"It may be small, but if it's your all, it's enough."
(See Mark 12:41-44)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
The greatest book you will ever read. . .
Just recently I fulfilled my goal to read through the whole Book of Mormon. It took me a little while, but mostly because I wanted to take my time to do so.This book isn't to take lightly, but very seriously. It is truly the corner stone and foundation to the Gospel; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This very miraculous and wonderful book is another testament of Jesus Christ and holds so many powerful and spiritual stories. I do believe that everything written inside of it is true and is of God. My testimony of it and of the Gospel has been strengthened so much since the very beginning, I can say that I, as a person, have grown so much in heart, mind and spirit.
Let me just share with you some of my favorite scriptures/chapters from the book...
(The following are favorite chapters with highlighted verses)
Moroni 7 (Sorry about the many MANY scriptures I have listed...although, I'm not THAT sorry.. ;))
"...every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve Him, is inspired of God." (v13)
"...the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." (v.16)
"Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ." (v.19)
"...God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting..." (v.22)
"...Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believeing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you." (v.26)
"...have miracles ceased?...Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." (v.29)
"And Christ hath said: 'If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." (v.33)
"...if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope." (v.42)
"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things...if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail--But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever, and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him...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; that ye may become the sons of God; that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as He is pure. Amen." (v.45-48)
Ether 12
"...whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."
"...faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world." (v.6-7)
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (v.27)
"...seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen." (v.41)
Alma 37
"...never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls. O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God...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." (v.34-37)
"...give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss..." (v.44)
Alma 34 (I know, so many scriptures!! But I couldn't just leave any of them out!)
Moroni 10
-I loved this whole chapter...I couldn't just pick a few scriptures (literally though, I have verse 4 to the end highlighted...it's that good!!). So I challenge you to click HERE and read the chapter, and I promise you that it will be very beneficial to you. It truly is such an amazing chapter, I absolutely love it and I hope you will too!!
Alma 7
Kind of the same thing with Moroni 10...it's all pretty good, especially starting at verse 8. Click HERE for the chapter.
2 Nephi 9
"O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit." (v.10)
(The following are favorite scriptures I have throughout the book)
Heleman 5:12 "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall 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."
Let me just share with you some of my favorite scriptures/chapters from the book...
(The following are favorite chapters with highlighted verses)
Moroni 7 (Sorry about the many MANY scriptures I have listed...although, I'm not THAT sorry.. ;))
"...every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve Him, is inspired of God." (v13)
"...the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." (v.16)
"Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ." (v.19)
"...God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting..." (v.22)
"...Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believeing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you." (v.26)
"...have miracles ceased?...Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." (v.29)
"And Christ hath said: 'If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." (v.33)
"...if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope." (v.42)
"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things...if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail--But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever, and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him...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; that ye may become the sons of God; that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as He is pure. Amen." (v.45-48)
Ether 12
"...whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."
"...faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world." (v.6-7)
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (v.27)
"...seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen." (v.41)
Alma 37
"...never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls. O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God...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." (v.34-37)
"...give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss..." (v.44)
Alma 34 (I know, so many scriptures!! But I couldn't just leave any of them out!)
"And now, behold, I will testify
unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you,
that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take
upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it. For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan
of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind
must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made." (v.8-9)
"And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal. And thus he shall bring salvation
to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of
this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which
overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may
have faith unto repentance." (v.14-15)
"...exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save. Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him." (v.17-19)
"Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness." (v.21-23)
"...ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you." (v.26-27)
"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance
until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare
for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life,
then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess
your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit
will have power to possess your body in that eternal world." (v.32-34)
"That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you. Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing. And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them; But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions." (v.38-41)
-I loved this whole chapter...I couldn't just pick a few scriptures (literally though, I have verse 4 to the end highlighted...it's that good!!). So I challenge you to click HERE and read the chapter, and I promise you that it will be very beneficial to you. It truly is such an amazing chapter, I absolutely love it and I hope you will too!!
Alma 7
Kind of the same thing with Moroni 10...it's all pretty good, especially starting at verse 8. Click HERE for the chapter.
2 Nephi 9
"O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit." (v.10)
"And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam. And
he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that
all might stand before him at the great and judgment day. And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God." (v.21-23)
"...turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation. Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear..." (v.45-46)
"...remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice." (v.52)
(The following are favorite scriptures I have throughout the book)
Heleman 5:12 "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall 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."
