Prophet's Words

What the prophet is asking us to do from last conference:

• Keep the Commandments

Blessings from doing this:

• Safety
• Peace
• Lives are happier
• Lives are more fulfilling
• Lives less complicated
• Challenges and problems will be easier to bear
• Will receive His promised blessings

More Counsel:

• Be strong
• Be alert to anything that would rob you of the blessings of eternity
• Turn the volume down and be influenced instead by that still, small voice which will guide you to safety
• Open your hearts, even your very souls, to the sound of that special voice which testifies of truth
• Avoid anything that will deprive you of your happiness here in mortality and eternal life in the world to come
• Determine right here adn now to take the steps necessary to fully repent
• Nurture strong testimonies by studying the scriptures and by praying and by pondering the truths of the gospel

Choose To Believe

I've been reading over the talks in the Priesthood session of General Conference the last few days. As always, I love how blunt and straight forward they are with their messages. They don't mince words, but just tell it like it is and how things should be. And then they tell of the blessings that follow for being obedient. 

President Uchtdorf gave a great self-examination interview in his talk Be Not Afraid, Only Believe:

Do we stand loyal to God?
Do we practice what we preach, or are we Sunday Christians only?
Do our daily actions reflect clearly what we claim to believe?
Do we help “the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted”?⁵Do we just talk the talk, or do we enthusiastically walk the walk?

Am I rising up to the challenge to "...daily practice the principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and to live true to God's commandments"? If not, how do I do that?

• Stay calm under pressure
• Don't be impressed by popular trends or false prophets
• Disregard the ridicule of the ungodly
• Resist the temptations of the evil one
• Overcome your own laziness

 In the past, it has been extremely important for me to have a strong foundation as my testimony. I've learned from my seminary years, EFY classes, Youth Conference and General Conference talks that relying on a sure foundation of a testimony will be what carries me through the hard experiences. And it has. The strongest testimony that helped sustain me was knowing who I am and who I belong to. Who am I?

[I am a DAUGHTER] of our Heavenly Father, who loves [me], and [I] love Him. [I] WILL “STAND as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9) as [I] strive to live the Young Women values, which are:
Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability • Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue
[I] BELIEVE as [I] come to accept and act upon these values, [I] WILL BE PREPARED to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

 Why is it so important to know this? Because when we know who we are, then we know our potential and can work on that as our goal. Satan would have us believe that we can't achieve our potential. President Uchtdorf said this concerning "Satan's deceptions: that belief is available to some people but not to others." Believing takes work and is attainable by anybody.

• Desire to believe.
• Scientific curiosity to exercise a particle of faith
• Requires humility
• Requires an open heart and an open mind
• Requires seeking for it
• Requires patience and waiting upon the Lord

When we decide to stop doubting, fearing, or being lazy but instead start to believe, we are open to the blessings our Heavenly Father is waiting to bestow upon us.

• Opens our spiritual eyes to splendors we can scarcely imagine
• Faith grows stronger
• Discover the dawn of light
• Discover truth
• Find peace
• Never hunger nor thirst again
• God's grace enables us to be true to our faith
• Soul filled like a well of water springing up into everlasting life
• Experience true and lasting joy

We are beckoned to have courage to believe and not to be afraid. And when we do, the blessings will come!

Answers and Strength Do Come As We Study His Words

As I have been diligently striving to study the scriptures and/or the General Conference talks every morning, I have come to know that Heavenly Father really does speak to me through His words. Answers do come and knowledge is given before it is needed. I have been having discussions with friends where I have known exactly what to say from my morning studies. I am seeking knowledge myself and His words answer them.

Elder Randall K. Bennett's talk Your Next Step couldn't have been named more perfectly! I just want to write down the points that really stuck out to me from his talk.

• When faith is exercised, faith increases.

3 Principles to Help Us Return To Our Heavenly Father

1. We need to do what we did as children -- childlike humility and willingness to focus on our Father in Heaven and our Savior, we take steps toward Them, never giving up hope, even if we fall.
2. Be willing to act with faith in Jesus Christ and take another step and we may be blessed with strength.
• Strength is given to those who keep seeking and trying.
• 2 Essential weekly signposts that mark our journey back to our HF are the perpetual covenant of the ordinance of the sacrament and our Sabbath day observance -- sign to the Lord that we love Him.
• Blessings from these signposts -- Holy Spirit's influence improves, strengthens, teaches, and guide us.
• Devoted Sabbath day observance brings the fullness of the earth to be ours.
• Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into God's presence.
3. We must counter the natural man's tendency to procrastinate, to put off, or to give up.
• Faith in Heavenly Father and in Jesus Christ is a principle of ACTION and POWER. 
• If we are willing to act, we will be blessed with the strength to repent and with the strength to change.
• We fail only if we fail to take another faithful step forward.

