I’ve always trusted the Lord had a plan for me and my life. Especially when my life started looking different than my friends’ lives, I turned to the Lord declaring that I trusted Him and His plan for me. That didn’t mean I always liked it, but if the whole purpose of life is to work out our exaltation through the Savior’s atoning grace, then by golly, I had to trust that the bumps and potholes in my road could really be used to bless my mortal experience.

I get the big life path things. I believe in a strait and narrow way. But what about the small awkward and painful things intended to smooth out rough edges? The end result isn’t as clear. I don’t always understand. Sometimes change is really hard.

Trust the Lord

Laie Hawaii Temple

When I leave the temple in the early afternoon, I have two options to get home. They lead in opposite directions around the island. Barring obstacles, they both take about the same amount of time to reach my house. One includes my favorite ocean and mountain views. I typically drive the other route to the temple, so enjoy when I get my own semi-circle island tour.

Doing one temple session plus the driving usually involves 4-5 hours of my day. It’s vital, indispensable time, but I work full-time so want to return home as expeditiously as possible. So I always check navigation to see if there are any obstacles and regardless of the extra scenic route’s enticing beauty, I almost always choose the fastest route.

Thursday as I checked navigation before driving away from the temple, I noticed both routes had similar estimated times of arrival. I had a big job due later that day and needed to get home and back to work.

I felt nudged to go the extra scenic route. I felt surprised that it mattered. “Trust the Lord” was the response. OK. I’ll trust Him and enjoy my drive!

As I turned onto Kamehameha Highway, I didn’t have anyone in front of me! That’s a miracle. “I TRUST YOU, LORD,” I gleefully shouted in my car.

Putting My Trust to the Test

However, right outside of Laie, I caught up to a vehicle and settled into follower mode. It’s really typical to drive in a line of cars around the island. I enjoyed my few minutes of freedom and expected to leisurely watch the views as I drove home.

Not so. The driver of the Dodge in front me was super distracted. I felt like I saw his face more than the back of his head. His speed varied so drastically that I dared not venture a side glance at the sea or mountains. His driving totally frustrated me.

“Trust the Lord, huh?” OK.

At one point, when he’d gone the same speed for nearly half a mile, I decided to ask the Lord why He nudged me this way if it was going to be so psychologically painful.

The driver turned around again as he reached for something on the back seat floor. His speed immediately dropped from 40 down to 25 mph. I geared up for potential passing lane opportunities. Oncoming traffic prohibited the pass.

“He is so distracted! His driving is erratic and he’s an obstacle for all the other drivers.  Seriously, please help me learn something from this!” I felt the stress of impending deadlines creeping across my shoulders.

A new thought infiltrated the frustration. “Wouldn’t his driving be more efficient if he concentrated solely on the road?”

Yeah. Totally.

“Because he’s distracted, even though he’s on the right path, his journey is haphazard with self-imposed risks, right?”

Yes…

Where was this series of obvious questions going?

The Frustrating, Erratic Driver Was Me!

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

Suddenly a personal commandment received from the Lord came to mind. When the Lord commanded it, I recognized it as an instructive assignment from Him. I hadn’t been told I had to adjust immediately and I didn’t really understand the purpose. So while I started implementing the changes necessary to obey the commandment, I proceeded pretty half-heartedly.

In a flash, I was the Dodge driver proceeding with purpose and intention and then suddenly getting distracted and looking over my shoulder at something behind me, something in the past, something that I clung to unnecessarily. My speed slowed. My steering became erratic. Becoming distracted introduced counterproductive risks and obstacles on my way.

My journey became insecure and tenuous as I kept looking back. My journey became intentional and purposeful as I focused on the path ahead.

“I trust you, Lord.” I got it. I saw it. The imagery seriously clarified my internal struggle.

Thank you, stranger, for being at the right place at the right time for me.

At the moment I understood my application, after 12 excruciatingly painful miles, the road ahead opened up and I passed the man, who I felt grateful for, who expedited such a pivotal lesson.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.

 

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

As a child of the last days born in a time of promise, I’ve been given much. What, then, does the Lord require?

What Does the Lord Require?

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

 

I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

 

I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men.

 

Behold, this is the tithing and the sacrifice which I, the Lord, require at their hands, that there may be a house built unto me for the salvation of Zion….

 

And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes….

 

Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.

Basically, the Lord wants a willing covenant keeper who will do what He asks in building up the Kingdom of God on Earth. Those opportunities come in big and small ways.  Sometimes we can’t even see the impact of our efforts—but the requirement isn’t to see an impact, but to do His will.

How is the Lord Bound?

This promise by the Lord engenders trust in Him. He promises to always fulfill His part of our covenant.

Have you experienced binding the Lord through your obedience to fulfill His word?

A really vivid Old Testament story depicts this principle.

The Old Testament prophet Joshua

The house of Israel rejected Joshua and Caleb’s recommendation to follow Jehovah’s command and fight their way into Canaan. That decision caused Israel to traverse the wilderness instead of eating milk and honey until the unbelieving generation died. All of them died except for Joshua and Caleb.

Appointed prophet, Joshua announced that it was time. Israel passed over Jordan. The Lord gave specific commandments in conquering the nations, including what they could and could not retain from the conquered people. The house of Israel agreed and the conquest began. In the strength of the Lord, and with unusual strategy, Israel defeated Jericho.

The children of Israel next faced Ai.  Ai seemed a much smaller foe, so Joshua sent fewer men. Israel’s army assumed they’d completely conquer again. But they didn’t. Ai’s small force smote them and the Israelites fled.