Mosiah 1:6-7 "O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true.
And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the
sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and
they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them
before our eyes. And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers."
2 Nephi 33:10 "...hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good."
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Power of Scripture
by Elder Richard G. Scott
The following are my favorite quotes from his talk this October for General Conference
"They are always available when needed. Their use provides a foundation of truth that can be awakened by the Holy Ghost. Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world."
"Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change."
“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
“For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
“He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation”~Psalm 24:1-5
"The scriptures can form a foundation of support."
"Pondering a passage of scripture can be a key to unlock revelation and the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Scriptures can calm an agitated soul, giving peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one’s ability to overcome the challenges of life. They have potent power to heal emotional challenges when there is faith in the Savior. They can accelerate physical healing."
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. …
“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
“For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding”~Proverbs 3:5-7, 11-13
“Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men”
~Doctrine and Covenants 11:21
“And
now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle;
easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being
temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of
God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both
spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever
things ye do receive.
“And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works”~Alma 7:23-24
“And
charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed
up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and
rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
“Wherefore,
my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for
charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the
greatest of all, for all things must fail—
“But
charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso
is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
“Wherefore,
my beloved brethren, 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; that ye may become the
sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be
purified even as he is pure”~Moroni 7:45-48 (One of my favorite scriptures, fyi)
"I love this book. I testify with my soul that it is true, that it was prepared for the blessing of the House of Israel, and all of its component parts spread throughout the world. All who will study its message in humility, in faith believing in Jesus Christ, will know of its truthfulness and will find a treasure to lead them to greater happiness, peace, and attainment in this life. I testify by all that is sacred, this book is true."
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Helaman 14: 30-31
"And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.
"And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.
"He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored
unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you;
or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you."
I read this tonight (having read it before just recently) and it struck a different cord to me this time. I seemed to have heard it differently tonight than I usually do when I read it on other occasions. I find these scriptures powerful. VERY powerful. It made me realize how much power I do have over myself and over Satan. For Satan does not have a body. We, though, have a body, therefore that automatically makes us so much stronger than he is. We have the power to shut him down and follow the right path. God has given us a gift to know the good from the evil. It is Satan that is creating that temptation or confusion, but all we need to do is be strong and remember that God can help us push Satan away completely. We have the power to make right choices and we will be blessed for those good choices. Unfortunately, we have the power to choose evil, and once again it is unfortunate that we will have to pay the price for those wrong doings and unrighteous decisions. But fear not, the Lord has made a way for us to return to Him again. That is why there is the Atonement. And let me remind you that wickedness NEVER was happiness. That is truth.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Waiting Upon the Lord: Thy Will Be Done
by Elder Robert D. Hales
These are my favorite quotes from his talk from General Conference. Following the quotes from the talk I have left my own thoughts and testimony of the topic.
"The purpose of our life on earth is to grow, develop, and be strengthened through our own experiences. How do we do this? The scriptures give us an answer in one simple phrase: we 'wait upon the Lord.' Tests and trials are given to all of us. These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His Son. He already knows, and we have the opportunity to learn, that no matter how difficult our circumstances, 'all these things shall [be for our] experience, and … [our] good.'”
"What, then, does it mean to wait upon the Lord? In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end."
"To wait upon the Lord means planting the seed of faith and nourishing it 'with great diligence, and … patience.'”
"As we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we discover that 'tribulation worketh patience' and we learn to 'continue in patience until [we] are perfected.'”
"Waiting upon the Lord means to 'stand fast' and 'press forward' in faith, 'having a perfect brightness of hope.'”
"It means 'relying alone upon the merits of Christ' and 'with [His] grace assisting [us, saying]: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours.'”
"As we wait upon the Lord, we are 'immovable in keeping the commandments,' knowing that we will 'one day rest from all [our] afflictions.'"
"And we 'cast not away … [our] confidence' that 'all things wherewith [we] have been afflicted shall work together for [our] good.'”
"We may not know when or how the Lord’s answers will be given, but in His time and His way, I testify, His answers will come...Let us not give up on the Lord. His blessings are eternal, not temporary."
“'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' He knows your sacrifices and your sorrows. He hears your prayers. His peace and rest will be yours as you continue to wait upon Him in faith."
"Every one of us is more beloved to the Lord than we can possibly understand or imagine. Let us therefore be kinder to one another and kinder toward ourselves. Let us remember that as we wait upon the Lord, we are becoming 'saint[s] through [His] atonement, … submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.'"
