The Deceived Becomes the Deceiver (2022/12/30)

In the Book of Jacob we meet a man named Sherem. He has a standard belief and witness of the scriptures. (Jacob 7:10 ...Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea)

He may have started out somewhat ordinary, as verse two says he "began to preach among the people." It possibly was just someone sharing their opinions, testing how others will respond to their ideas. 

Verse four says he flattered the people. It sounds like he had a natural ability for being persuasive with people. He was likely naturally charismatic. His social status was positioned advantageously enough it allowed him to become well educated.  

Jacob 7:4 ...he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil.

As he found his natural talent for influencing others convinced some people, I expect he experienced what many people do. He let his success "go to his head." As the people believed his flattery, it fed his self-importance cycle. People believed him and looked to him as a source of truth. A natural conclusion for him to have drawn was that he was important. In fact, the story implies he began to believe he was more important than others. He was a voice of authority. 

Whether it was with the intention to magnify his importance, or if that was just a natural consequence, the cycle emboldened him to spread his influence further

and to "labor diligently" to spread his new believed truth, i.e. the lie he believes. 

Jacob 7:2-3 ...And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ.

3 And he labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people...

He was no longer someone just sharing his beliefs and getting his ego stroked. He was specifically setting out to affect as many people as possible and to become a centeral figure in his culture. It was strong enough that he attempted to win a debate with the publicly recognized person in authority, Jacob.  The following verses from Jacob 7 demonstrate this in the bolded words. 

5 And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things;... 

[Sherem presumed his revelations and logic are enough to dissuade the prophet of his own revelations]

6 And it came to pass that he came unto me, and ... did he speak unto me, saying: Brother Jacob, I have sought much opportunity that I might speak unto you; [He has actively been trying to have this confrontation.] for I have heard and also know that thou goest about much, preaching that which ye call the gospel, [He belittles the teachings of the prophet, as if the prophet is the presumptive one changing religious beliefs] or the doctrine of Christ.

7 And ye have led away much of this people [direct accusation of the prophet's infractions] that they pervert the right way [Another direct accusation of the falseness of Jacob's teachings] of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into [he appeals to the common denominator they have to pursuade Jacob of the validity of his views] the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence. And now behold, I, Sherem, declare [here reveals he believes he is the voice of authority] unto you that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come. And after this manner did Sherem contend against me. 

We learn at the end of the chapter that he didn't make up his beliefs by himself. He didn't even logic them out by himself. He was deceived by the devil. 

Jacob 7:18 And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil...

So originally he was deceived. Then he believed it enough that combined with over-inflated self importance, he began to intentionally deceive others.   

This shows some parallel to people in general. 

People become deceived on mulltiple subjects all the time. Being deceived away from what we know is correct is not a totally passive sin. We have to agree to accept a lie. But it is a self-contained sin in that it basically only affects us. It is a sin of small, one-person impact.

When we believe the lie enough that we forget we are believing a lie, we can sin to a greater degree that has larger consequences when we try to convince others of the same lie. Our sin changes from a passive sin that effects only ourselves to an active sin that affects others. Greater negative consequences will naturally result. 

The antidote? 

Perhaps it is humility. Believe both your strengths and  your weaknesses. That will make it harder for you to be deceived, and it will discourage you from becoming overly self-important.

Cannot Lie to God (2019/09/05)

Ken and I have been discussing various aspects of communication between spirits and us and between spirits and God.

When we face him at the end when judgement day happens, we will be unable to say 'we didn't know' what we really knew, or 'we did the right thing' when we did the wrong thing.

Until then, we decieve ourselves.  We rationalize our behavior.  We pretend we don't have ulterior motives.  We believe we are justified in our hate.  We believe we are correct in our self-hate. We see believe every experience that validates our poor choices based on what we believe is low value, and discount every evidence that tells us we are intrinsically of great worth.

If we could see clearly beyond the veil into the pre-mortal life, and into the post-mortal existance, we would know our self-deceptions are wrong.  So it seems that part of the purpose and  effect of the veil is so we can  have the opportunity to see if we will believe the lie or if we will feel and believe the truth of the Spirit. With out the veil, we would be aware of God, and we wouldn't be able to lie to him, and likely not to ourselves.

That doesn't answer how this option of lieing to God or ourselves while in his presence functioned in the pre-mortal existance. 

Perhaps I need to put in the idea that giving into hate over righteousness is not always a matter of knowing we are lieing.

More to think about.  