Shocked at the defeat, Joshua reacted. This part of the story showed me that Joshua fully believed that the Lord was bound when he did what He said. Joshua had done what the Lord said, but they failed. And Joshua fully felt betrayed.

The Lord Was Not Bound Because of Sin

And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

 

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

 

O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

 

For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

 

And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

 

Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

 

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

 

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

Sinner Identified, Israel Acts According to the Lord’s Command

The next morning, as the Lord commanded, Joshua brought all the tribes of Israel together. From the tribe of Judah, he selected a family and went man by man through the family until he came to Achan. The Lord designated Achan as the man who sinned.

Achan stealing spoils of war

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

 

And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

 

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

 

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

 

And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.

 

And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

 

And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

 

And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

Then the Lord told Joshua to war against Ai again. Since Israel removed the sin, now the Lord was bound when they did what He said.

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

Joshua went up against Ai again, this time victoriously.

The story is shockingly visual in one sense. Do I view my sins as graphically as this? One man willfully disobeyed the Lord’s commandment. One man’s sin caused the death of others. The whole house of Israel purged the sinners from their midst. Once cleansed, they again approached the Lord for His covenant promise. And thusly bound, the Lord fulfilled His promise.

Elder James E. Talmage said: “‘Mormonism’ has taught me that God holds himself accountable to law even as he expects us to do. He has set us the example in obedience to law….[W]e have the divine word for it: ‘I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.’ He operates by law and not by arbitrariness or caprice.”

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.

Liars are first on the list? “Loves and makes a lie” ranks with adulterers and whoremongers?

Section 76 reiterated what the Lord taught in section 63.

Wherefore, I, the Lord, have said that the fearful, and the unbelieving, and all liars, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, and the whoremonger, and the sorcerer, shall have their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

As I’ve studied the Doctrine and Covenants recently, I’ve noticed patterns in phrases about lying and falsehoods and hypocrites, and pondered on why “lying” would rank so high on the lists of pernicious sins.

I’ve been taught my whole life to not lie. Acquiring a temple recommend requires a declaration of honesty. I avoid white lies. I rectify lies that “slip out” by retracting what I said or clarifying what I meant to say. What you see is pretty much what you get with me. I have no hidden agenda.

Still, these verses rang loudly as I read them so I knew they could teach me something beyond the surface meaning I gave them.

Liars Don’t Do

As I pondered lying and its impact, several verses came to mind. I began to understand “lying” in a broader sense.

…“they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

The Pharisees and the Sadducees

This verse is basically saying, “You say you believe, but you either don’t really believe or don’t do or become what you say you believe.” Belief requires action—a doing, becoming, remembering, relinquishing. If I say I believe and don’t do, I lie.

Well, that applied to me more than I was comfortable with. As I pondered lying and lips and hearts, I needed to examine how I keep my covenants. I’ve made a covenant

…to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 

Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

I fall short in keeping this covenant when my heart and lips are out of sync.

Liars Lose Light

Another verse that enlightened my understanding was this verse from Doctrine and Covenants 93:

And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.

Disobedience and incorrect traditions reduce truth and light. Doctrine and Covenants 93 equates light, truth, intelligence, and knowledge of things as they are, as they were, and as they are to come.

And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;

 

And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning….

 

He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

 

Light and truth forsake that evil one.

 

And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.

God is a god of truth and light.

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

As I studied this section, I really saw that false traditions, limiting beliefs, and disobedience betray our true natures as intelligences organized by our Heavenly Father. We’re infused with His light and our actions receive or reject His light until we’re either full of darkness or “that light [that] groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”

Beliefs and traditions become a lie when they justify inaction and perpetuate false identities of ourselves, others, and the Lord. These kinds of lies lead to defensive posturing, victimhood, or aggressive pride. Thus, they negate the power available to God’s children—the power of faith and priesthood, the power to ask and receive, the power to seek and to find, and, ultimately, the power of Jesus Christ’s grace to return exalted into the Father’s presence.

So I learned that along with telling lies and fibs, liars lose light through disobedience and false beliefs because they reject their divine light and the real truth. They relinquish agency by diminishing divine power. They’ll stand in the presence of God in that altered form with their garments stained.

Zeezrom

Zeezrom was a liar.

Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good…

 

And Zeezrom said unto him: Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being.

 

Now Amulek said: O thou child of hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations?

 

Believest thou that there is no God? I say unto you, Nay, thou knowest that there is a God, but thou lovest that lucre more than him.

 

And now thou hast lied before God unto me. Thou saidst unto me—Behold these six onties, which are of great worth, I will give unto thee—when thou hadst it in thy heart to retain them from me; and it was only thy desire that I should deny the true and living God, that thou mightest have cause to destroy me. And now behold, for this great evil thou shalt have thy reward.

Alma also addresses Zeezrom’s lies.

Now Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him in his lyingand deceiving to destroy him, and seeing that he began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto him, and to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done.

 

Now Zeezrom, seeing that thou hast been taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God; for behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit;

We next find Zeezrom cast out of his town and burning with a fever under the weight of his sins. He felt the pains of those who had been killed because of his lies and he suffered.  He sent for Alma and Amulek to come to him. They did and Zeezrom asked them to heal him. He’d peeled back his lies, false beliefs and traditions, and recognized his sins.

And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?

 

And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught.

 

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed.

 

And he said: Yea, I believe according to thy words.

 

And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.

 

And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom.

 

And Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people.