"'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.' May we wait upon Him by pressing forward in faith, that we may say in our prayers, 'Thy will be done,' and return to Him with honor."
This talk has meant a great deal to me, it was exactly what I needed to hear. As most of you know, I have been through much hardship in the last 10/11 months. You know what I learned the most from it? To never forget that your Heavenly Father is there for you, every step of the way. NEVER underestimate the power He has. He has healed the greatest pains in my heart that I have ever had to bear. He has blessed me with wonderful family and friends to help me through my toughest times. Each day I continue to count my many, MANY, blessings that He so willingly gives to me. He has poured out His perfect love to me each time I needed it and He has blessed me with the Spirit for comfort, strength and peace in my life. Even though my life seemed to have fallen a part in an instant, He has been the one to put it back together and give me much hope in my life. I testify to you this day that these words that have been said by an Apostle of the Lord is true. I do testify that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us with such a perfect love, none of us can even imagine. I also testify to you that no matter what you may be going through, He will be there for you every step of the way as long as you yield to Him and His Spirit.
Listen to the things these leaders of The Church have to say, for their is power and truth in their words.
Remember to always strive to keep the Spirit with you and to always look to the Lord whenever faced with hardship in your life. If you do this, He will bless you.
Be patient. Good things are to come. :)
You can find the full talk HERE.
These are my favorite quotes from his talk from General Conference. Following the quotes from the talk I have left my own thoughts and testimony of the topic.
"The purpose of our life on earth is to grow, develop, and be strengthened through our own experiences. How do we do this? The scriptures give us an answer in one simple phrase: we 'wait upon the Lord.' Tests and trials are given to all of us. These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His Son. He already knows, and we have the opportunity to learn, that no matter how difficult our circumstances, 'all these things shall [be for our] experience, and … [our] good.'”
"What, then, does it mean to wait upon the Lord? In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end."
"To wait upon the Lord means planting the seed of faith and nourishing it 'with great diligence, and … patience.'”
"As we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we discover that 'tribulation worketh patience' and we learn to 'continue in patience until [we] are perfected.'”
"Waiting upon the Lord means to 'stand fast' and 'press forward' in faith, 'having a perfect brightness of hope.'”
"It means 'relying alone upon the merits of Christ' and 'with [His] grace assisting [us, saying]: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours.'”
"As we wait upon the Lord, we are 'immovable in keeping the commandments,' knowing that we will 'one day rest from all [our] afflictions.'"
"And we 'cast not away … [our] confidence' that 'all things wherewith [we] have been afflicted shall work together for [our] good.'”
"We may not know when or how the Lord’s answers will be given, but in His time and His way, I testify, His answers will come...Let us not give up on the Lord. His blessings are eternal, not temporary."
“'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' He knows your sacrifices and your sorrows. He hears your prayers. His peace and rest will be yours as you continue to wait upon Him in faith."
"Every one of us is more beloved to the Lord than we can possibly understand or imagine. Let us therefore be kinder to one another and kinder toward ourselves. Let us remember that as we wait upon the Lord, we are becoming 'saint[s] through [His] atonement, … submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.'"
"'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.' May we wait upon Him by pressing forward in faith, that we may say in our prayers, 'Thy will be done,' and return to Him with honor."
This talk has meant a great deal to me, it was exactly what I needed to hear. As most of you know, I have been through much hardship in the last 10/11 months. You know what I learned the most from it? To never forget that your Heavenly Father is there for you, every step of the way. NEVER underestimate the power He has. He has healed the greatest pains in my heart that I have ever had to bear. He has blessed me with wonderful family and friends to help me through my toughest times. Each day I continue to count my many, MANY, blessings that He so willingly gives to me. He has poured out His perfect love to me each time I needed it and He has blessed me with the Spirit for comfort, strength and peace in my life. Even though my life seemed to have fallen a part in an instant, He has been the one to put it back together and give me much hope in my life. I testify to you this day that these words that have been said by an Apostle of the Lord is true. I do testify that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us with such a perfect love, none of us can even imagine. I also testify to you that no matter what you may be going through, He will be there for you every step of the way as long as you yield to Him and His Spirit.
Listen to the things these leaders of The Church have to say, for their is power and truth in their words.
Remember to always strive to keep the Spirit with you and to always look to the Lord whenever faced with hardship in your life. If you do this, He will bless you.
Be patient. Good things are to come. :)
You can find the full talk HERE.
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