SATAN's "To-Do" LIST

Every single day, Satan's "To-Do" list includes:

Thwart
Confuse
Distract
Mislead
Discourage
Frighten
(Repeat)

Therefore -- PUT ON the "Whole Armour of God"!

This is one of my favorite scriptures below (Ephesians 6, in the New Testament), where Paul talks about why we need to do that:

The Whole Armour of God

People may not want God's help (because "they can do it on their own"), but they NEED His protection from unseen forces at work.  That protection comes from God when we believe in the truth and are walking on the right path WITH Him.

Teach your children not to be afraid, but to be AWARE that while here on earth, we will be tempted to do things that will lead us to unhappiness.  Those things might look, sound or feel enticing, but they will not lead us toward God.

We need to "hold on to the iron rod", which is the word of God, and obey His words.

In the Book of Mormon, Lehi tells his family about seeing a rod of iron that went along a path that lead to a beautiful tree (the Tree of Life) which has delicious fruit.

Many people were on the path to the tree, however, there a great mist of darkness arose, and many people lost their way and wandered off the path. Those who were clinging to the iron rod (the word of God) made it safely to the tree.

Lehi's story was an example of our journey toward God.  We must hold tightly to the Word of God (by studying and obeying) so that we don't get lost.

Here's the story in 1Nephi 8 (in the Book of Mormon):

The Tree of Life Vision (in the scriptures)

Here's a painting of "The Tree of Life".  I like it because to me, it focuses on my journey to The Tree of Life, and not on what anyone else is doing.

Painting of The Tree of Life