The Atonement

I've been pondering a lot about this topic. I know I could have probably 50 different posts just about this topic. I would like to focus on some scriptures and quotes that I have read recently involving the Atonement. I want to use the Atonement daily, hourly, and by the minute. It's so important to do so. I invite all to read this post and ponder in your heart, "Have I felt the use of the Atonement in my life today?"

“The Atonement has practical, personal, everyday value; apply it in your life. It can be activated with so simple a beginning as prayer. You will not thereafter be free from trouble and mistakes but can erase the guilt through repentance and be at peace”--President Boyd K. Packer (Ensign, May 2001, 23–24) 

This quote really affected me. It all begins with prayer. We must apply the Atonement to our life!

In the Book of Mormon we read,

"Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts." (2 Nephi 28:32) 
I read this verse a couple of weeks ago. If we REPENT, and come unto Christ, we will obtain His mercy. So what does it mean to repent? Preach My Gospel states, "To repent, we recognize our sins and feel remorse, or godly sorrow. We confess our sins to God. We also confess very serious sins to God’s authorized Church leaders, who can help us repent. We ask God in prayer to forgive us. We do all we can to correct the problems our actions may have caused; this is called restitution. As we repent, our view of ourselves and the world changes. As we change, we recognize that we are children of God and that we need not continue making the same mistakes over and over. If we sincerely repent, we turn away from our sins and do them no more. We resist any desire to commit sin. Our desire to follow God grows stronger and deeper." 


This is what true repentance and conversion means. Repentance is using the Atonement to wash away our sins. To forsake them and to come unto Christ. Like the verse in 2 Nephi, the Lord's hand is extended. It is "lengthened out all the day long." When I read that part, I imagined Christ standing before me. His hand is in front of me. He is calling me, "Sister Houtz, grab my hand. I'm here. Don't listen to Satan. Come follow me. I'm right here." I pondered this. I thought, " How many times have I pushed that hand away? How many times have I said, " No I'm okay. I got this." Or how many times have I just ignored it?  How often has Christ called you? How many times does He need to invite us to follow Him? How many more times will we turn our backs on Christ? Remember in John 6:67, when Christ asks the twelve apostles, " Will ye also go away?" Will we leave Him? The answer should be NEVER. I invite all who is reading this. I'm actually begging you. TAKE HIS HAND! Grab it! Cleave to it! I know that you'll never regret it. Come unto Christ. Let Him be a part of you. Use the Atonement. He wants you. He loves you. He suffered for you.  He knows everything you're going through. Please take his hand. I know that my Savior lives. I know that He knows what my temptations, pains, sicknesses, and trials are. He loves me and He loves you too! 

My next post will be more on the STRENGTH we can gain from the enabling power of the Atonement. Here is a link to a talk that I'll be using! Check it out! Click here

Communicating with God

 "Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil." -Pres. Boyd K. Packer Ensign Nov. 1994

Pretty powerful statement huh? The lock is right in front of us. If I want to get to heaven, I must pray. In 3 Nephi chatper 18 (v.15-18), the Savior counsels the Nephites, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.

 And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you.

 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." Satan wants me. He can't have me if I'm praying to my Father in Heaven. Let me repeat that one more time. Satan wants me. He really does. But guess what? He won't have anything on me if I pray. My Father in Heaven wants me MORE. The Savior says it TWICE in those verses. Must be important right?? Pretty important if the Savior said it. :)

 I've been studying prayer a lot lately. Trying to strengthen my relationship with Him. It's really hard to that. Sometimes I'm really tired, unmotivated, hyper, or not in the mood to talk to anyone. But I have made it a decision to always pray. When I don't pray I feel distant from Heavenly Father. Then Satan really works on me. I feel all alone, and I start feeling really bad about myself, my life, my decisions, and then I'm super overwhelmed or depressed. It all starts with prayer! It's one of those "small and simple" things that we must do. Throughout my studies, I have found several amazing quotes about prayer.

Here are some of the treasures I found while studying. Please read them and ponder. What is the Holy Ghost teaching you?

"Prayer is the avenue of communication which he has provided for us to commune with him again. thus, one of the chief purposes of our mortal probation is to see if we can learn with the spirit of prayer always in our hearts so that when the Lord chooses to speak, we shall hear his voice in our souls."  --Joseph Fielding Smith

(Thought: If we don't pray, we'll never learn how to hear His voice!)

" Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege. It is based upon unchanging principles. When we receive help from our Father in Heaven, it is in response to faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency." -- Elder Richard G. Scott "Agency and Answers: Recognizing Revelation" Ensign June 2014

(Thought: We must have faith, be obedience, and use our agency wisely to receive answers from our Father in Heaven.)

"Come to God weary him until he blesses you and we are entitled to the same blessings." - Joseph Smith

(Thought: An Elder quoted this in a meeting one time. It created a HUGE pondering moment in my mind. I still ponder about this quote. Weary the Lord? Pray so much that He gets tired of listening and throws blessings at me? I know God isn't like that, but that's what I thought at first. Then it clicked. He wants me to ask for them. Because when I ask for them, I truly learn what HIS WILL is for me. What does He want for me instead of what do I want?)

I know that prayer is real. It works. He answers our prayers. He really does. I know it to be true. Get to your knees and plead to the Lord. Ask Him for help. Ask Him for strength. Open your heart to Him. He loves you. He really does. He's there.

 

Lasting quote...pondering moment. Write your answers below.
"Are we in possession of the spirit of prayer? Have we made it a part of our very being? Are we in touch with our Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit, or are we not?" --Joseph Fielding Smith




 

Eternal Families

Families can be together forever! DID you know that? I know it to be true! 32 years ago my parents were married and sealed in the temple for ALL TIME and ETERNITY. That means FOREVER if they remain faithful. Do you see how happy they are? It's because they were married in HOUSE OF THE LORD. Keep your covenants! Make these covenants! They will change your life. #foreverfamilies

There is a beautiful video that teaches this principle of Eternal families. Click here to watch it.

Because He Lives

Because He lives--- by Sally DeFord

Because he lives, 
Because he rose in mighty triumph from the grave, 
I put my trust in him, and seek to follow him in faith, 
Because he lives, Because he lives, I shall find strength to stand against the tempers power, he is my refuge and defense in every troubled hour, 
Because he lives...

Because he lives I can bear whatever burden may be mine, 
I am encircled in the arms of love divine, Because he lives, Because he lives, 
He will banish every shadow of my pain,
Every sorrow will be swallowed up in him, 
For His hand is healing for the weary soul, 
This I know, because He lives. 

Because he lives, 
My heart is filled with peace amid a world of fear, And through the blindness of the night in him I rest secure, 
Because he lives Because he lives,
There is no task so great that I cannot endure,
I bear no heartache that his tender mercy cannot cure, 
Because he lives...




There is this BEAUTIFUL video put out by the church. It's called #BecauseofHim. Watch it here.

We sang this song during Easter at church. The Spirit testified to me that He does lives. Because He lives I can live with my Father in Heaven again. I have the opportunity to live with Him FOREVER. I know this to be true. Take time to ponder these lyrics. Take the time to watch the video.

What do you have because of Him?

The Importance of Keeping Records

Do you write in your journal? This totally reminded me of my dad. He has SO many journals! He have over 60 filled with his thoughts, dreams, inspiration, and life. I am so blessed to have these records! I'll treasure them forever!! On the flip side, my mom passed away when I was teenager, and she didn't keep a record. I have really nothing of her life through her eyes. I have always wanted that, so please take the time to write things down! You're children want it and they'll need it! They need to know our testimonies, experiences, joys, challenges, and who we truly are. Please keep a journal!

Come Unto Christ

Come unto Christ --2014 theme song for youth

He's the One who healed the leper, and who brought he dead to life,
He's the One, who fed the hungry, and who gave the blind their sight. He's the One who walked on water, Then He brought them safe to shore and whenever you may need Him, He's the One you're looking for. So let Him in, and He will take away your pain. When you feel His love you'll never be the same. Come unto Christ. Come unto Him, and by His grace be made holy again. He's calling your name. He's waiting for you with arms open wide. Come unto Christ.

He's the One who taught forgiveness, and who showed a better way. He's the One who helped the hopeless and those who'd gone astray. He's the Savior and Redeemer, the Bread of Life, the Prince of Peace. If you're hungry, lost, or captive He's the One who'll set you free. So let Him in and you'll remember who you are. He will mold your life and change your willing heart.



Come unto Christ
Come unto Him, and by His grace be made holy again. He's calling your name. He's waiting for you with arms open wide. Come unto Christ. And you will find eternal life. Come unto Christ Come unto Him, and by His grace be made holy again. He's calling your name. He's waiting for you with arms open wide. Come unto Christ




Listen to this song here.

