Controlling Appetites and Repentance

In President Hinckley’s conference address “I Am Clean” in April 2007.  He tells of a dream that young Joseph F. Smith had when he was serving his mission in Hawaii in his mid-teens.  He talks about the conditions that Joseph F. Smith lived in while serving in Hawaii were very humble and he was embarrassed to look a man in the eye because of his appearance.  One night Joseph F. had a dream about hurrying some place when he comes to a beautiful building and outside the building he sees a bath. He hurries to clean himself and realizes that he has carried with him a small bundle of clean clothes.  He puts the clothes on and goes to the great entrance.  The door opens and Joseph Smith opens the door to him and tells him that he is late.  Joseph F.'s response is a great spiritual lesson shown in a simple reply, His reply is “Yes, but I am clean – I am clean!”  He enters into a very large room and is greeted by many spiritually great men and women.  President Hinckley tells us that after the dream Joseph F. was never again ashamed to look anyone in the eye. 

President Hinckley goes on to say: “The core of that meaningful dream is found in the reproof given by Joseph Smith to young Joseph F. Said the Prophet, “Joseph, you are late.”

Replied Joseph F., “Yes, but I am clean—I am clean!”

The result of that dream was that a boy was changed into a man. His declaration “I am clean” gave him self-assurance and courage in facing anyone or any situation. He received the strength that comes from a clear conscience fortified by the approbation of the Prophet Joseph.”

We too must strive to be “Clean”.  We must be clean in our minds as an unclean mind leads to unclean language and actions.  We must learn to control the natural man within us.

In Russell M. Nelson, October 2013 Conference address titled “Decisions of Eternity” He talks about our physical and spiritual bodies and how they are both necessary and needed.  He then goes on to talk about what we must do to control our physical body’s appetites.  He says “When we master our appetites within the bounds of God’s laws, we can enjoy longer life, greater love, and consummate joy.”   He also says “We can change our behavior. Our very desires can change. How? There is only one way. True change—permanent change—can come only through the healing, cleansing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He loves you—each of you! He allows you to access His power as you keep His commandments, eagerly, earnestly, and exactly. It is that simple and certain. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of change!”

When we know that we are beloved children of a loving Heavenly Father we are able to turn to him easily and often in prayer, and we except to receive his guidance.  We are more able to be obedient and obey his commands.  We know for ourselves that the atonement is real and necessary for all, we have felt cleansed through baptism and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost for ourselves and we want to share this gift with others.  I think this is what is meant in Mosiah 27:24-26

               24 – “For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.”

               25 – “And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;”

               26 – “And thus they become new creatures, and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.”

Ezra Taft Benson say of these scriptures: “When we have undergone the mighty change, which is brought about only through faith in Jesus Christ and through the operation of the Spirit upon us, it is as though we have become a new person.  Thus, the change is likened to a new birth…You have forsaken lives of sin, sometimes deep and offensive sin, and through applying the blood of Christ in your lives, have become clean.  You have no more dispositions to return to your old ways.  You are in reality a new person.  This is what is meant by a change of heart.”

Elder D Todd. Christofferson said that “Without repentance there is not progress in life.  Only through repentance is there a better life.  Repentance is a divine gift.  Repentance is the cause for true celebration.”  Alma the Younger expresses his repentance process in Mosiah 27:29 – “My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God.  My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.”

So how does all this tie into my “Becoming” more charitable project?  Well, as I have said in previous posts all the Christ-like attributes go hand in hand.  The desire to be clean, to want to control the natural man and to repent when we fall short all help to bring us closer to our Heavenly Father.  Gaining a better understanding of each attributes helps us to do better with the others.

I am doing pretty well with parts of my becoming more charitable project, but it seems kind of like an onion, as I make progress in one area, I peel away another area that I realize that I need to work on.  Like I said one thing leads to another.  

This week's Ponderizing Scripture is:

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.  John 12:46

May we all strive to live in the light of our Savior Jesus Christ!  

Pray Always

This week there are two things that have really stood out for me. 

