In my study this week I began researching overcoming the natural man and ended up with finding the antidote to warring between our flesh and spirit is to labor for Zion.
It all started with this scripture about the Saviour being tempted of the flesh and overcoming temptations due to His flesh becoming subject to his spirit.
Mosiah 15:5 is Abinadi speaking to the wicked King Noah and his priests, teaching them about Jesus Christ:
And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
Elder Christofferson taught
Becoming one in Christ happens one by one—we each begin with ourselves. We are dual beings of flesh and spirit and are sometimes at war within ourselves. As Paul expressed: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man; “But I see another law in [the] members [of my body], warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” Jesus was also a being of flesh and spirit. He was tested; He understands; He can help us achieve unity within. Therefore, drawing upon the light and the grace of Christ, we strive to give our spirit—and the Holy Spirit—dominance over the physical. And when we fall short, Christ, by His Atonement, has given us the gift of repentance and the opportunity to try again. If individually we each “put on Christ,” then together we can hope to become one, as Paul said, “the body of Christ.”....Therefore, our goal is “that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
So how can we have unity and Labor for Zion as a group if we don't have unity within?
The natural man is an enemy to God. In the guide to the Scriptures we read that the natural man is a person who chooses to be influenced by the passions, desires, appetites, and senses of the flesh rather than by the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Satan works on this tempting us to give into these influences. When we yield to the flesh, we yield to Satan.
Mosiah 3:19
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.
President Nelson taught us, It takes persistent, rigorous spiritual work to repent and to put off the natural man through the Atonement of Jesus Christ….. When you are faced with temptation—even if the temptation comes when you are exhausted or feeling alone or misunderstood—imagine the courage you can muster as you choose to let God prevail in your life and as you plead with Him to strengthen you.(Oct 2020)
In President Nelson's address last month he said
"As you think celestial, you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency. Any addiction—be it gaming, gambling, debt, drugs, alcohol, anger, pornography, sex, or even food—offends God. Why? Because your obsession becomes your god. You look to it rather than to Him for solace."
This year I've struggled with overindulgence in food, especially junk food and sugar. I can recognise that this year has been a challenge and I am looking to eat instead of dealing with my emotions. I'm also relying on sugar to sweeten my day. I can sense my body warring within, flesh against spirit. I can tell by my weight increase which has been winning. I know I need to look to God rather than look for solace in food.
Pres Nelson encouraged us to overcome the world, in Oct 2022 he said: "What does it mean to overcome the world? It means overcoming the temptation to care more about the things of this world than the things of God. It means trusting the doctrine of Christ more than the philosophies of men. It means delighting in truth, denouncing deception, and becoming “humble followers of Christ.” It means choosing to refrain from anything that drives the Spirit away. It means being willing to “give away” even our favorite sins."
It's been a year since that conference address and from time to time I've pondered upon what my favourite sin might be, it's only this week that I've realised this is my favourite sin. I love to eat, many of us love to eat and eating is not a sin, but its when the love of food becomes abuse to our body that it becomes a sin. When we use food (or whatever our vice might be) as a crutch instead of the atonement of Jesus Christ, then we are relying on our appetites and senses of the flesh, rather than the spirit of God to heal and help us.
President Nelson then went on to say,
"Now, overcoming the world certainly does not mean becoming perfect in this life, nor does it mean that your problems will magically evaporate—because they won’t. And it does not mean that you won’t still make mistakes. But overcoming the world does mean that your resistance to sin will increase. Your heart will soften as your faith in Jesus Christ increases. Overcoming the world means growing to love God and His Beloved Son more than you love anyone or anything else."
In 2 Peter 1, we find Peter urging the Saints to have their Calling and Election Made Sure and we learn that temperance is one of the steps leading to this blessing. Temperance means self-mastery, self control or self discipline. In D&C 12:8 we learn that those who want to assist in the work must be temperate in all things
In Alma 7:23, Alma instructs the people of Gideon
And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
Here we are taught that we can ask God to help us in all things. I know as I plead for the Lord to help me overcome this weakness and as I let God prevail in my life I do receive greater strength to resist temptation. I know of the power of fasting, this week as Ive fasted and pleaded for help and healing, I have received it. I know fasting brings us spiritual and temporal blessings. Have you ever noticed how much energy and brain power we have when fasting? I love to do my study and write my insights in the mornings while still in a fasted state. It is my experience that fasting enables the principle of revelation and food comas inhibit this growth. This week as Ive repented and acted in faith to develop temperance, the Lord has helped me be more mindful and deliberate with my food consumption. Eating has become a sacred experience as I've put off the natural man and chosen with care and gratitude to the Lord for the delicious and healthy food Ive been given. This is my favourite BoM scripture of the power of fasting
Heleman 3:35
Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.
Overindulgence in food leads to a sedentary life and an obsession in our next food fix. Satan will tempt us to have an excessive attachment to food, in particular unhealthy food which leads to brain fog, health issues, tiredness, gluttony, and inactivity.
There are quite a few scriptures showing the connection between laziness and idolatry. Idolatry includes an excessive attachment to anything that isn't from God. The Lamanites were a lazy and idolatrous people who desired to glut themselves off the labor of the Nephites (Mosiah 9:12)
D&C 52:39 teaches that we must labor with our own hands that there be no idolatry nor wickedness practised.
D&C 56:17 warns, wo to those whose eyes are full of greediness and who will not Labor with your own hands.
Alma 23:18 teaches that once the Nephites became a very industrious people that the curse of God no longer followed them.
Alma 34:32 reads
For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
And Ether 10 finds as the Jaredites were exceedingly industrious, "never could be a people more blessed than were they, and more prospered by the hand of the Lord." (Verse 28)
To be industrious is to be actively engaged in a good cause and to bring to pass much righteousness(D&C 58:27) ….that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord’s storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church— Every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God. (D&C 82:18-19)
How can we improve upon our talents except we are industrious? To achieve this outcome we need to examine ourselves, avoid idolatry by turning to God and act in temperance with much diligence.
President Nelson taught in April that charity is the spiritual gift that helps us to cast off the natural man. Thus we need to be aware of the warring within ourselves and fast and pray with all the energy of our hearts to 'put on Christ'. When we labor for Zion, we actively engage in seeking the interest of our fellow man and becoming one in Christ. As we yield our hearts to God, the Holy Ghost will purify and sanctify us until our souls are filled with power and joy. I know as we do this, we can overcome the natural man and prepare for Zion. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen
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