What We Radiate Reveals Who We Are

2 Nephi 13:9 - "The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!"

President David O. McKay - "Every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. It is what he is...Every person radiates what he or she really is...It is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us"

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

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Welcome to Speak This Jesus, 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.

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What we truly are eventually becomes visible. We may hide attitudes, sins, pride, selfishness, or hypocrisy for a time, but over time our inner character begins to show in our words, reactions, priorities, and the spirit we bring into a room. The opposite is also true. When we are striving to follow Jesus Christ, love others, repent, and live with integrity, that also becomes visible. People may not remember every word we say, but they often remember how we made them feel and what spirit seemed to surround us. Isaiah warned of a society that had become comfortable with sin. Rather than feeling sorrow or shame, the people openly celebrated wickedness. Their choices became so visible that they could no longer hide what was in their hearts. This warning is not only about dramatic sins, it is also about the danger of becoming spiritually careless, allowing pride, anger, dishonesty, impurity, or selfishness to slowly shape what we become. Eventually what is inside us begins to show on the outside. Second Ephi thirteen nine. The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as sodom, and they cannot hide it. Woe unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from President David O. McKay, we will consider what it means to become people whose countenance reflects goodness and those that follow the Savior Jesus Christ. The phrase the show of their countenance teaches that our inner condition eventually becomes outwardly visible. Countenance means more than facial expression. It includes the spirit we carry, the attitude we project, and the influence we leave on other people. Isaiah taught that the people have become so comfortable in sin that they could not hide it anymore. Their choices were showing, their priorities were showing, their spiritual condition was showing. Sin always promises secrecy, but it rarely stays hidden forever. Anger eventually shows in the way we speak, pride shows in the way we treat others, dishonesties show in the way we justify ourselves, bitterness shows in the way we view people and circumstances. This verse also teaches an important truth about accountability. The people rewarded evil unto themselves. In other words, their choices brought consequences into their own lives. Sin does not only break commandments, it changes us. Repeated disobedience affects our hearts, our peace, our relationships, and our ability to fill the Spirit. At the same time, righteousness changes us too. Obedience softens our hearts, repentance brings peace, humility makes us kinder, service makes us less selfish. As we consistently choose Christ, our countenance begins to reflect him. There is a noticeable difference in a person who is trying to follow the Savior. That does not mean perfection, it means sincerity, goodness, and spiritual light. President David O. McKay taught every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone, it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every person radiates what he or she really is. It is what we are, what we radiate that affects the people around us. This teaching fits perfectly with Isaiah's warning. We are always radiating something. We influence our families, friends, coworkers, ward members, and neighbors. We may think our influence comes mostly from our words, but often it comes from what people consistently see in us. If we are negative, impatient, proud, angry, dishonest, or spiritually casual, those attitudes spread to the people around us. If we are humble, faithful, kind, honest, and filled with the Spirit, that influence spreads too. Many people want to have greater influence for good. President McKay reminds us that the strongest influence does not come from trying to appear good on the outside. It comes from being good on the inside. That means we cannot separate our private discipleship from our public influence. The way we act when nobody is watching matters. The things we choose to watch, listen to, laugh at, and think about matter. The way we speak to family members in the home matters. The way we treat people who cannot benefit us matters. Eventually what we repeatedly choose becomes who we are, and who we are becomes something that other people can feel. This verse invites us to honestly ask, what are we doing to radiating right now? When people spend time around us, do they feel peace or tension? Do they feel loved or judged? Do they see patience, kindness, humility, and goodness? Or do they see frustration, anger, pride, and worldliness? In today's world it is easy to focus on image more than character. We can spend more time thinking about how we appear than what we are who we are becoming. Social media encourages people to manage appearances, present polished versions of themselves, and hide what is really happening. But the Lord is not interested in image management. He is interested in changing hearts. If we find things in our lives that are not reflecting Christ, we do not need to become discouraged. We can repent. We can change. We can ask ourselves honest questions. Are we bringing more light into our home or more negativity? Are we making it easier or harder for others to feel the spirit around us? Are we becoming more like Jesus Christ or more like the world? As we spend time in the scriptures, pray sincerely, repent quickly and serve others, our countenance changes. We become more patient, we become more forgiving, we become more peaceful. The Spirit begins to show in our words, actions, and attitudes. People around us may not always remember exactly what we taught them, but they will remember what they felt when they were around us. That is why what we radiate matters so much. So here is today's challenge. Take a few quiet minutes today and honestly evaluate what spirit we are bringing into the lives of others. Think about the way we speak, react, serve, and treat people. Choose one specific quality that would help us better reflect Jesus Christ, such as patience, kindness, humility, honesty, or forgiveness. And focus on living that quality more intentionally this week. 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.