Because Lucifer lost the War in Heaven, he knows his fate and the fate of his followers. They have been forever denied a physical body and they will never enjoy any of the blessings we enjoy. However, there is still one thing to be decided and it is all up to us. Do we follow Christ to victory and everlasting happiness or do we fall into the traps of Satan and join in his misery?
We know right from wrong. On the whole, members of the Church strive to follow God as taught in their homes and congregations. Satan knows he cannot come into the light of our lives and tempt us to break our covenants outright. He must use his tricks, traps, and intrigue to weaken us. As humans living in a fallen world, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” If we allow ourselves to fall into the traps of Satan, we will find both our spirit and our flesh begins to succumb. We need to detect and avoid the traps Satan is planting constantly in our lives.
“Lucifer is laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God.”
Elder Anthony D. Perkins
1. Fatigue.
Being busy is NOT a commandment, but we often treat it like it is. When you are too busy, you don’t have the time to do the essential, healthy habits like proper sleeping and eating. This produces a state of fatigue; of this cycle, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said:
Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.
While this state of aggravated fatigue is common for everyone, it is especially true for young adults. We are so exhausted by the end of the day that when Satan comes to tempt us we’ve lost our strength to resist. We give Satan the added power of our fatigue and often end up losing a battle against him. Sometimes, we must cut out good things so that we can focus on the best ways to take care of ourselves and strengthen our body and spirit.
“We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.” – Elder Dallin H. Oaks
2. Darkness. (Click for more)
