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?