I’ve always wondered what that really means.

I mean, totally just out of curiosity, since secret combinations seem to be so effective at bringing people away from the Lord. ⁣

Here’s my favorite insight from this week:

Cain, the first murderer, gives a perfect summary of the gist of all these oaths 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”, “destroyer”, 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  Secret combinations  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.

They thought Joseph was deceiving many people into supporting and believing him.

And so an evil plan entered their minds…

And they chose to keep thinking it:

“Why don’t we steal the transcribed pages, alter them, and then frame Joseph after he re-translates?

“Sure, it involves lying and deception on our end.

“But it’s okay because we are exposing lying and deception.”

Thus, the plan was put in place.

And a book of scripture was lost to our generation.

It can feel tempting to fight sin with the same type of sin and feel justified in doing it.

If someone is angry with me, I’m going to become angry with them, too.

If someone is outraged at something, I’m going to become outraged at how outraged they are.

If someone complains a lot to me, I’m going to complain to other people about how much they complain.

Satan wants us to believe that we are justified in sinning.

And he’ll use any strategy to get us there.

And I think he has succeeded quite a bit with this strategy in particular—

Sinning with the illusion that it is justified because of another’s (real or perceived) sin.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God.” (D&C 10:28)

God doesn’t want us “fighting fire with fire.”

He wants us to keep His commandments and show love with integrity to all.

No matter what those around us choose to do. 

He wants us to fight fire with love and peace.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post This lie will expose that lie first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

In Spot-It, there is a stack of circular cards, and each card is filled with multiple various pictures.

But here’s the mind-blowing part:

You can pick up ANY two cards from the deck, and ONE AND ONLY ONE picture matches between the two cards.

I recently decided to play the game with my daughter, and we had fun looking at random pairs of cards and trying to find the singular picture that matched.

The concept may sound simple.

But some of the matching pictures take a surprisingly long amount of time to find!

There were many moments when I wanted to say, “I promise, there is no match on these cards!”

But each time I was sure there was no match, I would tell myself:

“They wouldn’t create an impossible game.”

That assurance gave me the confidence to keep looking until I found the answer.

Because I wouldn’t actually give up if I knew there really was an answer I would find any second.

When we look at God’s commandments, He will never ask us to do something impossible.

No commandment comes without a way to obey.

No temptation comes without an escape path.

The Lord promises, “I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the things which I have commanded thee.” (D&C 5:34)

Take a second right now and think of the one commandment you struggle the most to obey.

Remind yourself, “There IS a way.”

Temptation is not a game with a nonexistent solution.

We CAN obey the most difficult commandments.

We CAN avoid our greatest temptations.

God has provided us with a way.

And the assurance that this IS possible can give us the confidence to keep trying.

“Your greatest protection against temptation is an active and vibrant testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which binds us to our Heavenly Father.” – Rulon G. Craven

Do you know the game “Spot-It”?

It’s one of my favorites.

In Spot-It, there is a stack of circular cards, and each card is filled with multiple various pictures.

But here’s the mind-blowing part:

You can pick up ANY two cards from the deck, and ONE AND ONLY ONE picture matches between the two cards.

I recently decided to play the game with my daughter, and we had fun looking at random pairs of cards and trying to find the singular picture that matched.

The concept may sound simple.

But some of the matching pictures take a surprisingly long amount of time to find!

There were many moments when I wanted to say, “I promise, there is no match on these cards!”

But each time I was sure there was no match, I would tell myself:

“They wouldn’t create an impossible game.”

That assurance gave me the confidence to keep looking until I found the answer.

Because I wouldn’t actually give up if I knew there really was an answer I would find any second.

When we look at God’s commandments, He will never ask us to do something impossible.

No commandment comes without a way to obey.

No temptation comes without an escape path.

The Lord promises, “I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the things which I have commanded thee.” (D&C 5:34)

Take a second right now and think of the one commandment you struggle the most to obey.

Remind yourself, “There IS a way.”

Temptation is not a game with a nonexistent solution.

We CAN obey the most difficult commandments.

We CAN avoid our greatest temptations.

God has provided us with a way.

And the assurance that this IS possible can give us the confidence to keep trying.

“Your greatest protection against temptation is an active and vibrant testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which binds us to our Heavenly Father.” – Rulon G. Craven

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Spot-It 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.

I wanted to improve my interactions with my family members and be more present.

And I felt like my phone was holding me back a bit from that. ⁣

So I decided to do better. ⁣

Notifications would pop up and I would ignore them. I let emails go unread. I stopped scrolling just because I had “down time”.⁣

I was doing it! I was resisting the temptation to waste my time on things that don’t matter.

But then…

I got a notification that looked really important. ⁣

And then I got an email that was super interesting and I just had to open it. ⁣

And then my phone was once again in my hand more often than it should be. ⁣

I wasn’t doing so well with my goal.

Finally, I decided I needed to tether it to a charger across the room with the sound on only for texts or phone calls – the actually important alerts. ⁣

And it worked. ⁣

I forgot about all of the missing notifications, and I was in the moment. ⁣

And when I intentionally picked up my phone later, all my notifications were still there for me to peruse on a timeframe that worked for me.

Resisting my go-to sin started out strong, but I kept finding “reasonable” excuses until I was back to where I was before. ⁣

Resisting my sin was really easy when I removed the temptation.

In fact, I didn’t really have anything to “resist”. ⁣

So yes, I am comparing my cell phone to the Anti-Nephi-Lehies’ swords. (Pretty similar, right?!)