In this talk he prompts us to do a couple things.

• Become as a little child - humble and meek. 
• Willingly act in faith in Jesus Christ and take that next step! Don't wait! Take it now!
• Be worthy of and use our temple recommends to serve regularly.
• Partake of the sacrament weekly and observe the Sabbath Day

Has there been a thought, a decision or a prompting that you've been sitting on for a bit that needs attention? Have your procrastinated in studying it over and pondering on the right direction to go with that? Elder Bennett says that we should not wait to act upon it. We need to act now, even if it is only through faith and he promises us that the Lord with strengthen us through the Holy Spirit to continue to act and guide us in the right direction we need.

Death, Sin, and Mortal Challenges

Piece by piece I'm learning a little more about the Atonement. We learn that it can used to repent of our sins and be forgiven of them. I then learned that the Atonement can also be used to help me forgive others as well. Now I'm learning that it can be used to lift the burdens and pain from the challenges that we face here on Earth.

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. (Alma 7:11)

Whatever struggle I am struggling with at this very moment, whatever intensity of pain I am feeling, or whatever burden I feel is dragging me down, I can be given the strength to overcome all of it. Any stresses, pain, or burdens I experience have been felt before. My exact trials were His as well. Just like we learn in the Book of Mormon with Nephi, anything is possible when we ask the Lord for help. In Elder Dallin H. Oaks 2015 October General Conference talk Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, he says,

What cures us is our Savior and His Atonement...He willingly experienced them all as an essential part of His Atonement. And because of this, His Atonement empowers Him to succor us--to give us strength to bear it all. 

 One of my favorite lines in his talk was where he said that ...even when that behavior has been repented of, the addiction may remain. We can ask for forgiveness, we can be repent and be forgiven, but that's when the guilt should stop for us. Even when we still feel the pull of our sins, we shouldn't let them control us and our worthiness. They don't determine our worthiness, it is the cleansing power of the Atonement that it does.

Because of His atoning experience in mortality, our Savior is able to comfort, heal, and strengthen all men and women everywhere, but I believe He does so only for those who seek Him and ask for His help. The Apostle James taught, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10). We qualify for that blessing when we believe in Him and pray for His help.

 This brings a lot of comfort knowing that even though we have the desire to do what is right but still feel the pull of our sins we wish to forsake, that the Atonement can save us from those sins and give us the strength we need in order to truly let go of them.

Modern Day Sacrifices

If you were asked by our Heavenly Father to sacrifice something, or in other words, giving something up, what would be the hardest thing for you to give up? Do you think you could let go of it? Why or why not?

Our Heavenly Father doesn't require us to sacrifice animals like in olden days, but He still requires sacrifice from us. In what ways do we hand over things to Him in today's world?

One of the biggest things I can think of is your TIME. You often hear that "time is money!" Let's think of how much time we are willing to give to the Lord each week.

• Sleeping 8hr/night is 33% of your weekly time
• Eating 15 min meals is just over 3% 
• Taking 15 min showers every day is just over 3%
• Your 5 day work commute of 20 minutes each way is just under 2%
• Working 8 hr days 5 days/week is almost 24%
• Working out for 30min/day is just over 2%

You've used 67% of your time with just these. You have 33% of your time left to use for yourself or for giving to the Lord. What can you use it for?

• If you go to church for 3 hours on Sunday, that is less than 2%
• Reading your scriptures for 15 minutes/day is just over 1%
• Visiting with other church members or friends to check up on them and fellowship them is just over 2% for each person if you only visited with them for 30 minutes. And that wouldn't be each week. If you visited 6 people each month for 30 minutes (that is less than 2 people a week), that would only be 3 hrs/month or 0.4% of your monthly time. 
• Reading a novel for 1 hour each night before bed is just over 4%

How much time do you suppose that you are on that smartphone, watching tv, or playing video games? 1 hour each day? 2 hours? 4 hours? 4 hours each day is 16% of your time each week! That's half your free time.

With our time, we can give of ourselves through service. We can share our talents through our callings or service to our church or our community.

The biggest sacrifice that has been given was by our Savior who died for us. Let's think about someone who was also asked to give a great sacrifice. In Genesis 22, Abraham was asked to give his most important thing to the Lord, his son Isaac. And he would have if not for the angel that stopped him just in time. Maybe you are asking yourself why the Lord asked such a huge sacrifice from Abraham? I love this quote by George Q. Cannon that explains it so well.

