Spiritual Identity

My son-in-law Kevin is an artist (graphic designer). Even his talks in church pieces of art. This is an excerpt from his sacrament meeting talk last week. I loved all of it but these paragraphs especially caught my attention.

"Understanding and realizing our potential can only begin once we recognize who we are. We are literally the spiritual children of God. By obeying his commandments, we increase in light and truth, or intelligence (D&C 93:27), and may learn to become like God. Identity, therefore, is the lens of our spiritual photography. By knowing our connection with God, we are empowered to then take in the light, and allow it to develop us."

"Identity is the crux of all temptation. It was the first temptation that Satan launched against Jesus: “if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3). Ironically, it was also the last: “If he be the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). A spiritual identity crisis is always at the core of our temptations. We forget our divine origin, our potential, and our intelligence, and get caught up in the moment. Satan loves the idea of getting us trapped in the moment, for ultimately, that is what he is: bound to the eternal moment of his disobedience. Moments are the cells of eternity. We thus construe the persona of Christ one cell at a time, through constant light from keeping his commandments."