Matthew 6:5-15

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

"Give us this day our daily bread.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Enos 1:1-17

"Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—

"And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.

"Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

"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.

"And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

"And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

"And I said: Lord, how is it done?

"And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

"Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.

"And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads.

"And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

"And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.

"And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation—

"For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers.

"Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.

"And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.

"And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest."

Prayer

"Make our prayers meaningful. The prophet Mormon warned that if anyone “shall pray and not with real intent of heart . . . it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such” (Moroni 7:9). To make our prayers meaningful, we must pray with sincerity and “with all the energy of heart” (Moroni 7:48). We must be careful to avoid “vain repetitions” when we pray (see Matthew 6:7)."

"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.

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

-James 1:5-6

"And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

"And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true."

-Mosiah 4:11-12

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

-3 Nephi 13:6-7

"Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

"For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

-3 Nephi 14:7-8

"Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof."

-Doctrine and Covenants 19:38

"Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

"Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;

"And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation."

-Doctrine and Covenants 88:63-65

"Seek Heavenly Father's guidance and strength in all we do. Alma counseled his son Helaman: 'Cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day' (Alma 37:36-37; see also Alma 34:17-26)."

"Prayer is two-way communication. As we close our prayers, we should take time to pause and listen. At times, Heavenly Father will counsel, guide, or comfort us while we are on our knees."

"We should never give in to the idea that we are not worthy to pray. This idea comes from Satan, who wants to convince us that we must not pray (see 2 Nephi 32:8). If we do not feel like praying, we should pray until we do feel like praying."

"The Savior has commanded, 'Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work' (D&C 10:5). Although we cannot be continuously on our knees, always offering a personal, private prayer, we can let our hearts be 'full, drawn out in prayer unto [God] continually' (Alma 34:27; see also 3 Nephi 20:1). Throughout each day, we can maintain a constant feeling of love for our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. We can silently express gratitude to our Father and ask Him to strengthen us in our responsibilities. In times of temptation or physical danger, we can silently ask for His help."

“Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed”

-3 Nephi 18:21

"Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He may not always answer as we expect, but He does answer—in His own time and according to His will. Because He knows what is best for us, He may sometimes answer no, even when our petitions are sincere."

"Answers to prayer come in many ways. They often come through the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. They may come in the circumstances of our lives or through the kind acts of those around us. As we continue to draw near to our Heavenly Father through prayer, we will recognize more readily His merciful and wise answers to our pleadings. We will find that He is our 'refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble' (Psalm 46:1)."

Doctrine and Covenants 10: 46-52

"And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people.

"And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers;

"Yea, and this was their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions.

"Now, this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land;

"And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life;

"Yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be.

"And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up."

LDS.ORG

Mormon.org

Sunday Talk

So today my husband and I spoke in sacrament meeting and it went well! I was extremely nervous, I am not one to feel comfortable about talking in front of a large group. Plus, the spotlight on me is never fun for me. Sooo yeah. But the talks went really well and I just wanted to share our talks with you! I will post mine on this one and will post Kyle's notes on another (he doesn't write his talk out, but just goes off the notes...which I envy him for ;)).

(I hope this doesn't become too boring for you to read..but if you do read the whole thing, kudos. and Thanks!)
 

My topic today is on an attitude of gratitude and how it affects our marriage.

 Gratitude is a key to help strengthen our marriages. As President Monson said, in our marriages, we need to “Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.” Celestial marriage is essential to returning home to our Heavenly Father to receive the greatest blessings of Exaltation.

Sister Michelle Van Tassell told a story for an ensign article back in February of 2009. It reads, “For several years I struggled to understand why I had felt so confident that the Lord had confirmed my decision to marry when obviously it had been a mistake. I felt abandoned by the Lord. I prayed for help in understanding and improving the quality of my marriage, but I felt no improvement. I thought about divorce but could not find any comfort as I considered the option. After our first child was born, I felt that I would be forever trapped.

“One morning I was doing laundry when I caught a glance of myself in a mirror. The reflection surprised me. I had not showered or groomed for the day, and as I looked at myself, I thought I was lucky that anyone would want to wake up next to me every day. For the first time, I found myself feeling grateful to my husband for loving me. I examined myself with new eyes and thought about our marriage from his perspective. The revelation that followed had little to do with bad hair and no makeup but much to do with my behavior. I considered all the contention I had introduced into our home. For the first time, I felt real gratitude for my husband—he had continued to love me even though I had been critical and ungrateful.

“That simple moment changed my perspective as well as my relationship with my husband.”

