In every exchange, whether passing by someone and making eye contact, or having a good common discussion with someone, we effect each other. A person who is an agent of light, love and Spirit, will make a good change. No matter how small or big, their exchanges in light, will always extinguish dark.
This is why we must act as righteous individuals, and not be acted upon. However, for an unrepentant, darkened individual, unwilling to follow the light, who chooses to be dark in spite of a righteous exchange with someone, they will in essence harden their hearts more, and become even worse than they were before.
Every action has an equal and opposite action or reaction, meaning that we can react negatively to a negative action, or we can act positively to a negative action. The same would hold true for the opposite.
We can act positively, and have a positive outcome on someone who is negative, even if we can’t see it, or notice the change from our exchange.
We must seek the Spirit in all we do, and listen to and obey His promptings early. In this knowledge we can effectively and joyfully be successful member missionaries, and effective in all we do in life.
There is an account in Holy writ, where a man named Zeezrom, a corrupt lawyer and judge, has used his worldly knowledge and educated use of the language, to pervert the laws and blind and corrupt the people of his ancient city.
There comes to this city a man of God, prophet and High Priest over the land, who, at returning a second time after being commanded to do so, having first been rejected and thrown out, is taken in and cared for by another man from this city. The prophet’s name is Alma, and the merciful caretaker is Amulek.
After a time of Alma ministering to Amulek and his household, Amulek agrees to preach with him to the people of his city. At this time they go before the people, and Alma begins to preach the word of God with the scriptures through the Holy Spirit.
All of the evil lawyers, judges and leaders of the people are the first to accuse the two men sent from God. They are the ones who had caused such evil deeds to be sown in the hearts of the people, through their lying and deceiving words.
After a bunch of accusations, Alma and Amulek having confounded the evil designs of those who lay in wait to deceive and destroy, expounding the scriptures and teaching true doctrine, one of the lawyers named Zeezrom begins to feel a piercing in his heart. The Holy Spirit bears witness to him that these men are from God and are speaking the truth.
With this breakthrough, Zeezrom begins to plead with the people saying:
7 …Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God. Alma 14:7
Slowly, after many of the people began to believe the words of Alma and Amulek, there commenced a great martyrdom of those who believed, being thrown into the fire.
Other believers were thrown out and stoned. Those who survived, took refuge in the land of Sidom, among whom was Zeezrom, who was by now utterly convinced.
I now quote from Alma 15:3 in The Book of Mormon:
3 …Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom, with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his mind on account of his wickedness, for he supposed that Alma and Amulek were no more; and he supposed that they had been slain because of his iniquity. And this great sin, and his many other sins, did harrow up his mind until it did become exceedingly sore, having no deliverance; therefore he began to be scorched with a burning heat.
This burning heat is a fever that became so bad, that he lay sick and could not recover, being very low. Sometime later, after Alma and Amulek had been spared and delivered out of prison by God, Zeezrom found that they were in Sidom. At his request, they immediately came to him where he lay ill.
This is where the subject of this post comes into play. Zeezrom had, over the course of his poor and evil choices, set his mind on the evil and deceit he had subscribed to. With those changes of evil upon his soul, it also took effect on his physical body. Little by little, bit by bit, as he had thought of, and done wrong from one thing to the next, his mind and heart had become blind, dark, hard and corrupt.
At this point in time, when we find him in Sidom, he has had a spiritual change of heart and mind. This change had happened so fast, because of the bearing of pure testimony and doctrine, coupled with the fact that Alma and Amulek were given to know the thoughts and intents of Zeezrom’s heart, while he was yet contending against them. Zeezrom’s change of spiritual heart and mind had come so quickly, that his body did not have time to re-acclimate, to the polarization of good and righteousness.
The outcome of this, was a burning fever upon him, for his body was in contrast to his spirit, good vs. evil. His body had been acclimatized to evil. The outcome of this then, comes from Alma 15:5-11
5 …[Alma and Amulek] went immediately, obeying the message which [Zeezrom] had sent unto them; and they went in unto the house unto Zeezrom; and they found him upon his bed, sick, being very low with a burning fever; and his mind also was exceedingly sore because of his iniquities; and when he saw them he stretched forth his hand, and besought them that they would heal him.
6 And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?
7 And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught.
8 And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed.
9 And he said: Yea, I believe according to thy words.
10 And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.
11 And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom.
Yes, God always does provide a way for the sinner to repent, and be made whole. Often times it’s the small, everyday changes for good that we do, which allow us to repent, become better, and as we do so, our bodies will acclimate and change accordingly to the good we do. We will change, so we don’t desire evil in our spirits or our bodies anymore. We have the choice to make every moment. Acclimate our bodies for good or bad, health or sickness.
