In the same vane as the apostles of old who each asked the Savior, their master, “Lord, is it I?” to the statement that one of them would betray him, I wish to start asking more soul searching questions to assess my own dedication to the Lord and His work. This first question was posed to me by a friend and counselor, “Am I an enemy to God?”

This question comes from Mosiah 3:19

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit , and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child , submissive , meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Starting where I often like to start, the dictionary, I kept seeing the word “hostile” come up. When first thinking on this question I simply thought that an enemy to God is one that doesn’t keep his commandments, the natural man. And while I still believe this to be so, I gather that to be a natural man means holding hostilities towards God.

In President Benson’s landmark address “Beware of Pride ” he talked said that pride meant enmity or hatred towards our fellowman and God.

The central feature of pride is enmity-enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.

Here are some questions that I believe are appropriate to ask in the light of these several thoughts:

1. When someone doesn’t understand me do I get upset an/or hurt?
2. Do I plan so as to give my morning time with God a top priority or do I just wake up late and rush to work?
3. Do I actively think, whom can I serve? Or do I just wait for someone to come to me with their problems?
4. When I am in pain, do I find myself complaining or praising God for the chance to have a body?
5. Do I fail to give others compliments where they deserve them?
6. When tempted, do I think of Christ and the mansions he’s prepared for me? Or am I “quick to do evil”?

When all is said and done, I wish not to be an enemy to my Father who, knowing all, has prepared blessings and joy untold for me if I will but let his peace and light into my heart daily.

I love my Savior, for he understands all my shortcomings, pains, and emotional struggles. I know that he died for me, but more importantly, I know that he was resurrected and lives even now for me. I know that his word is not forceful and only those who choose to slow down and be still will hear his voice.

Today, I will be a friend to God by honoring him in my thoughts and progressing his work in my actions.