I had a really tough time after I had my first baby. ⁣

I’m a pretty independent person who takes a lot of pride in getting stuff done. ⁣

And suddenly I was on maternity leave from teaching with this brand new little infant who just needed me all the time. ⁣

It seemed like my life as I knew it was over. ⁣

And the adversary sure wanted me to believe that. ⁣

This will never change. It will never get better. ⁣

But the adversary has always used this tactic. ⁣

When the saints in Missouri needed some guidance from church leaders, they were asked to meet and counsel together.

Because otherwise…⁣

“Satan seeketh to turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them.” (D&C 78:10⁣)

They would be blinded and not understand the things that have been prepared for them in their future. ⁣

The future is filled with unimaginable blessings. ⁣

Babies grow up. ⁣

People move. ⁣

Jobs change. ⁣

Family dynamics and responsibilities shift. ⁣

But even if that reminder doesn’t seem like a “blessing”, the next life will bring us the greatest blessings of all. ⁣

Our future is glorious. We have so many blessings coming our way. We are loved beyond belief. ⁣

And the adversary doesn’t want us to remember that at all. ⁣

Luckily, I had some friends and mentors give me a glimpse of these changes when I had my little newborn, and I was quickly able to see that things DO get better. In fact, they change every single day with kids!⁣

But still, the adversary works on his message. ⁣

Because he knows that if we understand what is really waiting for us in the future, we will be unstoppable. ⁣

Satan wants us to pick his team and forget that the fight has already been won.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Satan’s most effective lie first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I tried it once at a mall— and I remember how weirdly hard it was to get started!

But then I figured it out and it was pretty easy.

I felt cool.

(Obviously I don’t rebel much in my life.)

I’ve heard it said though that our relationship with God is like trying to walk up an escalator that is moving down.

Meaning— it takes EFFORT.

It’s not passive.

AND if we stop making any effort, we aren’t just halting our progression—we are actually moving away from God.

What about if we stop moving completely?

The Lord reminds us what is waiting for us at the bottom of that escalator if we stop trying to connect with the divine:

“Pray always, that you may come off conqueror;

“yea, that you may conquer Satan,

“and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.” (D&C 10:5)

It’s the adversary and those who “uphold his work.”

I definitely don’t want to fall down there!

So, how do I conquer Satan?

How do I work my way up the escalator so I can feel God’s love and gain more peace if in my life?

“Pray always.”

Prayer is not just a checklist item each day.

When I pray always, I find that I am being kept away from the adversary.

Temptations don’t seem as difficult to resist.

I can more clearly see people who are just trying to drag me down.

I recognize the little lies that he tries to whisper to me.

These are blessings I desperately want in my life.

So I’m going to keep praying as much as I can and keep moving up that escalator, closer and closer to God!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Up the escalator first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

We talk so much about how he can poison by degrees. ⁣

In Helaman Chapter 1, we learn that Moronihah had his troops positioned in the outermost areas of the Nephite lands. ⁣

That makes sense, right? ⁣

The land closest to the Lamanites = greatest fortification. ⁣

In my life, I tend to put the greatest fortification on the things that I assume will be attacked the most, too. ⁣

I know how easy it is to have my spirit numbed by watching offensive media – so I make sure I’m attentive. ⁣

I know how easy it could be for Satan to get me to dwell in self-pity, jealousy, or hatred – so I unfollow anyone who evokes those emotions. ⁣

My efforts are there because I know those are easy wins for the adversary.

But…⁣

Sometimes, Satan is bold. ⁣

Sometimes, he skips the easy wins and goes straight for the heart. ⁣

I’ve had two major experiences like this in my life. Where suddenly and unexpectedly, my very core beliefs were being attacked and I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to hold up. ⁣

Coriantumr led the Lamanite armies past the outskirts of the Nephite lands. He didn’t even try to attack those first.

Moronihah had all of his defense in the outer cities, and the Lamanites marched with great speed right past them. ⁣

They went straight for Zarahemla. The capital city. ⁣

The city fell. ⁣

And sometimes Satan marches past the little sins, the small temptations…⁣

And he goes straight for those core beliefs. ⁣

Do I really believe in God?⁣

Do I believe that Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for me?⁣

Do I believe in a well-designed plan that is meant to bring me growth and joy? ⁣

Do I believe that the Book of Mormon is true?⁣

Do I believe that this Church is the vessel for priesthood keys, ordinances and covenants?

These core questions that I often think are safe and secure from enemy attacks, actually need reinforcements from time to time. ⁣

Yes, the outskirts are important.

The “easy wins” are where the enemy attacks most of the time. ⁣

But I can’t forget to build up those core, essential beliefs, too, no matter how unlikely it seems like they would ever fall.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Sometimes, Satan isn’t subtle  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Aaaaaand I’ve got some pretty brutal weaknesses. ⁣

Satan is a smart guy. ⁣

He knows what my weaknesses are. ⁣

So he crafts temptations that perfectly prey on my weaknesses. ⁣

But, just to be clear, my weaknesses are a part of who I am. I see them as opportunities to strengthen myself and become more Christlike. They were given to me from my Father in Heaven. ⁣

Satan is NOT in my weaknesses. ⁣

But he’ll do whatever he can to get me to fall away from my faith by placing temptations before me that are most likely to work based on my weaknesses. ⁣

Anyone else excited for the time that John saw where:

“He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years”. (Revelation 20:2)

While we can’t completely eliminate the adversary right now, how can we find little ways to “bind” Satan in our lives each day?

