Now I know that sounds a bit harsh to call those who you are speaking with the “sinful”. Being sinful is simply performing actions that are against God’s will. Paul, in writing to the Romans, simply stated the same concept that I present to you today; “[f]or all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). We are all sinners in one form or another, however, not all of humanity has had the opportunity to exercise the “way to escape” (1 Cor. 10:13) as we have today by being members of Christ’s church.

It is our duty as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to provide that escape to those who “dwindle in unbelief” (1 Ne. 12:22). We must press forward boldly into the darkness of the world and “Let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven” (Matt 5:16).

To simply sugar-coat the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, as not to offend anyone is also a sin. “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Rom 10:11). Why sugar-coat the simple truth, that Christ has restored His church upon the earth today? That message of love and hope is not the meat before the milk as Paul describes to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 3:2). It is “the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).

As of late I have witnessed many people in our faith succumb to this new type of general acceptance of all faiths and religion. That it’s ok to believe the precepts of men, as long as they are mingled with scripture. The mantra in this new movement goes something like “Well, at least they are doing their best” or “Well, at least they believe in Christ, most people don’t even believe in Him anymore”. These types of cop-outs have no business in the salvation of souls upon this earth.

In the first book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon, Nephi is shown by an angel two churches. He writes:

“And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the bother is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” 1 Nephi 14:10

Did the angel state to Nephi, “Well, there are tons of churches, and most of them are pretty right about Christ, but there is only one that is the right church”? The answer is no. There was no sidestepping occurring in that passage of scripture. The angel was frank and straightforward with Nephi. One church is of the Lamb of God; the other is of the devil. We should follow the angel’s example of profess the truth in its simple and precious fashion. There is no need to be timid with our testimonies.

In the instance of the first vision, in which Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820, Christ instructed Joseph to join none of the churches. Joseph writes:

“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “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.” Joseph Smith History 1:19

Where did Christ say “Well, the men are doing a pretty good job, and they remember some of the stuff I told them, so it’s all good, we’ll just have you add upon what they are doing?” Again the answer is no. Christ was direct in his answer to Joseph’s question. Joseph should join none of them, for they all teach the doctrine of men and yet they deny the power thereof. What power does Christ speak of? He speaks of the Holy Priesthood that He personally bestowed upon His apostles of His time. That power was lost due to unrighteousness, “[a]nd others will [the devil] pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell” (2 Ne. 28:21). Through Joseph Smith, the Holy Priesthood was restored to the earth with a promise to never be taken from the earth again. That priesthood and authority to act in His name resides in the worthy male members of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There is no other church/faith or religion that holds the keys, rights, and authority to act in God’s name, save it be the LDS church.

Where did we lose our way in this message? The message is simple. All churches that don’t have the proper authority to perform ordinances in the name of Jesus Christ, are not of the Church of the Lamb. They are not authorized to perform such works, and as such “deny the power thereof”. “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost” (2 Ne. 28:31).

This message will be hard for those to hear. It will be incredibly difficult for those to look at something they have known their whole lives as the truth, only to have someone tell them that it’s not. However, Christ has instructed “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). It is not up to us to worry about how someone will take the truth. It is simply up to us as Latter-Day Saints to provide the pure message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We need not to water down the message to conform to society’s ever changing standards. Nor do we need to dumb it down to the point where essential truths are replaced with erroneous assumptions. We need to steer clear in allowing ourselves too worked up and nervous about sharing the gospel, in fear of losing friends, loved ones, business associates and the like. If we are testifying of Jesus Christ and His plan of Salvation for us, then who can be against us? Who can overcome the Almighty God that we worship?

If our peers can’t handle your testimony of Christ, then they were never of your fold in the first place, they do not listen with their hearts and minds to the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord as you testify and they are not yours to worry about. The Lord will continue to direct them and guide them through their life to have the opportunities to hear the Spirit of Truth that the Lord has blessed humanity with. Regardless of their choice to listen, it is our duty to present the promises given to us by Heavenly Father as they were intended; simple, plain and direct.

May those that have the duty to share the gospel, do so without fear, but be filled with love and compassion for that person and help them to see the light that they don’t comprehend. (see John 1:5).

