Remember Him

One of my favorite spots.  Wormley Creek, Yorktown, VA

For the last few weeks, I have been through a lot of personal trials. It seemed to me that there was an unfair portion of things being dumped on our family, and I couldn't really figure out why. I'm a questioner, a truth seeker, a need to know"er". This week for my religion class we studied Helaman 10-16. One of the first things that really made me stop in my tracks was the following passage of scripture:

Helaman 12:3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.

Now while my recent trials have not involved death, famine, and pestilence, they did involve some afflictions and a little bit of terror. When I read the above passage, I have to honestly say it made me a little upset and I found myself becoming prideful to think that God needed to chasten me, so that I would remember Him. 

The truth is this- when things are going well in my life, I do tend to "not" remember Him as much. So, this did cause me to do some pondering and questioning of myself. Why do I forget God when things are going well? I think it's this- while I may go through the motions of doing the "right" things most of the time, my will is not necessarily always aligned with His will.

In order for me to truly remember Him, I have to turn my will over to Him, seek forgiveness, and let go of my pride; I need to realize I'm not the one that's in control; and I need to ask Him for help, guidance, forgiveness, and the ability to let go of any number of other things. I also need to be humble, teachable, and grateful in my circumstances. I don't know about you, but for me, that last one, being grateful in my circumstances, can be really difficult at times. I also know from my own personal experience that as trials are heaped on me, I turn to my Heavenly Father more earnestly as I'm pleading for help to deal with, accept, and/or overcome afflictions. I truly do remember Him more when I am suffering...

That being said, I know that trials come to everyone and that not every bad thing that happens in our lives is because God is chastening us. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We are here to be tested and tried and to hopefully turn to our Savior Jesus Christ and allow His atonement to work in our lives so that we can go back to our Father in Heaven. Not just to be in His presence, but to dwell with Him and our Savior again.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coef8G5ax6E

Samuel the Lamanite had this to say:

Helaman 13:11- But if ye will repent and return unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo unto him that repenteth not.

The Lord our God wants us to choose Him so that He can bless us with all of the things He has promised us. I am so grateful to know that while He chastens us at times, that He loves us and wants to bless us if only we will repent and return to Him. If life seems overwhelming or too difficult, no worries. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, has our back. He loves us. He sacrificed His life for us. He atoned for us. All we need to do is turn to Him. He is there, waiting for us to seek Him out in the storms of life. He wants to help us overcome whatever is ailing us. Because of Him our lives and hearts can be changed forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3TI4bYerU

Thanks for spending some time with me. I love hearing from you, and would love to know what you do to draw closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ during difficult times.

Choices

Have you ever had one of those horrible, awful, bad, just plain ole' stinkin' thinkin' kind of weeks?
If not, you are pretty lucky, and I would love to know your secret. So, as I'm reflecting on what to share from my Pathway religion class, my mind is bogged down with so many worldly cares. Whether you are a praying kind of person, or a good wishes/vibes kind of person; I would appreciate either/or, and even both for my family. Thank you so much.

I love this song by Hilary Weeks entitled "Beautiful Heartbreak".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyX-I-um5Kk

As far as my class goes, I have been studying the war chapters (Alma 43-63) of the Book of Mormon. Twenty chapters is a lot to cover in one week's time, but I did it. I also got more out of it than I ever have before. War is not something that I like, but there are lessons that can be learned from the stories that are shared.

One of things I want to focus on today is a quote that I needed to hear this week from a conference talk entitled, "Where Do I Make My Stand?" by James E. Faust. I've included an excerpt from his talk here:

"Some, because they lack faith or understanding of the eternal plan, become bitter and lose hope. One such was a 19th-century writer who achieved both success and wealth with his dazzling wit and writing style. His wife came from a religious family, and he wanted to have faith in God but wasn’t really sure God existed. Then he was hit by a series of crushing blows. In 1893 a national financial crisis left him deeply in debt. His oldest daughter died while he was on a speaking tour. His wife’s health failed, and she died in 1904. His youngest daughter died in 1909. His own health declined. His writing, which had formerly been so full of sparkle, now reflected his bitterness. He became progressively depressed, cynical, and disillusioned and remained so until his death in 1910. With all his brilliance, he lacked the inner strength to deal with adversity and simply resigned himself to his misfortunes."

