Faith, baptism and more

"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me."

~Doctrine and Covenants 19:23

How can we strengthen our faith in Christ?

-We need to study the scriptures and learn of Him. By reading the scriptures and praying to our Heavenly Father, we may grow closer to Him and to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

-We need to also listen for the Spirit in our lives which will also help us strengthen our faith in Him.

-Following His teachings will also strengthen our faith and the Heavenly Father will bless us for our actions.

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

~John 17:3

"And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."

~Doctrine and Covenants 88:118

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."

~Alma 32:27

Optimism is a sign of faith

"Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not."

~Doctrine and Covenants 8:10 

 Why is it essential to be baptized in the Church?

-It is essential for Salvation

Qualifications for baptism:

-To believe

He leads us to do good.

How Can I Find Happiness?

Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time

Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple (continued)

Taught From on High

• "Before going to the temple for the first time, or even after many times, it may help you to realize that the teaching of the temples is done in symbolic fashion."
• "The temple is a house of learning."

"'The temple ordinances encompass the whole plan of salvation, as taught from time to time by the leaders of the Church, and elucidate matters difficult of understanding. There is no warping or twisting in fitting the temple teachings into the great scheme of salvation. The philosophical completeness of the endowment is one of the great arguments for the veracity of the temple ordinances. Moreover, this completeness of survey and expounding of the Gospel plan, makes temple worship one of the most effective methods of refreshing the memory concerning the whole structure of the gospel.

"'Another fact has always appealed to me as a strong internal evidence for the truth of temple work. The endowment and the temple work as revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith...fall clearly into four distinct parts: the preparatory ordinances; the giving of instruction by lectures and representations; covenants; and, finally, tests of knowledge. I doubt that the Prophet Joseph, unlearned and untrained in logic, could of himself have made the thing so logically complete.'"

• "If you will go to the temple and remember that the teaching is symbolic you will never go in the proper spirit without coming away with your vision extended, feeling a little more exalted, with your knowledge increased as to things that are spiritual."
• "The temple itself becomes a symbol."
• "The temple ceremony will not be fully understood at first experience."
• "What we gain from the temple will depend to a large degree on what we take to the temple in the way of humility and reverence and a desire to learn."
• "If we are teachable we will be taught by the Spirit, in the temple."
• "...ponder the deeper meaning of what you see demonstrated before you (when you are in the temple)...keep these things in your mind...prayerfully review them...your knowledge will increase"
• "Look toward the temple"
• "Point your children toward the temple"
• "Drink deeply from the teachings--the symbolic, deeply spiritual teachings--available only in the temple."

To be continued...

The Great Plan of Happiness

I had lost a couple people in my life a couple years ago, and I was struggling with it. I needed some comfort and guidance, and this is what I came across.

Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy
"Just like a fish needs water, you need the gospel and the companionship of the Holy Ghost to be truly, deeply happy."

