When Wrong Leadership Destroys the Way

2 Nephi 13:12 - "And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths."

President Ezra Taft Benson - "And so today, the undermining of the home and family is on the increase, with the devil anxiously working to displace the father as the head of the home and create rebellion among the children"

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 Speaker's Peace, 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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God has always cared deeply about the home and family. Families are meant to be places of love, order, teaching, and protection. When homes are centered on righteousness, children are taught truth. Parents lead with love, and each person understands their role and responsibility. But when truth is ignored and God's order is rejected, confusion enters the home and society. Rebellion increases, respect disappears, and people begin following voices that lead them away from God instead of toward him. Isaiah warned that one of the signs of spiritual decline would be confusion in leadership and disorder in society. When people reject God's commandments, even the most basic structures of family and leadership begin to break down. Instead of strong loving guidance there is instability. Instead of truth there is error. Instead of leading people to God, leaders begin leading people away from him. And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from President Ezra Taf Benson, we will consider what it means to protect our homes from confusion, follow righteous leadership, and live with purpose in Jesus Christ. This verse is not teaching that children or women have less value in God's eyes. Every son and daughter of God is divine worth and importance. Isaiah is warning about disorder, confusion, and the reversal of God given responsibilities. He is describing a society where proper leadership is broken down and where people no longer honor the roles God has established. God is a God of order. Throughout Scripture He establishes patterns of leadership, responsibility, and stewardship. In the home, parents are responsible to teach, guide, correct, and protect their children. Children are meant to learn, obey, and grow. When those roles are reversed, confusion enters the home. Children begin making decisions they are not ready to make. Parents stop leading with confidence. Family members compete for control instead of working together in love and unity. Isaiah described a time when children become oppressors. That can happen when children are allowed to rule the home. When parents become afraid to correct them or when rebellion is tolerated instead of addressed. Children need love, but they also need direction. They need boundaries, discipline, and truth. Without that guidance, they can easily be influenced by the world and begin pulling the family away from God. The second part of this verse warns that leaders can cause people to err and destroy the way of their pass. That warning applies to every kind of leadership. It applies to governments, schools, media, culture, churches, and especially the home. When leaders abandon truth, the people who follow them are often harmed. Good leadership brings clarity, peace, and safety. Bad leadership creates confusion, fear, and spiritual damage. President Ezra Taf Benson taught And so today, the undermining of the home and family is on the increase, with the devil anxiously working to displace the father as the head of the home and create rebellion among the children. This warning is especially important in our day. The family is under constant attack. Many messages in the world encourage rebellion, selfishness, disrespect, and independence from God. We are often told that parental guidance is restrictive, that traditional family roles are outdated and that children should determine truth for themselves. But those ideas do not bring peace. They lead to confusion and division. The adversary knows that if we can if he can weaken the home, he can weaken society. If he can create conflict between parents and children, he can make it harder for families to stay spiritually strong. If he can convince parents to stop leading, teaching, and correcting, children may grow up without a clear understanding of truth. Strong homes do not happen by accident. They require parents who are willing to teach the gospel, establish standards and lovingly lead. They require mothers and fathers who work together in unity and respect. They require children who are taught to honor and obey their parents. None of this means perfection is required. Families do not need to be flawless to be strong, but they do need to be centered on Jesus Christ. When Christ is at the center of the home, family prayer matters. Scripture study matters, church attendance matters, repentance matters, respect matters, forgiveness matters. Homes become places where people can feel peace instead of confusion. They become places where truth is taught clearly and consistently. This verse invites us to think carefully about the influences we allow into our homes and lives. Every day we are surrounded by voices trying to lead us. Social media, entertainment, celebrities, news, outlets, friends, and popular culture all try to shape what we believe and how we live. Some of those voices lead us toward Christ, but many do not. We need to ask ourselves who is leading us? Are we allowing the world to shape our values? Or are we letting God shape them? Are we following leaders who teach truth? Or are we listening to voices that create confusion? Are we helping strengthen our homes or are we allowing distractions and worldly ideas to weaken them? We can apply this doctrine by making our homes places of order and peace. We can pray together more often. We can make time for scripture study. We can be more intentional about teaching truth to our children. We can support parents and grandparents in their efforts to lead. We can speak respectfully in our homes. We can set limits on media that encourages rebellion, disrespect, or confusion. Even if our home is not perfect, we can still make changes that invite more of the Spirit into our lives. We can become better examples. We can be more patient. We can be more willing to teach truth with love. We can help our families stay on the covenant path by choosing to follow Jesus Christ in small, daily ways. So here is today's challenge. Take time today to look at the influences in our homes and personal lives. Identify one voice, habit, or influence that may be creating confusion or pulling us away from Christ. Then replace it with something that strengthens faith, peace, and truth. It may be more scripture study, better conversations as a family, more prayer or removing media that does not belong in the home. As we choose to follow righteous leadership and create homes centered on Christ, we will find greater peace and direction. 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.