Yeah, he was a lazy and wicked man.

But Abinadi had just spoken with clear power from God. ⁣

“King Noah was about to release him, for he feared his word; for he feared that the judgments of God would come upon him.” (Mosiah 17:11)

But his priests, the friends he had chosen to surround himself with, added pressure.

They found accusations against Abinadi.

They got angry. ⁣

And this brought Noah back into his prideful anger, leading Noah ordering Abinadi to be tortured and then burned to death. ⁣

We are all responsible for our own actions. ⁣

But the people we surround ourselves with can make a huge difference. ⁣

This is easy to see when a wayward child is influenced by a group of their peers. ⁣

But it’s a little harder to see in myself.

Who am I surrounded by?

Family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers…

But what about the other influences on my mind too?

Social media accounts, TV shows, podcasts, books…

How are they affecting me?

Am I being subtly nudged toward complaining, making fun, judging harshly, or doubting?

Is my support system supporting my most important goals in life? ⁣

I’m not just saying to only surround myself with “members of the Church”, but doing my best to ensure that the people I willingly interact with the most are kind and have good intentions, no matter their religious affiliation.

And I think the flip side is just as equally worth considering—

Am I being a righteous support system to others – encouraging and loving and accepting and uplifting the best that I can?⁣

“Find good friends. Be good friends. Support one another wherever you are. Stand with holy people.” – Gary E. Stevenson 

We know we are in control of our own actions. ⁣

But Noah’s choices of friends tipped the scale in a dire direction.

And a kind, supportive, loving friend can make all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Choose your friends wisely  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because of the internet. Because of social media.

We can choose to produce goodness, to share goodness, and to consume goodness.

When our house is completely dark at night and I need to take care of a crying baby, all it takes is one little light to allow me to see.

By being just a small light, we can make a bigger difference than we could ever imagine.

I’ve got a testimony of that, for sure.

Samuel told the people living in Zarahemla that the Lord needed to destroy the entire city because of their wickedness.

“But behold, it is for the righteous’ sake that it is spared.” (Hel. 13:14)

One righteous person can keep an entire city from being destroyed.

And one righteous person can shine a light and share goodness on social media.

We can choose to post wisely.

We can choose to avoid division.

We can check facts.

We can resist cheap digs.

We can create beautiful and powerful content.

And whenever we choose to share our opinions, we try to always be led by the Spirit.

And that’s how we transcend the darkness and bitterness around us.

We stand out in different and distinct ways from the rest of the world and our difference can be tenfold (or more) what it could have been 20 years ago.

Just one person. One post. One comment. One moment of restraint.

Can make all the difference between darkness and life-changing light.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Making a viral difference first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.