Trying to Serve the Lord Without Offending the Devil

Am I serving the Lord?

Or am I fooling myself, and actually serving the purposes of the devil?

How do I tell which is which?

It turns out to be surprisingly difficult to tell at some moments in time, so the Lord provided me with some very obvious clues.

From the Book of Mormon, I read...

Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually

But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.  (Moroni 7:13)

President Marion G. Romney, CR, October 1962, p. 94

The consequences of [mortal man's] choices are of the all-or-nothing sort. There is no way for him to escape the influence of these opposing powers. Inevitably he is led by one or the other. His God-given free agency gives him the power and option to choose. But choose he must. Nor can he serve both of them at the same time, for, as Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters: . . . Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

President James E. Faust, "The Great Imitator," Ensign, November 1987, p. 33

I think we will witness increasing evidence of Satan's power as the kingdom of God grows stronger. I believe Satan's ever-expanding efforts are some proof of the truthfulness of this work. In the future the opposition will be both more subtle and more open. It will be masked in greater sophistication and cunning, but it will also be more blatant. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all of the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it.

So, it turns out that silly little picture is fairly apt after all.