Why did the Lord ask such things of Abraham? Because, knowing what his future would be and that he would be the father of an innumerable posterity, he was determined to test him. God did not do this for His own sake; for He knew by His foreknowledge what Abraham would do; but the purpose was to impress upon Abraham a lesson, and to enable him to attain unto knowledge that he could not obtain in any other way. That is why God tries all of us. It is not for His own knowledge; for He knows all things beforehand. He knows all your lives and everything you will do. But He tries us for our own good, that we may know ourselves. … He required Abraham to submit to this trial because He intended to give him glory, exaltation and honor; He intended to make him a king and a priest, to share with Himself the glory, power and dominion which He exercised” (George Q. Cannon, in Conference Report, Apr. 1899, 66).

One question that I'd like for you to ponder about today is what you are sacrificing in your life to give to the Lord? 

Have you set aside time to ponder and study the scriptures? Do you take a few minutes each morning and before bed to talk to Him through prayer? Are you willing to accept any church callings and perform them? Do you go to church each week? Are you paying your tithing 100%? 

These are just a few questions to help you answer the question. Maybe you have others you are asking yourself. Think them through as see what it is that you can be sacrificing to the Lord this week. 

Praying For Answers

One thing that I love the most about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that as I study and learn different topics, they all build on each other. (Isaiah 28:10, 2 Nephi 28:30) Someone asked a question on my FB news feed the other day and my answer came from a plethora of things that I had been studying lately. The point that I wanted to make came into focus as all these little things came together as my answer. I love it when that happens!

Today I studied a talk by Elder James B. Martino called Turn To Him and Answers Will Come. He discussed what conditions need to happen in order for God to answer our prayers. Mainly, if we don't have a sincere heart and real intent, He isn't going to answer merely on curiosity. As in the last few posts, the outcome depends on how prepared we are! What are you doing in preparation to asking Heavenly Father something? There are some promises and blessings given if we come prepared to ask our God questions.

Preparations

• Obedience to commandments
• Remember past spiritual experiences
• Soften your heart and ask in faith, believing you will get your answer
• Continue to hold fast to the iron rod by daily scripture study
• Turn To Him
• Call on the Lord through prayer and fasting
• Be ready to act on promptings

Promises and Blessings

• Your answer will come and be made known unto you -- sometimes right away, sometimes not as an event but as a process
• Feelings of love and peace from the Savior
• Words of Christ will tell you what you should do
• Doors of revelation will open
• You will be susceptible to spiritual promptings
• Strengthened to withstand temptation to murmur and doubt
• Faithfulness will grow

If we seek an answer to something, it is our responsibility to act on any promptings we receive. As we do so, answers will come as we act on faith.

...work without faith is dead. We must have faith with works to receive answers.

When we show forth effort on our part, Heavenly Father will reach out to us. We do our part, He does his. It is easier to help someone else when you see they are trying their best to accomplish something. But it is harder to help someone if they don't want to help themselves. When we act upon promptings or show faith in going forward, I know our Heavenly Father is able to make up the difference and help us gain that answer or reach that goal that we are seeking.

When I was a teenager in the Young Women's program, I had the chance to go to a few Especially For Youth camps. I had some pretty spiritual experiences while there. While I attended them, those spiritual experiences helped solidify my testimony of who I am and where I wanted to go. I learned that I was a daughter of God and my goal was to enter the temple with my eternal companion. At times when I feel less than what I feel I should, I remember that spiritual experience. That foundation of my testimony is what kept me going and helped me to not give up when I felt like everything around me was falling apart. I've had several ups and downs since that experience and every time, I think back on it. It strengthens me to know that I can get through anything because I am a daughter of God who loves me. It is so important to have that knowledge. When we have a strong foundation to our faith, it can withstand even the hardest of times. Heavenly Father promises us that!

Can you remember a time when you had a powerful spiritual experience? Do you remember that and hold on to that testimony of it when times get hard?

...to all of us, if you "have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" If you do not feel it now, you can feel it again...

What do we need to change in order to feel that redeeming love again?

It's Your Choice

With every general conference I talk I think to myself "This is my favorite talk so far!" Every talk doesn't just have nuggets but CHUNKS of inspiring words! I love studying these talks and hearing what the Lord is trying to say to me. They are encouraging, they are pact full of knowledge, and they are full of light.