Zeezrom’s story shows that a liar can shake off lies and be redeemed. As it’s true for Zeezrom, it’s true for everyone. As I forsake my false beliefs, sins, and darkness, I reclaim and receive more light, until one day I am full of light and in me, there is no darkness at all.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

I’m worried because I can see all around me that as a people, we are ripening in iniquity. We are not living the way God has asked us to. How can we tell? Well, let’s do a little review — it may help you see what I mean. Then, hopefully as we are focusing on the commandments a little more, we can correct our courses so that we don’t need to worry anymore that we will be “wiped off the face of the land.”

I haven’t deeply focused on the Ten Commandments for years. Mostly it’s just something in the back of my mind, because I don’t have to remind myself daily not to kill someone. (My daily commute excluded!) But as I really began to review the commandments again, I realized how deep in meaning they truly are. They are found in Exodus 20:1-17 if you would like to read the full text, but I will just highlight the commandments here.

1.Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me

When we place anything ahead of the Lord in importance, we are serving another god. For example, if we put careers, money, or even travel ahead of keeping the commandments, we are creating a false god. We have so many things in our lives that are wonderful! We just need to make sure that God has the most important place in our hearts. We need to be sure we keep our promises to Him.

I can hear you thinking that there are many things we need to put as priorities in our lives. Having God in our hearts will make us better spouses, children, friends and neighbors — and keeping our promises to Him will bring blessings from heaven that will make it easier to be the kind of people we want to be.

2. Thou Shalt Not Make Unto Thee Any Graven Image

People in the Bible worshiped a golden calf.

A graven image is a statue. I know that the people of the Bible and ancient times often created statues of their gods and left them offerings. There are still religions today that have graven images. But in my own life, I see a graven image as any goal that keeps me away from God. This isn’t gospel, so don’t quote me on that! But if I have set my goal, whatever it is, ahead of keeping my promises to God, that is my modern day graven image.

3. Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain

Do we really understand what it means to take the name of the Lord in vain? When we use God’s name as a way of expressing our frustrations, His name is taken in vain. We need to be sure we are only using His name when we are talking about Him. Otherwise, we need to be using a different word. We have a lot of fun with this in my family. Growing up, the funniest one we found was “Oh My Peanut Butter Fudge!” With so many other words we can use, showing respect for our Heavenly Father should be easy. We may just need to correct a bad habit.

4. Remember the Sabbath Day, to Keep It Holy

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has specified that on Sunday we aren’t supposed to work or make anyone else work. Sadly, in this day, there are many people who have no choice but to work on Sunday because their jobs demands it. But we can still remember the Sabbath and keep it holy by remembering it is a special day — whether we are at home or at work.

I’ve had to work on Sunday before. But when I keep a prayer in my heart and remember that it is not just any day, it still can feel like the Sabbath. Likewise, when I don’t work, there have been times I forgot it was Sunday and didn’t give the day the weight it deserved. So it’s all about your mindset. We need to find a way to spend our Sabbath differently than other days, allowing ourselves time to do things that bring us and our families closer to God.

Aside from going to church, I like to do family history indexing on Sunday. We spend family time together, sometimes doing Guitar Hero battles. That bonds us. We also visit other family members. But exactly how you honor the Sabbath isn’t spelled out in stone. It is very much about following the spirit of the day and remembering the Lord. It’s also a wonderful time to show your gratitude to God by spending extra time in the scriptures, setting personal goals, and fostering family unity.

5. Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother: That Thy Days May Be Long Upon the Land

We joke about this one at my house. I tell my family that they will live longer when they listen to me. But in all seriousness, honoring your parents is a really easy commandment to follow when your parents are good examples. But even when they aren’t good examples, the Lord blesses us for respecting them. They gave us a wonderful gift — the gift of life. Even if you have never met your parents, you can be grateful to them for that.

As a mother, I know that all the instructions I give my child are for his good. Don’t run into the road, don’t stick that knife in the electrical outlet, don’t throw rocks at other people — that kind of thing. I have even read studies that show that family relationships across generations make your happier and help you live longer. Clearly, the Lord knows something we don’t.

6. Thou Shalt Not Kill

This one should be clear and doesn’t need any elaboration. However, I do want to point out that God is talking about people, and hunting is not part of this commandment when done for righteous purposes.

7. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

I have a friend whose father decided to have an affair, and left their family. The pain of his choices will echo through their family for years to come. My own grandfather chose to commit sexual sin, having affairs and even marrying another woman in another state while still married to my grandmother. The pain of his choices still affects our family many generations later.

Some people may think that living together before marriage or having premarital sex is not a big deal. But I have lived with the pain it causes and I can tell you it IS a big deal. Those who choose to break the commandments, and especially this one, have no idea what they are doing to their children. Your children are watching what you do. They are getting their example of how to live and how to follow the Savior’s example by watching you. And I know you never want to be in the position where you are someone your children are trying not to be like.

8. Thou Shalt Not Steal

Another one that is pretty straightforward — but I know the reason behind it. The Lord wants us to know the value of work. It’s one of the reasons the Church doesn’t approve of gambling. You get something for nothing when you gamble, and often lose more than you gain. But the lessons that come from work are something that grow both the soul and the mind. Plus, it makes you feel really good about yourself, increasing your confidence. But when we skip working for something and steal it instead, not only do we hurt the person we stole from, we lose that chance to increase our abilities and provide for ourselves.

9. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor

This commandment is all about honesty. We could even rephrase it to say, “Be Honest in all your dealings.” As I have watched the news, I really think many politicians in Washington DC could be reminded of this little commandment. Our political system seems deeply mired in contention and lies. They use them as weapons and are undermining any chance of finding common ground. Repent Washington, repent!

