How Do You Know?

We are faced each day with the need to figure out what is good and what is evil.

If we judge incorrectly our lives can get messed up. If we judge correctly everything goes better. Given the importance of getting it right, it’s helpful to understand how.

Moroni said it’s very clear and straightforward to judge correctly between good and evil. “The way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.”

And here is how to do it: “every thing which inviteth to good and persuadeth to believe in Christ” is good. “Whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God” is of the devil and evil.

I asked my seminary class what specific areas in their life would it be helpful to apply what Moroni is teaching. They all strongly agreed that they should apply it to their friends. And the other was school.

- Moroni 7:14-17

Determined to be Bad

If you’ve ever wanted to be bad, really bad, think about what happened to these two guys, Coriantumr and Shiz.

They fought literally to the death and caused the death of millions of people in wars just because they chose to be bad and wouldn’t stop being bad.

Coriantumr actually tried a couple times to fix things up but he just went right back to his bad ways.

“He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly two millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart… and [he] repented not of [his] iniquity.”

Being determined to be bad, is bad.

- Ether 15:1-34

Faith Gets Results

To get something you desire you first need faith. Faith first, results second.

There is no cost in choosing to believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior. If you first choose to have faith that he is then you will receive witnesses that bear it out and confirm it.

Some examples of faith as articulated by Moroni:

• Law of Moses given after faith.
• By faith Alma and Amulek caused the prison to fall.
• By faith Nephi and Lehi converted the Lamanites.
• By faith Ammon and his brothers changed the hearts of the Lamanites.
• By faith the brother of Jared saw the Lord.

What great thing do you desire, what result are you looking for? First have faith.

- Ether 12:7-20

Use Your Intelligence, Think!

Use your intelligence. As long as we have it, we ought to use it.

Suppose you are asked by God to accomplish something difficult, like take a group of 50 people across the ocean in small boats that are sealed shut so the water can’t come in during huge storms.

You recognize two major problems. First, you’ll run out of air and suffocate and second, you can’t see anything in the pitch black.

So you ask God to help you solve those problems. He gives you the solution to the first problem but doesn’t even address the second one.

You ask again. He agrees with you that having no light is a problem, and expounds on why, and then asks you what you want him to do about it.

Have you ever asked God for help and it seemed like you weren’t getting an answer, he wasn’t telling you what to do? Sometimes he wants us to use our reasoning and intelligence to figure it out.

This is exactly what happened to ‘the brother of Jared’. And figure it out he did!

- Ether 2:19-25; 3:1-5