This morning I was studying over Elder Vern P. Stanfill's October 2015 General Conference talk "Choose the Light". He says that "Apostolic voices urge us to prepare ourselves with the powerful light of spiritual strength." Like we learned in our last talk, we need to be prepared before we act. He says we need that spiritual strength BEFORE the trials and tough experiences come. He gave three strong points on how we can do this.
-----------

1. No matter how intense the darkness of doubt, we choose how long and to what extent we allow it to influence us.
• There is nothing wrong with relying temporarily upon the light of those who love us and have our best interests at heart
• It is not wise to place our eternal well-being in the hands of strangers, those who claim enlightenment who have no light to give at all, or those who have private hidden agendas (aka: social media influences hiding behind a screen)
• Those who truly love us can help us build our faith
2. We must trust in the Lord in order to develop spiritual strength within ourselves.
• We must act, expecting the Lord will fulfill His promise to lift us from the darkness if we draw near unto Him
• "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" (Uchtdorf)
• When faced with questions or tempted to doubt, we should REMEMBER the spiritual blessings and feelings that have penetrated our hearts and lives in the past and place our faith in Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ
• To ignore and discount past spiritual experiences will distance us from God
• A Promise to those who accept it: That which is of God is light; and he that received light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day
• His influence will bring us confidence, determination, comfort, and --most important -- the power to know that He lives
3. There is no darkness so dense, so menacing, or so difficult that it cannot be overcome by light.
• The Lord prepares the way for those who seek Him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling
• The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight

We have the power to choose belief over doubt. In order to access the promised compensatory spiritual power, we must choose:

• to heed prophetic counsel
• recognize and act upon spiritual promptings
• be obedient to God's commandments
• seek personal revelation

We must choose. May we choose the light of the Savior. 

----------

Agency. When it comes down to it, agency is what all of it is about. We choose to be prepared. We choose to act this way or that. We choose which kind of people influence us and for how long. We choose to seek out His light or be lead down a path of no light. We choose to follow His commandments or not. We choose to make Him our top priority or something else. He gives us commandments and He also gives us tools and ways to follow them. He does not leave us alone!

So, are we going to answer His knocking on our door and let Him in? It's your choice.

How to Lighten Each Others Burdens

In Elder Hugo Montoya's October 2015 General Conference talk "Tested and Temped -- but Helped", he gives 4 ways we can lighten our burdens when we help others.

1. Go the Second Mile
2. Smile at others
3. Express compassion
4. Invite others to come to church

When asked to to do something, we should prepared before we do it. Prepare yourself spiritually before going to church, repent before partaking of the Sacrament, look for and print out family names to bring to the temple to work on, prepare your lesson before you have to teach it. Go the extra mile and put forth effort in what you are giving of yourself. 

When I was a kid, an old friend told me to "Smile! It's good for your complexion!" I believe that. When we smile, His love shines through us to others. So...go on and smile!

When we see someone suffering, we can help them by helping to lift that burden. Not by taking away the burden, but by helping them better endure it. Bringing meals? Being a listening ear? Sacrificing time to be there for them? Showing is doing.

The opportunity to repent of our sins can be done daily. But actually accessing the Atonement is done on Sunday when we are at church partaking of the Sacrament bread and water. That is when we can be wiped clean like when we were baptized and let the Atonement work on us. This is the whole reason why we attend church in the first place. The most important part of our church services IS the sacrament. Like the fruit of the tree in Lehi's dream, it is sweet to the taste and desirable above all. We should share this with those we love and invite them. 

I'm not perfect on these. That's okay. But what will I do with these words of counsel? That's what is important. Will I hear these words or will I listen to them and act upon them? Acting upon these words shows I understand them and is a witness that I want to do what is commanded of me -- "Ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light." (Mosiah 18:8)

Counsel to Make Sabbath a Delight

This past week we had Ward Conference and the theme has been one that I've heard in General Conference as well -- "Sabbath A Delight". 

Isaiah 58:13-14

13 ¶If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Our stake president wanted us to write down a few things. What we learned, what the Spirit teaches us, and what we can change or continue to follow what was taught.

Ideas to Make the Sabbath a Delight

• Make simple meals: We always make sack lunches to eat right after church since our drive home is 30+ minutes (pb&j sandwiches with fruit). And dinner doesn't need to be a complicated, long recipe. Usually grilled cheese and tomato soup does well. 
• Take time to talk about what we each learned at church and discuss those things together. Talk as a family. Hold a family council.
• We don't need a Do's and Don't List for keeping the Sabbath Day holy and a delight. We need to focus on the outcomes of what we do on that day. Do the things that Jesus would do, like serving others and reaching out to someone besides yourself. 

What might make the Sabbath to NOT be a delight?

What should I change if it is not a delight? My family ideas: Less electronics, only games that include family members (not 1 player games like on devices), more family participation, simpler meals.