The Garden of Eden is Key (2022/11/15)

Ken and I have been watching a DVD seried called "Is Genesis History." They have geological evidence that the earth is not millions of years old because of Mount St. Helens' eruption in the 1980s. The changes in the geography it created in the surrounding area within a less than a decade are exactly the same geologic structures that are in the Grand Canyon, and other places, which they say took millions of years to form.

Why is this important?

The theory of evolution is based on an athiestic foundation. If you take out the creation, you also take out Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. If you take out those, you take out God. If you take out God, you take out accountability to God. That removes the moral anchors based on that accountability to God.

Our society is now in the extreme results from that. Marriage is not reserved to be between a man and a woman. People of the same gender can marry. In fact, now they are saying there is no absolute thing of gender, but there is "gender fluidity."

2 Ne 2:13 states the foundation of our belief of the existance of things must be on the existance of God.

...And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things...

The verse above states clearly that without God there is no earth.

The Genesis is History people are proving their point through the Bible only. As LDS people, we know the Bible is the "word of God as far as it is translated correctly." (8th Article of Faith) That can give some justification to say the creation story is symbolic, not literal. However, we believe the Book of Mormon to be pure revelation from God. We don't have the "wiggle room" to alter its meaning like we assume we do with the Bible.

The defense of those that believe in evolution is that it is the method God used to create the earth. Refutation of that goes back to the foundation of the theory is that there is no God. The fruits of that theory speaks for the validity of that theory.

In Matthew 7 Jesus tells us the foundation of a theory matters.

      16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Now those verses are quoted with replacing the word "tree" with the word "theory" and "fruit" with "paradigms." It helps us to see that "paradigms" result in either righteous and moral people, or in wicked and amoral people.

      16 Ye shall know them by their paradigms. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good theory bringeth forth good paradigms; but a corrupt theory bringeth forth evil paradigms.

18 A good theory cannot bring forth evil paradigms, neither can a corrupt theory bring forth good paradigms.

19 Every theory that bringeth not forth good paradigms is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their paradigms ye shall know them.

Instead of man evolving from ape, who evolvd from aomebia, Lehi speaks of Adam and Eve as real and specific people.

2 Ne 2

19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.

20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.

There were not generations of transforming animals which created people who became the human family we know now. Lehi said so.

The theory of evolution has no segment in it for the Garden of Eden. 

From Desert to Fruit in My Life (2022/11/07)

I'm reading in 1 Nephi 17. 

1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness;...  And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness.

2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.

3 And thus we see ... if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means ... while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

5 And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish....

6 ...we did pitch our tents by the seashore; and notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit.

I have a thought on this expression of the comparison of their experiences. 

The first is the extremity of the difficulty they faced. He says they learned to face it withoug complaint. They were happy and peaceful even while enduring the hardship. 

Essentially, that is saying "it wasn't hard," it was just that amount of work and that kind of work. 

Then they come to the land of Bountiful. Comparitively speaking, life was much easier there. They were really grateful. 

I see my life this way. 

Initially, I complained a lot with the difficulties I faced with Daryl's issues and the decline caused by the MS. But, I sought the Lord. I poured my soul into prayer and supplication for his help. I was given peace from the Lord. I learned patience. I learned a form of compassion that included both him and me. I learned to see my own bad motivations and to clean up my act. That means I repented. I learned to have better respect to his appropriate boundaries, as well as to my own appropriate boundaries. 

I grew a lot. 

The whole process of taking care of him became not hard. It was still a lot of work. But, that work wasn't resented. It wasn't irritating. That work symbolized to me the growth I had made. 

The growth I had made because of that work created in me the ability to do that work from a matter-of-fact position. What originally was a burden was no longer a burden, even though the amount of work increased. 

Then that journey ended and I came to the land of Bountiful by marrying Ken. There are just a few things we have to extend patience to each other on. The rest of it is very easy. I feel I am in a land of "much fruit."

Can't, Won't/Willing, Don't/Able (11/06/2022)

I've been thinking a lot about the following note in my scriptures attached to 1 Ne 17:2:

2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.

My note:

Obeying and Happy; This Study Overview

Nephi notes here when his family was obeying, happy, and being blessed. 

Laman and Lemuel are in the same group. He says things indicating that they were happy just because things were easy: eating raw meat, bearing their burdens well. 

Notes from Lindsay's conversation: 

Mark Dayton said:  

When we are in difficult situations and we find we are on our own more - meaning the Lord does not seem to be there helping us - when we have greater faith and trust in him, our sense of '"you abandonded me changes to a sense of you trust" me to do/decide/go through this on my own. 

Also part of the same conversation with Lindsay: She was speaking with the Lord about people who doubt various forms of revelation. She said the Lord told there is a progression to their disbelief. He said they don't believe "because they can't, because they won't, because they don't." 

