Have you ever stopped to think about what your day will be like out among those who may or may not believe what you believe, and face to face with the temptations of Lucifer? When you leave your home to go to work, school, or anywhere else do you stop and think 'Am I prepared to be confronted with temptation?' Do you worry about it when you send your kids out to school, to a friends house, or any other extracurricular activity?
President Thomas S. Monson gave an address at the most recent LDS Semi Annual General Conference, in which he pointed out that we are in a war. We are waging a war against sin.
How important is it to you that you and your loved ones end up on the winning side, the righteous side of this war? Do you do all you can to prepare for battle EVERYDAY? If you were in an actual military conflict right now, would you EVER think about leaving your barracks in the morning without your bullet-proof vest? Or taking your gun? Leave your helmet at hoe today? Thinking 'Gee, I didn't use it yesterday, I probably won't need it today!' Ridiculous, right?
If we do not spiritually prepare ourselves to wage this war EACH AND EVERYDAY we are leaving our homes, minds, and spirits open to the raging forces of the enemy.
Captain Moroni, of the Book of Mormon wars in the Book of Alma, demonstrates the foresight and knowledge necessary to be victorious in waging war. When confronted with the eminent danger of advancing enemy forces, he commands his people, his leaders, his loved ones, to throw up mounds of earth around each of their remaining defensible cities. These dirt walls/mounds were so high that it would make it very difficult to completely overtake the city. They left only a narrow passageway by which they could pass in and out of the city. What a tremendous feat of determination to defend themselves against enemy forces.
But that's not all! On top of these mounds they placed tall walls of timber. So if the enemy was lucky enough to make it to the top of these dirt walls (BTW, have you ever tried to run up a mound of loose dirt? It's like running us a sand dune - not very easy or fun.) they were then greeted with the task of scaling these walls made of timber. This was all too easy in the mind of Moroni, so into these walls of timber, he instructed that openings would be left through which his armies could cast down stones, and shoot arrows at anyone trying to scale the dirt mounds .Which also meant that he needed to prepare by having piles of stones, and quivers full of arrows waiting and ready at these openings. On top of all of this, when the advancing enemy forces were in sight, he instructed that every man, woman, and child who could wield a weapon be outfitted with one, and should stand with the army at the narrow opening of the city wall. So basically if the enemy had any sort of chance, they would essentially have to advance through the gate of the city maybe 5-10 people wide - a very manageable number of enemies to handle rather than being rushed by 1000s. Here's the real clincher, Moroni knew that they were greatly outnumbered, so by doing all of this, he made it possible for a small army to hold of the enemy and retain possession of huge cities, and to even defeat the enemy forces SEVERELY.
Now, do we even do half of what Moroni did to defend our homes, hearts, minds, and spirits from the onslaught of the advancing forces of temptation and wickedness? Maybe we should give daily prayer, scripture study, and personal daily preparation a second thought.
- Spread the Good News
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Of Goodly Parents
Have you ever stopped to think what an important phrase this could be for your children, or for you as a child? Do you really think that Lehi and Sariah were perfect enough so as to deserve such a title? Maybe, but probably not. Did they just fool Nephi enough for him to think that they were pretty good?
Think about this - the word "good" comes from the same root as the work "god." (OE gōd, means "good"; OE godlīc, means "goodly" and "godly"). So, you could say that the real meaning of this phrase was that Nephi was of truly godly parents.
What does it take to be 'godly?' Try reading the rest of the verse for a brief description of what Nephi's parents did during his childhood: "...therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God,..."
He was taught: take time to instruct your children.
Taught in ALL the learning of [his] father: that means what you learn in school, and in life; teach by example, and don't be afraid to elucidate your mistakes as a learning/teaching tool.
Afflictions=High Favor with God: This is something that can only be taught by example. So what does this say about Nephi's parents? Did they complain about hard times? Maybe, but the resolve to understand and accept God's will, will ALWAYS bring out greater lessons learned than mere experience will.
Great knowledge: Because of the preceding points, Nephi was favored with great knowledge to know the mysteries of God.