"When I was a deacon like many of you young men, my father and I hiked to a mountain stream to fish for trout. As my dad attached the bait to the hook on the end of my fishing line, he told me that I would need to set the hook in the fish’s mouth when it tried to take the bait, or it would get away. I did not understand what it meant to set the hook, so he explained to me that the hook needed to be embedded in the fish’s mouth when it struck at the bait so it could not shake the hook loose and that the hook would be set if I quickly pulled back on the pole when the fish tried to take the bait. Now, I really wanted to catch a fish, so I stood on the bank of that mountain stream like a coiled spring, every muscle taut, waiting for the telltale movement at the end of my pole which would signal that the fish was trying to take the bait. After a few minutes I noticed movement at the end of my pole, and in that instant I jerked back on the pole with all of my strength, expecting a big fight with the fish. To my surprise, I watched as that poor trout—with the hook now set very firmly in his mouth—was launched from the water into the air over my head and landed on the ground flopping behind me.
I have two observations from that experience: First, a fish out of water is miserable. Although its gills, fins, and tail work very well in water, they are all but useless on land. Second, the unfortunate fish I caught that day perished because it was deceived into treating something very dangerous—even fatal—as worthwhile or at least as sufficiently intriguing to warrant a closer look and perhaps a nibble.
My dear brethren of the Aaronic Priesthood, there are a couple of lessons to be learned from this: First, a basic purpose of your life, as Lehi taught, is “[to] have joy” (A). In order to have joy, you need to understand that, as a child of your Heavenly Father, you inherited divine traits and spiritual needs—and just like a fish needs water, you need the gospel and the companionship of the Holy Ghost to be truly, deeply happy. Because you are the offspring of God (B), it is incompatible with your eternal nature to do wrong and feel right. It cannot be done. It is part of your spiritual DNA, as it were, that peace, joy, and happiness will be yours only to the degree you live the gospel.
In contrast, to the degree that you choose not to live the gospel, you will be as miserable as a fish out of water (C). As Alma stated to his son Corianton:
“Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.
“And now, my son, all men that are … in a carnal state … are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness” (D).
Note that to be without God in the world—in other words, to refuse to live His gospel and therefore lack the companionship of the Spirit—is to be in a state contrary to the nature of happiness. The gospel of Jesus Christ is, in fact, the—note that this is singular, meaning it is the only—“great plan of happiness” (E). If you opt for any other way of life or try to live only the parts of the gospel that seem convenient, such a choice will cheat you of the full, resplendent joy and happiness for which you were designed by our loving Father in Heaven and His Son.
Now to the second lesson from my fishing experience: just as a fish in a mountain stream must be careful of the lures placed in its path to avoid being pulled away from the water, so must you and I be wise in order to avoid being pulled away from a happy, gospel-centered life. Remember that, as Lehi observed, the devil “seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself” and obtains “power to captivate” (F) us when we involve ourselves in unclean and evil things. Thus, do not be deceived into even nibbling at unworthy things, for Satan stands ready to set the hook. It was the very real risk of the hook being set subtly or suddenly that led the ancient prophet Moroni—who actually saw our day (G)—to pointedly warn you and me to “touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing” (H; emphasis added).
There is much that is evil and unclean in music, the Internet, movies, magazines, and in alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. As to any evil and unclean thing, my young friends, do not even touch it! Disguised in such things is a hook that sets subtly and much more suddenly than you dare think—and it can be an excruciatingly painful process to extract the hook. Alma described that for him the process of repentance was “nigh unto death” (I); indeed, he stated that “nothing [could be] so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains” (J).
There may be some of you who have been involved with that which is evil or unclean. Take hope in the doctrinal and historical fact that Alma’s faith in the Lord led him to repent, and as a direct result of his repentance he experienced such happiness through the power of the Atonement of Christ that, in his words, “there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy” (J). Such will be your experience as you seek the Lord through repentance.
Each of us needs to repent to some degree or another. To repent means to make the real changes in your life the Savior desires you to make for your happiness. Repentance is the great enabling principle of the gospel: when your faith in the Lord causes personal change, such action on your part, as Helaman states, “bringeth [you] unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of [your] souls” (K). As you seek to change, remember that our loving Savior, as Alma states, has “all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance” (L). This is powerful, liberating, hope-filled doctrine!
The Prophet Joseph Smith learned from firsthand experience that the Lord expects us to avoid misery by living His gospel and wants us to understand that we can repent. When he lost the 116 pages of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon translation by giving in to the persuasions of men, Joseph was miserable. The Lord told him: “You should have been faithful; and [God] would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble” (M). Such is the case for each of you young men: be faithful, and you will be supported by the hand of God. The Prophet was then reminded that—as with each of us—he would be forgiven if he repented. Imagine what joy he felt when he heard the Lord state, “But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen” (N).
My invitation to each of you tonight is to live the gospel to be truly happy, avoid evil and the misery it brings, and if you have become involved with the evil or unclean thing, make the changes the Lord desires of you for your own happiness—and I witness that He will enable you to succeed through His matchless power.
As you accept this invitation, you will reap lasting happiness and build the foundation of your life upon “the rock of our Redeemer,” such that when the shafts of the evil one and the storms of the world assail you, they will, as Helaman taught, have “no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (O; emphasis added). Of the Lord Jesus Christ I bear my ardent witness: He is the Rock, the one sure foundation for happiness and healing. He lives, has all power in heaven and earth, knows your name, and He loves you. In the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen."

A: 2 Nephi 2:25
B: Acts 17:28
C: Mosiah 4:30
D: Alma 41: 10-11
E: Alma 42:8
F: 2 Nephi 2:27, 29
G: Mormon 8:35
H: Moroni 10:30
I: Mosiah 27:28
J: Alma 36:21
K: Helaman 5:11
L: Alma 12:15
M: Doctrine & Covenants 3:8
N: Doctrine & Covenants 3:10
O: Helaman 5:12

Until We Meet Again

Forgiveness