Concept #1 - Live Up To What You Know

The foundation must be solid, then all things build on it. This stuff isn't for those new to the LDS faith. There is nothing here that I am embarrassed about or ashamed of, but I don't want to have to re-hash the importance of baptism. I will assume that the readers have a solid, not a cursory understanding of the church. Later on we will be talking about temples, veils, covenants, alters, signs, priesthoods and a whole lot of other stuff that I simply don't want to have to explain the basics.

First we will use the standard LDS scriptures. Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. The discussions will focus on the OT but we will look at examples and references from all over. I will quote outside sources and try to be as accurate as I can, but remember, this is simply a hobby for me, so I might not be right 100% of the time. (well, I always believe I am right 100% of the time but the IRS, Wife, clerk at the Quick Trip, have on rare occasion proved otherwise...)

Let us begin.

There are several topics here, and I will try to keep them at a minimum.
Concept 1 - You must live up to what you know.

No matter what, it is my belief that you have to be living up to what you know. If you know the word of wisdom but don't live it, then you will not have as much light (spirit) about you as you might otherwise enjoy. You might be smart, clever, intelligent, even happy! But if you don't live up to what you know, as best you can, you don't have as much light and spiritual knowledge.

It is that simple. "There is a law irrevocably decreed before the foundations of this world and when we obtain any blessing from God it is by obedience to that law upon which it was predicated." (citation needed). One of those laws is that you must live up to what you are given. Where much is given, much is expected. Remember that the lord wants to reveal the mysteries to us in full, but we limit ourselves via

Lack of faith (remember Laman and Lemuel... "... the Lord maketh known no such thing unto us....") This is a common error. We are limited to what we can learn by ourselves.

Alma 12:10-11
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.

Hello? Did you just read that ... we can (really really!) know the mysteries of God! I love that! KNOW THEM IN FULL! We must not think that God is silent... He isn't. We may not hear Him, but it isn't because He has stoped talking.

Lack of obedience (think Laman and Lemuel on the ship when they tied Nephi up... The compass (Holy Ghost) quit working.

D&C 29:40
40 Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment, wherein he became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation

When you sin you, me, us, them, become "subject to the will of the devil!" We are then under his influence and power. He says it in the temple, but we sometimes take it too lightly.

Lack of desire (that's the really bad one...). We have "....esteemed lightly things we ought not..."; Think the church under condemnation for not diving into the Book of Mormon...

If we don't do what we know, then we are walking (at least partially) in darkness. We are spiritually blind and spiritually deaf. I'm not joking here... think spiritual Helen Keller! We loose the ability to see and hear and we are then very, very alone. It is possible to be successful in THIS world without light. It is NOT possible to understand spiritual things with out light