One constant in life is that things always change. And like the law of entropy, if we are not constantly working towards order, good and righteousness, it's easy to fall into a state of evil, disarray and disorder.
Many people tend to think that they are the exception to the rule. But there's one thing about laws of nature, and laws in general – they apply to everyone.
There are a couple of scriptures in The Book of Mormon that mention things changing "by degrees". This can be very dangerous. When things change gradually, people tend to readily accept it or not notice the change.
The first scripture that comes to mind is when Lehonti was poisoned "by degrees" until he died.
"And it came to pass that Amalickiah caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died."
The story of the frog in the pot gradually being heated until it died comes to mind. The rising water temperature happened so gradually that the frog didn't notice it until it was too late and he was cooked.
The same thing happens to us. Small things like watching a movie with "just a couple of bad parts". People justify it by claiming that it's a good movie, except for… a couple of bad words, a mild sex scene, a little nudity, some violence, etc. But otherwise, it's a great movie! No. If there are bad things in the movie, it's a bad movie.
That's how Satan works. He throws a little bit of bad in with the good to poison us by degrees. Why do we allow this? Why do we watch movies with profanity, sex, violence, etc.? Why do we rationalize being poisoned by degrees just because most of the movie is good?
Another example is social media. Why do people follow certain people on social media who post things that poison by degrees? For instance, worldly influencers who live questionable lifestyles. Or perhaps friends or family who were once good examples of righteousness and are now apostate and evil. Most apostates when they leave the church can't leave the church alone. They must constantly be bashing the church and flaunting their open rebellion. Who needs that poison in their lives? Certainly not I.
I personally don't like seeing people yield to temptation and fall into Satan's grasp. But that's what happens when you allow yourself to be poisoned by degrees. Eventually the gradual poisoning reaches a threshold where you die spiritually.
Often times we care too much about what others' perceptions of us are. We worry about offending someone by unfollowing them or perhaps having them make fun of us for not wanting to watch a certain movie or TV show. But what's more important – hurting someone's feelings or your eternal salvation? Yes, it's that serious. And honestly, if someone is shallow enough to be offended by you unfollowing them on social media, then they are not worthy of your friendship anyway.
The world we live in has become so evil that even the news has become nothing but the philosophies of Satan being spread as truth. When it is the complete opposite. That's why I haven't watched the news in over a decade. TV shows are the same thing. I also haven't watched them in decades but on the rare occurrence that I'm stuck watching a TV show for a few minutes waiting for my channel to be turned, I am completely disgusted with the pure evil that is allowed on TV and that people invite into their homes. They are literally allowing their minds and spirits to be poisoned by degrees.
If it were physical poison, instead of spiritual poison, people would avoid it like the plague. But because it poisons your spirit instead of your body, people not only accept it, they seek it. That's why so many strong people are dropping like flies. They are being poisoned by degrees.
On a brighter note though, it works the other way as well. Instead of being poisoned by degrees, we can prosper by degrees.
Mosiah 21:16
"And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger."
When we humble ourselves and strive to do what is right, we prosper by degrees. The Lord blesses us. If we are persistent, we will grow in our prosperity and spirituality.
Again, because it is gradual,we may not notice much of a difference in our everyday lives. But prospering by degrees is a daily, drop by drop occurrence. Just like the five wise virgins who accumulated oil for their lamps "by degrees" drop by drop on a daily basis. They were ready to meet the bridegroom when he came because of their daily effort to fill their lamps with oil "by degrees".
People don't usually change – either for the good or the bad – drastically or suddenly. But by degrees. It's what we do on a daily basis that determines who we are. Our daily choices determine our destiny, by degrees.
Every good thing we do every day is a drop of oil added to our lamps. Do we choose to fill our lamps with oil, by degrees, and prosper? Or are we more concerned with the ways of the world? Do we choose drops of poison instead of drops of oil every day? Do we choose to be poisoned by degrees rather than prosper?
May we all choose to prosper by degrees rather than be poisoned by degrees.
That's my two cents.
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