I try to apply the scriptures in my life. When a prophet in the scriptures needs to know something, they ask our Heavenly Father in prayer. That is a great pattern that I have applied in my life, when I have a question I ask my Heavenly Father in prayer. However, answers for these prophets seem to commonly come in the form of visions, both of angels or the Lord himself. That’s miraculous and sacred for prophets, but it leads me to ask why have I never seen an open vision of angels or God? Does the Lord teach us truth through visions or by some other way?
I believe the answer to that last question is yes, both. To learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there are two steps. First, we have to hear the doctrine. When first being taught about the gospel that requires a teacher. A teacher can come in many forms: visions of angels, visions of God, Prophets or scriptures. Hearing or reading the doctrine is the first step to learning truth. The second part to learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ is understanding and believing. This part of learning the gospel is essential and requires the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost testifies to our mind and heart that what we have heard, seen or read is true.
A great example of this pattern of learning comes from the Book of Mormon (What is the Book of Mormon?). A young man named Nephi had heard his father Lehi (A prophet) preaching the gospel. In his own words he said,
“I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father…” (1 Ne 2:16)
Afterwards, Nephi shared his experience with his brother Sam. He said,
“And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit.” (1 Ne 2:17)
This experience can be separated into four main parts:
Nephi had a question or a desire to know more
He prayed unto the Lord
The Lord did visit him
The Holy Spirit manifested the message to Nephi
The word “manifested” in verse 17 is key. The definition of manifest is to make clear to the mind. Even though the Lord “did visit Nephi,” (1 Ne 2:16) and taught him, that teaching was made manifest or clear to Nephi’s understanding, “by [the] Holy Spirit.” (1 Ne 2:17) This account is incredible to me! I guess I have always thought that an open vision of the Lord was the profound teaching moment for prophets like Nephi, but in fact it is still the Holy Ghost that makes the doctrine clear and impactful.
In our day, we are fortunate to have so many resources to learn about the gospel. If we have a desire to learn and know more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can pray for that understanding. Next, we need to seek out the resources we have been given to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ: the scriptures containing words from ancient prophets and the Lord himself, as well as words from our modern day prophets. Lastly, as we continue to pray and seek for that understanding, the Holy Spirit will make manifest or clear to our minds and hearts what is and is not true.
I’m grateful for the Holy Ghost in my life that makes manifest the answers to my prayers, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
This past year, I spent time each week with my little sisters over the phone talking about the scriptures. We called our little group Scripture Power Team. The objective was fairly straight forward, we set a goal to read the scriptures daily. We used our weekly phone call as a way to account to each other for how well we had done that week. As we would talk during our weekly phone calls, they would read to me the insights they had had while studying their scriptures that week. I observed how they began to feel the Spirit more commonly in their everyday lives.
The Lost Toy
I asked one of my sisters, Emily, how her prayers were going. Emily surprised me when she said she didn't know if Heavenly Father was listening to her prayers, or if He would answer them. I inquired what she was praying about. She proceeded to tell me of a recent trip the family went on to a nearby state. Upon returning, she realized that she couldn't find her DS gameboy (her favorite toy). After looking for it for weeks, they came to the conclusion that it was left in a parking lot or hotel room during their trip. There wasn't means to replace it, and so she had begun praying that Heavenly Father would find her lost toy and return it to her. I tried my best to explain to her that our Heavenly Father does love us and listens to our prayers. However, he most eagerly answers prayers that will help strengthen our faith and knowledge in Christ. I told her it was probably not best to only pray about that. Frankly, after talking with my Mom about the lost toy, I had convinced myself that this was a lost cause. For weeks, Emily reported to me that she had been praying about more things and was feeling closer to Heavenly Father, but still telling me through her tears how she was still praying for her lost toy. I decided to pray and ask Heavenly Father to help console her heart, and if it be his will, to help return it.
An Answered Prayer
Months went by and soon it became Christmas. I had forgotten all about these earlier conversations, but Emily hadn't. Near the end of Christmas morning, my Dad brought out a specially wrapped, large box with Emily's name on it. After unwrapping nearly 10 layers of wrapping paper, she screamed and then began to cry. As we all looked on in astonishment, Emily held up the lost DS gameboy. My dad told how he was out cleaning the car a month ago and found the toy hiding under one of the seats. So he thought, after so many months of being lost, this would make a memorable regift this year. As Emily went to give my Dad a hug, I whispered in her ear, "Heavenly Father heard and answered your prayers." She responded, "I know. He did."
