Learning with Humility Before God

2 Nephi 9:28 - "O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish."

President Russell M. Nelson - “Some ‘learned’ souls delight in leading others astray, all in the so-called name of learning. Years later their victims may realize that they have climbed their ladder of learning, only to find it leaning against the wrong wall.” 

President Gordon B. Hinckley - “The intellect is not the only source of knowledge. There is a promise, given under the inspiration of the Almighty, set forth in these beautiful words: ‘God shall give unto you knowledge by his holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost.’ The humanists who criticize us, the so-called intellectuals who demean us, speak only from ignorance of this manifestation. They have not heard the voice of the Spirit. They have not heard it because they have not sought after it and prepared themselves to be worthy of it. Then, supposing that knowledge comes only of reasonings and of the workings of the mind, they deny that which comes by the power of the Holy Ghost…Do not be trapped by the sophistry of the world, which for the most part is negative and which seldom, if ever, bears good fruit. Do not be ensnared by those clever ones whose self-appointed mission it is to demean that which is sacred, to emphasize human weakness, and undermine faith, rather than inspire strength” 

Seek this Jesus - A Book of Mormon Daily Podcast invites you to discover the joy and guidance that comes from studying the Book of Mormon everyday. This podcast would hope to just be a supplement to your studies. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome to Speak This Week, a daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

We live in a world where information is everywhere. Knowledge is available instantly, opinions are constant, and many voices claim to know what is best. Because of that, it can become easy to trust only our own understanding, our own reasoning or the ideas that are most popular around us. The danger is not in learning itself, learning is a gift from God. The danger comes when we become so confident in our own intelligence that we stop listening to God. The scriptures repeatedly warn us that human wisdom, when separated from the Lord, eventually leads us away from truth. God never intended for us to choose between faith and learning. He intends for us to seek both. But he also expects us to remember that no amount of education, talent, or worldly success can replace revelation, spiritual guidance, and humility before Him. For they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore their wisdom is foolishness, and it profiteth them not, and they shall perish. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from President Russell M. Nelson and President Gordon B. Hinckley, we will consider what it means to seek learning with humility and live with purpose in Jesus Christ. This verse is not condemning education, intelligence, or learning. The Lord wants us to learn. He wants us to study, grow, develop, and gain understanding. The warning in this verse is against pride. The danger comes when we become learned and then begin to think we no longer need God. There is a difference between being educated and being wise. Education can fill the mind with facts, but wisdom teaches us how to use those facts correctly. True wisdom comes when knowledge is guided by the Spirit and rooted in humility. One of the great dangers of pride is that it makes us believe we already know enough. We can begin to set aside the counsel of God because we assume our own understanding is sufficient. We may trust our own opinions more than scripture. We may trust the trends of society more than prophetic counsel. We may trust the voices of the world more than the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. That is why Jacob describes this as the cunning plan of the evil one. Satan does not always try to destroy faith through obvious sin. Sometimes he simply convinces us that we are smart enough to live without God. He encourages people to believe that spiritual things are outdated, that revelation is unnecessary, or that truth can be discovered by human reasoning alone. President Russell M. Nelson taught.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

Some learned souls delight in leading others astray, all in the so-called name of learning. Years later their victims may realize that they have climbed their ladder of learning only to find it leaning against the wrong wall.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

That image is powerful. It is possible to spend years building a life around the wrong priorities. A person can become successful, respected, and admired in the eyes of the world while still moving farther away from God. If our learning causes us to dismiss the Lord, then no matter how much we know we are climbing the wrong ladder. The Lord does not ask us to stop thinking, He asks us to remember that human thinking has limits. There are truths that cannot be discovered in a laboratory, proven by an equation or understood by logic alone. Some truths come only through the spirit. Faith does not oppose intelligence, in fact, the restored gospel encourages education, but the gospel also teaches that the mind and the spirit should work together. We are meant to study things out, but we are also meant to pray, seek revelation, and remain teachable before God. President Gordon B. Hinckley explained The intellect is not the only source of knowledge. There is a promise given under the inspiration of the Almighty set forth in these beautiful words. God shall give unto you the knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, the humanists who criticize us, the so called intellectuals who demean us, speak only from ignorance of this manifestation. They have not heard the voice of the Spirit, they have not heard it because they have not sought after it and prepared themselves to be worthy of it. Then, supposing that knowledge comes only of reasonings and of the workings of the mind, they deny that which comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. Do not be trapped by the sophistry of the world, which for the most part is negative and which seldom, if ever, bears good fruit. Do not be ensnared by those clever ones whose self appointed mission is to demean that which is sacred, to emphasize human weakness and undermine faith rather than inspire strength. The world often praises skepticism, cynicism, and doubt as signs of intelligence. But God values humility, faith and a willingness to receive truth from Him. Spiritual knowledge is a real knowledge. Revelation is real knowledge. The whisperings of the Holy Ghost are real knowledge. We can apply this doctrine by asking ourselves an honest question. Are we allowing God to shape the way we think? Or are we only listening to the loudest voices around us? Many messages today encourage us to trust ourselves completely, to find truth for ourselves, and dismiss anything that requires faith. Social media, entertainment, popular culture, and even some educational settings can slowly condition us to believe that spiritual things are less important than worldly knowledge. We do not have to reject learning to stay faithful. We do not have to be afraid of education, books, research, or new ideas. But we do need to stay grounded. We need daily scripture study, sincere prayer, and the companionship of the Holy Ghost so we can recognize when the world's wisdom is pulling us away from God. Humility means being willing to admit that we do not know everything. It means staying teachable. It means being willing to let God correct us, guide us, and reveal truth that we could never discover on our own. The more we learn, the more humble we should become. Instead of saying I already know, we can say, Lord, teach me. Instead of trusting only ourselves, we can ask for spiritual confirmation. Instead of measuring everything by worldly standards, we can measure it by whether it brings us closer to Jesus Christ. So here is today's challenge. Spend a few minutes today identifying one voice, influence, or source of information that may be pulling us away from God more than drawing us toward Him. Then replace that influence with something spiritual. Read the scriptures, listen to a conference talk, pray for greater discernment, or spend quiet time seeking the guidance of the Holy Ghost. As we learn to put God at the center of our learning, we will be able to recognize truth more clearly and avoid climbing the wrong ladder. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior Jesus Christ. Please, don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. As we open the scriptures for ourselves, the Spirit will teach us things no podcast ever could. If you are exploring the truths of the Book of Mormon for the first time, you can receive a free copy using the link in the description found in every episode of Seek This Jesus. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you stay focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.