Each day we become closer to our Heavenly Father as we strive to live righteously so that we may return home to him again. In order to strengthen our relationship with God, we must show effort on our part to do the things that will bring us closer to Him. One way that we may do this is through fervent prayer to Him, expressing our gratitude to Him and the things that He has done for us. Our marriage is very similar to this concept. When we go to our spouse to show gratitude and thanks, we are strengthening our relationship and showing them that we appreciate them for what they do.

Gratitude is like service, it’s contagious. When you show gratitude to someone for something that they did for you, they feel appreciated. And when someone feels appreciated, they give back and it becomes a cycle. For anyone, feeling appreciated feels good and it lightens your mood and causes you to be happy. When this cycle of gratitude and giving begins in a family, the Spirit dwells more in the home. When the Spirit is present, it allows good feelings to occur and you grow closer to the Lord. The Lord will then pour out blessings upon you which will strengthen your marriage and cause you to live a happier life.

President J. Reuben Clark once said, “Hold fast to the blessings which God has provided for you. Yours is not the task to gain them, they are here; yours is the part of cherishing them.” Blessings from the Lord may be coming continually, but you need to appreciate them and thank Him in return. The same goes for when your spouse does something for you; you need to show gratitude to them for what they have done for you. When you express to them that you appreciate the helpful hand, it builds a stronger bond within the relationship.

Work can be exhausting for me, and when I get done with work I just want to go home and crash on the bed. Kyle is always the one to blame for his loving and caring attributes. On so many occasions I have come home to a clean home where everything looks so nice and neat. I know he may not think he is doing a lot, but to me he is. Several times I have even come home to surprise gifts that he got for me and it amazes me how much Kyle just keeps giving. Recently, while Kyle was at school, I found some time at home to clean up the house a little bit. When Kyle got home he showed appreciation towards me for what I did and it really made me feel good. It made me want to do more for him each day because I knew it made Kyle happy, which made me happy. It is always those days that we do things for each other that I can feel closer to the Spirit and I feel closer to Kyle.

President Thomas S. Monson once said, “Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.” Enjoy life now as we are living it. Be positive in the things that we do and we may be blessed. Show gratitude towards your spouse and you may feel the Spirit of the Lord touch your home and your life, which will then make you and your spouse happy together.

Remember to “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative” and your home will be filled with the Spirit and will cause you and your husband or wife to be happy.

I know these things to be true, for I have experienced these things myself. Life is hard, but we need to keep moving forward and have an “attitude of gratitude”, for it will cause our marriages to be strong and to be joyful.

And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

"To Draw Closer to God"

by Henry B. Eyring

"To me, the best directions about how to get help of the Holy Ghost, directions that I have tested and know to be true, were given by President Marion G. Romney. I will give you his instructions in his own words. Then together let us see if we can figure out how we can work to prepare for that Sunday School teacher or quorum leader or sacrament meeting speaker to whom we will listen next Sunday.
"Here are President Romney's instructions: 'If you want to obtain and keep the guidance of the Spirit, you can do so by following this simple four-point program. One, pray. Pray diligently. Pray with each other. Pray in public in the proper places...Learn to talk to the Lord; call upon his name in great faith and confidence. Second, study and learn the gospel. Third, live righteously; repent of your sins by confessing them and forsaking the,. Then conform to the teachings of the gospel. Fourth, give service in the Church.'
"And then President Romney concludes this way: 'If you will do these things, you will get the guidance of the Holy Spirit and you will go through this world successfully, regardless of what the people of the world say or do.'
"That four-point program makes no distinction between the moments we seek the Spirit when we are alone in our scripture reading and those moments when we are listening to a human being. I bear testimony that it works in both settings. It takes some extra effort sometimes when the words come from people instead of from the gilt-edged pages of scripture with which you have had long and sacred experience, but it can be done. Let us see how we might make that effort."
(Pages 14-15)

D&C 9..and more..

"...you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.

"...you must study it out in your mind..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 is is right.

"But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought...

"Do this thing which I have commanded you, and you shall prosper. Be faithful, and yield to no temptation.

"Stand fast in the work wherewith I have called you...and you shall be lifted up at the last day."

(v. 7-9, 13-14)

And I just want to share with you some of my favorite scriptures..I might have already done this previously, but that is alright..

Alma 37:35-37

"O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

"Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yes, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

Church on Feb., 15, 2009

• When we fast and pray, we tend to receive more answers.
• Ask yourself: "Have I had a meaningful fast?"
• You need to be in the right mind frame when you fast.
• D&C 59:13-14
• Fasting is a sacrifice
• Matthew 6:1-4
• Alma 5:45-46
• Alma 11:37
• 2 Nephi 2:7, 10
• Alma 42:20-27
• Our Heavenly Father has mercy on us and loves us.
• Alma 36:10-12, 13-15, 16-21

__________________________________________________

          (Sunday School)

• D&C 19:23
• How can we strengthen our faith in Christ?
• Study it out,  and learn of Him.
• Hear Him and follow.