10. Thou Shalt Not Covet

To covet is to really want something someone else has, and it makes us willing to do anything necessary to get it. Coveting makes you forget all the good things you have; instead, all you can think about is how good someone else has it. Not only is breaking this commandment dangerous for us (because we will soon be breaking other commandments to get what we want), but it also removes gratitude from our hearts — and God always wants us to be grateful, because He can bless us hugely when we are. In fact, I think gratitude is one of the greatest things we can learn.

I also mentally add Matthew 22:36-40 to my personal list of commandments. I think you will see why.

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

 

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 

38 This is the first and great commandment.

 

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

 

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

To read more of Patty’s articles, click here.

For me, following these “two great commandments” outlined in Matthew puts us into the mindset of the Savior. He loves us all, and He wants us to love each other. And as we love Him, we will want to be more like Him, which will make all the other commandments easier to follow.

Now I could go on and explain how our society has broken each of the commandments. But that would be a VERY long, deeply depressing article, and frankly I think we all already know all about it. Instead, I want you to think about yourself and ask yourself how you are doing in your personal quest to follow the Savior.

In loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and in seeking to follow His example, there is a richness that comes to your life that comes in no other way. You begin to see those around you in the way the Savior sees them. It becomes easier to stop judging every mistake, and instead embrace the divine potential both in them and in yourself.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to succeed. That is why He has given us instructions to follow. As we follow the commandments, we will step away from the cliff edge to misery, and into the safety of being on the Lord’s side. There is a beauty in the way the Lord works because instead of focusing on the negative, He is always positive. As we focus on ourselves as individuals, we will change the world, one person at a time. And that is the only way for us to reverse the trend of broken commandments.

Patty Sampson

Patty thrives on all things creative. You’ll often find her in the garden pretending she is a suburban farmer. She loves meeting new people, and is devoted to her friends and family. In her heart she is a Midwesterner even though life has moved her all over the country. She believes in “blooming where you’re planted” and has found purpose in every place she has been. She has a deep and abiding love for the Savior and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And she loves editing LDS Blogs because it is a constant spiritual uplift. Not many people can say their job builds their witness of the Savior.

Throughout scriptural history, we find God sending people to other places for their own safety or to fulfill God’s plans for them. In the Old Testament, we read of Moses leading his people into the wilderness. In the New Testament, God sends Mary and Joseph to Egypt to protect the baby Jesus. Noah was instructed to build and board an ark to save his life and the lives of his family.

In the Book of Mormon, a prophet named Lehi was warned to take his family, leave behind his wealth, and flee into the wilderness because people wanted to kill him for prophesying about God. Another group, the Jaredites, were among those who dispersed following the Tower of Babel events. They were permitted to retain their language, but were instructed to leave and travel to a new homeland.

However, God doesn’t reserve these instructions or warnings just for prophets and future prophets. Every day we receive multiple warnings or helpful suggestions from Him. Unfortunately, we are often so wrapped up in what we are doing that we don’t pay attention or we shrug them off as our imaginations or needless worries. Sometimes these quiet messages tell us to move somewhere new, as they were for Moses or Abraham. Sometimes they warn us to start preparing for danger or opportunity, as they did for Noah. Other times they are about helping someone else. We might have a thought flit across our minds to call someone or to bring a meal to someone. We may not know of that person’s need, but God does, and He meets the need through others who are listening.

These thoughts come from the Holy Ghost, sometimes called the Holy Spirit, and they are messages relayed from God. They are often misunderstood as intuition or ideas, but as we learn more about God, we learn how He helps His children. God communicates with each of us daily, but we have to pay attention. The more we pay attention, the better we become at recognizing when He is speaking to us because we become aware of how often the thoughts that entered our minds turned out to be important.

When God asks you to go somewhere or to do something, what is your reaction? Do you hesitate, try to talk Him out of it, stop to do seemingly more important things, or do  you get right to work doing what you’ve been asked to do? Our choices have consequences we can’t control, and sometimes, even a moment’s hesitation can be “expensive” in terms of our well-being, or even in terms of someone else’s well-being.

Sometimes our impressions come as feelings or thoughts. Less often, they come as though someone were talking to us or planting very specific thoughts in our minds. In a real emergency, people occasionally hear a voice. Most of the time, though, the thoughts are very gentle and can be mistaken for our own thoughts if we aren’t paying attention.

An experience I had a few years ago illustrates how this principle works.

My family had considered moving to a larger home for some time after my son returned home to attend college nearby. Every now and then, I’d search online, but found nothing of interest. I hoped to stay in the same area so I could stay in my congregation. (Mormons attend church based on set boundaries, rather like school districts). I didn’t put much time into it, however.

One day, I was working on my computer when a thought came into my mind to search right now. It wasn’t a voice, just a thought, but I recognized it as more than a thought so I stopped my work and started to search. Unlike previous searches, I immediately found several possibilities. My husband was out of town on business, so the house hunting was left to me. I eventually chose a house I wanted a few blocks from our current home. It seemed to have everything we needed. That was the first prompting of the Spirit—being told to look now.

However, after choosing the house, I felt uneasy. I could barely sleep that night because of it. I felt cranky and uncomfortable. The next morning, I talked to a friend about it. She pointed out my odd reaction might be inspiration. She reminded me there was another house we had been interested in that I’d been unable to get an appointment to see. She suggested I simply show up and ask to be allowed to view it, since it wasn’t occupied and I had seen signs of people working there.

I did, and as soon as I toured it, the uneasiness went away. The house was not perfect—it was old and drafty and it was in another congregation’s boundaries, but I knew God wanted me to take that house for reasons of His own. I called my husband, who was still out of town, and he agreed I needed to follow the inspiration.

After moving into the house, we went to church in our new congregation. Minutes after walking into the building, I was asked to be an aid to a child with cerebral palsy who was in the toddler nursery. They had heard from a friend I was moving in and wanted to work with children. The leaders and family had been praying for someone to move in who could take on that task.