Reverence on the Sabbath

The root for reverence is love. Love for the Savior and our Heavenly Father. Reverence should begin in the home. As we come to church, we should be reverent during the prelude music and take that time to focus on Jesus and where we are so that we may be open to His Spirit and be taught during church. In order to do that, we should come early enough that we don't feel rushed to get there. By doing this, we are giving our time to the Lord and showing Him reverence.

Sacrament: What It Means To Us

Singing and praying help to prepare us for the Sacrament. It doesn't matter if you started off your Sunday in a bad mood. Once you have repented and taken the sacrament bread and water, you are then able to go forward with a better outlook and can decide to have a better day and week.

Even if you work on Sundays, you can still keep the Sabbath Day holy. Study while at work, Keep it in your mind and heart.

Ezekiel 20:12,20 Our Day

Going to church and partaking of the Sacrament is MY sign to MY God on MY day. What can I do today to show my love for my Savior and my God? I can repent any day of the week. The Sacrament opens access to the Atonement when we partake of this ordinance.

3 Nephi 18:10 Witnesses

Why do I have to participate in an ordinance to repent to be forgiven? It is a witness to God that I'm willing to do what He has commanded. In essence, you are telling Him you know you aren't perfect, but that you want to be. Sacrament renews ALL of our ordinances that we've taken, not just the baptismal one. We can demonstrate our love to Him as we come to church and partake of the Sacrament to access the Atonement and stand as a witness that we want to be righteous!

The Blessings NOW of Being Temple Worthy

What exactly are we striving for in this life? Do you want your family to be "united in love, harmony and peace" right now and not just in the next life? The Lord gives us a promise that we can have that right now and in the next life as we keep ourselves temple-worthy no matter if we having ups or downs. Elder Quentin L. Cook gives great advice on how to remain temple worthy in order to receive these blessings.

If we have the knowledge of the plan of happiness, then we should be preparing to receive it. He says that "the rewards of righteousness are available right now." I love how he states that some of us may feel that reaching the ultimate goal of being worthy enough my seem too distant for us but that it is attainable and here's how by giving a list. Here is that list from my notes of his talk:

Principles That Lead to Righteousness

1. Righteous Self-Control and Conduct
• Self-control is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Avoiding something tempting once will help you develop the ability to resist other temptations in the future. 
• Exercising self-control and living righteously strengthen our ability to resist temptation
• If we don't continually exercise spiritual strength and self-discipline these qualities will atrophy like a muscle that is not used
• We need to develop and demonstrate conduct and appearance that declare we are true followers of Christ
2. Honoring the Sabbath Will Increase Righteousness and Be a Protection for the Family
• Sabbath symbolizes the mighty works of God
• Observing the Sabbath is sign between God and me that I know He is the Lord my God
• Honoring the Sabbath is a form of righteousness that will bless and strengthen families, connect us with our Creator, and increase happiness
• Keeping the Sabbath Day holy is a refuge from the storms of life
• Keeping the Sabbath Day holy is a sign of devotion to our Father in Heaven and helps us understand better the sacredness of sacrament meeting
3. Divine Protections Are Provided When We Are Righteous
• When we are worthy, we can have the companionship of the Holy Ghost as a gift
• Holy Ghost serves as a cleansing agent if the gospel is first in our priorities
• Holy Ghost is a voice of warning against evil
• Holy Ghost is a voice of protection against danger
• Holy Ghost will help us avoid temptations and dangers
• Holy Ghost will comfort and lead us through challenges
• Adherence to sacred gospel principles will allow us to be temple worthy, enable us to find happiness in this life, and lead us back to our heavenly home

Apostolic Promise

Living and maintaining temple-worthy lives will hold together all that really matters. 

Blessings that come from this promise:

• Peace
• Happiness
• Joy
• Eternal life
• Celestial glory with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

What Is the Pleasing Word of God and What Can It Do For Me?

Pleasing Word of God: found in the scriptures and in the messages from our [church] leaders.

What It Does:

• Heals the wounded soul
• Brings us hope and comfort in the darkness of affliction
• Bring a message of comfort to our heart and mind
• Fills us with hope
• Gives us the security that our eternal sealing will bless us and our posterity
• Gives us the security that if we live a faithful life, we will not lose any blessing for not having done certain things if we were never given the opportunity to do them
• Tells us that there is relief from the pain caused by the effects of sin
• Warns us that when we are trying to repent, that the process of remission of our sins can be interrupted when we become entangled in the vanities of the world and it can be resumed through faith if we sincerely repent and humble ourselves
• Invites us to use the power of the Atonement of Christ to apply it to ourselves and become reconciled with His will
• Shows us the need for continuous repentance in our lives so we can keep the influence of the Holy Ghost for as long as possible. 