O Ye of Little Faith
That morning this scripture came to my mind:
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matthew 6:28, 30)
I felt The Lord was lovingly speaking straight to me that morning when he said, "O ye of little faith." Finding the lost toy didn't just bless Emily, it blessed my faith in Him.
I know that it is because of Emily's faith, diligence and humility that she received an answer to her prayers. This experience has deeply touched me. I did not believe that this outcome was possible because I relied more upon the knowledge of man, rather than fully trusting in God. I testify that God does hear and answer prayers.
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
While I was serving as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Seattle, WA, I was helping a young woman prepare for baptism. We have closets in our church buildings that have varying sizes of white out fits for people to wear when they are baptized. We were planning on meeting her at the church so that she could find a size that worked for her. We pulled up to the empty church parking lot and went inside. The closet I needed to get into happened to be locked. I totally didn’t expect that. My companion (as missionaries, we serve in pairs) and I started calling everyone in the ward (congregation) to try to find someone who had a key and was available to help us out. We called for 20 minutes. Nobody was around. Our appointment was in just a few minutes and we were out of time.
We decided to kneel down in the empty foyer and ask God for help. We explained that we needed this closet unlocked to help this sister prepare for her baptism. We asked that God would help us unlock the door. We said amen and then looked at each other. What now? We stood up in the foyer and literally expected some sort of miracle or something. We jumped when the door to the chapel suddenly opened. It was the bishop (a volunteer minister/leader of a congregation) from the other ward. He asked, “Elders, do you need my help?” We were dumb founded. When we picked our jaws up off the floor we told him about our locked closet and we began walking to it with the key in hand. On our way to the closet, he told us how he had been walking to his car after finishing up some work in his office when he had the prompting or thought to go check the foyer. He quickly protested the thought knowing that he was the only one in the building and that all the doors were locked to his knowledge. The thought came again to go check the foyer. Recognizing this time that it was not his thoughts but God’s, he dutifully turned around, went back into the building, walked straight through the chapel to the foyer to find two very stunned missionaries. We then told him about our prayer.
I testify that we all had a sure knowledge that God was close, that he loved us, cared about our desires, and used the hands of others to help us open locked doors.
I challenge you to pray to your Heavenly Father in the name of Christ. I promise that as you do, you will come closer to God, and he will draw nearer to you. What is Prayer?
I sin every single day. Can I really repent everyday? I know the answer to that question is yes. I testify that the power of the Atonement is continuous and infinite in it's ability to heal broken hearts, to perfect every one of us, and enable us to return to the presence of the father. I promise that as you seek for the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and listen to those gentle promptings that follow, you will have thoughts and impressions come to you that are given to you for the sole intent to make a change and help you overcome sin. Whether that change is big or small, I know that as you act upon that impression, there will come into your life an added measure of the spirit, and a greater desire to keep the commandments of God.
Do we need to be redeemed?
Everyday, I am tempted to disobey God’s commandments and sin. In moments of weakness I give in. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you may have had a similar experience. In those moments, a question comes to my mind that sounds similar to the one that the prophet Nephi (a Book of Mormon prophet; approximately 600 BC) asked:
Do we need to be redeemed? King Benjamin (a Book of Mormon King; approximately 124 BC) taught that, "the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam," (Mosiah 3:19) and Paul (An apostle in the New Testament; approximately 50 AD) adds that "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23), so what chance do any of us have? The answer is redemption through Christ' Continuous Atonement. Utilizing this precious gift however is two fold.
What is the Book of Mormon?
First, Baptism
First, when a person has developed faith in Christ, and repented of his sins, they are prepared to enter into a covenant with God. Christ taught Nicodemus that, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
Jesus Teaches of Being Born Again
Jesus is Baptized by John
Mormon Elder David A. Bednar Testimony
You may not yet be baptized into the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but you can learn more with missionaries in your area by clicking on this link www.mormon.org.
Second: Enduring and Becoming
Once we have made this covenant with God, Nephi asks the second question pertaining to redemption:
"And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path (Baptism), I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Ne 31:19-20).
