5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins
are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my
guilt was swept away.
7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?
8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ,
whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he
shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee
whole.
9 Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words
I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites;
wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.
10 And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold,
the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy
brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given
unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for
the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have
said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own
heads.
11 And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith
began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long
strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.
12 And it came to pass that after I had prayed and
labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee
according to thy desires, because of thy faith.
Enos knew, when he was told he was forgiven of his sins, his “guilt was swept away.” He knew God could not lie.
“The
fact that we can repent is the good news of the gospel! Guilt can be ‘swept
away.’ We can be filled with joy, receive a remission of our sins, and have ‘peace
of conscience.’ We can be freed from feelings of despair and the bondage of
sin. We can be filled with the marvelous light of God and be “pained no more. Repentance
is not only possible but also joyful because of our Savior. I still remember
the feelings that washed over me in the branch president’s office after the
firecracker episode. I knew I had been forgiven. My feelings of guilt vanished,
my gloomy mood lifted, and my heart felt light.”[1]
He
then asked how this could be done.
The
Lord told him it was through his faith in Christ. He had faith even though he
had never heard nor seen Him.
During
His ministry, Christ emphasized the importance of faith. One example was the
healing of the two blind men.
“And when Jesus
departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of
David, have mercy on us.
“And when he was
come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them,
Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
“Then touched he
their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
“And
their eyes were opened…” (Matthew
9:27-29).
Having been forgiven of his sins, he was concerned about the
welfare of the Nephites. He then prayed for them.
“[L]ike Enos after receiving the forgiveness of his sins, we
will feel the desire ourselves to sacrifice and to seek the well-being of our
brothers and sisters. And we will be more willing every ‘one more day’ to
follow the invitation that President Howard W. Hunter extended to us when he
said: ‘Mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and
replace it with trust. … Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your
loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy.
Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of
someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude.
Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. … Speak your love and then
speak it again.’”[2]
While he was still “struggling,” the Lord’s voice came into
his mind again.
“So how can we recognize inspiration when it comes … The
voice of the spirit of revelation is not necessarily audible, but it gives us
divine confirmation through our thoughts and feelings. As we are told in the
Doctrine and Covenants, ‘I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the
Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart (D&C
8:2).’ We must cultivate our sensitivity to that divine voice.”[3]
The Lord told him he would visit his people according to
their diligence in keeping His commandments. He had given them this holy land
based on their righteousness. “And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments,
ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which
I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands” (1
Nephi 2:20).
Should they turn from His word, the land will be cursed because
of their sins. “And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land,
that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall
serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come
upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened
in iniquity” (Ether 2:9).
He will visit the people according to His words. Their
transgressions will bring them sorrow. “Yea, and moreover I say unto you, that
if this highly favored people of the Lord should fall into transgression, and
become a wicked and an adulterous people, that the Lord will deliver them up,
that thereby they become weak like unto their brethren; and he will no more
preserve them by his matchless and marvelous power, as he has hitherto
preserved our fathers” (Mosiah 1:13).
Having received the Lord’s promise concerning the Nephites.
His faith “began to be unshaken in the Lord.” about the Nephites, Enos then
prayed for “my brethren, the Lamanites.”
His answer came only after he “labored with all diligence.” Here,
we learn an important truth from Enos. The Lord loves us and wants us to learn
and be guided by Him in all things; however, they do not come easily. We cannot
offer a quick prayer, asking the Lord for His help, and then forget about it.
We must make an effort on our own part. The Lord expects us to give Him our be
efforts. Remember the Lord’s words to Joseph Smith.
“Behold, you have
not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took
no thought save it was to ask me.
“But,
behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must
ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall
burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
“But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but
you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing
which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be
given you from me” (D&C 9:7-9).
[2] One More Day, Elder Taylor G. Godoy, April 2018 General
Conference.
[3]
Did You Get the Right Message, President James E. Faust, October 2004 General
Conference.
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