"It’s not so much what happens to us but how we deal with what happens to us. That reminds me of a passage from Alma. After a long war “many had become hardened,” while “many were softened because of their afflictions.”  The same circumstances produced opposite responses. The writer who lost so much was not able to draw from the well of faith. Each of us needs to have our own storehouse of faith to help us rise above the troubles that are part of this mortal probation."

Those words touched me deeply this week. James E. Faust is correct. It is "how we deal with what happens to us" that is the really important part.

It reminded me of this story in Alma 53:20-21 where we learn of 2,000 young men that had never been to war, but they were exceeding valiant for courage and also for strength and activity; but that was not all- they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. They were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him. Then in Alma 56:47-48 we learn that even though they had never fought, they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

I am blown away by their courage and faith. Being young, and going to war for the first time, they put their full trust in God and their mothers. As they said, "We do not doubt our mothers knew it." And because of that faith in God, not one of them died from the battles they fought in. We learn how their faith preserved them in Alma 57:26-27: 

26. And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe- that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.

27. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.

Okay, so now you may be thinking, what does my horrible, awful, bad, just plain ole' stinkin' thinkin' kind of week, the quote, and this passage of scriptures have in common. I'll tell you. That I am not in control, but I can choose how I deal with my trials, and I can choose to be like those brave 2,000 young warriors by having complete trust in God. Not doubting that He will take care of the things that are weighing me down. I have to do my part to not let the trials of life do to me what they did to that 19th-century writer. I need to build up my storehouse of faith, be humble and teachable, all the while putting my trust in God continually.

This song "Beautiful Life" by Mercy River just makes me happy! I hope it makes you happy too!

                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cCXqqbF-iE

I would love to hear how you have put your trust in God continually during your own trials in life. Thank you so much for spending some time with me.

If the links don't work, please try clicking watch on YouTube,  or try another browser. I'm including the web addresses here for you to copy and paste.

Hilary Weeks song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyX-I-um5Kk
Mercy River song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cCXqqbF-iE

Exercising Faith

Since I last posted, 2015 has slipped away and 2016 is in full swing. I had a great time visiting with my children over the holidays. I had a nice little break from the Pathway Program to rejuvenate and prepare for winter semester. Life has been good, except for one little thing.

While on break from school I backslid a little. I went from scripture studying, to scripture reading; I went from heartfelt prayers to hope I don't fall asleep while I'm praying prayers. I wasn't feeling as kind, patient or confident by the time school started again, and I definitely wasn't feeling as spiritual as I had before our break. I think I can pinpoint this to one specific thing. I was not nourishing my faith.

I love this Mormonad from July 1991 that I came across recently. It reads "Faith without Works doesn't work... Faith without works is like a boat without oars: it gets you nowhere. So stop drifting and start rowing. Otherwise you're dead in the water." James 2:17-18 




While I was studying Alma 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 this week, it kind of hit me as to why I had hit another Spiritual Dead Spot. I have not been exercising faith. And by exercising, I mean doing my part to be more spiritual. I was doing the bare minimum to get by.

I want to share an experience I had years ago. So, Alma 32 has always been one of my favorite chapters of The Book of Mormom. I think mostly because it is a story of hope. There have been times in my life when I have fallen into some spiritual dead spots for one reason or another, and my inaction caused my belief to dwindle.  I remember very clearly one night many moons ago sitting outside begging Heavenly Father to show me a sign. Even a falling star would do. Anything to show me that He was real, and that I mattered to Him. I sat there crying and pleading with Him for this great miracle to occur so that I could believe. You know what happened? NOTHING miraculous. No signs, no falling stars, no earth quaking, no angels. Just silence until I had a thought occur to me that He loved me enough to not give me a sign, for if He had I would not have been able to live up to the knowledge I was given. I was reminded of this passage of scripture found in Alma 32:17-19 
Alma says:
17. Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe.
18. Now I ask, is this faith? Behold I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it.
19. And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression.