The Challenges of Enduring
So how do we press forward with a steadfastness in Christ? As we encounter the many obstacles and trials that life throws at us, we run into challenges. A few of these challenges for me include reading my scriptures every day, scouting, holding family home evening every Monday night, serving faithfully in my callings, spending time with my daughter, doing my home teaching, and the list goes on. If we are not careful, we can allow the devil into our thoughts, and begin to doubt ourselves, doubt past experiences, or perhaps become discouraged looking at the pile of dishes and the mile long to do list that seemingly mocks us. You were doing great with your personal scripture study before, but now it has been nearly a month since you last opened your scriptures. Is there any point to this any more? Is it to much?
God is pleased with every effort we make
I recently read a great book written by Brad Wilcox which I have based many of the following points from. He provides the following insights from his book, The Continuous Atonement:
One speaker in Church directs, "You can't do everything. Don't run faster than you have strength". The next says, "Push yourself. You can always do more." One person advises, "Don't worry about what you can't do" at the same time someone else says, "You can do anything you put your mind to."
I am told the companionship of the Spirit will be my assurance when I've done my part. However, if I start beating myself up for not being a better home teacher or helping more with family history, then I can drive the Spirit away pretty quickly.
In those anxious moments, the greatest comfort I have found is in knowing any effort is pleasing to God even if He and I both know it's not my all or my best. It may be far from an acceptable offering, but God accepts it nonetheless because ultimately He is more concerned with the offerer than the offering. Elder Gerald N. Lund wrote: "Remember that one of Satan's strategies, especially with good people, is to whisper in their ears: 'If you are not perfect, you are failing.' This is one of his most effective deceptions...We should recognize that God is pleased with every effort we make-no matter how faltering-to better ourselves" ("Are We Expected to Achieve Perfection in This Life?" 207).
Some people see a long checklist that must be completed before we get to heaven. In reality, our willingness to plod along here on earth doesn't earn us points in heaven, but helps us become heavenly. Scriptures make it clear that our works are a significant factor in where we end up. However, this is not because of what our works earn us, but because of how they shape us. Andrew C. Skinner wrote, "Our condition in eternity will not be determined by what happened to us but rather what will happen in us as a result of the Savior's atonement" (Garden Tomb, 56; emphasis in original).
Repentance: No Instant Christians
I testify that every step towards God, no matter how far the stride, is a step in the right direction.
Amulek (A Book of Mormon Missionary; Approximately 82 BC) warned the people of the Zoramites and us that we "must not procrastinate the day of [our] repentance unto the end" (Alma 34:32), but we must also remember that there is a difference between procrastinating the day of our repentance and working through a repentance process. Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote, "This is a gospel of grand expectations, but God's grace is sufficient for each of us if we remember that there are no instant Christians" (Notwithstanding My Weakness, 11).
President Boyd K. Packer said, "An ordinary soul-struggling against temptation, failing and repenting, and failing again and repenting, but always determined to keep [his] covenants" can still expect to one day hear "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled, 257).
Change: The Purpose of the Atonement
I grew up in a house full of music. Both my parents are incredible musicians. While I was growing up, my parents gave me the opportunity to take private music lessons. I loved my trumpet, tuba, bass, and piano lessons. I loved this chance to learn from incredible instrumentalists. I was encouraged to practice, and apply what I was taught. Their motivation for paying for these lessons was never to recover the cost of the lessons, but to help me become a better musician. "When Christ's expectations of faith, repentance, covenants, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endurance feel trying to us, perhaps it is because, as C. S. Lewis put it, "we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us" (Mere Christianity, 205). We are helped in this line-upon-line discovery when we focus less on what Jesus asks and more on why He asks it" (Wilcox).
Elder Bruce C. Hafen wrote, "the great Mediator asks for our repentance NOT because we must 'repay' him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process that, with the Savior's help, leads us along the path to a saintly life" (Broken Heart, 149). Similarly, Elder Dallin H. Oaks has taught, "The repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change" (Lord's Way, 223; emphasis in original).
"Without the faith and repentance required by Christ there would be no redemption because there would be no desire for improvement. Without the covenants and the gift of the Holy Ghost there would be no means for improvement. And without the endurance required by Christ there would be no internalization of the improvement over time" (Wilcox).