And for those who are not a member of Christ’s restored and true church, may you one day fall to your knees and pray to God to ask Him of the truthfulness of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5). Also you should follow the promise of Moroni from the Book of Mormon:

“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” Moroni 10:3-5

I testify to you, this day that God does live. That our Heavenly Father knows each of us by name and we are His children. He has provided a straight and narrow way for us to return to Him, and we must open our minds and hearts to hear His promptings. There is a restored church upon this earth that has the ability to return us to our Heavenly Father, to avoid the pitfalls of the devil, and to enrich our lives as we have the ability to be together forever as a family. I testify that no other church on this planet can baptize for the remission of your sins, except in the LDS church where the keys and rights are held to perform such an ordinance. I testify that in order to be together forever as an eternal family where even death cannot separate is found in the sealing power of the priesthood in the holy temples of the Lord that are a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. May you heed my message and step out of the darkness into our Father’s arms of Mercy and Safety. I promise you these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Tony Mucci

Tony Mucci is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is originally from Los Angeles, California and currently resides in Orem, Utah. He is an entrepreneur for Eklect Enterprises and a student at Utah Valley University majoring in Software Engineering.

Tony has been a member of the church since 1991, and his parents were converts to the church in 1984. He served a full-time mission in the Colorado Denver North Mission from 2003-2005 where he earned multiple awards, including the Gold Award in the Gospel Scholarship Program. After his mission service, he has held different auxiliary positions in the church, from Nursery to Bishopric and is currently the Elder’s Quorum teacher in his local ward. Tony has been married to his wife Liz since 2009 and has two furry babies, Sophie and Saki.

mormon.org/me/182M

1 of 3: http://ldsblogs.com/17514/pressing-the-reset-button-1

2 of 3: http://ldsblogs.com/18105/pressing-reset-button-new-year-new-life-goals-part-2-3\

In our last two installments of this series we discussed different essential elements that can help you successfully push the rest button in your life and help you to achieve your goals and aspirations. In this final segment of this series, we will be discussion goals, what they are, how to set them, and how to achieve them.

What are Goals?

A goal is simply an achievement that you strive for. It is something that you direct your resources towards both internal and external. For example, let’s say you want to wake up at 6AM every weekday to get an early start on your day. Your internal resources might be your drive, motivation, or your positive self-reinforcement (“I can do this!”). Your external resources might be an alarm clock, or planning your day so you can have ample time to sleep and be well rested for 6AM.

How to Set Goals

Setting goals is a lot simpler than most people believe. What is it that you want to achieve? Anything in the world can be achieved by setting goals. The bigger the goal, the more work you have to put in to accomplishing that particular goal. Nevertheless, goals and work are eternally intertwined as to their success or demise.

The first question you need to ask yourself in setting goals is: “How much work am I willing to put in to my goal?” Unfortunately, if you are not willing to put in the necessary effort in to your goal, your goal will never be reached. It’s the same concept as buying a car. No matter how bad you want a Ferrari, if you pay a Kia price, you will end up with a Kia, not a Ferrari.

In the Doctrine & Covenants it states, “For of him unto whom much is given much is required” (D&C 82:3). Since things pertaining to the gospel testify of Christ, we understand that all things are inherently connected. We read in the sixth chapter of Moses:

And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me. –Moses 6:63

With this knowledge, we can use this to look at D&C 82:3 in a different light. If we reverse the order of given and required it reads “For of man unto much is required much is given”. Both of these concepts work with goals. If you want a big reward, then you must work for the reward, also if you are GIVEN the reward first, then you are required to put forth the effort to be worthy of that gift. It is the same in goals. So if you want to conquer the world, be ready to sacrifice and work toward that goal. You will ALWAYS reap what you sow, so make sure to roll up your sleeves and get to work!

How to Achieve Goals

Another nugget of knowledge we learn from the scriptures that we should “see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27). If your goal is to move a mountain, then you must create smaller goals that fit within the bigger goal of moving a mountain. One goal might be to dig with a shovel for a few hours a day. Another might be to enlist help of others to accomplish your bigger goal.