“…we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth…” (Alma 24:16)

But you can fill in the blank with whatever your go-to sin is right now: anger, inappropriate media, word of wisdom issues, self-deprecation, pride…

What makes you want to indulge in your sin?⁣

A notification? A group of friends? A certain habit or routine? A social media account?⁣

Try removing it. ⁣

Or at least try changing it as much as you have the ability to change it.

“It is easier to avoid temptation than it is to resist temptation.” – Lynn G. Robbins

Although we can ask for the strength to resist our favorite sins, often Heavenly Father asks that we take the initiative and remove the temptation altogether (or as much as possible). ⁣

And if we have great faith, we can bury that temptation deep in the earth, never to dig it up again.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post My distracting phone first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“. . .ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear.”

That phrase on its own implies that none of us will be tempted more than we can handle.

Wouldn’t that be nice to have confidence in?

To know that every temptation you face is totally within your power to resist?

But let’s actually look at the whole first part of that verse:

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear.” (Alma 13:28)

People actually WILL be tempted more than they can bear– if they aren’t turning to God!

It happens all the time.

Temptations that are just too difficult for our fallen natural self to resist.

Turning to anger too quickly.

Indulging in inappropriate media.

Judging everyone who likes XYZ candidate.

But how can we avoid this?

How can we stay in that zone where our temptations ARE manageable?

Just flip it around!

If we are humble.

If we are always watching.

If we are always praying.

Then we will not be tempted more than we can bear.

We turn to Jesus with full purpose and with pure love.

Jesus is the answer.

We can watch for the temptation to arise and then pray for power from God to overcome it.

Jesus Himself was tempted while He was here on the earth.

And when we pray for His strength to be with us, we can have His power to overcome temptations just like He did.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Resist the temptation first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“You’ve got a bad habit, and you’ll never overcome it.”

“Life will always be this overwhelming, so you should stay frustrated all the time.”

“Life is going okay even though you stopped keeping the commandments, so you’ll be fine in the long run.”

In fact, King Noah’s wicked priests made fun of Abinadi for telling them to repent by echoing this same message:

“And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper.” (Mosiah 12:15)

They haven’t been taken into bondage yet, so OF COURSE that means they will never be taken into bondage!

They had been prospering just fine, so OF COURSE they are going to continue to prosper!

But Jesus?

He’s all about change.

If you’ve got a bad habit, Jesus wants to help you overcome it.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, Jesus wants to offer you peace and strength to endure.

If you think you don’t need the gospel of Jesus Christ, Jesus invites you to see what you are missing out on.

Nothing ever stays the same….

And that is actually the best news ever.

The post Nothing stays the same first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It means to persuade someone to do something.

King Benjamin taught:

“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.” (Mosiah 3:19)

So King Benjamin is saying that the Holy Ghost is trying to persuade us to do good things.

The Spirit is trying to entice us to be helpful and kind and loving.

Can you think of a time you’ve been persuaded or enticed to do something good this past week?

Did you follow through on it?

Because someone else is trying to persuade us to do things that aren’t good.

Satan uses persuasion and enticement to make his way seem more pleasing.

He tries to convince us that his way is much less work.

We know that the more we give into temptations over and over, our desires start to change and then it becomes even easier to sin more in the future.

But this is the same thing with the Holy Spirit, too!

The more that we “give in” to the Spirit’s enticings, the easier and easier it becomes to follow promptings in the future.

Our desires start to change as we yield to these persuasions, and it becomes natural to become more Christlike each day.

“Each time you seek for and follow the promptings of the Spirit, each time you do anything good—things that “the natural man” would not do—you are overcoming the world.” – Russell M. Nelson

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Persuade and entice  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The temptation to NOT pray. ⁣

Not just forgetting to pray (although I think that can often be a side effect of the issue).

But choosing to NOT pray.⁣

In fact, Nephi even specifically calls out this strategy of the adversary in 2 Nephi 32:8:⁣

“…the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.”⁣

Why would we not pray?⁣

-I’m too angry to pray. ⁣

-I don’t have anything new to say. ⁣

-I feel like I just prayed. ⁣

-I’m too overwhelmed/tired to actually say a meaningful prayer. ⁣

-What’s the point? Nothing changes anyway. ⁣

-I’m not feeling grateful right now. ⁣

-It’s not that big of a deal. ⁣

-He knows what’s going on in my mind, so I don’t need to say a formal prayer. ⁣

How do we root out this temptation that is so specifically called-out in the scriptures?⁣

The good ol’ Bible Dictionary puts it perfectly:

“Many of the difficulties or temptations we face for not praying come from forgetting about our true relationship with Heavenly Father: that He really is our Father, and we are His children.”

-God wants us to talk to Him when we are angry and upset. ⁣

-He doesn’t care if we think we are too tired to have a meaningful conversation with Him. ⁣

-He doesn’t get tired of hearing from us. ⁣

-We don’t need to impress Him with outstanding new stories or phrases each time we talk with Him. ⁣

-We know His will will always be done, so prayer is more about changing our hearts than changing His mind. ⁣

When we are reminded about our true relationship with the God of the Universe, prayer becomes a little more instinctive and natural on our part. ⁣

And the temptation “to NOT pray” can start to lose its power over us.

So here’s your (and my own) pep talk for today:

Pray. Pray always. It’s worth it. It’s never something you’ll regret doing.

Don’t forget to (or be tempted not to) PRAY.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The temptation not to pray  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.