the way to happiness

"But behold, it was appointed unto man to die-therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life, they should be cut off from the face of the earth--and man became lost forever, yea, they became fallen man, And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will. Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness. Therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death. Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state." Alma 42:6-10

All humans born on Earth suffer spiritual and physical death. Physical death is separation between body and spirit. Spiritual death is separation from God. Free Agency allows us to make choices during our probationary state. The test is to see what master we will follow, Jesus Christ or Satan.


"For they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of ALL MANKIND becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good subjecting themselves to the devil. Thus all mankind were lost; and behold they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state. But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore, his is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God." Mosiah 16:3-5

Carnal means that things of the world are of more value than things of God. Sensual is all about fun; fun is more valuable than eternal joy. Devilish implies listening to and following the ways of Satan rather than God. Jesus Christ offers us a way out of our sinful nature. Certainly, the idea to eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die is enticing. However, in the end this philosophy will bring eternal sadness and regret. Youth drink and drug, pierce and tattoo, and engage in all manner of licentious, even dangerous behavior with no thought for tomorrow. Some see the errors of their ways before it is too late. But all too often we see homelessness, disease, loneliness, broken homes, and broken lives as the result. Not to mention sagging skin pierced and tattooed looks anything but attractive. Satan is a lair, tempting us with carrots of fun into chains of addiction and worse. The only way to happiness and freedom is to follow God's commandments. Contrary to Satan's lies, they are the opposite of restricting, they are the way to happiness.

"Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be, save they should rely on this Redeemer." 1 Nephi 10:6

"And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, must be born again; yea born of god, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a stat of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters." Mosiah 27:25

Until a person draws his last breath, it is possible to change from carnal, sensual, and devilish into a righteous being. But how?

"For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him even as a child doth submit to his father." Mosiah 3:19

1. Yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is sent by our loving Heavenly Father to guide us again and again to Him if we will only listen. Will we listen?

"And behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold, I have many kindreds and friends, and I have also acquired much riches by the hand of my industry. Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power, I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people. Nevertheless, i did harden my heart, FOR I WAS CALLED MANY TIMES AND I WOULD NOT HEAR: therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart ..." Alma 10:4-6

2. Put off the natural man and become a saint through the atonement of Christ. This means to strive to follow the example of His life, to walk as

He walked, and to live His commandments. Peter tells us how to become saints and partake of Christ's atonement.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38

And so it is today, repent, be baptized, and be led by the Holy Ghost. Baptism must come by one of authority, one who holds the holy priesthood of God. If this were not so, every infant given a bath after birth would be baptized. No?

3. Be childlike-submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, and willing to submit.This is the key that so many refuse to acknowledge. Over and again Jesus told us to follow Him as a child follows the parent. The natural man desires feel-good, addictive substances and activities, which never lead to happiness. How often have we heard of wealthy people who commit suicide. All their decedent food, fancy possessions, wild parties, and piles of money did not bring them joy. And joy is what we all seek. It's not that wealth in itself brings misery. On the contrary, much good in the world comes from philanthropy. It is how we use the blessings God sends to bless others or indulge ourselves that makes the difference. All our gifts should be used to bless. We should accept blessings and trials alike for the good they will do us and those around us. Probably the hardest part is enduring trials to the end.

It is very helpful to change the environment of a drug addict--True. But even more important, the heart must be changed. Although I've never been a drug addict, I have changed my environment many times, living in Phoenix, Seattle, Oahu, and Southern Utah. Interestingly, I've had the same troubles in matter what the size of my house, climate, or culture of the people around me. Until I decided to change my attitude and follow Jesus with all my heart, I ran into difficulty.

Satan has tricked a good many people into thinking that all we need to do is acknowledge Jesus as Savior. While this is a huge and necessary part of the plan, an equally important part is the changing of the heart and embracing of Jesus example as our goal. Satan wants us to believe that it is alright to sin if we love Jesus. Not true. Sin is sin and always will be sin. The evil one loves us to fall for this one. Certainly, we cannot buy ourselves a place in heaven with good behavior. However, we are commanded to continually strive to live the commandments and repent, when we fall short.

The way to happiness is Jesus, living as He did, and following in His way.