Doctrine and Covenants 108:2-4
2 Therefore, let your soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing, and resist no more my voice.
3 And arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows, which you have made and do make, and you shall be blessed with exceeding great blessings.
4 Wait patiently until the solemn assembly shall be called of my servants, then you shall be remembered with the first of mine elders, and receive right by ordination with the rest of mine elders whom I have chosen.
Doctrine and Covenants 108:7
7 Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.
One of the reasons we meet together each week in church is to converse with one another.
Moroni 6:5
5 And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.
Give opportunities to the less active to pray when they come to church.
Our looks will eventually fade, so the value that we provide to our spouses need to be more how we treat them and how we help them be closer to God.
Enos 1:1-2
“Our testimony comes by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. The testimony received and carried within us enables us to hold a steady course in times of prosperity and to overcome doubt and fear in times of adversity. Each of us needs to know what a testimony is, how we can get it, and what our responsibilities are once we have received a testimony.” (Elder Robert D. Hales, The Importance of Receiving a Personal Testimony, Ensign, Nov. 1994, 20) - Wiki Testimony, Rock, Prophecy
Helaman 5:12
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.
Moses 4:1-4
1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.
“In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)
Heavenly Father's plan of happiness revolves around the family. Satan's primary tool to destroy and confuse Father's children is to attack the family.
Let’s review some of the threats to the family. We have to know what we’re fighting against. If
our young people don’t understand what they’re fighting against, then they can’t prepare
for the battle, and neither can you. We see evidence all around us that the family is not
important. It’s becoming less important in all societies. We know that because marriage rates
are declining, the age of marriage is rising, divorce rates are rising, and more than a fourth
of all births are out of wedlock. (Julie B. Beck, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Satellite Broadcast , August 4, 2009)
Why does the church give us guidelines? To prepare us to be fathers and mothers.
Youth are becoming very adept and communicating with people that are 50 miles away, but can't have a conversation with some In the same room as they are.
If Satan can't convince people to not have families then he will change the definition of what a family is.
Malachi 4:5
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Alma 32:26-29, 37-43
26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.
27 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.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
43Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.
Just as a tree needs nourishment from soil and water so do our testimonies
Lehi's dream - what could be easier than holding onto an iron rod on a straight path, but Satan would tell us it is hard. Just as a child can lose his family in a store by being distracted by toys, we can get distracted from the way of happiness by the pleasures of life.
Because of Christ we are free from sins dark prison. Christ has unlocked the door, all we have to do is open the prison door, walk out, cross the courtyard, and walk out the gate. Often we only get around to opening the door and eventually close the door on ourselves without even crossing the courtyard let alone walking out the gate.
How to prepare our young men to go on a mission.
The spirituality our your ward is related to the frequency which our members attend the temple.
The stake president talked of his brother that lives in Brownsburg near Indianapolis and how he has to drive 2 hours to go to Louisville. The stake president told us of five temples that are less that 2 hours from us and we need to not let ourselves spoiled when the Ogden temple closes for a couple of years. His brother was in our ward when we lived there and we have made the drive he spoke of.
It takes time to read and pray, but it is worth it in order to receive guidance from one who knows all and is all powerful.
2 Therefore, let your soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing, and resist no more my voice.
3 And arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows, which you have made and do make, and you shall be blessed with exceeding great blessings.
4 Wait patiently until the solemn assembly shall be called of my servants, then you shall be remembered with the first of mine elders, and receive right by ordination with the rest of mine elders whom I have chosen.
Doctrine and Covenants 108:7
7 Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.
One of the reasons we meet together each week in church is to converse with one another.
Moroni 6:5
5 And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.
Give opportunities to the less active to pray when they come to church.
Our looks will eventually fade, so the value that we provide to our spouses need to be more how we treat them and how we help them be closer to God.
Enos 1:1-2
1 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—
2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.
“Our testimony comes by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. The testimony received and carried within us enables us to hold a steady course in times of prosperity and to overcome doubt and fear in times of adversity. Each of us needs to know what a testimony is, how we can get it, and what our responsibilities are once we have received a testimony.” (Elder Robert D. Hales, The Importance of Receiving a Personal Testimony, Ensign, Nov. 1994, 20) - Wiki Testimony, Rock, Prophecy
Helaman 5:12
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.
Moses 4:1-4
1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.
“In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)
Heavenly Father's plan of happiness revolves around the family. Satan's primary tool to destroy and confuse Father's children is to attack the family.
Let’s review some of the threats to the family. We have to know what we’re fighting against. If
our young people don’t understand what they’re fighting against, then they can’t prepare
for the battle, and neither can you. We see evidence all around us that the family is not
important. It’s becoming less important in all societies. We know that because marriage rates
are declining, the age of marriage is rising, divorce rates are rising, and more than a fourth
of all births are out of wedlock. (Julie B. Beck, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Satellite Broadcast , August 4, 2009)
Why does the church give us guidelines? To prepare us to be fathers and mothers.
Youth are becoming very adept and communicating with people that are 50 miles away, but can't have a conversation with some In the same room as they are.
If Satan can't convince people to not have families then he will change the definition of what a family is.
Malachi 4:5
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Alma 32:26-29, 37-43
26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.
27 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.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
43Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.
Just as a tree needs nourishment from soil and water so do our testimonies
Lehi's dream - what could be easier than holding onto an iron rod on a straight path, but Satan would tell us it is hard. Just as a child can lose his family in a store by being distracted by toys, we can get distracted from the way of happiness by the pleasures of life.
Because of Christ we are free from sins dark prison. Christ has unlocked the door, all we have to do is open the prison door, walk out, cross the courtyard, and walk out the gate. Often we only get around to opening the door and eventually close the door on ourselves without even crossing the courtyard let alone walking out the gate.
How to prepare our young men to go on a mission.
- Begin talking about going on a mission 17 years before they go.
- Keep in front of them that the time will before they know it.
- Give them a copy of preach my gospel.
- Memorize scripture mastery scriptures.
- Save child teach FHE lesson from preach my gospel.
- Watch the movie The Best Two Years.
- Be a good example.
The spirituality our your ward is related to the frequency which our members attend the temple.
The stake president talked of his brother that lives in Brownsburg near Indianapolis and how he has to drive 2 hours to go to Louisville. The stake president told us of five temples that are less that 2 hours from us and we need to not let ourselves spoiled when the Ogden temple closes for a couple of years. His brother was in our ward when we lived there and we have made the drive he spoke of.
It takes time to read and pray, but it is worth it in order to receive guidance from one who knows all and is all powerful.
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