Seeking Spiritual Knowledge to Avoid Captivity

2 Nephi 15:13 - "Therefore, my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst."

Joseph Smith - "A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of the things of God” Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 217

President Russell M. Nelson - “But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” Nelson, Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, April 2018. 

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 Seek 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.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

One of the greatest dangers of mortality is not always open rebellion or obvious sin. Sometimes the danger is spiritual neglect. When we stop seeking truth, stop learning from the scriptures, stop listening to the Spirit, or stop asking God for direction, we begin to lose spiritual strength. Over time, we can become spiritually hungry, spiritually thirsty, and more vulnerable to confusion, temptation, and discouragement. The warnings Isaiah gave were not only for ancient Israel, they are also for us. Isaiah saw people who had become spiritually weak because they no longer valued the knowledge of God. They still had positions, influence, and outward signs of success, but inwardly they were starving. They had lost the guidance that comes from revelation and truth. Second Nephi fifteen thirteen. Therefore my people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge, and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from Joseph Smith and President Russell M. Nelson, we will consider what it means to seek spiritual knowledge and focus on Jesus Christ. Isaiah teaches that captivity begins when people lose knowledge, that knowledge is not simply education, information, or worldly understanding. Isaiah is speaking about the knowledge of God. It is knowledge that comes through scripture study, prayer, obedience, revelation, and the influence of the Holy Ghost. When people lose that kind of knowledge, they become spiritually vulnerable. They may still appear strong on the outside, but they begin to lose the power to recognize truth from air. They become easier to deceive. They begin to trust the world more than they trust God. They lose the ability to see life clearly from an eternal perspective. Joseph Smith taught A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us and give us knowledge of the things of God. That is a serious warning. Salvation is connected to knowledge. We cannot become like Heavenly Father in Jesus Christ without learning from them. We cannot stay spiritually safe if we are spiritually passive. This is one reason the Lord asks us to study the scriptures consistently. The scriptures help us recognize truth. They teach us who God is. They remind us of His commandments, His promises, and His pattern for living. As we learn more about the Savior, we become less likely to be taken captive by the voices of the world. Isaiah also describes the people as being famished and dried up with thirst. That imagery is important. Spiritual ignorance does not leave people neutral, it leaves them empty. Every person is going to hunger for something. Every person is going to thirst for something. If we are not filling our lives with the Word of God, we will often try to fill that emptiness with something else. We may turn to entertainment, distraction, success, social approval, politics, money, or constant busyness. But none of those things can satisfy the soul. Only Jesus Christ can do that. The Savior described himself as the bread of life and the living water. He is the source of spiritual nourishment. Through him we receive truth, peace, forgiveness, strength, and direction. Without him, people eventually become spiritually exhausted no matter how successful they may appear outwardly. That is why personal revelation matters so much. We do not only need general truth, we also need personal direction for our own lives. We need help knowing how to lead our families, make decisions, resist temptation, and remain faithful during difficult times. President Russell M. Nelson taught.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

But in coming days it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

That statement becomes more true every year. We live in a world filled with noise, confusion, and competing messages. There are in this opinions telling us what matters most, what truth is and how we should live. Without the Holy Ghost, it becomes harder to recognize what is true and what is false. The Lord has not left us alone. He has given us the companionship of the Holy Ghost, so we can receive guidance in a confusing world. He has given us prophets, scriptures, temples, and covenants so we can remain spiritually nourished instead of spiritually famished. We do not drift into spiritual strength. We drift into spiritual weakness. Spiritual knowledge has to be sought intentionally. We live in a day when it is easy to spend hours consuming news, entertainment, sports, podcasts, social media, and endless online content. None of these things are always wrong, but if they take all our attention, we may slowly lose our appetite for the things of God. If we want to avoid spiritual captivity, we need to build daily habits that invite revelation. We can spend time in the scriptures even when we feel busy. We can pray with real intent instead of rushing through familiar words. We can write down spiritual impressions when they come. We can make worship, temple attendance, and sacrament meeting a priority instead of treating them like optional extras. We can also ask ourselves honest questions. What voices influence us most right now? What are we filling our minds with every day? Are we spiritually nourished or are we spiritually hungry? Are we seeking revelation for our own lives? Or are we relying only on what others say? The Lord wants to guide us, He wants to teach us, He wants to protect us from deception and captivity, but we must be willing to seek the knowledge that He offers. So here is today's challenge. Spend time today identifying one way to increase spiritual knowledge in daily life. It may be adding a few more minutes to scripture study, writing down impressions after prayer, listening more carefully during sacrament meeting or setting aside distractions to make room for the Holy Ghost. Choose one specific action that will help bring more spiritual nourishment and revelation into life. 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.