• John 17:3
• D&C 88:118
• Alma 32:27
• D&C 19:23
• Optimism is a sign of faith
• D&C 8:10
• D&C 10:46-52
• What is repentance?
• It's a change of heart
• "Change" is to turn away from evil and look to God.

• Based on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Look forward, not backwards.
• What are consequences for not repenting?
• The Spirit will no longer dwell with you.
• There will be no blessings.
• Most likely the sins that you are making will increase, unless you go to the Lord.
• Sorrow and sadness :(
• Guilt.

• Why is it difficult for people to forgive themselves?
• People forget the plan of mercy.

• What happens if you don't fully forgive yourself?
• Then you didn't fully repent.

• 2 Nephi 4:19
• Why is it essential to be baptized?
• It is essential for Salvation. Without it, you cannot dwell in the highest Degree of Glory with God.

• Qualifications for baptism:
• You need to believe and have a testimony of the Gospel.

• We should always be repenting.
• He leads us to do good.

(I know some of this is pretty vague and simple, but some times it's good to hear those simple things.)

The Weekly Spiritual Thought

 Faith.

Doctrine and Covenants 90:24 "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another."

James 1:5-6 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and abraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

The Apostle Paul taught that "faith is the substance [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Alma made a similar statement: "If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21). Faith is a principle of action and power. Whenever we work toward a worthy goal, we exercise faith. We show our hope for something that we cannot yet see.

(LDS.org )

The "Sunday Message"-Stake Conference

For Stake Conference, we had a "Young Adult" broadcast (for both married and single). This is the website where you can listen to the talks: http://lds.org/broadcast/ces/0,7341,538-1-61-1961,00.html

Here are my notes from it:

Elder Snow

•  We go to the temple to remember our covenants.
• When we take the sacrament, that is also a way to remember our covenants and also Christ.
• Remembering our spiritual experiences gives us courage to keep moving on.
• Alma 5:26 "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"
• Our testimony needs to be "fed" continually-we need to continually "renew" it.
• Mosiah 27
• Alma 5: 45-46 "And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me."
•  The Holy Ghost helps us to become pure

Sister Julie B. Beck

• The only thing that will strengthen us is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• If our life wasn't so hard, we wouldn't have come so close to the Lord and there wouldn't be any need for the Holy Ghost.
• All you need is faith in the Lord knowing that He will help you.
• Pray always so that we may not enter into temptation.

Jeffrey R. Holland

•  Nurture your own physical strength.
• Pray a little more.
• Study [the scriptures] a little more.
• Search your soul and search your testimony.
• When you have your own faith, then you are ready to bless your family.
• We must have faith in this work...faith in our Father...we will be safe and secure.
• He will pour out blessings to you for your faithfulness.

Boyd K. Packer

• "Pray to the Father always in my name" (Referring to a scripture)
• A Father is someone that you can always call upon and receive an answer from.
• The devil cannot make you do it (or anything for that matter)--you have power over your own self.
• The Adversary has his limits, you can always tell him to depart. He has no power to make you do anything.
• The 6 word sermon: "What if [it] (he/she) was your child?"
• You are in charge of your own life. Go to the Father and tell Him that you want to do it His way--follow what the Lord has in store for you and you will be blessed.
• Faith is the most important thing to have.

"And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.

"And my prayer to God is concerning my brethren, that they may once again come to the knowledge of God, yea, the redemption of Christ; that they may once again be a delightsome people.

"And I, Mormon, pray to God that they [the plates] may be preserved from this time henceforth. And I know that they will be preserved."

Words of Mormon 1:7-8 & 11

I just want to take a moment to tell each of you that I do know that these things are true. I know that the scriptures are true and that Joseph Smith translated them through revelation. To have the Gospel in my life is a true blessing. And most of all, it is such a great blessing to know that Heavenly Father really is there to help us through this life, and to comfort us when we need it most. I know that these scriptures are here for us to guide and direct us through this life, and these words in the scriptures are of God.

Thank you all for reading the things that I have posted. I hope you may know the truthfulness of this Gospel as I do now.

December 2009 Visiting Teaching Message

"Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ."

Moroni 7:48

"Disciples of Christ throughout all ages of the world have been distinguished by their compassion...In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even grater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers"

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency

"We need to rescue 'all that is finest down deep inside of [us]' so that as daughters of God we can do our part to build the kingdom of God. We will have help to do this. As Joseph declared, 'If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.' Let us bear one another's burdens, mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand in need of comfort, and thus keep the covenants we have made [see Mosiah 18:8-10]"

Barbara Thompson, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

"Succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees."