They did not know then that I had a grown child with cerebral palsy and had worked with many children who have special needs, but God did. When they heard I was coming, they’d had an impression I should be given the task. Once everyone knew of my personal experience with special needs children, it was clear to us all why we’d had the impressions we did. God carefully orchestrated everything… but His plan could only work if we all paid attention to the promptings and if we agreed to do as asked.

I wasn’t asked to travel many years in the wilderness or to flee to a new country. I was only asked to move a few miles into a less-than-perfect house to help a little girl whom God loved. God doesn’t save His requests for the big, dramatic, history-making events. He has everything all planned out, but He asks us to carry out the work. Sometimes that means agreeing to pack up our belongings and moving to a new place. Sometimes the journey just involves changing some details of our lives so they fit the planned pattern, even if we don’t physically move somewhere. It can be easy to ignore an instruction because it seems too insignificant to be inspiration, but we just never know what might turn out to matter.

Whether the journey is long or short, literal or figurative, it is important to take it when God asks, without hesitation or delay. Always, the journey requires faith, trust, and a daily effort to listen to God as He gives His instructions. Not doing so can have serious consequences.

Sometimes when I hear someone ask why God didn’t help in a certain situation, I wonder if He tried—but none of the people He sent for answered the call. When I’ve ignored promptings, trying to convince myself they were my imagination because I’m a natural worrier, I am always sorry later. I remember the prompting and understand why it was given and how it would have changed the outcome.

When God asks you to take a journey, how do you respond? Do you have an experience of your own to share about your own God-given journeys?

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

As I read Nephi’s account of killing Laban again, I looked at the aftermath in a new way.  How did Nephi killing the guy who terrified them affect his brothers?

An Angel stops Laman and Lemuel from beating Sam and Nephi.

Laman approached Laban for the plates and left with his knees knocking and his mind determined to give up on the plan. Nephi’s suggestion to buy the plates from Laban resulted in all four brothers running for their lives and hiding in a cave.

Laman and Lemuel were so angry, humiliated, frustrated, disappointed over losing their possessions that they beat Sam and Nephi in the cave so severely that an angel had to intervene. That is super intense. Did Sam and Nephi try to defend themselves or just submit to the beating? We don’t know.

In the next scene of the story, the Lord delivers Laban into Nephi’s hands and commands Nephi to slay Laban, which Nephi does not want to do. He ultimately does slay Laban–the bully who terrorized the family, broke the Mosaic law, and disregarded the Lord’s commandment.

What does that do to the psyche of two older brothers who become bullies and terrorize the family, break the Mosaic law, and disregard the Lord’s commandments?  Did they wonder if “Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief” applied to them? If Nephi could take down Laban, why not them?

When I perceive a threat (real or otherwise) I’ve gone on the offensive. That’s self-survival.

King Saul Became a Murderer in His Heart

King Saul was jealous of David.

I couldn’t help but think of another example–King Saul and David.  David slew the giant Goliath, but that didn’t seem to psychologically threaten King Saul. Saul promotes David to the army’s command. David and the troops victoriously conquered their hugest enemy.

And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

 

And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.

 

And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

 

And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

 

And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

King Saul coveted his kingdom–which was given him by the Lord. He disobeyed a direct commandment and the Lord told him that the kingdom would go to another. The Lord didn’t strip him of his kingship instantly, but Saul became paranoid and murderous of rivals.

Laman and Lemuel wanted to rule the family. Laman’s birthright responsibility named him as family head after Lehi’s death. Like Saul, He disobeyed the Lord’s commandment and was told the leadership would go to another if he didn’t repent. Laman and Lemuel talked about preemptively avoiding that usurping of their rights by killing their father. But they never did.  Why not? Were they all talk and no action or did they try and the Lord protect Lehi?

Ye Have Accused Him

Lehi councils Laman and Lemuel to “cut it out”.

Apparently, everyone knew their intentions. What hard, tense, awkward living conditions.

Before he died, Lehi counseled Laman and Lemuel to stop it. He reminded them that Nephi saved them from hunger and got them to the promised land.

And I exceedingly fear and tremble because of you, lest he shall suffer again; for behold, ye have accused him that he sought power and authority over you; but I know that he hath not sought for power nor authority over you, but he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare.

In 1 Nephi 17, everything came to a head when the brothers complain about building the ship they needed to reach the promised land. It must have been a massive issue to get the lecture Nephi gave them. It’s one of my favorite cause and effect chapters in the scriptures, though, so I’m really grateful for it.

Wherefore, the Lord commanded my father that he should depart into the wilderness; and the Jews also sought to take away his life; yea, and ye also have sought to take away his life; wherefore, ye are murderers in your hearts and ye are like unto them. …

And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him.

Later, at the Lord’s command, Nephi stretched forth his hand and the Lord shocked the brothers.

And now, they said: We know of a surety that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it is the power of the Lord that has shaken us. And they fell down before me, and were about to worship me, but I would not suffer them, saying: I am thy brother, yea, even thy younger brother; wherefore, worship the Lord thy God, and honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee.

The shock effect wore off, but their resentment didn’t.

They tied up Nephi on the boat and only released him when the violent storm threatened their lives.  They continued to plot against Lehi and Nephi. After Lehi died, the Lord eventually commanded Nephi to leave with everyone who would follow him.

Seeds of Dissension

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

Plenty of people in the scriptures kill others for power. But this story of Laman and Lemuel intrigues me because of its progression from “we think dad is crazy, but we’ll still follow him” to “let’s kill Nephi because he wants our power.”

