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.
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- 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
- 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
- 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.