#BecauseofHim

Resilience

So I have been studying the word resilience or being resilient. I was recently invited to read a talk called, "Raising Resilient Children". Here is a link to read that talk, Resilience. I know, why would a sister missionary be reading a talk about raising children? That's the question I thought when I read the title. It didn't make sense. It didn't really add up. Well I read the talk, and it BLEW me away! Seriously. Powerful. Life changing. I know dramatic, but you don't know!  

I came to the conclusion that it was definitely inspired that I needed to read that talk. Brother Burrup defines, "The original definition of the word resilience had to do with a material’s ability to resume its shape or position after being bent, stretched, or compressed. Today we commonly use the word to describe our ability to bounce back from adversity." 

That is exactly what clicked in my mind. A lot of my life, I have had to bounce back. A trial hits and I must be able to keep moving towards God. I must turn to Him for help and strength to bare the burdens I am faced with. This picture of this tree real struck me. Even though it's bent a little, it's still RESILIENT to the wind. To the adversity, trials, and hard times. LIFE IS HARD. But there is a way. There is someone who can truly help us. Elder Neal A. Maxwell tells us,

"While so striving daily, we will fall short. Hence the avoidance of discouragement is so vital. So where is the oft and much needed resilience to be found? Once again, in the glorious Atonement! Thereby we can know the lifting tide flowing from forgiveness."(Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ.)
It's through the Atonement of Christ that we can be truly resilient. We can overcome the hard stuff. We can deal with it. Really deal with it. Not shove it away in some corner. I know this to be true. Every single one of us goes through different adversities. The one person who is the same is Christ. He is there. He's there to help us, so we don't get discouraged. He's there so that we can exercise faith in Him and face the hardships. Who said it would be easy? Why would it be? Eternal life is worth it. How can you be more resilient?

Trusting God

As we put our faith and trust in the Lord, we must battle our pain day by day and sometimes hour by hour, even moment by moment; but in the end, we understand that marvelous counsel given to the Prophet Joseph Smith as he struggled with his pain of feeling forgotten and isolated in Liberty Jail:

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (D&C 121:7–8).

My dear brothers and sisters, when pain, tests, and trials come in life, draw near to the Savior. “Wait upon the Lord, … look for him” (Isa. 8:17; 2 Ne. 18:17). “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” (Isa. 40:31). Healing comes in the Lord’s time and the Lord’s way; be patient.

Our Savior waits for us to come to Him through our scripture study, pondering, and prayer to our Heavenly Father. Great blessings and lessons come from overcoming adversity. As we are strengthened and healed, we can then lift and strengthen others with our faith. May we be instruments in the Lord’s hands in blessing the lives of those in pain. I give you my testimony that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ and that He waits for us to come to Him to give us counsel and compassionate caring. May the Lord’s blessings be upon each of us as we deal with the trials of life for us personally and for our loved ones, I so pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

---Elder Robert D. Hales "Healing Soul and Body"

Covenants

"The Latter-day Saints are a covenant people. From the day of baptism through the spiritual milestones of our lives, we make promises with God and He makes promises with us. He always keeps His promises offered through His authorized servants, but it is the crucial test of our lives to see if we will make and keep our covenants with Him.”

--President Henry B. Erying “Witnesses for God,” Ensign, Nov. 1996

I testify that we must ALWAYS keep our covenants. We must use our agency and keep the covenants we have made to Him. Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience bring mighty miracles! 

What covenants have you made with your Father in Heaven? When was the last time you really thought about them? ...What can we all do to be better?

Answers

 

"Even if you have the strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, He will respond a piece at a time with what in His eternal plan is best for you. Your continuing exercise of faith will forge strength of character available to you in times of critical need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is used." 

--Elder Richard G. Scott "Living a Life of Peace, Joy, and Purpose"

Women! Take Heed!

“The world has enough [men and] women who are tough; we need [men and] women who are tender. There are enough [of us] who are coarse; we need [men and] women who are kind. There are enough [men and] women who are rude; we need [men and] women who are refined. We have enough [men and] women of fame and fortune; we need more [men and] women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”1 And I would add, you are the people who will supply these virtues to a world that is very much in need. --Sister Kristen M. Oaks "To the Singles of the Church

True Conversion

"Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal."

(2 Nephi 9:39)

"Conversion requires consecrating our lives to caring for and serving others who need our help and to sharing our gifts and talents. The Lord didn’t say tend my sheep when it is convenient, watch my sheep when you aren’t busy. He said feed my sheep and my lambs; help them survive this world, keep them close to you. Lead them to safety--the safety of righteous choices that will prepare them for eternal life." --Elder Robert D. Hales ("When Thou Art Converted, Strengthen Thy Brethren”)