That progression implies initially they are unable or incapable of believing.  

When it changes to won't, it implies they have the opportunity to extend themselves to believe, or to do the things to be worthy of the gift of faith, but they are unwilling to do it and unwilling to extend themselves.   

In consequence of that, they develop into the position where they are set in their decision of disbelief. It implies a willing decision to not believe, verses an incapability as in the first phase.  

I can see that format in Laman and Lemuel. Initially they made statements like they were confused by their father's statements and prophecies. They couldn't understand. They progressed in their commitment to obedience and in their rebellion against it. Unlike the typical modern individual, they saw an angel, heard the voice of the Lord, and were (physically, electrically) shocked by Nephi through the power of God. All those experiences garnered their cooperation for a time. However, they didn't maintain that cooperative nature for very many years at a time. They were in the phase of 'won't'. It was possible for them to do the necessary things to believe and be given faith. That idea is demonstrated multiple times in 1st Nephi, this verse being one of them. Their inconsistency shows they were in the 'won't' phase.  

The patterns and emotions that fueled their won't is what I am looking for in this study of the Book of Mormon. My initial suspect emotions are anger and fear. I am seeing the phrase 'hard hearted' as a description a lot. I can see jealously and pride being emotions that contribute.  

In the end, Laman and Lemuel were well anchored into the 'don't' phase. Thus, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord and from the Lord's prophet and people.

1/2020

(New addition to the note in my scriptures)

I've  been pondering this same progression this time around reading the story (2022). I remember back in 1998 and my first awareness of having faith instead of fear. I realized I didn't know what having faith was like because I had not been raised in a house where faith was spoken. Hurt, anger, complaining, worry were the things spoken of. Such as, "what are we going to do?" spoken with worry. It wasn't faith, such as, "We don't know what is going to happen, but we sincerely believe the Lord will help us." 

As my faith progression has happened, and looking back right now in the framework of the phrase of "can't, won't, don't", I can see I was in the "can't" phase. I can see I chose a different path than Laman and Lemual chose. That has made my path end defferently than theirs.

Can't, Won't, Don't

changes to

Can't, Willing, Able.

I didn't understand faith initially.

I was willing to believe and have faith.

I am able to have firm faith. 

Thinking of this progression:

can't

won't

don't

I realize that "can't" may not be that they are mentally or spiritually incapable, implying that they will never be able to do it. Such as, people can't breathe underwater without mechanical assistance. They will never be able to.

This "can't" is more in the sense that they have never been taught nor seen examples of "being able to." That is where Laman and Lemuel were when they said they didn't understand their father's words. In my 30s, I realized I was in that position. I had never seen daily life without complaining about others, whether they were your family, friends, or local church leaders in my ward. I "couldn't" because I had never seen it so I didn't even comprehend it existed. It was an eye-opening experience to realize faith was not what I was doing.

The next phase comes when we have knowledge revealed to us. We are taught and/or see examples of faith. This can be from people we know or from scriputres we read. 

That brings us to our options of phase 2: "won't" or "willing."  I am guessing there is a spirit component to it. Does it "click" in our brain, and then we can be willing. Is that "click" a willingness of our spirit? Or, if our spirit is unwilling, it will it not "click" in our brain? Which comes first? The willing spirit or the brain click?

This middle step is where our choice lies. We have already comprehended, in part at least, what we are being asked to do or believe, i.e. the subject of the "can't" portion of faith and/or obedience.  We then choose to either be willing to try, or we choose to not try.

If we choose to not try, we are nurturing our disbelief and doubt. That will lead us to the adament position of "I do not believe."  We are then in the "don't" phase.

When we choose to try, our comprehension of the concept of what we are being asked to do or believe is broadened and deepened. The breadth and depth of our definition of faith increases.  This is what Alma talks about in his analogy of nourishing the seed and watching it grow. We gain understanding, so we know it is a good seed.

Alma 32:28

...it beginneth to enlighten my understanding...

In otherwords, our better understanding shows us that having faith in Christ is a good thing that will make us happier and improve our lives.

This portion of the cycle seems to take the greatest amout of work out of the 3 cycles. To be constantly evaluating our thouhts and decisions we make about believeing and being faithful (vs doubting and complaining) takes a lot of energy. What we don't see during that process is the strength we are developing. It just doesn't show up measurably right away.

The seed and tree analogy is good to demonstrate this. We can see it takes months or years for a young tree to grow enough to get its trunk to the size that the wind or weight of the fruit doesn't threaten the uprightness of the trunk. Hopefully that conveys to us the value of patience in our own growth. Since a bigger trunk and tree easily tolerate wind more easily, hopefully it conveys to us that it won't always take the same amount of mental work, reminding, and determination to get through what seems to be insurmountable wind storm opposition.

