The Son of the Morning was cast from God's presence.
The heavens wept o'er him and there was sadness.
He's practiced at persuading others to him.
He took with him a third of the hosts of heaven.
Now he's the bad force bent to destroy us.
He's ever expanding. He's ever devious.
He's smart from experience and not from skill.
His lies will blind men until captive to his will.
He seeks to be in control, his own purpose to fulfill.
He will try incitements and use deceitful ways.
Pretense and sophistries, he weaves in last days.
“All is well we prospereth, so all is well”.
He says as he leads man carefully down to hell.
Now he's a lion seeking whom he may devour,
Ever wanting glory, dominions, and power.
We say “get thee hence, Satan, Imitator.
We refuse to hear your entreaties any more.
We pray for the day you're gone. And your dominions by force.”
The devil cites scripture, if it suits his purpose.
The more we draw to God; he's there to thwart us.
The minute the Saints revolt, what comes from God.
He'll take a hold and have us singing his ballad.
We need to be sober and vigilant this day.
As in the Lord's work we anxiously engage.
We can and do roll back bad input on us.
Through our brother and Savior, our Lord Jesus.
Through him we hold God's priesthood.
We hold God's powers in trust.
We're given gifts from God. We can have discernment,
If we live to obey all God's commandments.
Although Satan knows to sins' our tendency,
He has no real authority, we've agency.
He has no real power, unless we permit it.
A wicked spirits' bound, by law and limit.
We can resist him more than we now realize,
If we heed the counsel of those who do preside.
And allow the Holy Ghost to be our companion and guide.
A wolf in sheep's clothing, He's a thief in the night.
He'll send plagues and break hearts. He'll try to snuff life.
Yet, he needs our bodies for all they can do.
We can render him powerless, if we've faith to.
There is no soul that's safe. That he would not destroy,
For he has legions under his employ.
They are the masters of speech, and they whisp'reth.
“There is not a hell or a devil,” they flatt'reth.
Of this they'll persist to way beyond the umptieth.
We must warn young people of his sly devices.
Before they succumb to his vain entices.
He'll seek to divert them from their future path.
He'd like to hold us within his fingerless grasp.
We have our strong bodies to command him, “retreat”.
Resist him, be righteous and then he will flee.
He'll tell us there's no hope, once we transgress,
But, we've been given our agency to progress.
We can repent of our sins 'though they may be most grievous.
We can voice a warning sound against the devil
And against his angels, who mainstream evil.
On the Saints, he will increase use of power.
As the kingdom of Heavenly Father grows stronger.
We believe that Satan's ever-expanding efforts
prove all the truthfulness of the gospel work.
We will need greater spirituality to perceive
his attempts to pacify and then deceive.
He will intrigue the naive. We can have wisdom or grief.
He'd love to destroy us. Mostly of our usefulness
in carrying the gospel into its fullness.
Yet, we have the still small voice for our stopping.
And if we don't listen, we'll fall to tempting.
This mechanism can't stay when we're weakened.
So, we need to help those who have lost this friend.
Heavenly father, please bless us, when we are weak.
And generously, please, forgive when we misdeed.
Help those in need of solace. And keep us from pride and greed.
President Faust
4–9, James E. Faust, Jan 2007,
“The Forces That Will Save Us,” Ensign
