1 Timothy 4:1- 6 seducing spirits

When I was much younger, lol... I believed that beauty belonged to the mirror. I used to think that I had to be thin, fair faced, well dressed, and manicured to find beauty.  Beauty poured from a bottle and begged to be understood by how I perceived others saw me.

As the years have faded the rose of my cheek, the plump of my smile, I have learned that, beauty is an art. It is the act of giving yourself to others so that the two of you (as friends) become one in emotion and experience. It cannot be ranked, competed with, or even measured. It comes from the heart. It comes from selfless love for nature, for others, for self, and for the community in which we live.

Beauty comes from a pure soul that seeks words of faith and the practice of good doctrine. As I thought of Paul's words about how there would be a falling away in the latter days, I was drawn to consider the seduction of what the world perceives to be beauty.


Two proverbs come to mind:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:
 beauty cannot be judged objectively, for what one person finds beautiful or admirable may not appeal to another.
Beauty is only skin-deep 
a pleasing appearance is not a guide to character.

If you look at Paul's words with the eye of beauty... you can see how the world has given us seducing spirits and doctrines of devils that teach (in relation to beauty) lies, hypocrisy, and other temptations.

Beauty cannot be owned. It cannot be held. It must be felt from within. True beauty comes from the soul.

Paul taught that a falling away would occur. An apostasy if you will. It would occur because of

A. Seducing (tempting) spirits
B. Doctrines of Devils
Together these would

• 1. speak lies (i.e.tell us that beauty is perfection. That beauty must be seen and never felt. 
• 2. hypocrisy  (i.e. hypocrites tell us that if we buy a certain product we will feel beautiful. The thing they forget to tell you is that no matter how beautiful you may look to another person, the only person that matters is you and it is not how you look, but rather how you feel.) 
• 3. sear your conscience . ( when you have been misled by media's perfect photo, pornography, harlots, materialism, lust, etc.. and you realize your mistake and all that you have lost, your conscience will cry out) 
• 4. forbid marriage ( this can be many things.. whatever forbids the organization, upkeep, and love of a family. Whatever there is that teaches you that the family is not important.. then you have been seduced by devilish doctrine. 
• 5. vegetarianism - Paul reminds us that the animal and plant kingdom both have been ordained for the use of man for both food and clothing.

These evil doctrines may come from old wives tales.. from traditions.

But in the latter day a few sources I have found: advertising, marketing, corporate greed, food that would harm us but we have been misled to consider that it is good for us, pornography, gaming, idle use of our time.

It is important for us to remember that in order to be a "good minister of Jesus Christ" we must nourish ourselves with the words of faith... and of good doctrine. We must be aware of such doctrines that would temp us to believe untruths. We must be vigilant in seeking out the true outcomes of our behaviors and how they will affect not only us but our future generations that will come in our families "latter times".


The most beautiful smiles come from the young heart yet untouched 
and the old soul who has given much.

A Bishop to Serve ( 1 Timothy 3)

 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 

Bishops are men of great stature. They are respected for their many attributes. When a man is called to serve as a bishop, his entire family is called. He will require their understanding, their patience, their kindness and their help. He will require that he "hold the mystery of the faith in pure conscience." 

Our family has reaped the blessings of helping our father lead others as he served as Bishop of the Zionsville, Indiana Ward.(1998-2001) While the experience was his: he counseled, he led, he served, he taught, he went to untold amount of meetings, and he leaned on his counselors, the experience proved to be one that benefited our entire family. 

In looking back on the two and one-half years that my husband served, I have seen the Lord's hand as he  guided our family through a very dark (corporate and financial) storm. I can now see how my husband loved other families and helped their faith grow. I can see how he made endearing friendships. I can see how his leadership helped lead not only a ward family, but our family through very difficult times. Times that we could not have understood nor had the faith to comprehend without God's leadership and love. 

It was a time when our own family began the experience of many serious life threatening surgeries. (daughter and son).  It was a time when our eldest daughter left for college and began to test her own wings of flight. Our oldest children entered and traversed their teenage years and began to experience life on their own. 

I know that the Lord looks after those whom he calls to serve as Bishop. I know that he looks after their families. During the time that my husband served, during this phase of our life, I know that I would not have wanted to be anywhere other than within "the fire of God's Love." I know that as we served we were also served. I have many stories that bear witness to the "pure conscience" of the mystery of faith. 

Paul says Bishops should have certain qualifications. Deacons too have a list. I agree, but also know that no man is perfect. No man can have all of these. So let him have some of these and work hard to find the rest, or to find good counselors who can complement him with their own strengths. 

B -BLAMELESS

I- Insolent (not)

S- OBER

H- HOSPITABLE

O- OBEDIENT 

P-PATIENT 

S- STRIKER (NOT)

D-DOUBLE TONGUED (NOT)

E - EXPERIENCED WITH LIFE 

A - APT TO TEACH 

C- CONTENT (NOT COVETOUS)

O - ONE WIFE 

N- NOT SLANDEROUS

S- SOBER

other words:  leader, vigilant, of good report, truthful, desirous of good works, not given to wine, not greedy, or of filthy lucre, not a brawler, not covetous, be able to rule his own house, 

with his children in subjection, not a novice with pride, 

good report with those who have not the faith, that he may not be  snared by the devil. 

family: children in subjection with all gravity, wives: grave, sober, faithful, not slanders

What does it mean to "Hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience?"

Paul taught that we should "examine yourselves, weather ye be in the faith; prove your own selves." (2 Corinthians 13:5) I think (I know) that service given as one serves must constantly be proven and reexamined. Great are the opportunities to serve, but great also are the opportunities to "faith have made shipwreck."(1 Timothy 1:9) Paul understood that those who lead the church (as well as all of us who believe) must examine and prove ourselves to keep our hearts pure, and our conscience whole.