If we are "willing" to believe and keep working on that course, we will find someday that our trunk of faith has grown substantially.  The small wind storms no longer bend and strain us. We don't even notice them unless we make a conscious decision to do so.

Because there are always bigger wind storms, we may only notice there are still storms. We don't notice our strength for the tiny storms is sufficient. If we don't consciously notice this, we may give way to the path of doubt, skepticism and impatience. That is like "not nourishing our tree" and letting it die. We will forget the impact of our past experiences when we knew the Lord had helped us. We will magnify our doubt of our own worthiness or capability. We will possibly return to the "can't" phase and choose to travel down the path of "won't" instead of "willing."

Even when we anchor ourselves in the "willing" phase, it is possible we may have larger wind storms come that can destroy us, pulling our roots out of the ground. But if we have nurtured our "willing" phase, by then we will know that if there is a wind storm big enough to overwhelm our roots and pull us out of the ground, the Lord will come and either protect us from the wind, cause it to turn another direction, or even to stop, just like he did on the sea of Gallalee. Mark 4:37-39

     37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

     38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

     39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

"Peace be still."

We have more examples of this in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 6:

      14...and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

In our modern church history we see this in the story of Zion's camp.

The camp marched cautiously on. Plagued by wagon problems, they were forced to stop for the night on a hill overlooking a fork in the Fishing River, still ten miles from the exiled Saints. As they pitched their tents, they heard the rumbling of horse hooves as five men rode into camp. The strangers brandished weapons and boasted that more than three hundred men were on their way to wipe the Saints out.

Alarm rippled through the Camp of Israel. Knowing they were outnumbered, Joseph posted guards around the area, certain an attack was imminent. One man begged him to strike the mob first.

“No,” Joseph said. “Stand still and see the salvation of God.”

Overhead the clouds looked heavy and gray. Twenty minutes later, hard rains tore through camp, driving the men from their tents as they scrambled to find better shelter. The banks of the Fishing River disappeared as the water rose and surged downstream. Wind whipped through the camp, blowing down trees and upending tents. Bright lightning streaked the sky.

Wilford Woodruff and others in the camp found a small church nearby and huddled inside while hail pelted the roof. After a moment, Joseph burst into the church, shaking the water from his hat and clothes. “Boys, there is some meaning to this,” he exclaimed. “God is in this storm!”

Unable to sleep, the Saints stretched out on the benches and sang hymns through the night. In the morning, they found their tents and gear soaked and scattered throughout camp, but nothing was damaged beyond repair and no attack had come.

The rivers remained swollen, cutting the camp off from their enemies on the opposite bank.

So, when we anchor ourselves in the "willing" phase, and face it with patience, endurance and steadfastness, we will transition into the last phase of "able." It may take a little reminding occasionally, but our basic attitude and paradigm will be as the angels told Abraham after they heard Sarah scoff at the prophecy she could conceive a child in her old age. Genesis 18:14 They said, "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" The answer was,"No."

It will be as Nephi said in 1 Ne 17:50:

And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.

or as Jacob says in Jacob 4:6

...our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea

I'm remembering my brother, John. I think it was before his mission. He introduced me to the concept of having one's calling and election made sure. Because of him, I made my goal in life to become worthy of that. I do not expect I will ever be important enough or prominent  enough for the Lord to tell me that. I presume it is given to those who have key roles with large groups of people. That doesn't matter. My goal is to be worthy of it. I don't think I'll reach it; but I'll get closer if it is my goal than if I am unaware of it, or if I disregard it.

When in my 30s, as I mentioned, I had been able to shed some burdens of low self-esteem. That seemed to be the catalist for beginning to see and understand the concept of faith. I initially thought that improved self-esteem was necessary before one could begin to develop faith.  But, I actually doubted that thought.  I realized that if I had had faith, the process of improving my self -esteem would have been easier.

I couldn't see which needed to come first, faith or good self-esteem.

Because of the long-term results of the goal my brother presented to me, I have not only transissioned into having faith, but I have transmissioned into understanding I am as valid of a person as everyone else. Part of it came before I truely had faith, but the most thorough part came after I had faith.

I'm beginning to think they are disconnected.  Whether they are or are not connected, my experience shows me that sequence is not essential to achieving either or both.

If I think hard enough, I could see how "can't, willing, able" can apply to recovering self-esteem. It probably applies to all the areas of growth we need to make. 