This is one of the bigger secrets in goal setting. Help others achieve their goals, and you will be able to achieve your own much faster. As we learned from Alma the Younger as he spoke to his son Corianton:

“Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.” –Alma 41: 14

If you are willing to help those in need of achieving their goals, you will be blessed in achieving your own. So if you want to move that mountain, help someone move their molehill first.

The final step in achieving your goals is to plan backwards and work forwards. Meaning, if we want to move that mountain in one year, how do we do it? What do we need to accomplish per month? How much dirt needs to be moved?

Second, break it down even further; we need to decide what needs to be finished each week? How many hours do we need to perform digging in order to hit our month goal?

Finally, finish up your planning for each day of the week. How many hours today do I need to dig, how many do I need to rest?  Is there anything today that will require me not to dig? Do I need to reschedule digging to another day and double up work on that day?

As you ask yourself these questions, you will start to see what is necessary in achieving your goals. If we required 1200 hours of digging in order to move the mountain in one year, then we would have a goal of 100 hours per month of digging, which leads us to 25 hours a week of digging, which then directs us to a 5 hours goal of digging Mon-Fri.

Instead of focusing on 1200 hours of digging (which is a ton!), you can simply focus on a smaller piece of 5 hours a day to not overwhelm you.

The last part of the goal setting process is the most important, which is obedience to your plan. You must pray to the Lord as if it’s solely up to Him, and work as if it’s only up to you. Rely on the Lord to increase your obedience to your plan, and He will bless you as long as your plan is in accordance with His will.

To ensure that your will is in accordance, your safest bet is to pray and present your plan to Him. He will let you know if you are in accordance with Him. The Lord spoke about this in Doctrine & Covenants:

But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me. -D&C 9:8-9

It is my humble prayer that as you embark with these tools of obedience, faith, action and goals, that you will be empowered from the Lord in accomplishing your sacred goals to become a better person and more Christ like.

Join me next week (Feb 1, 2014) as we discuss new areas of topics of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tony Mucci

Tony Mucci is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is originally from Los Angeles, California and currently resides in Orem, Utah. He is an entrepreneur for Eklect Enterprises and a student at Utah Valley University majoring in Software Engineering.

Tony has been a member of the church since 1991, and his parents were converts to the church in 1984. He served a full-time mission in the Colorado Denver North Mission from 2003-2005 where he earned multiple awards, including the Gold Award in the Gospel Scholarship Program. After his mission service, he has held different auxiliary positions in the church, from Nursery to Bishopric and is currently the Elder’s Quorum teacher in his local ward. Tony has been married to his wife Liz since 2009 and has two furry babies, Sophie and Saki.

mormon.org/me/182M

Action

After we have sufficient faith as a result from our obedience to gospel principles, we need to act.

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone (James 2:14-17).

As we can see from the Holy Bible, you can’t have faith without action. They go hand in hand, enabling you to start the progression in the completion of your goal. Faith is based on obedience and obedience is based on works. You can’t obey something without action, considering that obey is an action word. You either do or do not; there is no try in action.

So now ask yourself, “If I can do anything to achieve my dreams, then what should I do first in order to maximize my action?” The answer is goals!

Goals

Setting and striving for goals is the last portion of this series. We will take an in-depth look at how to set the goals, and what do to if you fail at attaining the goals. Join me on Jan 25th 2014 as we finish up Pressing the Reset Button with goals!

Tony Mucci

Tony Mucci is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is originally from Los Angeles, California and currently resides in Orem, Utah. He is an entrepreneur for Eklect Enterprises and a student at Utah Valley University majoring in Software Engineering.

Tony has been a member of the church since 1991, and his parents were converts to the church in 1984. He served a full-time mission in the Colorado Denver North Mission from 2003-2005 where he earned multiple awards, including the Gold Award in the Gospel Scholarship Program. After his mission service, he has held different auxiliary positions in the church, from Nursery to Bishopric and is currently the Elder’s Quorum teacher in his local ward. Tony has been married to his wife Liz since 2009 and has two furry babies, Sophie and Saki.

mormon.org/me/182M