One of the big challenges with temptation and sin is that we mentally and emotionally try to ignore the long-term and even short-term effects. All we pretend to know is what we want right here, right now, regardless of the consequences which we rationalize will be more good than bad. And so we tend to get away with this because the negative consequences of sin often has a delayed effect. This is partially because we are so dishonest and willfully in denial of what we deep-down really know is true that the guilt is entirely obliterated because of the hardness of our hearts, the blindness of our minds, and the corruption of our desires; or the resultant guilt and brain-fog isn’t fully perceived until sometime later. And so we fool ourselves into thinking that the damage done will be far less than the reality reveals if seen for what it truly is. It is all about misapprehending value and consequences. It is the result of rationalization, illusion, delusion, and the deceptions of evil.
One of these deceptions is that we tend to over-inflate our own value and righteousness. This is especially true of those who are religiously proud.
Sizing up the truth about ourselves, where we are, how we are, and what we are in contrast with Jesus seems to be about 99% of the battle. Knowledge is power, especially correct knowledge.
Lately, just the last few days, it has really been hitting me how ridiculously weak my faith is. I’ve been thinking that if I really believed Jesus, and believed in Jesus, and had faith in Jesus, none of the temptations that I deal with would have even the least allure for me.
It is suddenly becoming very clear to me how very little appreciation I have for Jesus and how my perception of value in what he is and what he offers is less than 0.00001% of what it should be.
A friend of mine told me: “It really is just a question of what we value and by how much. Improving our ideas of the worth of what we have, what we are offered, and what we could have is the key to making repentance common sense and something we want more than anything else…
“Somewhere along the line, I started asking God to show me more of the lack of value in things that lack it. I really didn’t know what I was getting into, because that’s a lot to carry. I’m not sure there is any other way, though. You can’t really see the light until you comprehend the dark.”
I think he was talking about discerning and dividing the light from the darkness. A big part of discerning and dividing is assessing value, assessing usefulness, and assessing consequences. The more of this we discern, the easier, more natural, and instinctive it is to follow the light. It just makes sense.
Everything with any positive value is made possible only in and through Jesus Christ. And so the closer we can get to the source of all truth and all positive value, especially in comprehending that truth and value, the better off we become, provided we are faithful and valiant in living according to that truth and value he continually offers us.
From Moroni 10:
23 And Christ truly said unto our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me…
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…
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him…
Postscript:
The mental and emotional effort required in coming unto Christ to lay hold upon every good gift, and in the process not touching the evil gift nor the unclean thing, requires that we lay on the altar of sacrifice everything we think we want, or that the flesh wants, or that the human ego wants, or that the world says we should want. In short, it requires that we give no heed to the temptations of the world, or the siren calls that mock and tantalize the feeble minded.
We must not be feeble minded. We must put on the strength of Christ by desiring what he desires, believing what he believes, and doing as he would do.
Concerning Lehi and Nephi’s vision of the Tree of Life, we are told:
In Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life, he also beheld a great and spacious building filled with people in the attitude of mocking those who had come to the tree of life. Said he:
26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.
27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.
29 And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father.
30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.
31 And he also saw other multitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.
32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
33 And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.
So we know that there are those who “heeded them not.” So what did they heed? Who did they heed? In what ways did they heed?
It is evident that what they did was yield their whole hearts to God. They disregarded all doctrines, desires, and attributes that are not in the mind, will, and word of God. In short, they did give diligent heed to the words of eternal life, knowing and understanding that all other things must assuredly pass away and are lost. And so, ultimately, the only lasting positive value is in the eternal word of God.
Please reference 2 Nephi 9, Alma 5, and D&C 84.
GREATER LIGHT AND TRUTH 
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