How can we minimize the ability he has to influence us for bad?⁣

Two strategies that have worked for me:

1. Call him out. ⁣

I’m too tired to pray tonight. – Wait, really? Even a one minute prayer? I’ve got time for this. ⁣

2. Fill my life with tons of good things. ⁣

I fill it with so much prayer and so many scriptures and so much kindness and service that I hardly have time for the bad thoughts. ⁣

Every single time I start listening to more conference talks, scriptures, and uplifting music, then my temptations to waste time or view not-so-uplifting media dwindle.

“The only power I know of that will bind Satan, or render him powerless, is righteous living.” – Eldred G. Smith

Satan is real.

But who has infinitely more power than Satan?⁣

Our Savior, Jesus Christ. ⁣

And who has access to Christ’s literal priesthood power? ⁣

Anyone who has made covenants with God and keeps them with intention.

We can have the adversary “bound” as much as possible in our lives because we have access to Christ. ⁣

And that is true hope.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Binding the adversary first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

There may or may not have been some stories in the news about this recently…

It’s unfair to cheat.

It gives you an advantage that other people don’t have.

But when it comes to the battle with our adversary, we’ve been explicitly told in the scriptures all of the “plays” he will try in order to keep our hearts from turning to God.

We’ve been given the unfair advantage over the opposition!

John reveals one of the biggest tactics the adversary will use in the last days:

“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 13:14) 

He will try to deceive us!

But what does it mean to be deceived?

It means we are convinced to believe something is not true even when it is.

So that means deception will be a significant tool the adversary uses on people who already believe in Jesus Christ.

Think about the truths you know about Jesus Christ.

Think about what Jesus does for you, and how much God loves you.

Has the adversary ever tried to convince you that those things were actually false AFTER you had already received your testimony?

Elder Neil L. Anderson counseled:

“Embrace your sacred memories. Believe them.”

The adversary wants to erode our trust with ourselves.

We had a strong impression that Jesus Christ loves us so so so much?

The adversary wants us to be deceived.

When it comes to the Savior, the adversary has been and always will be working overtime to make us doubt what we already know.

So what’s our play going to be?

How can we go on the offensive, knowing that our opposition is going to try to deceive?

To me, this means that it is always a good time to seek out more spiritual experiences.

I need a steady stream of CURRENT impressions and witnesses so that I can stay grounded in truth.

And with the inside knowledge that I have, I will be guaranteed to come out on top.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The opposition’s playbook  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve always wondered what these secret oaths and combinations are really about!

Mostly out of curiosity, since they seem to be so effective at bringing people away from the Lord.

One my absolute favorite insights I’ve gained from studying this week come from Cain.

Cain, the first murderer, gives a perfect summary of the gist of all these oath and combinations that the adversary uses.

In Moses 5:31, Cain says, “Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain.”

(Just for context, “Mahan” often refers to “mind”, “destoryer”, or “secret”.)

Did you catch that false promise?!

Satan teaches people that they can commit any kind of grievous sin, and that IT WILL WORK FOR THEIR GAIN.

Sometimes, it’s in dramatic ways, like Cain believing that murdering his brother would give him his brother’s flocks.

But for most people on earth, Satan is much more subtle.

He convinces us that not keeping a covenant we’ve made will actually be better for our life.

Or that choosing to bend the rules a bit will actually bring much more joy.

Or that selfishness is actually much more healthy than service and empathy.

But it’s not true.

Satan has NOT discovered some secret loophole for gain.

Because his lie has always been the same:

“God tells you to keep all these commandments and try to become like Him? No, I’ve found a secret workaround for all that hard work, and it will make you happier, too.”

It’s a lie.

It’s a lie that is as old as quite literally the earth itself.

Committing sin will never bring us on a shortcut to lasting happiness.

And we can push back on any temptations that are trying to convince us that they will.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Satan’s big lie first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Gratefully, that has not been the case in my life thus far.

But… I sure face temptations.

In my teenage years, the temptations were more focused on “choosing the wrong”.

It wasn’t all that difficult to figure out where the enemy was tempting me: to lie, to cross that line, to make that choice.

It was a clear temptation to do something I knew logically was wrong.

But as I’ve matured spiritually, I’ve recognized that the adversary has needed to change tactics with me.

Now the temptations are more like “choose this fun thing over this thing that would be best” or “you’re doing fine compared to these other people so no need to improve” or “you’ll never be good enough so why even bother trying”.

And I’ve noticed it’s actually harder to call these out as “temptations”.

But Moses gives us the perfect pattern that can help.

