LEAVING BABYLON

"Overcoming the Distractions of Babylon" has to do first with desire to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ. We do receive according to our desires. The fruits of righteous desires are our faith and thus our priorities. We all have 24 hours in a day. Certain hours are spoken for, such as sleep and work. I work in an office so I can have a cd player on my desk and I listen to spiritual music to help invite and keep the influence of the Holy Spirit. This seems to work for me. I only listen to that kind of music at work, in my car and at home. I have this same standard when I have my computer on all night long playing the soft spiritual inspiring hymns playing through my surround sound in my bedroom as I fall to sleep and awake in the morning. Yes, this does cost a little money but the spiritual benefits far out weigh those small costs. "Lay down at night unto the Lord and arise unto the Lord." I used to listen to classic rock and country but gave them up completely and replaced them with hymns and other inspired music.

Satan wants to distract us from staying focused on the spiritual even while living in a temporal world. I decided to eliminate these distractions now in my life for I know that the day is soon coming that if we have these distractions still in our lives, we will fail to stay in tune with the Holy Spirit when we will need His guidance the most, during the serious troubles that lie ahead.

I had to force myself to give up most sporting events as well. I have been trying to use the three hours I could spend watching a Saturday football game and attend the temple instead. The blessings have been amazing indeed. Football in and of itself isn’t evil but desires motivate each of us to think, say, do and thus live our lives. When all heck breaks loose in the near future, what good will sports be? People will be fleeing for their lives in the major cities of this country. They will not be running into the sports stadiums to watch sporting events.

I have tried reading more of the Book of Mormon more than ever. We are under condemnation per section 84 of D & C. We can only qualify to lift that condemnation personally by abiding by the conditions the Lord has stated. When enough saints personally lift the condemnation in their lives by becoming Zion-like people then and only then will the Lord call for the city of Zion to be built. I have a ways to go to meet the Lord’s standard, but I know it begins with righteous desires that translate into righteous priorities that reflect what we do to eliminate the Distractions of Babylon entirely out of our lives.

Another important aspect of this process is how we spend our incomes. Paying an honest tithe and generous fast offering are just the bare minimums. We who have made temple covenants have pledged to put "everything" upon the alter of the Lord. The day is coming soon when every latter-day saint will have to leave behind the comforts of modern living, including their homes and nearly everything in them. I am determined to have the faith to do that. It is very difficult for me to not have my heart set upon the things of the world. I started out poor and through the blessings of the Lord and the golden opportunities this great nation of America has afforded me, I have begun to prosper as the Nephites of old. I understand their temptations very well. It is a strong temptation to spend any extra resources on the luxuries of this modern world. I have what I need and struggle at times to resist the purchase of "wants" that would make me more telestial in my priorities. Nevertheless, I know in my heart what I need to do.

I am choosing to become one of the chosen of the Lord. Those who do are the only ones considered chosen by the Lord, all others are only called. Only the chosen will gather to places of safety. All others will be on their own. Only the chosen survive the purging of the Lord’s house. All others will fall away. These are important decisions that will result in our souls being saved or lost. The ultimate goal is to have a people who depend totally upon the Savior and not anything this world has to offer. Period! These our my two cents worth and I do not submit these things to claim anything of myself. I chose to do these things because I know myself well enough that if I did not make such changes in my personal life and more changes are needed, then I know that I would fail miserably in the eyes of the Lord. By choosing to eliminate the "Distractions of Babylon" and staying completely focused on the will of God do we thus choose to be the chosen ones who, when all is said and done will still be standing in holy places. Thank you for this opportunity to share these things.

  This ^ is where I would like to go.  I not there quite yet, except for the consecration thing.  We literally have sold everything and have been told to make it into things to help others coming to Cardston.  We have about 100K in preps (and counting).  We live in a tiny two bedroom apt and plan to until the day we die because our focus was so much on the things of the world, we are trying to make up for lost time.....

When this happens in the next little while, all worldly things including our beloved electronics (and blogs) will be gone or useless and it will be such a shock for most people, that they literally will lose their minds in the chaos.  This will cause them to turn on parents and former friends, etc etc.  Without meds and proper foods, it will be quite a scene.