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”)

Decisions, Decisions, and Decisions

"Neither Satan nor any other power can weaken or destroy your growing character. Only you can do that through disobedience. That is why Satan is so intently focused on tempting you to make decisions that will undermine your character. Satan is an accomplished master at making devastating choices appear attractive, even reasonable. So be careful. At this critical time of life, you will be faced with many choices. The decisions you will make will profoundly affect life now and for eternity. Make them wisely and prayerfully."
--Elder Richard G. Scott "Living a Life of Peace, Joy, and Purpose"

Cleave unto God

People "cleaving" to the iron rod

I was reading in my studies the other morning in Moroni 7:28 and I read the word “cleave.” In the verse it reads, “and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing.” This sparked a memory of a previous study I had a couple of months ago. I was reading in Jacob chapter 6. In verse 5 it states, “ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you.” The word cleave stuck out to me. I did a short scripture search on the word cleave. I found other scriptures such as Joshua 23:8, "But ^acleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.” Another verse I found was Helaman 4:25  “and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should ^bcleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish.” Here the Nephites would be destroyed if they didn't hold onto the Lord and keep His commandments. In this reference, they had to cleave onto the Lord, or they literally would perish.

Another reference found in the Doctrine and Covenants section 11 verse 19 states, “Yea, ^acleave unto me with all your heart, that you may assist in bringing to light those things of which has been spoken—yea, the^btranslation of my work; be patient until you shall accomplish it.” Joseph Smith wouldn't have been able to translate the golden plates, unless he cleaved unto God with all of his heart. We can't do the work unless we cleave unto Him, the Almighty, our Father in Heaven.

There are several moments in our lives where we can picture people cleaving. I see a person who is  cleaving to the cliff that they’re trying to climb or hold on to.  I see someone cleaving onto a rope that will pull them to safety. I see a shy little child cleaving onto her mother’s shirt to hide from a stranger. I see the people in Lehi's dream cleaving to the iron rod. So I ask myself this, "What am I cleaving to?"

 Am I cleaving to my Savior Jesus Christ? Am I cleaving to the eternal truths of the gospel? Am I holding on with every fiber of my being to the iron rod? Am I keeping my covenants? Am I doing my very best to remain steadfast? 

Now I ask you, Are you cleaving to God? Do you pray unto Him every morning and night? Do you pray unto Him when your heart is filled with gratitude? Do you pray unto Him when you are angry, lonely, depressed, irritated, or hurt? Do you keep following the commandments even if it's not the "cool" thing to do? 

ARE WE CLEAVING UNTO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN?

If we are not, we must begin now. Get to your knees. Cleave unto Him in every thought, word and deed. It's possible. We must cleave unto Him. We will become more humble, we will grow. We will learn what we need to learn. May I invite you all to ask yourself honestly, "Am I cleaving to God?" What can you do now to start cleaving? 
Our Father in Heaven is there. He is reaching out to us. He loves us. As President Monson said, "your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there." (We Never Walk Alone, General Relief Society broadcast Sept. 2013)