I have been thinking about the ten commandants. The first five seems to point our minds to the objective, while the last five seem to point our minds about what we should avoid. The tricky part is that the last five commandments are backwards in order from worse to least worse. Here is a summary to remind you:
- Kill
- Adultery
- Steal
- Bare False Witness
- Covet
Think about it, the source of all sin begins with coveting. Covet leads to lies at first. You cover your sins, or unrighteous desires, or you rebel against that which you know is true by justifying the sin (you lie to yourself.) Stealing naturally follows lying. You may steal someones innocence through p*rnography, physical abuse, discrimination, or smearing someones name. Either way stealing is far more than taking that which is not yours. It can include taking light away as well. It is always for your own purposes that you steel. Adultery adds to stealing, and causes the sinner to become more and more past feeling until violence and murder becomes an option. Today, violence is practiced in sport, gaming, entertainment, even role models are cast as having the “tough guy” attitude. Death is portrayed as common. Here are the the sins in regressive order:
- Covet
- False Witness
- Stealing
- Adultery
- Murder
Those who have regressed down this path have not done so alone. We are all children of our Heavenly Father and it is not in our character to follow this path. If we have fallen on this path it is because over time we have regressed here with the help of spirits. We are constantly battling between two masters: God and everything else. What is surprising is that for every increasingly regressive step there is a darker spirit type that you give permission to accompany you, until you become a murderer, and take an innocent life.
Most times when I read the scriptures I have kind of grouped them all together, but for some reason, I have been able to make a finer distinction that I believe may help us understand how we can win the battle we may be facing. I’ll list the distinction in spirits that I have discovered in regressive order, as I understand them. Notice that I have no scriptural quotes so far, so you’ll have to reflect upon the matter and seek confirmation from the Holy Ghost, or just ignore the whole matter all together. Your choice. Here it is:
- Covetous Spirit (D&C 117:4-Covet)
- False Spirits (2 Nephi 28:9-Bear False Witness)
- Unclean Spirits (Luke 4:33-Steal)
- Evil Spirits (2 Nephi 32:8-Adultery)
- Devils (1 Nephi 11:31-Kill)
Devils are spirits that follow Satan, who desire that you are as miserable as they are. They desire that you either take another’s life, or better yet, that you take your own life. Life has little value to those who are possessed with Devils.
Evil Spirits are what causes men to become dark and self centered. This spirit teaches a man not to pray. There is no accountability for ones actions. They know it’s wrong, but as long as they can get away with it, no one can stop them. They sin openly, yet are secretive about manipulating others (secret combinations). The subject is engrossed in the sin that there is no reality aside from their warped perception. These are the people in the large and spacious building that treat others like slaves to their gratification. The only value another life has is to serve them. The Kings of Sodom and Gumorah where this way. They told Abraham that he could keep all the gold and stuff, just give us back the people. The wicked Zoramites commanded Alma and Amulek to force the poor Zoramites whom they kicked out of their synagogues to return, so that they would have slaves. Likewise, King Noah taxed the people 20% to lift himself up for his selfish reasons and to continue to live an adulterous life style. Eventually, we find King Noah burning Abinidi at the steak (murder).
Unclean Spiritsare what drives a person to the gateway sins of p*rnography, alcohol, drugs, shoplifting, fraud, etc. The stimuli of this spirit encourages and distracts the person to make excuses for knowingly rebelling. They ask, “How can it be wrong, when it feels so right?” The results of having lengthy company with unclean spirits is becoming past feeling and developing bad habits that create momentum. Soon, the habits engulf your entire life.
False Spiritsare the white lies we use to justify a little sin. We tell partial truths to cover up our vanity, worldly desires, mistakes, etc. The objective is to hide the desire for sin and to divert any accountability somewhere else.
Covetous Spiritsare spirits that are planted in the heart that is set upon the things of this world and aspire to the honors of men. They have lustful hearts.
So what’s the point?
Mormon 9:24-25
“24. And these signs shall follow them that believe- in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover;
25. And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.”
If we are to become men with power to heal, then we must understand what type of spirit we are casting out. Perhaps it is important to catch covetous spirit while at a young age so that it won’t be so difficult to deal with an evil spirit or devil that has gained momentum. As well, we can reflect upon our own life and seek blessings in faith for such spirits to be cast out of ourselves so that we may have less resistance to light, so that we may be brought back into the presence of Christ.
The more I contemplate the words of Christ, the more I realize that the scriptures are literal and not just symbolic or figurative. That is why Nephi claims that he has spoken in plainness, even as plain as word can be.
As we are able to recognize and cast out dark spirits, more room will be available for spirits of revelation, of light. The more experience with spirits of light, the more we are sanctified, until Christ justify’s us and redeems us.
