Double Edged Sword

Try the pleasing word of God, it is quick and powerful, sharper than a two edged sword--in fact even more powerful than the sword!

But be careful with the double edged blade. Its cuts are painful when we don’t live up to our covenants. Then we are under the tempters power and he desires that we are miserable like unto himself.

Eventually we may even become numb to his misery. Like the hiker, lost and exposed to the elements, we stop fighting and just want to sleep. What we don’t realize is that we are lost in a forest and what we are really fighting off is death.

The coma that comes before the death may seem tranquil. We may even feel a sense of freedom, fun and relaxation, and even for decades of our lives, for some comas last a long time.  But those in a coma, and on life support, may tragically never wake up. They may be so far gone and so far past feeling, that their chances of coming out of a coma are very slim.

But sleep feels so good. Just let me close my eyes for one minute I am so cold and so tired. Just let me rest and nap for a second then I will try to build a snow cave, or a camp fire or call for help.

Awake and shake off the sin. Arise from the dust and be men. Awake from those awful chains of hell before hell consumes you. Rise up O men of God!

"Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word" Alma 5:7.

The hypothermia that is setting in is the mist of darkness before the coma and before you freeze to death. At that point in your spiritual survival you aren’t thinking correctly, you are disoriented. You are hallucinating and making critical mistakes. Find the sense to listen and follow the still small voice, one last time, or you will lose that compass of direction entirely.

There is a rain of relief that comes after a spiritual drought and emotional starvation.  Humility is reached when we realize that the famine was our fault not His. Humility is reached when we don’t have to lie to anyone about anything, especially to ourselves.  The wicked take the truth to be hard, not because God is trying to be mean. His chastisement is really a loving fire alarm, trying to warn us that the upcoming problem is more painful and harder than the warning signs.  Don't punish the messenger. Don't punish the smoke detectors by yanking them out of the ceiling. They are going off because they are trying to tell you something.  Even if that something is just that your spiritual batteries are low or your spiritual batteries are dead and you're going to need those batteries for what lies ahead.  Rejoice in Christ, rejoice in the truth.  Don’t be like the wicked who take the truth to be hard, but be like the righteous that receiveth it with
gladness!