Blank-ity Blank Blank

Fill in the blanks:

And now it came to pass after some years had passed away, there came a man among the people of _____, whose name was _____.  And it came to pass that he began to preach among the people, and to declare unto them that there should be no _____.   And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might _____.  And he labored diligently that he might _____, insomuch that he did lead away many hearts; and he knowing that I, _____, had faith in _____, he sought much opportunity that he might come unto me.  And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech.  And he had hope to shake me from the faith. (Jacob 7:1-5)

I can actually think of a few different ways to fill in those blanks.  I'm sure it's different for everyone, depending on their core beliefs, but there is almost always someone that we interact with on a regular basis whom any one of us could use to complete this scenario.  There are those people who will try to use flattery or eloquent speech to make us question our beliefs.  To some, it's sport.  To others, it may be a way to further advance their own agenda.  How we respond to these people says much about our character and how firmly our values are ingrained in our hearts.

Now fill in these blanks:

For I truly _____ and _____.  And also, I _____.  Wherefore, I could not be shaken.

Here's how Jacob filled those blanks:

...for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me.  And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken. (Jacob 7:5) 

Now, I have never seen angels, nor have I heard the voice of the Lord.  But there are things in my life that have given me unshakable beliefs and values.  Here is just one way that I could complete the above phrase:

For I truly have seen the majesty of the mountains and the vastness of the oceans.  And also, I have seen the miracle of a baby's first breath.  Wherefore, I can not be shaken from my knowledge of God's love.

There are countless ways to fill in those blanks - different for all of us.  The point is that, whatever our core beliefs - whatever our morals or values - unless we are prepared to defend them, they mean nothing.  If we can be shaken by someone eloquent in speech or someone who speaks with much flattery or someone with a lot of knowledge, we must go back and examine our personal values.  We have to keep working on ourselves until we are confident that we can stand tall, and not be shaken.

Click here to read what I read today!