Thursday, February 12, 2009
Peace of Doubt
Recently I have been dealing with a new paradox of spirit. The Paradox of Peace and Doubt. In D&C 6 the Lord tells us that he will speak peace unto our mind and that this peace is the greatest witness of the Lord. We are told that Satan is the author of contention and the institutor of doubt. However, as I have viewed this I also know that the Devil is cunning and we have been taught that the devil will sell us 9 truths to give us one lie. If this is so wouldn’t the Devil remove opposition once we start to follow him, leaving us with a feeling of peace? And doesn’t the Lord give us doubt to allow us to humble ourselves? So how do we know when the peace is from the Lord or the Devil and how do we know when the doubt and contention is from the Devil or the Lord? How do we know? Does anybody out there know?
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First of all, in response to your comment elsewhere, I do read your blog, because it's quality stuff.
ReplyDeleteAs to your questions here. The Lord has specifically said that contention is not from Him. So anytime there's contention, shouldn't be hard to figure out where it comes from.
Doubt is a different matter. It can come from a variety of sources. Lack of knowledge, lack of or loss of faith, confusing or conflicting information. I don't think there's just one answer to that one. Each case is different, and we have to to our best each time to listen to our conscience and whatever inspiration we can get in order to identify the source of the doubt and resolve it if possible.
As to the source of peace, I think that's what the Light of Christ helps us to discern. If we are doing our best to follow what we know to be good and right and remain sensitive to the Spirit's promptings, then we can have some confidence that we'll retain the ability to hear the still small voice when it speaks. I don't think Satan is capable of giving us the real, settled, long-lasting peace that the Holy Ghost can. If we're reasonably sensitive, we should be able to learn to tell the difference.
It's all a process, not a state. Everybody is learning how to do this all the time and is at different points on the path. Doesn't matter so much where you are, what's important is the direction you're facing.
The teacher is on the inside. All other voices are distractions. Listen & follow. You're doing just fine.
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