 16:4-5).
President Nelson has taught, "Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power.
The Lord loves bestowing His power on those who honor Him. In his words, "I delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and truth unto the end" (D&C 76:5).
The Book of Mormon chronicles a portion of Nephite history where great righteousness engendered great prosperity. Unfortunately, that prosperity led to pride. Throughout Nephite history up until that point (38 BC), there are chapters-long accounts of events, where, despite being outnumbered by Lamanite armies, the Nephites came out of battle victorious due to the Lord's strengthening power. When they honored their covenants with God, God gave them strength beyond their own.
During one particular battle (as recorded in Helaman 4), the Lamanites had a heyday with the Nephite armies. The Nephites were driven, slain, and experienced great loss. This was highly unusual for the Nephites. They never lost in this fashion. Even before coming down to battle, the Lamanites were described as being "exceedingly afraid". Given their history, it makes sense.
So what caused the Nephite embarrassment?
"Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God. And it was because of the pride of their hearts ... and because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten" (Helaman 4:11-13).
One might look at this event and conclude that because of Nephite pride, God punished them. In a sense this is true. But God didn't actively heap unwanted opposition upon them. Rather, He simply withdrew.
"And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples—therefore, the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power" (Helaman 4:24-25).
They had become like the Lamanites. In other words, the Nephites who had made covenants with God were no different than those who had never made covenants with God. They lived as if there was no redemption made, and that decision came at a high cost.
Living as if there was no redemption made is an awful decision. Yet, we each live this way at times. For some of us more than others.
In contrast to living as if there was no redemption made, just this week, President Nelson taught about the Redeemer. Here are a couple of his statements:
I pray that you will feel the deep, eternal love our Savior has for you personally. Jesus Christ has known you since the premortal realm. He knows and sees you now. He sees your joys and your sorrows. He has experienced each of them.
He has perfect compassion for your struggles and rejoices every time you press forward in righteousness, during good times and bad.
As you earnestly ask, seek, and knock, you have constant access to His power to help you, to strengthen you, and to heal you. I pray that you will take full advantage of the Savior's Atonement by repenting daily, making your life increasingly pure, and seeking heavenly guidance in all that you do. In other words, I pray for you to experience the joy of always thinking celestial.
No one on this earth loves you as He does.
No one here understands you better or really knows your sorrows and weaknesses.
No one on earth has the power that Jesus Christ has.
No one here is more eager for you to become everything you can become.
No one pleads with the Father on your behalf as He does.
If this is all true, and I testify that it is, why would you not honor your covenants? Why live as if He didn't live? Why live as if His power can't help you? Why live any other law than His? Come unto Jesus Christ and take full advantage of His atoning power and influence in your life.
LEADERSHIP
“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.”
Stephen M.R. Covey
A lot of people conflate values (or beliefs) with culture. Writer Ben Horowitz argues against this. He said, "A culture is not a set of beliefs. It is a set of actions. What you do is who you are. It's not what you tweet, it's not what you believe, it's not the values on the wall. It's what you do—that's who you are. That's why (I) don't call them values. (I) call them virtues. Because it's only a thing if you manifest it. If you believe it, it's nothing. If you put it on the wall, it's nothing. If you actually do it, then it's a virtue."
Others can't see our intentions. They can't see our beliefs. They only see our actions. To them, we are our actions.
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman provided this powerful insight: "Neuroscience is different than other aspects of biology because unlike your skeleton or other organs, your nervous system - your brain and all the ways it connects to your body leaves no fossil record... Except what you say, write, and do in this lifetime. Think about that. As much as our emotions, thoughts, and memories occupy our experience of life, it is only the things we do - our actions, that impact others and the world now and afterward."
Two principles to understand and live:
See yourself as others see you. You are what you do.
See others as they see themselves. Look beyond their actions and see into their intentions.
You can give others the benefit of the doubt. You can fight your human nature to judge others solely based on their actions. Think about what their intentions might be. You can put yourself in their shoes. Maybe they wanted to reach out but are just really shy. Maybe they are going through something difficult in their personal life. We never know. So extend graciousness to others and give them the benefit of the doubt.
MENTAL PERFORMANCE
"If you really want to be the best you can be, and you really will commit to it, and you won't listen to the naysayers, and you won't let adversity slow you down—that's what my story was. I never stopped finding a way to believe. There were moments when I didn't believe, didn't have the confidence, felt down about myself, didn't like the outlook, and was a nonbeliever. But I got over those moments quickly and believed again and fought again. And I mean quickly."
Steve Nash was a skinny, small guard from Canada. If you saw him you wouldn't even think he played basketball. Yet, he was a 2x NBA MVP, beating out the likes of Shaq, LeBron, and Kobe for these honors.
If he can accomplish that unimaginable feat, you can accomplish your goals/dreams. The key? Believe in yourself and train your mind like Steve Nash believed in himself and trained his mind.
Treat self-doubt like the plague. Avoid it. If you feel it creep in, do whatever it takes to eliminate it. Your self-doubts are poisonous lies. They are a denial of your divinity. Root them out.
Never stop finding a way to believe and work in a way that is emblematic of that belief.