Casualness Causes Casualties

My mission president, R. Scott Strong, drilled into our minds and hearts this phrase - "Casualness causes casualties".

Missionary Standpoint

During my 2 year service in Australia, I came to understand the meaning of that phrase from a missionary standpoint.

If you're a casual missionary, you'll fail to teach and baptize those who would have become worthy converts, whether they were "golden" (immediately ready to be baptized) or needed some help only you and the Spirit could offer.

If you're a casual missionary, those who would SEE and FEEL the Light of the Spirit from one of Jesus Christ's authorized and empowered servants (you), and who would EXPERIENCE the power of the Word knocking at the door of their heart, and who would EMBRACE the Gospel 100%... will just have to keep waiting and missing out on the further Light and Knowledge that God promised He would send to His children in the world.

And when they keep waiting for someone that is truly SENT from God to give them further Light and Knowledge, they can give in to the "world" and become a casualty.

Latter-day Saint Standpoint

Its obvious that if you're a casual latter-day saint, just doing the very least amount possible to survive spiritually in this world, you will eventually be overcome.

The subtle powers of Satan are constantly at work, while at the same time, so are the powers of God. But, if you are casually living the life of a latter-day saint, the powers of Satan will overcome you.

Just as it is vital to your body that you eat food and drink water, it is vital to your spirit that you "feast" on the words of Christ. There is truth in the phrase, "Man shall not live by bread alone", for what is "man" composed of? Spirit and flesh, and both elements need to be nourished or there will be death.

Knowing that your body or spirit hungers is evident by hunger pains, or even death. Its a lot easier to recognize hunger pains from your body, but its not as easy to recognize them from your spirit.

But there are signs of spiritual hunger.

• You start to lose enthusiasm for the basics of a healthy spiritual life, like church, prayer, scripture study, temple attendance, fasting, fulfilling your callings, etc.
• You start to let the things of the world become common in your life like vulgarity, immodesty, disrespect to authorities, breaking little laws, etc.
• You actively give in to temptations that you previously were strong to avoid and overcome
• You get offended when chastised and called to repentance
• Your testimony has been lost
• You withdraw yourself from the good things God has given you and apostatize

I'd venture to say that if you find yourself experiencing the first spiritual hunger sign I mentioned, that in itself should be a big red flag that your spirit is hungering for Light.

This is when you need to buckle down and revitalize your relationship with God and get Light, because what God gives you is Light, the very light that promotes, produces, preserves, protects and perfects LIFE!

And if you are casual in your spirituality, you will become a casualty.

Bishop Standpoint

Being a Bishop is a big challenge, but a wonderful opportunity to care for the latter-day saints. And if a bishop is casual in his duties, he will see spiritual casualties in his own congregation.

There are many ways to care for the saints, but one in particular is absolutely crucial to understand. And that is his duty to judge.

Pornography is a vicious, addictive and destructive drug. It is also a sin, the natural consequences of which can take a long time to recover from, even an entire lifetime. I have spoken with many young men who's lives have been tainted by it, and have discussed their experience with confessing it to their bishops.

The things I've noticed perhaps the most are the different levels of tolerance for the broken law of chastity that their bishops have, before they enact disciplinary measures. While I acknowledge that every situation can be different, the sin remains the same and can have life-altering natural consequences.

Some bishops will just encourage the young man to try harder to avoid and resist temptation, while some will take away privileges for a certain amount of time.

The fact of the matter is this - by you choosing to look at or be pornography, you open the door for Satan to come in and rob you of Light. Pornographic thoughts are sticky, in that they stick around for a long time, and if you entertain those thoughts, you widely open the door for Satan again and again.

If a bishop says to someone who is confessing, "Oh just try your best to avoid it and keep praying for strength", what is bound to happen more often than not? Satan will tease the poor soul with pornographic thoughts, and the person may very well give in just a little bit here, and a little bit there until he slips down the slippery slide of sin to the rocky bottom.

Bishops who are unaware of how strong the grip of pornography is and how Satan works, or who don't want to come across as "judging harshly" for a seemingly small sin, allow for casualties amidst their congregations.

Taking away a few privileges for a few months because, say, someone looked at pornography a couple times, may initially appear as "judging harshly". But when the discipline is finished, that soul will rejoice and proclaim to himself and to the Lord, "Yes! I have escaped the grasp of Satan in this matter. I have repented fully and am at peace!"

I believe that if bishops only tell someone to "try your best to avoid temptation" after they have already given in to pornography, those bishops are being casual in their judgments, and may cause a spiritual casualty which could have been avoided if they would have done more to help and discipline at the first time of confession.

Sexual sin has never been more available nor more thrust down the throats of innocent children of God than it is in these times. And bishops must not underestimate the power Satan has over those who give in to pornography, even if its just a little.

Bishops who lovingly discipline saints who break the law of chastity are, in fact, helping the Lord heal wounded souls. They are, in fact, helping people to escape the grasp of Satan, to not open the door to him any more.

Anyway, the principle of "casualness causes casualties" can be applied to most any standpoint in life, and is, to me, pretty interesting to research.