Want your child to grow up strong in the faith? Follow these steps:
1. Teach them
2. Teach them EVERYTHING you have learned, even the tough lessons
3. Be an example of meekness in submission to the will of God
- Spread the Good News
Think about this - the word "good" comes from the same root as the work "god." (OE gōd, means "good"; OE godlīc, means "goodly" and "godly"). So, you could say that the real meaning of this phrase was that Nephi was of truly godly parents.
What does it take to be 'godly?' Try reading the rest of the verse for a brief description of what Nephi's parents did during his childhood: "...therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God,..."
He was taught: take time to instruct your children.
Taught in ALL the learning of [his] father: that means what you learn in school, and in life; teach by example, and don't be afraid to elucidate your mistakes as a learning/teaching tool.
Afflictions=High Favor with God: This is something that can only be taught by example. So what does this say about Nephi's parents? Did they complain about hard times? Maybe, but the resolve to understand and accept God's will, will ALWAYS bring out greater lessons learned than mere experience will.
Great knowledge: Because of the preceding points, Nephi was favored with great knowledge to know the mysteries of God.
Want your child to grow up strong in the faith? Follow these steps:
1. Teach them
2. Teach them EVERYTHING you have learned, even the tough lessons
3. Be an example of meekness in submission to the will of God
- Spread the Good News
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Love God = Serve Others
In the New Testament, Christ proclaimed that the two highest laws are "Love God" and "Love Your Neighbor." The Book of Mormon further clarifies this for us "When ye are in the service of your fellow being, ye are only in the service of your God." Christ also declared "when ye have done it unto one of the least of these, thy brethren, ye have done it unto me." He also said "If ye love me, keep my commandments." So how do we show that we love God? We keep His commandment of "loving our neighbor" by serving them.
Not every man who says "I love God" actually does, but only those who make it manifest through their actions and good works. For "faith without works is dead." For how can we show love to someone whom we have not seen, but only by serving those of His children, whom are His creations, with whom we come in contact.
By doing good for others, we automatically fulfill both of the highest laws. Chose to serve others.
-Spread the Good News
Not every man who says "I love God" actually does, but only those who make it manifest through their actions and good works. For "faith without works is dead." For how can we show love to someone whom we have not seen, but only by serving those of His children, whom are His creations, with whom we come in contact.
By doing good for others, we automatically fulfill both of the highest laws. Chose to serve others.
-Spread the Good News
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Making Mountains Out of Mole Hills
If you could make a mountain by your own will, and with your own hands, WHY WOULDN'T YOU? So many times we take the easy route when confronted with problems - opportunities in disguise.
Mole hills mar our paths everyday, but so many times we take the easy route and chose not to control ourselves, our tempers, our words, or our actions, and we react negatively to the challenge. This is akin to a dog that curls its tail between its legs and runs away from danger. We must learn to face challenges and make the most of them.
If you imagine this life as climbing a mountain this may make the illustration easier to perceive. When confronted with a steep grade, or a rocky part of the mountain, would you turn around and give up if your ultimate goal is to summit the mountain - to get to the top? Well, our lives are exactly like that. We who have and exercise faith in a higher being should and must constantly strive to summit the mountain. When we turn from our challenges and try to find another way around, we end up finding ourselves further back down the mountain side - further from our ultimate goal. In this way we allow small obstacles (i.e. opportunities) to become mountains. But, when we continue on through the travails of life, we will find ourselves having made the mountain below us a little taller, and we will stand at a new height of understanding and clarity.
The Bible tells the story of the prophet Jonah. Even if you are not a Bible reader, you will probably know the story. He was called to share the word of God in a land that was known for not being very receptive to previous visits. When confronted with this mole hill, Jonah put his tail between his legs and refused to go. The Lord was angry with him and caused that the boat he was sailing on to almost capsize. Instead the angry crew members who learned of his bad decision, threw him overboard. He made a mountain for himself, and now it stood in his way. Then, he was swallowed by a whale, where he had a prophetic "coming of age." He learned that running away makes a whale of a mountain to stand in your way! But, when he finally decided to take courage and trust in God for his support, the mountain is what he stood upon. He completed the work which the Lord called him to do.
So, let us learn from the example of Jonah - we really don't have to experience everything in life on our own to learn that there is a better way. MAKE MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLE HILLS! Learn to make them to be below you, and not before you, and you will go about this life doing good for others, not only for yourself.
