"The best defense we have against being fooled by Satan's counterfeits is to be as familiar as possible with truths of the gospel. The more deeply we know the truth, the easier it will be to spot the differences when Satan presents us with his counterfeits."
- Dennis C. Gaunt (April 2016 Ensign - Recognizing Satan's Counterfeits)
Having read the scriptures over and over and studied many of its stories, I have learned something valuable in the way that Satan operates. The scriptures are full of examples of anti-Christs. They are all different, yet all are similar in some way. Many times they will use the tactic to tell you partial truths. They will teach things that will flatter the people and usually they are very good at public speaking and can easily persuade others to listen because of the powerful speech that they use. For example, in the Book of Mormon, Nehor is an anti-Christ. In Alma 1:4, Nehor states that the Lord has created all men (TRUE) and that the Lord has also redeemed all men (TRUE) and that all men will have eternal life (LIE). Nehor tells partial truths to confuse them in order to get them to believe in the lie….it just sounds so good. Many believed his words and started to pay him money to hear him preach and were led away. It is important to learn to recognize this tactic in our own lives. We are surrounded by millions of different influences each day, whether it be news, social media, friends, school, etc. There are many things that can persuade us one way or another. Learn to recognize Satan's trick where he will tell a few truths and then mix in a lie. It's incredible how prominent this tactic is in our culture. Don't be lured in by his illusions!! Study the gospel and learn the truth. You will be able to have the spirit with you as you study the truth and therefore be able to recognize Satan's subtleties and counterfeits. I love you girls! Put on your armor!!
- Love, Sister Landers
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