We've been counseled in the last October 2015 General Conference to keep the Sabbath Day more holy. It was mentioned in several talks. The pleasing word of God says sometimes we can be distracted from doing this by the "vanities of the world". Here is a list of things we may need to work on:

Vanities That Can Interfere with Repentance Associated with Keeping The Sabbath Day Holy:

• Arriving late for sacrament meeting without a valid reason
• Arriving, without previously having examined ourselves, to eat the bread and drink from the cup unworthily
• Arriving without first having confessed our sins and having asked God for forgiveness for them
• Irreverent by exchanging messages on electronic devices
• Leaving the meeting after partaking of the sacrament
• Engaging in activities in our homes that are inappropriate for that sacred day

How the Companionship of the Holy Ghost Makes Us Better People:

• Won't be offended nor will we offend others
• Will feel happier
• Our minds will be cleaner
• Love for others will increase
• Be more willing to forgive and spread happiness
• Feel grateful to see others progress
• Will seek the good in others

Another theme I see is the need for continual repentance. We can't have the Holy Ghost as a companion if we don't repent of our sins. And it seems perhaps that one sin that us as Latter-Day Saints need repenting of is not keeping the Sabbath Day holy. 

[to read more in depth, see The Pleasing Word of God by Elder Francisco J. Vinas Of the Seventy)

Asking the Hard Questions

When we read upon the words of Christ, we can know for ourselves what the Lord wants us to do. When we study the scriptures and their experiences, we can learn to liken them to our own situations of today. The General Conference talks are modern-day revelation to us as Latter-Day Saints in helping with the problems we have now.

Today I read out of a October 2015 General Conference talk What Lack I Yet? by Elder Larry R. Lawrence. This talk is full of nuggets of knowledge!

Our purpose here on earth is to learn and improve until we are perfected in Christ. He said our "journey in discipleship" is "a course of steady improvement." If we are to improve ourselves, we need to know what it is we need to improve. Sometimes we can unaware of these things. So we then need to ask. Elder Lawrence says we need to be humble and teachable as we ask questions like--

What do I need to change?
How can I improve?
What weakness needs strengthening?
What lack I yet?
What is keeping me from progressing?
What is keeping me from being the right man/woman?
How can I feel at peace with all that I need to do?
What can I do to improve my life?

If we are going to be humble enough to ASK these questions, then we need to be teachable enough to ACT upon those promptings. "We must be willing to act when we receive an answer."

The Holy Ghost really does give customized counsel. He is a completely honest companion and will tell us things that no one else knows has the courage to say. 

A perfect time to ask, "What lack I yet?" is when we take the sacrament.

In this reverent atmosphere, as our thoughts are turned heavenward, the Lord can gently tell us what we need to work on next.  

His suggestion is a challenge. He wants us to try his spiritual exercise that he gave examples of and ask the Lord one of the questions above and then listen for an answer. He says that we can gain personal revelation meant just for you if you do this with a sincere heart.

Is your heart pounding yet? Are you willing to ask the hard questions? Are you wanting to change and progress? If so, accept the challenge and exercise your right to gain further light and knowledge for yourself. It is just like when we learn in the scriptures of line upon line, precept upon precept. We can learn more about ourselves and how to improve in the same way. One step at a time. It is a marathon, not a sprint. We can focus on one thing at a time and that is okay! Will it be easy? Perhaps not. Although it will be worth it.

FHE: Holy Ghost Present When Speaking Truth

Last night we had an Family Home Evening lesson on the Holy Ghost. When my oldest daughter and I went on our last temple trip, we visited the Independence MO Visitor's Center before we went. The Sister missionaries bore their testimony at the end of their presentation by saying they knew the Holy Ghost was there that day as we learned of the plan of salvation and as we discussed faith of the Saints to press forward despite the persecution of the mobs that plagued them.

That thought really struck me. That whenever we speak of truth, read truth or ponder truth, the Spirit is there with us because the Holy Ghost is one that testifies of truth. That reminded me of something I learned in Seminary way back when. My seminary teacher taught us that whenever we open up our scriptures, that act alone invites the Spirit into our lives. 

My family then discussed around the table of times when opening up our scriptures brought the Spirit. My mom (Lola to my kids) told about a time when one of my brothers had a serious question on how to treat a boy that had some disabilities. She didn't know the answer but when she went to open her scriptures, it opened right up to the one that says loving one another as He has loved you. And it applied well to answer his question. The answer didn't come from Lola, it came from the Spirit teaching her and my brother truth as the scripture answered their question.  Mema also talked about a time when she was at a work party and found out that one of her close friends died in a car accident that night. She was heartbroken. She went into a room to process the information and grieve in private. She opened up her scriptures. She didn't read anything but when she did open them, a feeling of peace, comfort and love came to her. These calming feelings helped her know that everything would be ok and that the plan of salvation is there so she could see her friend again. Her act of opening her scriptures helped bring that peace. 