Keep Them Close (10/15/2022)

I had a personal ah-hah when watching the retelling of the parable of the Good Samaratan from the viewpoint of the thief who beat up and robbed the man traveling alone on the road between Jerusalem and Jerico. 

I have recently found out some friends of my early adult years got divorced because one of them had an affair. Both of them still go to church. Both of them are still welcomed into fellowship of the wards where they live. 

One paradigm - the one of justice - says the offending person should suffer unpleasant consequences because of the devistating effects of the inappropriate actions. It has hurt not just the spouse, but the children. 

Yet by superficial appearances, neither person is being ostracized by their friends. That seems OK for the ex-spouse who was the victom. But is it OK for the ex-spouse who was the offender?

Yes. Resoundingly yes.

From our Father in Heaven's viewpoint, he sees we all go through ups and downs of life, of obedience, of doing good and of causing havoc. His long-term preference is to keep us close to him so he can help us through this learning process. He can best help us remember to reach out to him if we are in closer proximity to places and people who carry his Spirit and influence. If we are cast out, the loss of proximity makes it harder for us to feel the tender voice of his Spirit whisper how to come home and how to correct our errors. 

I think this is embodied in the old phrase, "Hate the sin, love the sinner." I've never understood it so well before. Because I feel greater love and affinity to my friends than to someone I don't know (or don't like), it is easier to understand how to love them in spite of mistakes. It is much easier to understand why they should be loved and kept in the place with the Saints through the trials of mistakes. 

They don't need to be ostracized until they are sufficently punished for their mistakes or until they feel the consequences of their sins. 

They need to be kept close. 

Moroni's Exortations (10/15/2022)

In the temple we are told that Adam and Eve were sent out into the world to learn from their own experiences discernment between good and evil. Their experience in the garden and with Lucifer shows that in their innocence they had not gained that discernment.

Knowing Good from Evil is discussed a lot in the scriptures.

Alma 13:13

Moses 6:55

Alma 29:5

Moses 4:11

Helaman 14:30-31

Abraham 5:9

Moses 4:28***

Moses 3:17

2 Ne 2:18

Alma 42:3

Alma 42:7

Moses 5:11

1 Kings 3:9

Genesis 3:5***

Genesis 2:9

Genesis 3:22***

Those with *** state that Adam and Eve knowing good and evil would make them as the Gods.

From the perspective of knowing good from evil being the task of mortality, Moroni's exortations in his final words increase their importance. He is telling us how to discern good from bad so our mortality will be successful.

The commandments tell us what is good. Keeping on the covenant path keeps us choosing to good -- which is the point of being able to discern it. This is stated in Moroni 10:30: Hold to the good gifts, touch not the evil gifts nor unclean things.

Moroni 10 Exortations Summary

1 3 Remember How Good God Has Been to People/Ponder It

2 4 Ask if This is True; Holy Ghost Answers

3 7 Deny Not the Power of God

4  8 Deny Not the Gifts of God

5 18 Remember Good Gifts are from God

6 19 God is the Same; Loss of Gifts is From Unbelief of Men

7 27 Remember b/c You'll be Asked

8 30 Come Unto Christ; Hold Good Gifts; Touch Not Evil Gifts

My Exortation Notes in Moroni

3 Remember/Ponder

I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

First Exhort:

Remember the Lord's mercy,  

Read this and 

Ponder these things in your heart. 

4 Ask if True; Holy Ghost Answers

...I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Second Exhort: 

Ask God if they are true. The Holy Ghost is the way you will know if they are true. 

Additional information to discern if this is from God: Good things come from God and acknowledgeth he is. 

7 Deny Not the Power of God

...I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

3rd Exhort

Third Exhort:

Do not deny the power of God and the Holy Ghost, which will witness to you that Christ is. 

Our level of faith determines how much we experience the power of God in our lives.

8 Deny Not the Gifts of God

And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all;

4th Exhort

Fourth Exhort:

Do not deny the gifts of God.

18 Remember Good Gifts are from God

And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.

5th Exhort

Fifth Exhort:

Remember that every good gift comes from God.

19 God is the Same; Loss of Gifts is From Unbelief of Men

And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.

Sixth Exhort:

Remember God is the same always. These gifts are spiritual and our faith is required for them to be given to us. If there are no good gifts, it is because we have no faith.  

27 Remember b/c You'll be Asked

27 And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?

7th Exhort

Seventh Exhort:

Remember these things. (The end comes soon and you will be asked by God 'why didn't you believe what I had this m

30 Come Unto Christ; Hold Good Gifts; Touch Not Evil Gifts

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

8th Exhort

Eighth Exhort:

Come unto Christ.

Hold onto all good things.

Do not (even) touch evil gifts or unclean things.