Sections 47-51

I would just like to start this post off with saying how grateful I feel to have a strong testimony of the gospel. The things that happened to the saints back in the day are shocking to me. Having false spirits around you and Satan working on you constantly is frightening. I know that we are continually tempted by satan today, but I guess it just sounds worse when you read and hear stories about it. I am also grateful to be going to this school where the Spirit is strong and helps ward off those temptations that are being thrown at as constantly. Anyways, back the the reading. There was good information in this reading on how to discern between the Spirit of the Lord and that of the devil. This is very important information to know because we are being tested all of the time. The saints were new to the idea of bad and good spirits so it seemed that they had a bit of a harder time discerning than we do know. However, Satan is getting more deceiving everyday so it is important to be careful. It was also very interesting to read about the Shakers and the mission that the church did with them. This section relates to modern times really well. Missionaries tell stories all of the time about investigators that know the church is true, yet they can't become truly converted because their old beliefs or habits still play a strong role in their lives. The missionaries tried to teach the shakers as best they could, but they just couldn't get rid of their traditions. Lastly it was good to read about the the role of a bishop and also the law of consecration. A lot of questions get asked about the law of consecration and this section pretty much answers them all. One of the highlights of this section for me was the explanation of why God goves us laws and Elder Richard L. Evans stated, "He has declared his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. This is the ultimate objective. This is the whole purpose of the Gospel he has given." You can't get any clearer than that.