JESUS CHRIST: POWER OVER DEVILS

Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

--Acts 19:15

People, good and evil, know Jesus, but some have just forgotten. All of us knew Him in the pre-mortal life, and there we followed Him. Here on earth satan and his evil spirit seeks to enter our bodies so that he can have a body, but in reality, he and the third who followed him will never obtain a physical body and gain eternal life. He and his evil spirits will inherit outer darkness throughout eternity. Today, evil spirits enter into people and influence them to do evil, to go and live and think contrary to God’s gospel, laws, and commandments. Evil spirits know Jesus and obey Him. When Jesus cast out evil spirits from people, the evil spirits even spoke back to Jesus and then departed as Jesus commanded. Jesus is all knowing and all powerful.

JESUS CHRIST: LITTLE CHILDREN REDEEMED

Jesus Saves Little Children

God the Father said, “But behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten; Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me.

--Doctrine and Covenants 29:46-47

Little children cannot sin because Satan doesn’t have power to tempt little children to do wrong. When they arrive at the age of accountability, then satan can tempt them to choose the right or wrong. Little children are automatically redeemed through Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father. It is a gift from God.

JESUS CHRIST: ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2)

We are God’s children. We have all sinned and continue to violate the laws and statutes of God daily, whether it be within the realm of sins of commission or sins of omission. Either way, we need some way and someone to champion our cause, the strait and narrow way of Christ-like living. Jesus Christ is this champion, this advocate with the Father that we need to reconcile us to the Father. Jesus is our support during our trials in mortality. He is the propitiation for our sins; in other words, He restores the peace of God back to us after our departure from the perfect ways of God and brings us back to Him. Jesus advocates or fights our battles with satan. Satan, Lucifer, seeks to destroy us and tear us down, to make us miserable as he is.

GRACE: Christ seeks to support and sustain us, to lift us up. “It is by grace that we are saved after all we can do” (See 2 Nephi 25:23). Grace is divine assistance, Godly help. After all we can do, Christ comes to us and gives us grace. If we stray away from Him, His grace goes away from us in proportion. If we strive to follow Him and obey Him 100% of the time, then His grace is sufficient for us to live and enjoy the abundant life, the type of life He is pleased with. Qualify for the grace of Christ by living the obedient life.

THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST

1 Peter 1:18-20

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Apostle Neil A. Maxwell

Neil A. Maxwell delivered a tremendous discourse about "Applying the Atoning Blood of Christ." See it here in detail.

Jesus Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world to be our Savior, Redeemer and Mediator. He is the Firstborn of the Father in the pre-mortal life and the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. Redemption comes through the shedding of Christ’s precious blood, and not by worldly things like silver and gold. Jesus overcame the world.

In the pre-mortal life, Jesus volunteered to be our Savior, and the Father selected Him; whereupon, satan rebelled. Here is where the war in heaven occurred between Michael (Adam) joined by other righteous spirits and the dragon, known as the Devil and Satan, along with other evil spirits. Because of satan’s rebellion, satan and one third of the hosts of heaven were cast out of heaven down to the earth as evil spirits (See Revelation 12:7-11 for the War in Heaven).

Jesus lives, and He loves. He stands at the door of our souls and knocks. It is up to up to open and let Him enter into our lives.

Jesus Christ: The Perfect Leader

2 Samuel 23:3

The Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear (reverence) of God.

Jesus Christ was and is the perfect leader. He spoke and  communicated with  mankind in the past and continues to speak to us today. He informs us that leaders must be righteous people, that they must be just and true, acting with no hypocrisy nor guile. “When the wicked rule, the people mourn.” Wicked leaders make wicked laws; therefore, leading souls to sin and personal destruction. Wicked leaders will be held in strict accountability for the evil laws they make and pass that lead people to sin. “Right is right, even if everyone is against it. Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it” (William Penn).

Jesus was the perfect leader, and we must strive to follow His leadership example regardless of the leadership position we are in, whether it be husband, wife, president, secretary, supervisor, teacher, doctor, sargent, policeman, coach, senator, or any other lead role. Wicked leaders must be replaced with good and upright souls in order to follow the command or our Lord and Savior; otherwise, these wicked leaders will perish.

A leader, political or religious or any other,  must believe in God, be honorable and moral,  and live by His commandments best he can. There is no place for the unbelieving leader. Satan possesses many leaders’ hearts to get them to sin and lead others astray, and he is succeeding.

May we seek to be just and moral, virtuous and noble leaders to pattern our leadership after Christ, the ideal leader. If we are anything less than that, then we are falling short and will suffer in the short and long run. Lead and succeed in helping others come unto Christ and be saved in eternal exaltation with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, family and friends.