If Satan can't intimidate or bully us with physical trials, he'll often try to fool us with substitute issues and programs. He would like us to invest our time, talents, and energy in causes that are not the cause of Zion, in the hope they may ultimately replace our commitment to the gospel. Often these other concerns are valid and worthwhile. That is irrelevant. The deception comes in giving these concerns a higher priority in our lives than our gospel covenants and thus to prove unfaithful to our first love, who is Christ. Those who are fooled in this way usually feel the Church is not doing enough in the area of their pet concerns. They may become disenchanted with the program of the Church and begin to follow "alternate voices." These members do not lack zeal; indeed, they are often strong enough to endure tremendous trials. But Satan has diverted their zeal to the defense of other causes instead of Zion, and they don't perceive that their shifting loyalty is really unfaithfulness. Those so deceived do not generally reject Christ; they just decide to interpret his will differently or to serve him in different ways or according to new standards and values, and their original commitments take a backseat to their new agenda. In essence, they change their spiritual compass headings. But the truth is that they couldn't be trusted to hold their original course and keep their original commitments. They didn't endure. (Stephen E. Robinson, Following Christ.)
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