Following Which Leader?

“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.”

3 Nephi 11: 29-30

Anyone who is attempting to constantly work you into a frenzy of anger and keep you there does not have your best interest in mind. They are doing it to help themselves in some way.

Among those reasons:

  • They are trying to get you to vote for them, or better yet to donate to their campaign.
  • They are trying to get you to do something wrong that they want done.
  • They are trying to earn social credit/build followers.
  • They are trying to get eyeballs on their website so they can charge more for ads.
  • They are trying to excuse their own wrong behavior.
  • They are sheepishly following someone else who has one of these aims.

Now, they will always tell you something different, like, “I’m trying to get people angry so that they open their eyes and we can start a national dialogue.” However, no amount of angry shouting has ever opened up a useful conversation.

When you are angry or scared, you are easier to manipulate, and the devil is using people’s very real pain as a way to manipulate them into escalating contentions.

God, on the other hand, changes hearts and minds through longsuffering and kindness.

As you go about your daily business, evaluate what people are telling you. Ask yourself: Am I being manipulated? Or am I being taught by the spirit and invited to change?

In the end, what leader are you following? God, or the enemy of all righteousness?

Posted 07/20/2020