EXCERPT
Hope is not lost in a single moment.
It is stolen quietly, one small lie at a time.
INTRO
Scripture teaches that the adversary does not simply oppose us. He seeks to strip us of joy, confidence, and hope itself. Lehi warned that the devil works tirelessly to rob us of our agency and lead us toward misery. Nephi later added that these efforts are rarely loud or obvious. They are subtle. Gradual. Easy to overlook if we are not watchful.
That pattern explains why discouragement so often feels heavier than temptation. The enemy’s goal is not only to make us stumble, but to convince us that getting back up is pointless.
Yet the scriptures also give us a clear pattern for resistance.
After Moses had seen God and spoken with Him, he found himself suddenly alone and physically weak. In that vulnerable moment, Satan appeared and demanded worship. The timing was no accident. Weakness is when doubt feels loudest.
But Moses was not confused. He did not argue. He did not panic. He anchored himself in truth.
He remembered who he was.
NOTES FROM THE SCRIPTURES
Moses’ encounter with Satan teaches us that temptation often comes after spiritual strength. When the vision ended, Moses was left exhausted. That is when Satan approached him, trying to blur the line between creator and pretender.
But Moses did not measure himself by his weakness. He measured himself by his identity.
He stood on three unshakable principles.
First, he remembered that he was a son of God.
Second, he refused to stop resisting when temptation persisted.
Third, he relied fully on the power of Jesus Christ.
Each step brought greater strength until Satan’s influence finally broke.
The pattern is clear.
Identity anchors us.
Persistence strengthens us.
The Savior delivers us.
PERSPECTIVE (DIRECT QUOTES)
Scripture
“I have a work for thee, Moses, my son.”
Moses 1:6
“Moses, son of man, worship me.”
Moses 1:12
“Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God.”
Moses 1:13
“Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not.”
Moses 1:16
“Depart hence, Satan.”
Moses 1:18
“In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.”
Moses 1:21
“Satan cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and he departed hence.”
Moses 1:22
Sister Tamara W. Runia
“Satan is the thief of hope.”
“Your Repentance Doesn’t Burden Jesus Christ; It Brightens His Joy,” April 2025 General Conference
PRACTICE (TODAY, NOT SOMEDAY)
Today, I will resist temptation by choosing three simple acts of faith.
I will remember who I am.
A child of God, not defined by weakness, but by divine heritage.
I will be persistent.
I will not give up just because temptation returns. I will stand again, and again, and again.
I will rely on Jesus Christ.
Not only in moments of crisis, but in every quiet struggle where hope feels fragile.
FINAL REFLECTION
Satan rarely begins by asking us to abandon faith.
He begins by whispering that faith is not working.
He steals hope before he steals obedience.
He drains courage before he attacks conviction.
But Moses shows us a better way.
Hope is protected when we know who we are.
Strength grows when we keep standing.
Victory comes when we trust in the Savior’s power instead of our own.
POCKET I’M KEEPING
Hope is not something I lose.
It is something I must protect.
WHAT I HEAR NOW
“Satan is the thief of hope.”
But Jesus Christ is the Giver of strength.
And with Him, hope can never truly be stolen.
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