Reprise: No Instant Christians
If any of you are like me, I have had powerful, soul changing spiritual moments in my life. These moments are filled with light, a strong confidence in my standing before God, and an indescribable sense of peace and joy. Weeks, days, or sometimes even minutes later I give in, I let my guard down, and I fall. I have had many sad, pathetic struggles before God, bemoaning the wretched man that I am. In those sober, remorseful prayers, I wonder if God even believes I'm worth saving. I wonder if he can even believe one who has fallen so many times before. I am encouraged by this thought that Janet Lee, a Women's Conference Speaker, offers:
"Christ healed bodies, minds, and souls. But after he healed the lepers, were they free from other struggles? After he restored sight to the blind, were they
free from fear? Were the five thousand Christ fed ever hungry again? Was the
sea calmed by Christ's hand stirred by future storms? Yes" (Pieces of Peace,"
10). Our needs including the need for forgiveness-are continuous, and so is
Christ's Atonement in its ability to meet those needs.
Willingness to be perfected
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I have the opportunity to renew my baptismal covenant with my Heavenly Father every Sunday. The first Sunday meeting is called sacrament meeting. This is where I’m able to partake of the sacrament: Broken bread that represents Christ’s body, and water that represents the blood that was shed for me. When I pray, or anyone in the church prays, we speak the words of our heart. When performing a priesthood ordinance or covenant, the Lord has taught that it should be done in a very specific way. As I listen to the prayer that blesses the sacrament (D&C 20:77, 79), I find these very encouraging and important words:
that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always
remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them
Now for emphasis I will restructure what I just read, to help us recognize a key promise made with my Heavenly Father.
that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son,
and that they are willing to always remember him
and that they are willing to keep his commandments which he has given them
In essence, because our Savior paid the price of justice, He can now forgive what justice never could. By releasing us from the requirements of justice, He is now able to make a whole new arrangement with us (see 3 Ne 28:35). In this new arrangement, He doesn't ask us to be perfect TODAY, because justice is no longer in charge, Christ is. Christ only asks that you be willing to be perfected.
Neal A. Maxwell said, “In fact, while God has given us so many enabling gifts in addition to the gift of life, the only real gift we can actually give Him is to submit our will to His…the one precious gift, our wills! It is the only one we can really give to Him that is not already His!” (One More Strain of Praise [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1999], 93.)
May we remember Nephi's response to his own question:
And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins;
nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. (2 Ne 4:19)
I testify that the God in whom I have trusted is a God who cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance, but can lovingly look on repentant sinners with a great deal of allowance and patience. His hand is stretched out still. He offers us a second chance, a third and a fourth-as many as we need to get it right. He knows that change is necessary, and through Christ's Continuous Atonement it is possible, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
When I was 11 years old, I wanted to come closer to God. I wanted to know if he was there. I wanted to know if he loved me. I wanted to know what he wanted me to know. I had a challenge from my 11 year old church instructor while living in Hawaii to pray and ask if what I was being taught was true. She promised that if I would, God would answer my prayer. I began reading The Book of Mormon with the intent to know if it was true. I had grown up reading it in my family and felt like it was a good book that taught about Jesus Christ and his Atonement. However, I wanted an answer from prayer that it was truly from God. I knew that if I received an answer, that would mean God was there, that he loved me, and I would know that this was his doctrine. I read and prayed for 3 months trying to get an answer the way my 11 year old church instructor had promised. No answer came. One night, my parents had asked me to babysit my younger brothers while they were out. I had done this before and there had been no problems, so I accepted. An hour into babysitting, my 6 year old brother ran out of the house, wanting daddy. My Dad taught music at BYU-Hawaii at the time, and the campus was within 10 walking minutes from my house. After a few minutes of him not returning, I quickly realized that his intent was to go find my Dad at work. I starting running to campus hoping to catch up to him. I got all the way to campus. I searched in all of his favorite climbing trees. I looked around my Dad’s office. I was asking everyone I saw if they had seen my brother. Exhausted, scared and hopeless, I knelt down under a palm tree and offered up my heart to God. I told him through my sobs of my brother, and how much I loved him, but that I couldn’t find him after doing all my 11 year old mind could think to do. I then asked for help, to find my lost brother. A warm feeling of peace, comfort and love swept over me. I was comforted by this incredible feeling of closeness and love. I then heard the words in my mind, not audibly with my ears, but words in my mind say, “Paul is fine. He is at home.” That message came as a shock to me, and such a relief. I then heard the words, “The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith is a true prophet.” I testify that God spoke to me that day, and through the Spirit comforted me. I felt closer to God that day then I had ever felt in my whole life. I ran home, and found my brother. I wrapped my arms around him as he looked at me like I was some crazy person. I knew that God needed my heart prepared. He needed me to desperately desire an answer to prayer, and be willing and ready to listen.