Doctrine and Covenants 81:5

"The Good Shepherd said, 'Feed my lambs.' (John 21:15) So a woman feeds her loved ones, providing succor and sustenance just as the Savior would do. Her divine gift is to nurture, to help the young, to care for the poor, to lift the brokenhearted. The Lord said, 'My work and my glory [is] to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.' (Moses 1:39) So His devoted daughter-disciple may truly say, 'My work and my glory is to help my loved ones reach that heavenly goal.' To help another human being reach one's celestial potential is part of the divine mission of woman. As mother, teacher, or nurturing saint, she molds living clay to the shape of her hopes. In partnership with God, her divine mission is to help spirits live and souls be lifted. This is the measure of her creation. It is ennobling, edifying, and exalting"

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

"The Lord has blessed women with divine attributes of love, compassion, kindness, and charity. Through our monthly visits as visiting teachers, we have the power to bless each sister as we extend our arms of love and kindness and give the gifts of compassion and charity...It is my prayer that we will pledge an increased commitment to extend our arms of love and compassion to bless, help, and strengthen each other as we go about doing our visiting teaching with a willing and joyful heart"

Silvia H. Allred, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

"Not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection"

JST Hebrews 6:1

Paul's phrase above-the "Principles of the Doctrine of Christ"-refers to grounding principles as in the 100% for 100 days" program. We are "not leaving" these "holy habits and righteous routines" behind; they should be so innate that we are now living them "100% Forevermore" (see Moses 5:8)

Daily Goals:

Individual and family prayer and scripture study

Magnify your calling

Acts of love and compassion for spouse and family

Weekly Goals:

Communication-filled date with spouse

Family Home Evening

Sabbath holiness including service at ward of record

Monthly Goals:

Tithing

Temple attendance

Home and Visiting Teaching

Paul's phrase above, "Let us go on to perfection," suggests that we consciously seek for, receive, and act under the sanctifying fire of the Spirit to realize our heavenly inherited "diving nature." As we are true and faithful to our temple covenants, we will learn and live more deeply their meaning, while we "wait upon the Lord" knowing that in His own time and way we will qualify for His precious promises.

(The "100% for 100 Days" was a goal in my ward this past year)

The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

We are beloved spirit daughters of God, and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction. As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:

~

Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ through prayer and scripture study.

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Seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

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Dedicate ourselves to strengthening marriages, families, and homes.

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Find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood.

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Delight in service and good works.

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Love life and learning.

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Stand for truth and righteousness.

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Sustain the priesthood as the authority of God on earth.

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Rejoice in the blessings of the temple, understand our divine destiny, and strive for exaltation.

"And Upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit"

By Julie B. Beck

Personal Revelation

"Qualifying for the Lord's Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness. Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord's Spirit with us. Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power..."

"...Reading the scriptures...are an aid to revelation. Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day. Daily prayer is also essential."

"...Earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study..."

"Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things. When women nurture as Christ nurtured, a power and peace can descend to guide when help is needed."

"Mothers...can be distanced from the Spirit if they lose their temper with children. Being in the right places allows us to receive guidance."

"Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help."

"Personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength."

"To do justly to walk humbly, to judge righteously...[the] Spirit will enlighten our minds, fill our souls with joy, and help us to know all things we should do."

"Promised personal revelation comes when we ask for it, prepare for it, and go forward in faith..."

Relief Society--Teaching, Inspiring, and Strengthening

"[Relief Society] has at its very core the responsibility to help sisters increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need."

"It is sacred trust, a guiding light, and a system of watchcare that teaches and inspires women to be strong and immovable...'Charity never faileth'"

"'We can assist each other in not only doing good but in refining ourselves...Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time...the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities'" --Eliza R. Snow of The second general Relief Society President

Measuring Success

"We are doing well when we seek to improve ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit."

"We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working through us. Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly."

"'...The women of the Church are seen as distinct and different--in happy ways--from the women of the world...Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.'" --President Spencer W. Kimball

"The Lord depends on His daughters"

"As [we] seek and qualify for personal revelation, the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His handmaids in these latter days."

Notes

Jacob 2:17

Mosiah 4:26

D&C 38:35; 44:6

D&C 20:77

2 Nephi 32:3

3 Nephi 19:24-33

D&C 11:12-14

1 Corinthians 13:8

Joel 2:28-29

Elder L. Tom Perry - The Message of the Restoration

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Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time

"Have I seen His hand in my life?"

"Some people have a journal, I have an older brother"