Doug Tales 124: The Intent of His Heart

“‘Yes,’ she replied to me mentioning all the good he had done, ‘but why did he do those things? What was the intent of his heart?’” Doug Mendenhall had a neighbor who did a lot of service for others. It took Doug awhile to discern the man’s motivations for his good-looking acts of service. Doug shares this cautionary tale in Conquering Spiritual Evil, Volume Two (2020), on pages 79-80:

It is important that we clear ourselves and stay that way, becoming a new woman or man in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The saddest are those that have had the clearing who then, due to old habits, put out the welcome mat inviting entities back into their cleaned house and have no idea they are back. The new entities seem to convince them of their spiritual superiority or their great intelligence in all things spiritual, that they can’t be deceived, and how they don’t have any demons on or in them. Their revelation is steadfast and sure; they are always right. They will declare how much power they have, not acknowledging, if they have “power” to do anything of a righteous nature, it only came from our Savior.

Some will have the power they desired, but it comes from the wrong source. They will see visions, prophesy, work so called miracles, hear the “spirit” tell them what to do, all in the name of their god and declare it comes from the God of Light. They don’t seem to understand that if they are full of dark, evil entities they will have a hard time doing much of anything of Light. But will still claim the “power” and declare all the good they have done for others.

Some declare that other people are the problem and they seem to have no issue letting them know this and calling them out for it. How sad would it be if these people actually know what they are doing and the entities on them help them to not care.

We have written about a former local religious leader that I had. He had helped me in the past, several times, by loaning me a truck for a week, bringing us food, and always saying hello and waving at us. He was also the one I have on recording telling me that a LDS general authority Seventy made him disfellowship me back in 2007. (Later, I was reinstated to full LDS membership.) In interviews the same religious leader called me a liar, called my wife a liar and insulted my family and friends.

He told me what he would allow me to do in general and what he would allow me to do for a living. He really knocked the crud out of D&C 121, condemning himself continually. In one interview the Spirit told me to ask him to read that section with me. He refused. I then was told to tell him, four times, that because he had used compulsion, control, and unrighteous dominion on me he had no priesthood whatsoever according to what the Savior said in Section 121. I thought for sure he would get angry and throw me out of his office. He just sat and stared into space.

Besides all of this, I really liked the man, feeling that most times he was between a rock and a hard place. When he transitioned and died a few years ago, I asked my sighted friend about him. She mentioned that four dark angels came and took him to meet his god. Little “g” god, not a God of Light like our Father in Heaven. This actually disconcerted me and so I mentioned all the good that he had done for everyone. Realizing he was taken to Hell and was being tortured there was hard to accept. What we are discussing in this chapter is hard doctrine. Yet they seemed to know and understand it anciently, a doctrine which we seem to have no clue about. Back to my sighted friends comments:

“Yes,” she replied to me mentioning all the good he had done, “but why did he do those things? What was the intent of his heart?”

Moroni explains it quite well: “For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness. For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.” (Moroni 7:6–8)

What is our intent? To be seen of men? To “show” God that in reality we are a good person? “Hey God, look at me, I gave the homeless guy a ten spot!” My sighted friend told me to look at the intent of the man’s heart, the same place that God the Father looks at in each of us and see why he did those things. I looked and admitted it wasn’t for the right reasons.

Is this why God declares that “a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.” (Moroni 7:10) The intent of their heart is off. It isn’t for God or our Lord Jesus Christ, even though outwardly they may declare such. It is for themselves, for their own self-aggrandizement. That is why it is evil. No matter how much you give away or help, if it is to be “seen” or to show how wonderful and great you are, it is accounted evil unto you.