Pres. Nelson describes overcoming the world as resisting the “temptation to care more about the things of this world than the things of God.”
He then lists several things to help clarify his statement…
But one stood out to me…
Overcoming the world means “being willing to ‘give away’ even our favorite sins.”
This phrase has caused me to pause and reflect…
What are my favorite sins?
Sins that I maybe don’t think about as sins, but nonetheless distance me from Christ…
Is it an eating habit, a favorite TV show, or how I manage my time?
Is it a familiar thought I allow to play in my head, even though I know it’s not helping me, like, “I just can’t do it all; I’m not enough,” or “I do everything myself,” or “I’m just not perfect enough.”
Or is it a sin of omission, meaning something I should be doing, that I know will draw me closer to Christ, but I keep choosing to not do it.
Like being present with my kids, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally, because I’m preoccupied with social media or on too tight of a schedule.
Or holding a grudge and not being willing to forgive.
Or (for me especially), putting off a coaching session with myself and the spirit. Humm…
**
Part of overcoming the world is to “grow to love God and His Beloved Son more than you love anyone or anything else.” –
Why is this?
Because those working to overcome the world “know that they will be accountable to their Heavenly Father.”
And “those of the world have difficulty with accountability to God .” –Elder Neil L. Andersen
Because being accountable to God means that they must recognize what they are doing is not in accordance with Gods will for them and they need to repent.
If you are working to overcome the world, you no longer resist repenting. In fact, you begin to see it as a liberating and joyful process. J
Christ helps you with this, and He becomes your focus!
Knowing and trusting that because He has overcome the world, He also wants to help you overcome it…
The desire to sin leaves you, because you have hope in Christ, and His ability to help you change.
I’m also grateful to know, this “is not one defining moment in a lifetime, but a lifetime of moments that define an eternity.” –Andersen. (A lifetime of choices that define what eternity will be like for us).
As we ponder, this continual process of 1) recognizing our weaknesses, 2) reconciling those weaknesses with Him, and 3) allowing Him to help us make any needed changes in our lives…
This is a pattern for righteous living.
It’s not that we will be perfect after repenting ‘one more time…’
It’s that we know the process and when we do recognize something off in our lives, we know what to do to make those needed changes.
Step by step, day by day, following this pattern – we come closer to Christ and we grow to love Him more than any favorite sin, or thought.
–How are you at recognizing thoughts that aren’t helping you create the life you really want? I can help you see those thoughts so you can joyfully take steps to make your life better. Message me and we’ll talk.
