Sources for Ideas and Thoughts

I was reading the book Putting on the Armor of God by Steven A Cramer

and I came to a part that talks about the sources of thoughts and ideas.  He says that thoughts come from only three places: Our own independent ideas with no outside influence, from God through the Holy Ghost, and finally from whisperings from satan.  I have been taught this since before I can remember but it had not really sunk in until it was put that way.  And I realized that recognizing the source of inspiration is key to not getting lost or going astray...and continuing to progress and become better people.

Let me give an example that I had recently.  I was reading in Mosiah 25: 17-18, I was reading how Alma baptized all of Limhi's people. And I thought, "Why would all these people wait such a long time to get baptized?  They escaped imprisonment in the land of Nephi a while before Alma escaped his own bondage by the Lamanites.”  

I thought this because it was the same Lamanite guards who had been chasing Limhi's people that put Alma's people into captivity after they lost Limhi's people in the wilderness. So Limhi’s people had to either wait a very long time to get baptized which seemed odd because they were asking to be baptized before they has left the land of Nephi. Or they had to arrive in the land of Zerahemla around the same time. (Which Mosiah 25 sounds like to me what happened)

After thinking all this, the thought came into my mind: "This proves the Book of Mormon is not true!"

Then I quickly remembered all the many many times I have felt the Spirit while reading the Book of Mormon.  I remembered all the many times the words of that book had helped me throughout my life.  I remembered how I had seen the book change other people’s lives for the better.  And I thought “OF COURSE I KNOW THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!”

Then I realized that these three thoughts came from three different sources. The original question, I thought myself. The second thought came from satan and he was trying to do his best to convince me that what I knew to be true was somehow false. And the last thought was from the Holy Ghost reminding me of my testimony.

I still don't know the answer to my first question. Maybe Alma's people somehow did arrive around the same time as Limhi's people. Maybe Limhi’s people were inspired to wait to get baptized for some unknown reason until Alma arrived. I don't know. And I don't know that I will ever will know the answer to this question in this life. But it doesn't matter.

After all this I remembered the talk: Come, Join with Us by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf where he says, 

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Having questions about things is good. It shows that we are thinking and trying to learn. But if we allow our doubts to overcome what we already know to be true then we have been fooled by satan.  He is the master of deceit.  He convinced one third of Heavenly Father’s children to doubt what they knew to be true and to rebel and follow him.  Satan is still trying to do the same things to us. (see D&C 29:36-39) Before we came to earth, we were successful in withstanding his lies and we need to do the same now.   We just need to remember what we already to know to be true and hold to that truth.  Even while stepping into the unknown.