Building a strong spiritual foundation

One of my favorite scriptural analogies is comparing the process of constructing physical buildings to what it takes to Build a Fortress of Spirituality and Protection...

• Both need blueprints or instructions to be constructed properly.
• Both are built to a standard that will withstand outside forces that would damage them.
• Both need regular upkeep/upgrades to maintain their strength and integrity.
• Both are built to be places of safety and refuge from the storms of life.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ gives us the spiritual blueprints we need to build a strong spiritual foundation. The foundational principles He emphasizes in Matthew 6&7 are…

• Giving service (Matt 6:1-4)
• Prayer (Matt 6:5-13, 7:7-8)
• Humility (Matt 6:8-10)
• Forgiveness (Matt 6: 14-15)
• Fasting (Matt 6:16-18)
• Putting God first in our lives (Matt 6:19-24, 33, 7:21-23)
• Faith and trust in God (Matt 6:25-34)
• Righteous judging (Matt 7:1-5, 15-20)
• Kindness (Matt 7:12)
• Make covenants with God (Matt 7:13-14)
• Obedience (Matt 7:24-27)

It is no coincidence that Jesus gives the example of the foundations of the wise man and the foolish man (Matt 7:24-27) at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, thus emphasizing the importance of using all the principles He just taught in order to build our spiritual foundations upon solid ground.

In the October 2021 General Conference, Pres. Nelson gave a talk entitled The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation. In this talk he used the same analogy as Christ did when he compared the physical structure of the Salt Lake Temple to our own personal spiritual strength.  He states: "it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures - perhaps measures we have never taken before-to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures." If we feel like our spirit is in need of some strengthening, we can look to Christ's Sermon on the Mount for inspiration regarding where we can improve on our journey to become more like Him. 

Insights from the temptations of Christ

There were so many lessons to learn this week while studying the temptations of Christ in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. I will share just three of my big take-aways.

1. Identity: previous to this study, I had learned that the temptations of Christ could fit into three different categories; appetites, pride and power. What I realized this time while studying is that there was a fourth temptation-that of questioning our divine identity. Twice, while Satan is speaking to Christ, he starts with the phrase "If thou be the Son of God" (Matt 4:3,6). Attacking our identity and tempting us to question who we are is a tactic Satan continues to use against us today. In a recent YSA Devotional Pres. Nelson said "I believe that if  the Lord were speaking to you directly tonight, the first thing He would make sure you understand is your true identity...you are literally spirit children of God...But is that eternal truth imprinted upon your heart? Has this truth rescued you when confronted with temptation?" (Choices for Eternity) Just like Christ, we can also have the strength to resist temptation when we know and embrace the truth of our divine identity.
2. Scriptures: Knowing that Christ was able to combat temptation by quoting scripture is a powerful lesson that we can each internalize. While speaking to seminary and institute teachers, Elder Rasband counseled them to "help students identify a ‘protection scripture,’" one they can call to mind when they are in a perilous situation or need the strength to step away." (Jesus Christ is the Answer). I loved this idea and when I thought about what my "protection scripture" could be, I had one come to mind right away. Do you have a protection scripture? Maybe you have several. But just like Christ, we can use the words of the scriptures to help us overcome temptation.
3. Look Down, Look Up: in several Come, Follow Me podcasts I listened to this week, the hosts pointed out that when you read these scriptures closely you'll notice that Satan is always trying to bring Christ down (i.e. cast thyself down) while the Spirit is lifting Christ to higher ground (JST writes that the Spirit taketh him up). We can liken this to ourselves by realizing that when we are having thoughts and feelings that bring us down we can know that those are coming from Satan. In contrast, feelings that come from the Spirit will be lifting us to higher and holier places. 

I like knowing that when I am feeling the influence of Satan in my life I can turn away from these negative influences by: 1) remembering my divine identity (singing the words "I am a child of God") and 2) repeating my protection scripture to myself. As I've had times of struggle and moments of weakness this week, I would repeat my protection scripture to myself, and I can testify that an immediate sense of hope, light and peace entered my mind and my heart as I repeated those words in my mind. I know that the words of Christ have the power to raise our sights and lift us to higher ground.