Now, after thinking on this passage of scripture I started laughing to myself at the silliness of me begging and pleading for a sign. Heavenly Father heard my pleadings, and He answered me in such a quiet way that I barely recognized it. Did that mean I knew of a surety? No. But, it did give me the hope I needed to continue to have a desire to believe.

Alma went on to say this in Alma 32:21, And now as I said concerning faith- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

What simple, sweet, beautiful words. If ye have faith ye HOPE for things which are not seen, which are true.

I love the words of Elder Neil L. Anderson, in the following video. I've also included the link to his conference talk entitled, "Faith is Not by Chance, but by Choice."

Now if you're wondering what to do to move forward, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gives this wonderful counsel when answering the following question:

How do we receive a personal testimony rooted in the witness of the Holy Ghost? The pattern is outlined in the scriptures:

First: Desire to believe. The Book of Mormon encourages us: “If [you] will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, … even if [you] can no more than desire to believe. Alma 32:27

Some may say, “I cannot believe; I am not a religious person.” Just consider, God promises us divine help even if we have only a desire to believe, but it has to be a true and not a pretended desire.

Second: Search the scriptures. Have questions; study them out; search in the scriptures for answers. Again, the Book of Mormon has good advice for us: “If [you] give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart” through diligent study of the word of God, the good seed “will begin to swell within your breasts” if you will not resist with unbelief. This good seed will “enlarge [your] soul” and “enlighten [your] understanding.” Alma 32:28

Third: Do the will of God; keep the commandments. It is not enough to enter into a scholarly debate if we want to know for ourselves that the kingdom of God has been restored upon the earth. Casual study is also not enough. We have to get in on the action ourselves, and that means learning and then doing God’s will.

I'm so grateful for that I can exercise my faith by having a desire to believe, searching the scriptures, and doing the will of God by keeping His commandments.

I want to leave you with one of my all time favorite songs written and performed by one of my all time favorite artists, Cherie Call.

Thanks for spending some time with me. I would love to hear in what ways you exercise your faith.

Becoming Is A Process

To become like Him, we must be teachable like a little child.
This image can be found in the media library of lds.org

It's the end of the first semester and I can hardly believe I made it through. There were a lot of fears and tears, but it was all worth it! In my Book of Mormon religion class, we had to choose an attribute to help us become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. The following is my journey of the process and my final report.

I chose courage for my Becoming Project. I know that the Lord’s hand was in my decision to enroll in the Pathway program, so I have been praying to have an increase of courage to complete the program and continue with my education. I have been so afraid of failing, that I have often let opportunities pass me by.  Achieving this goal has, and will continue to, require a lot of discipline, faith, and courage on my part. I want to replace my fear with courage, so that I can be a happy, confident, willing, contributing servant of the Lord.

I chose the following scriptures and added a summary of how I thought they applied to me personally for this semester. 

1 Nephi 3:7- This scripture has many dimensions, but for the attribute I’ve chosen, it shows me that God is aware of the details; that if He has a task for me to do, that He will not leave me, but He will provide the courage I need for it to be accomplished. 

1 Nephi 3:15- This scripture is a perfect example of how by exercising courage and faith I can accomplish even the most difficult things.  

Mosiah 4:27- This scripture demonstrates to me that in order to get to where I want to be, I need to pray, study, ponder, organize, and pace myself to accomplish my end goal. By doing those things it will give me the ability to feel peace with whatever I am faced with, and the courage to carry on.

Alma 26:12- This scripture strongly reminds me that I need Heavenly Father.  All that I am able to accomplish is through Him. Knowing that even if I don’t feel courageous, strong enough, or am lacking in faith, He can do all things. Therefore, I can do all things that He requires of me.

The changes I hoped to see as I became more courageous were to have less anxiety about school work; to be able to remember, retain and recall information as needed for school and life; to recognize the blessings that Heavenly Father has blessed me with; and discernment to recognize the promptings of the Spirit and then act on them.