Did Nephi’s conquest of Laban plant the seed of fear that he could conquer Laman and Lemuel, too? Did that fear fester into resentment and accusation and finally a belief that they had to kill Nephi before he killed them?

What seed of doubt or contention or accusation or fear festers in my heart? What prevents me from seeing others as they really are or from receiving the word of the Lord? What thoughts or actions do I keep self-justifying?

Laman and Lemuel’s story is a constant warning voice for me. Their lives show that in the midst of blessings and heavenly manifestations, you can still make a tiny choice to accuse and resent. That tiny choice becomes little steps leading to bigger steps and other foundational choices. “And thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.”

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Artist’s representation of the royal palace in Nineveh.

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

Why didn’t Jonah just stay home and ignore the prompting, like the rest of us do?

Did Jonah have a wife? Did she encourage or disapprove of running from God? I wonder if staying home wasn’t an option because of her or other family members who knew of God’s command and pressured Jonah to go to Ninevah.

Obviously, running away from God and taking that ship enabled the huge plot twist in Jonah’s story. I’m grateful he ran to the sea.

It seems like Jonah was financially well off enough to find a boat heading the other direction, pay the fare and climb aboard. Jonah fell asleep and stayed asleep during a violent storm sent by the Lord to awaken him to his sense of duty.  He slept through the storm until the sailors woke him up and told him to start praying.

Am I Asleep?

These 5 verses (Jonah 1:1-5) make me shudder and examine my own life.

• Can I hear the Lord’s voice? If I can hear the Lord’s voice, do I?
• Am I following the Lord’s will for me—all of it? Even if it’s a time committal, self-sacrificing, soul-stretching, or boring thing?
• If I am doing what He asked, have I asked Him how He would like it to be done? Jonah eventually went to Ninevah, preached and everyone repented. But instead of rejoicing, Jonah sulked in bitterness of heart. If I’m doing what the Lord asked, am I doing it wholeheartedly with the Spirit?
• If I am not doing what He asked, where did I flee to? Why didn’t I do it? Could anything motivate me to change?
• Am I spiritually, and physically, asleep?

Jonah on the Beach at Nineveh, by Daniel A. Lewis

I used to think, wow, despite it all, Jonah must have felt confident enough in his decision to sleep that soundly. And maybe he was. Or maybe he was so exhausted from running away that he was catatonic.

But the fact that he slept while others fought desperately for their lives implies, in my reading of the story, that he first ignored the Lord, then he secondly ignored his neighbor.  He neglected both great commandments to love and serve the Lord and his neighbor.

In doing so, he slighted his covenant “to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death…” And by slighting his part in the covenant, he rejected the Lord’s part in the covenant promising “…that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life”

Wake Up, Jonah!

The sailors, incredulous that Jonah slept at such an inappropriate time, woke him up.

“O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.”

Jonah awoke and finally saw the awful chains that bound him. His awakening, though, included facing a gulf, the deep, as a captive in a prison where only the Lord could hear him. He could not rescue himself. No neighbor could come to his rescue. The Lord, with grace and mercy, rescued Jonah when he turned to the source of rescue willing to be rescued.

I’m grateful for God’s mercy to Jonah and to us. I wonder all the ways the story would have differed had Jonah gotten up and said “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

Maybe we would have never heard of Jonah at all. Or maybe his story wouldn’t have ended with him whining under a vine, maybe it would have ended in other glorious triumphs instead.

I’m not here to judge brother Jonah’s actions, but I am here to learn from them.

This part of his story teaches me to:

• Listen for the Lord’s voice
• Hear the word of the Lord
• Act according to the Lord’s will
• Recognize the Lord’s hand in my rescue and in completing His will

If I truly trust in the Lord, then He will know that He can trust me to do His will and build His kingdom, even when He says, “Arise, go to Nineveh….”

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

The wise man built his house upon the rock

The wise man built his house upon the rock

The wise man built his house upon the rock

And the rains came tumbling down.

The rains came down, and the floods came up

The rains came down, and the floods came up

The rains came down, and the floods came up

And the house on the rock stood still.

We know we’re supposed to build our house upon the rock to ensure a strong foundation. Helaman counseled his sons Nephi and Lehi:

House built on the sand.

“Now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

We build that foundation as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, acknowledge and then repent of our sins, and participate in ordinances while obeying God’s commandments.

To His apostles, the Savior referred to a rock of revelation and priesthood authority. Peter testified of the Savior’s Divinity as the Messiah. Jesus confirmed that Peter’s knowledge came from God.

Then He said “and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

So, we build on Christ and His priesthood authority and Gospel. And then what?

Getting Water From the Rock

Water coming from a rock.

The children of Israel, who had made covenants with God—building upon the Rock—were dying of thirst and violently confronted Moses. Moses cried unto the Lord. The Lord directed Moses to go to a specific rock.

“Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

The children of Israel built their house upon the Rock, but they forgot to fortify that relationship. Moses named the place Massah and Meribah because the children of Israel “tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?”

We may succumb to that sense of entitlement because we built our house on the Rock. Ironically, because we build on the rock, we are “entitled” to so many of the Lord’s blessings! Building on the Rock is just the beginning. We need to keep calling on the Rock, drawing upon the Rock, looking for sustenance from the Rock.

In his case, Moses drew living water from the rock. In our case, the Lord offered a profound promise. “There are many who observe not to keep my commandments. But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.”

Getting Tools From the Rock

In 1 Nephi 16:8, Nephi acknowledged the impact of building on the Rock. “And thus my father had fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him. And also, I, Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly.” They kept the commandments and they were blessed.

