As we pursue our quest of Eternal Life, we are not alone. The Lord has given us spiritual influences to assist and protect us. The Light of Christ The Apostle John recorded in his Gospel that every person is born into mortality with an accompanying influence from Jesus Christ. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9) We refer to this influence as our conscience, an intuitive recognition of right and wrong. It is significant that our Heavenly Father, realizing that we would be going to a world of wickedness, gave us protection and strength in the form of a spiritual influence, an influence known among Latter-day Saints as the Light of Christ. The Holy Ghost Even though we were given the Light of Christ at our birth, Heavenly Father also gave us an additional spiritual influence, the companionship of the Holy Ghost. We became eligible to receive the Holy Ghost when we were confirmed members of the Church; the statement was made that we might "receive the Holy Ghost". In addition to our confirmation, we receive each week as we partake of the Sacrament, an indication that we may receive the Holy Ghost. The Priests pray that the bread and water will be blessed for the souls of those partaking of it. They end both prayers with an assertion that we may have the Spirit of the Lord with us. The sacredness of the Sacrament implies the importance of having the Spirit with us. The Influence of Satan In addition to the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost, there is another influence that may be with us. This influence doesn't come from God. Instead, it comes from Satan. We all have had times when Satan has influenced our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Good and Evil Influences Can Not Coexist The Lord taught Adam that people who are unclean can not be in the presence of God. Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence..... (Moses 6:57) This scripture implies that Satan can not dwell with God, for Satan is the author of unclean things. This scripture also implies that influences from Satan can not coexist with influences from God. There Is No Vacuum If we disobey God and do not repent, he withdraws his Spirit from us. This withdrawal would leave us in a spiritual vacuum. However, there is, I believe, no such spiritual vacuum. I believe that as the Spirit removes itself from us, Satan fills the void with his spirit. That is, to the degree we lose the Spirit of the Lord, to that degree we gain the spirit of the devil. This means that we will flip back and forth between the two spiritual influences, a condition that is unstable and will lead to further eroding of our spiritual relationship with our Father in Heaven. Removing Temptations of Satan I think all of us try to remove temptations of Satan from our lives. We try to stay away from places and situations that would allow us to be tempted. We try to avoid the use of bad language and pornographic material. We try to avoid friends who would "lead us astray". The problem with doing these things is that they, by themselves, don't work very well. Notice that every example I gave of removing temptations is negative: we avoid... This world is becoming so wicked that it is difficult, nearly impossible, to avoid all situations that would allow us to be tempted. Am I saying that we should stop trying to avoid influences from Satan? No of course not. We must continue trying to avoid him. What I am saying is that we must recognize that this avoidance is not enough. We must do more than that. Filling Our Lives With The Spirit The Lord told us to follow him, to truly become his disciples. He told us to keep his commandments and to repent when we commit sin. He promised us that as we keep his commandments and come unto him, he will bless us with his Spirit. He also told us, through the scriptures, that the spirit of Satan can not coexist with his Spirit. So, guess what? As we gain the Spirit of the Lord, we lose the spirit of Satan. The Positive Way To Change Our Behavior In addition to avoiding wickedness, we must do positive things to bring the Spirit of the Lord into our lives. Both the scriptures and our modern Prophets have taught us to do these positive things: become truly converted and committed to Jesus Christ; read the scriptures; pray regularly; attend church; attend the Temple; pay our tithing; give service to others; etc. Because there is no vacuum in our spiritual lives, to the degree that we obtain the Spirit of the Lord, to that degree we lose the spirit of Satan. Let us focus on increasing our companionship of the SpiriT. Kathy Hamilton(Martin) simikathy.net

Thanks Kathy, lets talk about Baptism for a minute if i may, some proofs on that, Infant Baptism right? we all who were born catholic were baptised, traditions of old i think, A baby cannot have faith, and since we are baptised through faith in the power of God (Colossians 2:12), babies cannot be baptized. Original Sin, Ezekiel 18:20 teaches there is no Original Sin; each person is responsible for his own actions and will be judged accordingly. Therefore babies are born sinless and will be saved if they die. "Baptism does not save you"; 1 Peter 3:21 says that baptism does save you through the resurection of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:38 teaches that sin is forgiven at baptism- one is saved at the point sin is forgiven. (O by the way i studied this from the first century Disciples whom which now i am one.) "Baptism is a work"- yet we are saved by faith" Ephesians 2:8: Colossians 2:12 teaches we are saved by faith- in the working of God at baptism. "Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace": Romans 66: 2-4 states that baptism is an actual participation in the death, burial and resurection of Christ. It is not merely a sign, seal or symbol. "baptism isn't important, after all, look at what Paul said about it in 1 Corinthians 1:17": Paul does not diminish the importance of baptism here. ( Paul himself was baptised to have his sins forgiven in Acts 22:16.) In context ( read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17), he make the point that he does not want people following men (denominational-ism). He mentions baptism several times in the passage. " the thief on the cross was not baptised and Jesus told him that they would see each other in paradise": Jesus had not even died yet, and baptism is participating in his death (Romans 6:2-4); also on earth, he had the power to forgive sins (Matthew 9:2-6). " Beliver in baptism" : This is baptism as an adult, but is not done in conjuction with the understanding that one is being saved at this point in time ( John 3:5, Acts 2:38. "Retroactive understanding" is not sufficient for salvation. I read the Holy Bible every single day and learn what i need to change in order to store up treasures in heaven and through my beliefs and my Lord Jesus' teachings i am looking foreword for that blessing day! The N.I.V. is what my International Church's of Christ read. Thanks for allowing me to give you some insight with facts stated behind them kathy, its a real treat for me. Thank you from my heart. Be sure to check these facts out.maybe next time i can show you that praying Jesus in your heart or accept Him as your Lord is not what the Apostle says, it can only be done at Baptism.

hello Kathy...wonderful wonderful...thank you....Larry

Thank you for the article, Kathy.

Becoming filled with the Holy Ghost is an unmistakable experience, but
different with each person. I have been given several gifts that are
mentioned in the bible. One of them is to be empathic. I feel
what others feel. Aother is the gift of spiritual sight. I see the
soul of people whether in person or at a distance.

I thought that it would be cool to have abilities beyond the natural,
but I found that with gifts comes responsibility. It apears that much
is required from me in exchange. Sometimes it is a lot to  bear
and sometimes painful. His grace is what makes it worthwhile.

Robert

KATHY IT SOUNDS LIKE WE MAY HAVE READ SOME OF THE SAME BOOKS.