The goals I set to help me make consistent progress were:

Pray for and give thanks for the increase in courage, guidance, strength and clarity of mind; listen more intently for the promptings of the Holy Ghost and then be courageous enough to take action; refrain from judging/criticizing others; make certain others were included, felt loved and valued; study the women in the scriptures, and look for ways they showed courage; study, not just read the conference talks that reference courage; to overcome my anxiety and have more balance in my life; write down the good things I’m accomplishing; and share the Gospel with boldness.

We were going through some major life changes when I made the decision to go to school, so that only added to the stress and anxiety I was feeling. I remember calling the missionary couple that is over our area to clarify what would happen if I started and then moved away during the semester. He was so kind and reassured me that if I would start the Pathway program that everything would work out and that my life would be blessed. That was enough for me to push the apply button. During the first couple of weeks, I honestly didn’t know if I would have the courage to do this program. My self-esteem was so low that I think I nearly drove my husband crazy constantly asking for reassurance. I was ready to drop out about a gazillion times. Then, slowly but surely changes started to happen as I kept moving forward with faith and working on my goals. Halfway into the third week, I started feeling less panicked. Not by much, but enough for me to think that I might be able to get through the semester.

There have been so many unexpected blessings and changes from working on my goals to have more courage. One of the first things I noticed is that even though my stress level went up with regards to going back to school, my stress level came down about the other things going on in my life that I had no control over. I noticed that I had increased patience and tolerance, and that I wasn’t complaining as much. That as I worked on not judging others that my love for them increased. I have more peace in my life, even though at times I’m still filled with some anxiety.

The biggest change for me was my new love of the scriptures. I am really studying them, not just reading them. There are so many wonderful treasures in them, and I am able to remember who people are, how they relate and their stories beyond 1 Nephi for the first time in my life, even though I’ve read The Book of Mormon all the way through numerous times. Honestly, to me above all else, that has been my greatest blessing of all; to be able to hear, liken, and retain Heavenly Father’s words and see how they apply in my life. I also have been able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with greater boldness, and to have my faith strengthened as the world around me has become more wicked.

Today is the last day of my first semester, which absolutely amazes me. When I look back at the lack of confidence I had when I started, to the confidence I have today, it is truly nothing short of a miracle. I will continue to apply the skills I’ve learned along the way. I will keep working on having courage. I have learned that through Christ ALL things are possible. I am forever grateful for the tender mercies I have been blessed with for the last 14 weeks, while striving to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for sharing in my journey. I’d love to hear how you are striving to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

A Mighty Change

From the LDS.org media library

This week I studied Mosiah 27, 28, and 29. I also studied Alma 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Believe it or not, all of those chapters only covered about twenty-six and a half pages, but they were packed with so much goodness! In Chapter 27 verse 10 we learn that this guy called Alma the younger, (He was called this as a way to differentiate him from his dad who was also named Alma.) and the sons of Mosiah (there were 4 of them) were going about secretly seeking to destroy the church, and leading people astray. Then later in the chapter we see a real conversion to Jesus Christ take place with Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah. I am pointing this out because, sometimes I tend to think that I’m not worthy of God’s forgiveness, but then I remember stories like this where they had turned completely away from God, even leading people away from God, and when they truly repented they were forgiven. It gives me so much hope not only for myself, but for all mankind.

However, one of the problems I've encountered with seeking forgiveness is that I'm not always able to forgive myself, which has lead me to believe that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for everyone else, but me. This video is a beautiful reminder of what the Atonement is really capable of doing in my life and yours.

My instructor, Brother McVey, pointed out that in the scriptures in Alma 7:11-13  ". . .we learn more about what the Atonement covers than in any other scripture." I've put the link in for the scripture, but I also want to share the verses here. 

From the LDS.org media library

It says:

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

12. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

So once we have sought forgiveness, have been forgiven, and have allowed the Atonement to work in our lives, how do we know that we have really changed? In Alma Chapter 5 there are some questions that we can ask ourselves to help us gauge where we are in our lives in relation to Jesus Christ. 

Questions such as in this sampling:

• Have you spiritually been born of God? 
• Have you received His image in your countenance?
• Have you experienced this mighty change in your heart?
• Do you exercise faith in the redemption of Him who created you?
• Do you look forward with an eye of faith?
• Are you stripped of pride?
• Can you look up to God at that day (judgment) with a pure heart and clean hands?