Nephi melts ore and makes tools.

Then the Lord presented Nephi with a curious commandment—build ships to carry his family to the promised land. Nephi wasn’t a shipbuilder, but he presented himself as an eager student. The Lord showed Nephi how to build the ship. But then, Nephi needed to actually build the ship.

“And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me? And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools.

 

And it came to pass that I did make tools of the ore which I did molten out of the rock.”

Nephi built his house upon the Rock. When he needed something, a tool, to keep the Lord’s commandment, Nephi sought counsel and the Lord instructed Nephi to go to the rock for the resources to make the tools. The Rock provided what Nephi needed. Nephi made the tools and built the ship.

Tools are available to us, too. The Lord promised that everyone’s been given at least one spiritual gift, or tool, and we can ask the Lord specifically for others as needed to help us accomplish His commandments.

“But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving…Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;

 

For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me…

 

For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.”

Getting Light from the Rock

The Brother of Jared sees the hand of the Lord.

The Brother of Jared experienced many amazing miracles. The Lord promised to not “confuse” their language during the Tower of Babel incident. The family left the vicinity and traveled for years and years to various locations, preparing extensively before their exodus, and building barges at least twice along the way to the promised land.

The Brother of Jared built his house on the Rock. In their wanderings, “the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel.” The Lord also chastised the Brother of Jared for complacency in the relationship after living four years on the seashore, not needing the Lord to give him constant directions. He repented and sought the word of the Lord who told him the time had come to build barges again to sail to the promised land.

Darkness in the barge became an obstacle the Brother of Jared needed to overcome. The Brother of Jared “went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones…and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord.”

He went to the rock for a light source and the Rock provided the means. His immense faith led him to glorious manifestations seeing things of eternity. As he went to the Rock for light, he gained light for the barges and light for his soul.

That same light that guided the Jaredites through the wilderness and through darkness is available to all of us if we prepare ourselves to “comprehend” it.

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

“For verily I say unto you that I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the light and the life of the world—a light that shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not.

 

I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not; but unto as many as received me gave I power to do many miracles, and to become the sons of God; and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life.”

So build your house upon the Rock. Then remember to continually go to the Rock to drink deeply, work faithfully, and see clearly.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

In The Children’s Songbook is a song entitled Do As I’m Doing. This song followed right along with the sentiments of the game we played of Follow the Leader. Here are the lyrics to that song.

Do as I’m doing;
Follow, follow me!
Do as I’m doing;
Follow, follow me!
If I do it high or low,
If I do it fast or slow,
Do as I’m doing;
Follow, follow me!
Do as I’m doing;
Follow, follow me!

Inspired Leaders Help Us Find Our Way Home to the Father

President Russell M. Nelson, the current prophet

Learning to imitate others is a basic skill for a child, and it is a skill we should be honing, sharpening throughout our lives. Unfortunately, the world tells us not to follow the lead of others. The world would have us forge our own paths and do our own thing. To an extent that is admirable, but to completely discard that ability, and necessity, is dangerous. We do not know the path back to our Father in Heaven, so the Lord has provided us with inspired men as our leaders to help us along the way.

In Doctrine and Covenants 1:38 the Lord tells us that everything we are told will happen will inevitably come to pass, and it doesn’t matter if He tells us himself or if we hear it from the mouth of His servants, it is the same. We have been counseled to follow our leader, the living prophet. The Lord has already told us that the prophet’s words to us are the same as His words to us.

In the April, 2008 General Conference, Elder Quentin L. Cook spoke about the time Brigham Young called upon the brethren of the Church to drop everything and go to the high plains of Wyoming to rescue the dying members of the Willie and Martin handcart companies.

… in a visit with my grandfather, he explained that when President Brigham Young sent his father, David, and the other young men on their rescue mission, President Young instructed them to do everything they possibly could to save the handcart companies, even at the peril of their own lives. Their acts of bravery were specifically to “follow the prophet Brigham Young” and by so doing express their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. My grandfather told me that consistent, faithful dedication to the counsel of a prophet is the real lesson I should learn from my great-grandfather’s service. As heroic as it was for David and his associates to help rescue the pioneers, it is also valiant today to follow the counsel of our prophet.

The acts of these brethren in saving those who were freezing and starving to death on the Wyoming plains was indeed heroic. But most of our acts of obedience and imitation will not be heroic in nature, but quiet habits we acquire as we look to our prophet leaders and follow their examples.

Adopting the Ways of the Lord’s Church

As new members enter the Church they bring with them the perceptions and habits of their former life in other churches. One telltale sign of a new convert is the habit of using a phrase their former leaders would use when standing to pray for the congregation. I have heard a number of people stand at the pulpit and say, “Let us pray,” just before they begin the prayer for a meeting. Many new members continue to use casual language in prayer, instead of the language of respect the prophets have asked us to learn to use when we pray. I’ve even heard people saying “Amen” in the middle of someone’s talk when they agree with a good point.

Are these things going to keep us out of heaven? Of course not! But these, and other habits are not part of our culture in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For many new members of the Church these habits will die a natural death as they spend time around the Saints. But for others, they tend to hang onto the old ways tenaciously, not wanting to shed the ways of other churches to adopt the ways of the Lord’s Church.

A good example of not wanting to adopt the ways of the Lord’s Church is the reluctance of some to learn to use the language of prayer. This is common, even among life-long members of the Church, especially those who have been relatively inactive for years. The Brethren have taught us repeatedly over the decades that it is a matter of respect and reverence to use the highest form of our language when addressing our God. In an April, 1993 Conference address Dallin H. Oaks spoke of the need to learn appropriate language for addressing deity.