I love how all the talks and lessons we have from General Conference, Sacrament, primary and sharing time all flow together. Like line upon line, precept upon precept. We learned in primary that as we feast upon the words of Christ (the scriptures), we can learn more of Christ, draw closer to Him, find scripture power to overcome temptations and gain a greater desire to do what is right. In my primary lesson, we asked how to gain a testimony of Christ. Well, exactly as said in Primary, we feast upon the words of Christ so we may learn about Him and as we learn more about Him, we can gain a testimony of the Him. We listen to His Prophets so we can better know how to obey the commandments and better ourselves so that we may know how to choose the better choices. We learn how to better keep the Sabbath Day holy because that is what the Prophet and Apostles have been speaking about lately. We ask questions on how we can do that when they're just kids and not the adults making the decisions. We ask questions on how to better strengthen our family on the Sabbath. We ask questions on how to help our family members want to strengthen their family relationships when it seems they don't want to. 

Do you see the spiral of learning just one piece of truth can bring? Do you see where one piece of truth can lead us down many aspects of learning? Do you see how it is possible to always have room for improvement? Do you see that we can learn how to make the be BEST choices when we can choose between good, better and best?

I love that as a follower of Christ, I have the ability to invite a member of the Godhead into my life for guidance or comfort. I know that when I pray for guidance with my kids, the Spirit will whisper to me better choices to make when I feel like what I'm doing isn't working. I love that as I pray to reach my primary kids during my lesson, that I am able to do so and help them to open up to me so that THEY can receive guidance and comfort in their situations. I love that when I open up my scriptures, that I can have the Spirit come to me as I ponder the teachings of Christ. 

Sometimes it is hard to feel like we live our lives in a such a way that we have the Spirit be with us at all times. Or being righteous 100% of the time is attainable. We don't always, because we are not perfect. Although it is possible to try our best at it. Our daily actions either invite the Spirit or our actions push it away. What are you doing today to invite the Spirit into your life?

How To Gain Your Own Testimony of Jesus Christ

Yesterday in Primary we discussed our theme for the month of feasting upon the words of Christ. Everyone was given a copy of the Book of Mormon to read it by the end of the year as a primary challenge. Every time they read it, they get to put a pebble inside a bowl so we can see how much we are learning and doing the things that Heavenly Father asked us to do.

Furthermore, in our class we asked this question: How do I gain my own testimony of Jesus Christ? My answer that I gave my kids was 2-fold. One, do what we learned in opening exercises -- feast upon the words of Christ so that we may learn about his attributes, how he reacted to certain situations and read his words. Second, do what the Prophet has asked us to do  in the recent general conference talks as they are the spokesperson for him today. What was a main theme this past October? To keep the Sabbath Day more holy. We discussed different ideas on how we can do that.

Some kids said they don't do all the ideas I gave. So I encouraged them to ask their parents to try them. That lead to the question -- how do we strengthen our family? And how do we get our family to want to do those wholesome activities? What can we do for them if they don't want to?

Such thoughtful, sincere questions for only Valiant 10 children! They were soaking up everything. We didn't even have enough time to finish the lesson, let alone answer all of the questions that they had!

New Goals. Change of Habits. Trying Harder.

So many times we feel a strong sense of what we think is right. We are stubborn. We are strong willed. We won't budge from our way because it is our way or the highway. So many times I struggle with this. Sometimes on a daily basis with my kids. Either they or I or both want to fight this battle. Why do we even want to fight this battle?! It only brings bickering, negative feelings and drives the Spirit away.

With the New Year comes new goals, change of habits, and trying harder in what you already know works for you. I like this part of the year because it has a way of softening hearts enough to want to make any changes. And not just any changes. Changes for the good, for the better. Sister Neill F. Marriott said in her October 2015 General Conference talk Yielding Our Hearts to God, "...personal reformation begins with a change of heart." What does this change of heart do for us? She further says,

The result of sacrificing our heart, or our will, to the Lord is that we receive the spiritual guidance we need.

If we earnestly appeal to God, He takes us as we are--and makes us more than we ever imagined.  

What I took from this is that it doesn't matter where we are in life, what experiences we've had, or how close or far away we may feel to God. What matters is that we change, here and now. Change a little bit every day. Even if it is a smidgen better than yesterday. The tender mercy from our loving Heavenly Father is that He works with who we are and builds from there. It doesn't matter how low in life we feel we've come. It doesn't matter how many times we feel we've messed up. For Him, it is never too late, we are never too far gone, we are always salvageable.