I know that I still have a lot to work on, but my hope is that as we are striving to master our souls, that we do have a mighty change of heart. A change so great that we only ever desire to love, serve, and be obedient to our Savior Jesus Christ. I’d love to know how you have overcome the natural man to align your will with the Father’s.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I really appreciate it.

P is for...

This week studying Enos, Jarom, Omni, The Words of Mormon, and Mosiah 1, 2, and 3 was the BEST!
I was reminded of so many wonderful things, and have had so many thoughts twirling around in my head about what to share this week.
No joke. I've even posted a picture so you can see my mad study skills with all of my post-it notes through-out my scriptures for this assignment. The hardest part for me has been trying to decide which thing I want to focus on. Because I want to share it ALL!

This is not my family, but I love this picture of them praying together.
This picture is from the lds.org media library.

Although I want to share it all, I've decided to go with prayer. Prayer is such an integral part of having and exercising faith that I just can't imagine that any of the rest of it will matter as much if I don't talk about the importance of prayer first. Prayer enables us to communicate with our Heavenly Father so that we can give thanks, know things for ourselves, be comforted, receive help, ask for blessings, seek forgiveness, pour out our hearts, and gain knowledge just to name a few.

It's like having a conversation with your dad, only Heavenly Father may not speak back to you with His voice, but He will use a variety of ways to communicate the things He wants us to know. Our answers may come as a feeling, or thought, maybe even a dream; or as we are reading scriptures or other good books, possibly even through the words of a song; or from other people either by what they say or by being of service in some way to us, and quite possibly through our service to them. It might even come in the form of something as odd as a billboard on the highway. I promise you that He will answer us. He knows us individually, and He loves us.

I was taught from an early age that there is an order to prayer. We start by addressing Heavenly Father, then we thank Him for all of our blessings, then we ask for the things we need or want, and finally we close in the name of Jesus Christ. It's that simple. Now, just because we pray for something we want or need doesn't mean that we will get it, or even if we do get it, it may not be in our timing. All blessings are given according to the will of Heavenly Father and His timing.





The following video is the
Sermon on the Mount: The Lord's Prayer. This is where Jesus teaches his disciples the correct manner of prayer and then He offers the Lord's prayer.

There is also a language of prayer we use to show reverence and respect to Heavenly Father. To the right is a little rhyme I found in the Friend magazine to help children remember the language of prayer. I've also linked a wonderful talk entitled The Language of Prayer by Elder Dallin H. Oaks that explains the reasons we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints use what some may view as archaic pronouns in our prayers. For example, instead of using the pronouns you, your, and yours, we use the pronouns thee, thou, thy, and thine. Since the pronouns thee, thou, thy, and thine aren't being used commonly, it allows a distinctive form of address in the English language to symbolize respect, reverence and closeness.

Along with the scriptures that I studied, I also watched various video clips. Here is the link to one of my favorite clips from Elder David A. Bednar's talk entitled Pray Always. The following short video is a quote from Elder Bednar's talk, and a beautiful reminder about why meaningful prayer is important.

I'll leave you with the words of Enos and then another video about prayer. So, there comes a time when Enos is turning himself back to God and he says this about himself, "And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto Him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto Him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens." Enos 1:4 

What are some things we can learn from Enos' example of prayer? Has your soul ever hungered to know God? I would love to hear how prayer has blessed your life.

Thank you for taking some time to ponder and reflect on prayer. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also, if you have trouble viewing any of the videos, please try another browser.

Here's THE Truth

Here's the truth, my truth anyway...
This week, I have been studying such wonderful and great, but also sad and hard truths in The Book of Mormon,
Another Testament of Jesus Christ,
in  2 Nephi, chapters 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33. On the one hand I want to rejoice, but on the other hand I want to cry. The truth is, life is hard and confusing at times. As Christians, we often make it even harder on ourselves by trying to impose our will onto Heavenly Father, rather than accepting His will in ALL things; EVEN those things we don't understand, we don't like, or we don't want to believe any more because of the world we live in.

