Opposition and Resistance

It may be strange to have a testimony in opposition and resistance yet it is something in which I strongly believe in. Time and time again I see patterns of the truest things on earth being trampled, disregarded, or argued over. It is evidence that the War in Heaven continues on earth. Satan is obviously fighting and trying to thwart God's plan. He is the reason there is opposition and the reason I believe even more in the things I know to be true. They have to be, or Satan wouldn't put so much work into convincing men otherwise.  

The examples are countless. The following are just some of the things most precious to God which meet the most opposition. 

Marriage and family are under attack. To understand why marriage and family are such a big deal to Satan, you have to understand the Plan of Salvation: God's plan for each of us. As a loving Heavenly Father, God wants us to return to Him. He sent us to earth to get a physical body, something we yearned for so that we could be more like Him, our Eternal Father. He sent us to families, with a mother and a father, where we were most likely to succeed. After proving ourselves on Earth and learning all that we can, it is our quest to return to God. If we follow His commandments and make covenants with Him on Earth, we are able to return to His presence. I'm jumping ahead, but it is important to know that ALL of God's children on Earth will return to some degree of heaven. What degree of heaven we get to enjoy depends on the covenants we keep and the ordinances we perform here on Earth. The highest degree of heavenly glory guarantees that we be with our families for eternity. Did you get that? We are guaranteed to be with our family for all eternity! AND we are promised that we can inherit all that the Father hath. In our quest to return to His presence and become like Him, we can no more become like Him and progress unless we are married, sealed, and bound to our spouse through the ages. Heaven is an extension of earth. We are taught that those who are wicked, shall be wicked still. Those who are righteous, shall remain righteous. So it is with the family. As we are organized here on earth, we will also be organized in heaven. 

The take away message is that eternal marriage is one of the means we have to become like God and the only way we will obtain the highest degree of glory in Heaven. It's no wonder that Satan degrades family morals, wants divorce, encourages premarital sex, places priority outside the home, prevents people from having children, convinces men that homosexuality and immoral behavior is appropriate or even normal. If the family fails, the plan fails, for there is no way to make it back to Him. (Read more: The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

Another topic of argument is that of the Bible. Men believe that we have no need for further scripture or guidance than what was already written. Of course Satan would have us believe that! If the word of God ends with the Bible, the precious mysteries of heaven are forever hidden and revelation has no place. Thinking the Bible is all that we need is like standing under an umbrella when God's blessings are raining around us. In addition to the Bible, we understand more fully Christ's teachings and receive a higher law. We recognize the need and guidance offered through living prophets, which also brings more scripture. Once again, with only the Bible we are missing complete instruction on how to return to God.

For the same reasons, Joseph Smith was met with opposition and hardship his entire life. Knowing how crucial the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ was, Satan tried everything to stop it. From a young age, Joseph contracted typhoid fever and fought the long consequences thereof. In the grove, Satan overcame Joseph and forbade him to speak. Mobs were sent to molest, prisons called his name, and death eventually named him a martyr. The restoration of the gospel is the most important event in our day. Satan knew it too. He met Joseph with affliction and he continues to persecute the true and living church today because he can't stand to see God's work go forth. With the restoration here, he is losing the war. Still, he fights. (Read more: page 25)

Possibly more than any other denomination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints meets opposition, persecution, attention, and ridicule. Why? Because it is true. The church is picked on, made fun of, belittled, and criticized. It is Satan's ploy to prevent God's work from going forward. 

All things good and true stand to meet opposition. The greatest example of all, is that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He knows opposition. Perfect and without sin, he was accused, spat upon, hated, and crucified. The Son of God, he was questioned, disbelieved, and mocked. He of all, is our key to salvation. With Christ Atoning for our sins, fulfilling the will of the Father, and doing all He was foreordained to do, Satan fails. 

And so it is, the battle continues even though Satan has already lost. He fights, and with his war, brings opposition, resistance, persecution, and enmity. It is proof that all he fights against is good and of God. Opposition is real and it testifies of God's work.