As a mom, I feel almost daily guilt by bed time. Some days I'm counting down the minutes until then. On those days, it is hard to feel worthy of His love. But I know that I can work at being better the next day. Some days I do go to bed giving myself a High 5 for not screaming at my kids but actually using the softer tones to prod them in the direction they need to be going. The point is that even when we have our bad days mixed in with our good days, we can always try again harder the next day. The love Jesus Christ has for us is unconditional and He will work within us if we let Him.

I love looking at this picture and the analogy it gives. Jesus is always knocking at our door. A door that does not have a knob for him to open. The only way to let Him into our lives is by us opening the door ourselves and letting Him in. We have to want that. He will only come into our lives if we let Him. I love the promise that we are given when we do let Him in. Sister Marriott ends her talk by stating this promise. 

When we offer our broken heart to Jesus Christ, He accepts our offering. He takes us back. No matter what losses, wounds, and rejection we have suffered, His grace and healing are mightier than all. Truly yoked to the Savior, we can say with confidence, “It will all work out.”

FHE: Closer to the Path of Happiness and Joy

For Family Home Evening last night, I read parts of the First Presidency Message for January 2016 Ensign. We went around the table and asked each other what is something that we want to do to better direct us to the path of happiness. Some answers were to smile more to others, speak softer instead harsh tones, learn to regulate myself before I begin to help the younger ones self-regulate, and go to the temple more. We also discussed how our choices can either make others happy or sad. It was ironic bc right after that, 2 of my kids (my 2 and 7 yr olds) threw tempter tantrums for doing things they weren't supposed to be doing. Oooh, having FHE with kids is fun and exciting and always full of surprises. You never know what they're going to do! But we kept going despite the crying and we finished. 

You can read about the effect that choices can have from the examples of Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel. Laman and Lemuel murmured and didn’t want to keep the commandments (see 1 Nephi 2:12). As a result, they and their descendants were cursed and cut off from the Lord’s presence (see 2 Nephi 5:20–24). Nephi chose to obey the commandments (see 1 Nephi 3:7), and because of that, he and his people “lived after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27).
You can choose to be righteous and be happy. But people around you will probably still make poor choices that lead to misery or discomfort. While those decisions are theirs to make, your example can influence their choices for good. 

At the end, I gave everyone a "Kindness Challenge" to do at least one or more acts of kindness a day during this next week. We took examples from the article.

When Jesus visited the people in the Americas, He taught them to love each other and to be kind. What can you do to follow Jesus and love others? Here are some ideas. Check off each challenge as you go.
I can hug someone who is sad. □
I can serve someone in secret. □
I can read or watch a conference talk about being kind. □
I can sing a Primary song for my family. □
I can smile at someone who looks lonely. □
I can __________________________________. □
I can _________________________________. □

Lesson 1: The Keystone of our Religion

1 Nephi 13:38-41
To convince others that the Bible is true and that The Book of Mormon is a Second Witness to the Bible. Also witnessing that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior.

1 Nephi 19:23
Qoutes Isaiah to more fully convince us of our Lord and Redeemer.

2 Nephi 25:21-22
The Lord promises that these words will never be lost and each generation will have them.

2 Nephi 27:22
The Lord will keep safe and reveal all of His words when we are ready.

2 Nephi 29:6-9
There is more than just the Bible just as there are more than just one people. The Book of Mormon is here to testify to other people that Jesus is the Christ just as the Bible did for others. Proves that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Mormon 8:26
He prophecies that the Book of Mormon will come in the last days when the world is decaying and straying from the Lord.

Ether 5:2-4
3 witnesses bear testimony of seeing the Golden Plates.

Moroni 1:4
Moroni writes more than he supposed for the purpose that it may of worth to us someday.

Moroni 10:3-5
After reading these things, ask God if they are true or not. God promises to answer us and testify that they are true.

Doctrine and Covenants 1-:45-46
Teaches how to have confidence before God by living gospel principles.

Doctrine and Covenants 20:8-12
God still inspires men today. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Doctrine and Covenants 84:54-58
We must remember the old and new covenants inside the Bible and the Book of Mormon. And then live them.

3 Purposes of the Book of Mormon

1. To show what great things the Lord has done for His people
2. To know the covenants of the Lord to us
3. To convince all that Jesus is the Christ and our Savior

As we study the Book of Mormon this year, ask yourselves these questions each time you study:

• What does it teach me about Jesus Christ?
• What does it inspire me to do?