This is where I'm coming from... I hear a lot of people say: Christ loves everyone, so we are to follow His example, and love everyone. I agree, whole heartedly. After all, it is the second commandment. Jesus said it Himself, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Matthew 22:39  The problem with this is that maybe, just maybe, we are forgetting about his first and great commandment, which Jesus also said Himself, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Mattew 22:37  For some reason, maybe some of us have confused the commandment to love every one (our neighbors) with condoning, and even actively participating in unrighteousness. This doesn't mean that in order to obey God's commandments that we are unkind, shun people, or are unwilling to give service, friendship, and fellowship to our neighbors if they are living a different lifestyle to us. It means that we follow the Savior's example. We love them, we serve them, we have compassion for them, we continue to keep them in our lives. We are kind to them. We pray for them. We allow them the freedom to choose for themselves how they live their lives without judgement from us. The Savior loves all of us, yet He does not condone, nor participate in sin.

Here's the truth. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15 

He didn't say if ye love me keep only the commandments you agree with, keep only some of the commandments, keep them only when it's convenient, keep them as long as they're politically correct, keep them if you feel like it, keep them, but not really, or anything of the such.
He is very clear.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
There is no wiggle room in that, He's not asking, He's not pleading, He's not even commanding, He is making a plain and simple statement. It is up to us to choose IF we love Him, and IF we are going to keep His commandments.

Now, for just a moment I'm going to turn my thoughts to the adversary. I don't like to do this, but it is important to understand the seriousness of what he is trying to do to all of us, and the consequences we will endure if we were to be of the world, and follow him. Remember, he is called the adversary for a reason. He wants us to be miserable like he is. He is not our friend. He is not our ally. He does not have our best interest at heart. He is the father of all lies. He is our enemy, and an enemy to ALL that is good, including the Savior and our Heavenly Father. The following points can be found in 2 Nephi 28:20, 21, and 22

• He will rage in our hearts, stirring us up to anger against that which is good
• Others, he will pacify, and lull away into carnal security
• He will cheat our souls
• He will lead us carefully down to hell
• He will flatter us telling us there is no hell
• He will tell us there is no devil
• Then, he will grasp us with his awful chains, from where there is no deliverance

I don't know about you, but I don't want any part of the adversary, or his enticements no matter how appealing they may seem in the current trends of the world. Did you see the part that says he will lead us carefully down to hell? He may even do it in some form of false goodness; like making us believe that it is more important for us to love ourselves more than anything or anyone, so that we will do what we want to do, rather than love and keep the commandments of God and Jesus Christ. Remember, he's a sneaky one, and he may not always be so easy to detect. He will lead us away a little at a time until he finally has us in the grasp of his awful chains.

Here's the beauty of it all though. We have an Advocate. Someone that has extended an invitation to keep us safe, and out of harms way. Someone that wants us to succeed. not just in this life, but forever.  Someone that will NEVER lead us astray. Someone that wants us to show our love for Him through our obedience by keeping His commandments. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is waiting for us to choose Him. I know it can be hard for us to turn our will to His will; but if we do, we have been promised blessings that extend into the eternities.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ don't expect us to attain perfection in this life. They know it isn't possible for us to do it on our own, so we have been given the gift of the Atonement.

Because of His love for us, Jesus Christ offered Himself for a sacrifice for the sins of the world, so that we can, IF we choose, go home to our Father in Heaven. In order to do this we must be willing to repent of our sins, and forsake them. We do this by loving Him more than we love our own desires, and by being obedient to His commandments even when we don't think they are fair. Jesus Christ offered this as a reminder of  His willingness to continually extend His mercy upon us: ". . . I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they [the Gentiles] will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them. . . if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, . . ." 2 Nephi 28:32

I'll leave you with one last thought. No matter your circumstances, we have all been blessed with the light of Christ, and the influence of the Holy Ghost. I know with all of my heart, that if there is something that is weighing us down, that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our sincere prayers. Through the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things. Of this, I do testify and bear witness of God the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost. They are real. They love us. They want us to choose Him, even the Holy One of Israel, Jesus Christ.

I know this was a long post, so thank you for taking the time to reflect with me.