-Spread the Good News
Mole hills mar our paths everyday, but so many times we take the easy route and chose not to control ourselves, our tempers, our words, or our actions, and we react negatively to the challenge. This is akin to a dog that curls its tail between its legs and runs away from danger. We must learn to face challenges and make the most of them.
If you imagine this life as climbing a mountain this may make the illustration easier to perceive. When confronted with a steep grade, or a rocky part of the mountain, would you turn around and give up if your ultimate goal is to summit the mountain - to get to the top? Well, our lives are exactly like that. We who have and exercise faith in a higher being should and must constantly strive to summit the mountain. When we turn from our challenges and try to find another way around, we end up finding ourselves further back down the mountain side - further from our ultimate goal. In this way we allow small obstacles (i.e. opportunities) to become mountains. But, when we continue on through the travails of life, we will find ourselves having made the mountain below us a little taller, and we will stand at a new height of understanding and clarity.
The Bible tells the story of the prophet Jonah. Even if you are not a Bible reader, you will probably know the story. He was called to share the word of God in a land that was known for not being very receptive to previous visits. When confronted with this mole hill, Jonah put his tail between his legs and refused to go. The Lord was angry with him and caused that the boat he was sailing on to almost capsize. Instead the angry crew members who learned of his bad decision, threw him overboard. He made a mountain for himself, and now it stood in his way. Then, he was swallowed by a whale, where he had a prophetic "coming of age." He learned that running away makes a whale of a mountain to stand in your way! But, when he finally decided to take courage and trust in God for his support, the mountain is what he stood upon. He completed the work which the Lord called him to do.
So, let us learn from the example of Jonah - we really don't have to experience everything in life on our own to learn that there is a better way. MAKE MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLE HILLS! Learn to make them to be below you, and not before you, and you will go about this life doing good for others, not only for yourself.
-Spread the Good News
Harness the Power of the Scriptures - They're More Powerful Than the Sun!
Can you imagine if everybody in the entire world were inspired by authors of books they believed to be divine - of a being more powerful than any person, political party, special interest group or government? Would the world be better off?
Or do we need naysayers in the world? Do we feel like we need naysayers and those who oppose our beliefs simply because we need to feel different? Isn't this selfish? Do we withhold our best from others because we want to be the special ones? Why not share your beliefs with those naysayers? Are we really that selfish?
The scriptures are the word of God, whom I call Heavenly Father, and I believe the Bible (New and Old Testaments) and the Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ) to be His word.
But, whether your book of holy writ is called by another name, or penned by a different divine author, please read. Please practice the principles of divinity according to your faith, for it is this faith that binds us all together in this world. It gives us all hope for a new and better world. Faith is the reason we, as a whole, strive to further society and to attain the betterment of the local and global communities. Faith is the driving force behind all good that is done in this world. Faith is what will bring us together. Faith in a power and glory greater than our own, to which we aspire to attain, will keep our pride at bay, and enable us to bless the world through our benevolent acts.
If you can feel that seed of faith growing within you, please visit here often, explore the scriptures, feast upon the words that will lift you to a higher plane and make you a better person.
-Spread the Good News
Or do we need naysayers in the world? Do we feel like we need naysayers and those who oppose our beliefs simply because we need to feel different? Isn't this selfish? Do we withhold our best from others because we want to be the special ones? Why not share your beliefs with those naysayers? Are we really that selfish?
The scriptures are the word of God, whom I call Heavenly Father, and I believe the Bible (New and Old Testaments) and the Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ) to be His word.
But, whether your book of holy writ is called by another name, or penned by a different divine author, please read. Please practice the principles of divinity according to your faith, for it is this faith that binds us all together in this world. It gives us all hope for a new and better world. Faith is the reason we, as a whole, strive to further society and to attain the betterment of the local and global communities. Faith is the driving force behind all good that is done in this world. Faith is what will bring us together. Faith in a power and glory greater than our own, to which we aspire to attain, will keep our pride at bay, and enable us to bless the world through our benevolent acts.
If you can feel that seed of faith growing within you, please visit here often, explore the scriptures, feast upon the words that will lift you to a higher plane and make you a better person.
-Spread the Good News
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