The words we use in speaking to someone can identify the nature of our relationship to that person. They can also remind speaker and listener of the responsibilities they owe one another in that relationship. The form of address can also serve as a mark of respect or affection.

 

So it is with the language of prayer. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches its members to use special language in addressing prayers to our Father in Heaven.

 

When we go to worship in a temple or a church, we put aside our working clothes and dress ourselves in something better. This change of clothing is a mark of respect. Similarly, when we address our Heavenly Father, we should put aside our working words and clothe our prayers in special language of reverence and respect. In offering prayers in the English language, members of our Church do not address our Heavenly Father with the same words we use in speaking to a fellow worker, to an employee or employer, or to a merchant in the marketplace. We use special words that have been sanctified by use in inspired communications, words that have been recommended to us and modeled for us by those we sustain as prophets and inspired teachers.

Ask anyone who has learned how to pray as the prophets have encouraged us to do, and you will hear the same stories over and over again. It was awkward and uncomfortable at first. Learning to speak in an archaic or old pattern of speech is a new experience, and it feels anything but natural, but only at first. We are still encouraged to learn how to use a higher form of speech than that which we use when speaking with our friends and coworkers. We are, after all, addressing our God. What a wonderful and sweet way to show our deference and reverence for Him.

Following Our Leaders Bring Great Blessings

I come back to the Primary song of Do As I’m Doing. There is safety in following the example of our prophet leaders. Sometimes we are asked to do heroic things, like rescuing the dying, but most times we are asked to change small habits in our lives to bring us into better sync with the Holy Ghost. These small changes bring great blessings into our lives. It doesn’t matter if the change we make is to include Family Home Evening in our weekly schedule, learn the language of prayer, faithfully ministering to our assigned families each month, or anything else the Brethren have asked us to do. Anytime we play Follow the Leader in our Church lives, we are the ones who get the greatest blessings.

Trackbacks:

Do As I’m Doing

Give Heed unto the Prophet’s Words

The Language of Prayer

Kelly P. Merrill

Kelly Merrill is semi retired and writes for https://gospelstudy.us. He lives with his wife in Idaho. His strength is being able to take difficult to understand subjects and break them down into understandable parts. He delights in writing about the gospel of Christ. Writing about the gospel is his personal missionary work to the members of the Church and to those of other faiths who are wanting to know more about Christ’s gospel and His Church.

gospelstudy.us

When we were children, we often enjoyed playing games as we were walking to and from school. Not unlike other children, my siblings and I often travelled the fun way to school—not necessarily the most direct route. Whether this involved going through the creek or balancing on the tipsy bridge that spanned it, fun and competitions were always a part of the journey. At other times, we would walk along the sidewalks and join in childish games, reciting rhymes while we played. Perhaps some of you remember walking over the sidewalks and repeating the verse “Step on a line, you break your mother’s spine. Step on a crack and break your mother’s back.” Then we would carefully place our footsteps to avoid unknowingly stepping on a seam in the cement or a crack on its surface. It provided hours of fun and somehow made our long walks bearable and funny. They were harmless and juvenile at the time.
Now we have all grown up. Yet as adults, we sometimes unknowingly continue playing childish games. These are manifest in the form of silent treatment, holding a grudge, sarcasm, or insults. They are all silly games, and they are still juvenile.

But they aren’t so harmless now.

It’s all about why…

Why exercise every day? For some, it’s a social event. For others, exercise is the best way to maintain health and longevity. Some people exercise for fun. One gentleman told me that for him walking was his personal time. He has been avidly walking every morning for more than four years. All these reasons are legitimate, plausible, and good. You certainly have others. There are plenty more than those mentioned. The point is that whatever your reason, it’s significant to you, and, like many things we do in life, there are unintended benefits, consequences, and effects. And because it is significant to you, it’s significant to God. His glory and purpose is to bring to pass our immortality and exaltation. As we align ourselves with Him, our destination is sure.

When challenges happen in life, and they are sure to happen, realizing they are merely bumps in the road, rather than our final destination, helps us persevere. I stumbled across a quote toward this end. It has been many years since those words were spoken, but the lesson contained therein is just as applicable today as when they were first uttered. Maybe you have heard it before:

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said through the prophets “the Lord reveals the truths of salvation, … the salvation that is in Christ; and he charts … the course leading to eternal life. … In every age the Lord gives his people the direction they need at the moment of their peril and danger. And surely in the days ahead there will be times when nothing but the wisdom of God, descending from heaven and flowing forth from prophetic lips, will be able to save his people.”

Parenthetically, I plea is it too much to ask for the wisdom of God in the midst of a job loss, a wayward child, financial difficulties, or challenging personal relationships? I think not. In fact, I believe it is at that very moment God’s direction sheds forth its light to bless and empower those who are struggling to recover. We needn’t do this on our own.

So what are his prophets saying to those facing undesirable situations?

All that you need, Christ can provide Matthew 14:19,20

Laborers in the vineyard Mark 10:29,30

34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? 

35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—

36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-36

To read more of Walter’s articles, click the picture.

This is just an example. See lds.org for much, much more.

The foundation is sure.

We need not worry whether we are going to be successful. The works of God are never frustrated. Our Father in Heaven’s work and glory will all be fulfilled—and that means us.

Read for more on this subject: A Sure Foundation

Walter Penning

In 1989, Walter Penning formed a consultancy based in Salt Lake City and empowered his clients by streamlining processes and building a loyal, lifetime customer base with great customer service. His true passion is found in his family. He says the best decision he ever made was to marry his sweetheart and have children. The wonderful family she has given him and her constant love, support, and patience amid life’s challenges is his panacea.