When we remember who we are and our divine identity, the temptations are a whole lot easier to call out and rebuke.

“I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten… Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not”. (Moses 1:13-16)

Elder Stevenson taught:

“Command the enemy of your soul by saying: ‘Go away! You have no glory. Do not tempt or lie to me! For I know I am a child of God. And I will always call upon my God for His help.’”

He tempts and he lies. That’s his work.

God’s work and glory is infinitely more magnificent.

And we are His children.

The more I understand this, the easier it is to identify: “Wait a second, why would I ever think that it’s not worth trying to improve? I’m a daughter of God and so of course I’m going to keep trying.”

“I’m a daughter of God and I know that so much more joy comes from service and work than from another round of that TV show.”

“I’m a daughter of God so I know I can’t compare myself to others to judge my progress. I want to keep getting closer to God, no matter what.”

Knowing my identity makes it easier to call out the lies.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Calling out the lies first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I sat through a fascinating church discussion one time about this concept.

“If you feel any fear, it means you’ve lost your faith. If you had perfect faith in God, you’d never feel fear.”

One person made this comment and some agreed.

Another said:

“I’ve had to deal with some truly terrifying things in my life, and I have felt fear. But I feel like it was a natural response to what I was facing.”

Others agreed with this.

I feel like “fear” can often be a loaded word at church.

We’ve been told to fear not, and yet here we are feeling fear from time to time.

Which is why this verse from Moses jumped out to me so much:

“Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell.

“Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength”. (Moses 1:20)

That word: NEVERTHELESS.

Moses felt fear.

And for great reason too— the adversary was literally yelling at Moses to worship him.

It was a scary situation.

So Moses felt fear.

NEVERTHELESS Moses still called upon God and received strength to know what to do next to conquer his trial.

It sure doesn’t sound like Moses waited for all the fear to leave before he started calling on God.

The fear and the faith-filled pleading to God happened at the same time.

And it resulted in great strength.

I think we can feel fear in our life from time to time and nevertheless, still choose to pray to God for strength to know the next step to take.

I’ve had some terrifying moments where I’ve felt some fear at the same time that I’ve been filled with faith that God could give me the answer.

And truthfully, those moments have given me some of the most powerful experiences in my life.

I don’t think Moses dwelt in fear. I think he felt the fear and then got rid of it pretty soon after.

But his fear didn’t negate the fact that he also had faith in that moment, knowing exactly who to call on to be delivered from that fear.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Are fear and faith really opposites? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Section 93 talks all about light and truth.

Light and truth is knowledge and intelligence.

Light and truth are powerful ideals, that I don’t think I can even begin to fully comprehend right now.

But boy, do I want more light and truth in my life.

And the Savior seems to paint this picture of these universal laws and elements, and that everything is in accordance with this eternal light and truth.

But He also makes a point that we have our agency to do what we will with this light and truth here on the earth.

We started off innocent at birth, and we have agency to do whatever we choose with light and truth.

D&C 93:39 caught my eye though, because here the Lord teaches:

“And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.”

In this grand physics lesson, it’s not so much that the adversary adds darkness into the mix.

Because… darkness doesn’t really exist.

Darkness, like a dark room, or a dark night sky, really just means the absence of light.

And that’s what the Lord sticks with here.

The wicked one takes away light and truth.

That’s how he creates his darkness— by removing the light.

And did you catch HOW the adversary takes away light and truth?!

Through disobedience.

We gain light and truth through obedience, while the wicked one takes away light and truth through disobedience.

Obedience isn’t the most popular word.

Our hearts need to be in the right place for obedience to be as powerful as it can be.

Want more light and truth?

Take it to the Lord and ask, “How can I become a little more obedient today?”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Light and truth and obedience first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had a really tough time after I had my first baby.

I’m a pretty independent person who takes a lot of pride in getting stuff done.

And now I was on maternity leave from teaching with this brand new little infant who just needed me all the time.

It seemed like my life as I knew it was over.

And the adversary sure wanted me to believe that.

This will never change. It will never get better.

But the adversary has always used this tactic.

When the saints in Missouri needed some guidance from church leaders, they were asked to meet and counsel together. Because otherwise…

“Satan seeketh to turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them.” D&C 78:10

They would be blinded and not understand the things that have been prepared for them in their future.

The future is filled with unimaginable blessings.

Babies grow up.

People move.

Jobs change.

Family dynamics and responsibilities shift.

But even if that reminder doesn’t seem like a “blessing”, the next life will bring us the greatest blessings of all.

Even the lowest kingdom is much greater than earth’s current state.

Our future is glorious. We have so many blessings coming our way. We are loved beyond belief.

And the adversary doesn’t want us to remember that at all.

Luckily, I had some friends and mentors give me a glimpse of these changes when I had my little newborn, and I was quickly able to see that things DO get better. In fact, they change every single day with kids!

But still, the adversary works on his message.

Because he knows that if we understand what is really waiting for us in the future, we will be unstoppable.

The fight has already been won, and Satan wants us to forget that so that we still pick his team.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Ignore your future first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.