Jet Mariano

Tag: Moses 1

  • MIT-8 The Eye

    The eye that communicates what words cannot.

    In certain eyes, I glimpse something no English adjective can contain.

    Excerpt
    Some eyes carry the moment. Other eyes are taught to see beyond it.

    Intro
    The scriptures teach that sight is not always natural. Sometimes the Lord allows understanding beyond ordinary vision. These moments are not constant, and they are not ours to explain. They come quietly, teach something essential, and pass.

    There are also eyes that carry burdens the world cannot see. Their owner may not know what others perceive in them.

    Two kinds of sight exist at the same time — one that is lived, and one that is given.

    Notes from the Scriptures
    When the servant of Elisha saw armies surrounding them, fear filled his heart. Elisha prayed that the young man’s eyes would be opened.

    “And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17)

    The situation did not change. Only sight changed.

    Enoch experienced something similar when the Lord instructed him to wash his eyes:

    “And he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye.” (Moses 6:36)

    Even Moses was invited to see beyond natural limits:

    “Thou art my son… look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands.” (Moses 1:4)

    Natural eyes alone could not perceive these things.

    Perspective
    In speaking of the man born blind in John 9, President Jeffrey R. Holland described how the Savior placed clay upon the man’s eyes and sent him to wash. After obeying, the man returned seeing. When challenged by those who doubted the miracle, he responded simply:

    “Whereas I was blind, now I see.”

    President Thomas S. Monson later reminded us that blindness is not always physical. Many “have their eyesight but… walk in darkness at noonday,” blinded by anger, prejudice, indifference, or neglect of truth.

    “Their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed…”

    “The Spirit speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.” (Jacob 4:13)

    “The light of the body is the eye.” (Matthew 6:22)

    Practice Today
    Today I will remember that sight is both physical and spiritual. I will seek to see people with compassion, recognizing that what is visible is not always complete.

    Final Reflection
    There are eyes that reflect weariness when the day is heavy. There are eyes that reflect quiet strength when burdens are lifted. The owner of those eyes may not know what others perceive in them.

    And there are moments when, looking into them, something is seen that cannot be explained — not by imagination, but not by natural sight either. Like the servant of Elisha seeing the chariots of fire, or the man born blind returning from Siloam, or Enoch seeing beyond the natural world, the experience is brief and passing.

    It is not given to be understood or held.
    It is given to steady the heart.

    One set of eyes lives the moment.
    Another set of eyes learns from it.

    Both belong to God.

    Pocket I’m Keeping
    “Whereas I was blind, now I see.”

    What I Hear Now
    “Open my eyes.”
    “See with compassion.”
    “Let the moment pass, but keep the lesson.”

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    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • MIT8 – The Thief of Hope

    Not every battle is visible. But every choice to keep hope alive matters more than we realize.

    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.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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