The first is found in Enos 1:2 "And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins."  I found myself wanting to understand what Enos meant by wrestling before God.  Did he mean he didn't want to change his ways?  In Alma 8:10 "Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people..."  This scripture is a reference for wrestle in the first scripture, so that would lead to the understanding that Enos was not wrestling with God, but with himself,  he was struggling with himself on how to show God that he was truly repentant and willing to make changes in his life.  I have made this my "Ponderize" scripture this week.  Asking myself, do I "wrestle"? Am I truly repentant and willing to make changes that I need to make?

The second thing really builds on the first.  With each Book of Mormon lesson we are given eight excerpts from talks related to the scriptures we are studying that week.  One of these was a small piece of Elder David A. Bednar's talk Pray Always, from October 2008, General Conference.  I had to go read the entire talk and gained more insight into prayer.  Elder Bednar offer three points.

Principle #1. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all our doings (see Alma 37:37).

Elder Bednar states, "There may be things in our character, in our behavior, or concerning our spiritual growth about which we need to counsel with Heavenly Father in morning prayer. After expressing appropriate thanks for blessings received, we plead for understanding, direction, and help to do the things we cannot do in our own strength alone."  We then we keep that prayer with us throughout the day. Throughout the day we will find ourselves more able to not get upset or angry at things that we might normally  get upset or angry with.  At that time we offer a silent prayer of thanksgiving and recognize the Lord's hand in our life.  Then at the end of the day, we report back to our Heavenly Father going over the events of the day and thanking him again for all that he does for us, we also repent and ask for Heavenly Father to help us to do better tomorrow.  Thus, we set a cycle that one prayer builds on the other.

Principle #2. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we express heartfelt gratitude.

This one I have learned and heard so much about gratitude.  One of my classmates stated this last week that they had read that to develop any other Christ-like attribute we must first develop gratitude.  Gratitude is the cornerstone of a Christ centered life.  Elder Bednar says that our most meaningful and spiritual prayers are one that we express only gratitude and ask for nothing.

Principle #3. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.

Elder Bednar states "Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in our personal lives is good and proper. However, praying earnestly for others, both those whom we love and those who despitefully use us, is also an important element of meaningful prayer. Just as expressing gratitude more often in our prayers enlarges the conduit for revelation, so praying for others with all of the energy of our souls increases our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of the Lord."

I think it is easy to pray for those that I love, but where I know I need work is praying for those "who despitefully use" me.  The scriptures tell us that the Savior prayed for those that were unkind to him, therefore, I need to do the same.  Elder Bednar also talks about the feeling of great joy that the Nephites felt when the Savoir visited them American continent and prayed to Heavenly Father on their behalf.  He goes on to ask if our family and loved one feel the power of our prayers offered to Heavenly Father on their behalf?  If not we should repent for this and follow the example of the Savior.

Elder Bednar concludes that we are commanded to "prayer always".  We should prayer both vocally and with a prayer in our hearts.  

So how does this all tie into my "Becoming" project you ask?  Well, one of the items on my "To Do" list is to pray both morning and night and ask for Heavenly Father's help.  This has given me new insight as to how I might change my prayers, to wrestle with myself, to counsel with the Lord, to express heartfelt gratitude and pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.  I have started doing these things this week.  And I can see the Lord's hand in my efforts.  Each day, I recognize where he carried me through a situation that I might have handled differently if I did not have His influence with me.  Each day I express my gratitude to Him.  

Since this coming week is Thanksgiving, I think it is only appropriate that I end by expressing my gratitude for my husband, my children and grandchildren, my extended family, my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a loving Prophet, inspired church leaders, many Stake Presidents who have blessed and touched my life, Bishops who work tirelessly and serve for many years in my ward, my callings, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, my friends, my ward members, all those who serve in callings and serve the Lord, my home, my health, my job, my car, the food that we have to eat, my talents, the Pathway program, my ability to learn, my dogs, my cat, the cleansing rain, my freedom, the man and women who protect and pay for my freedom, my instructors, the missionaries and most of all my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ.

Becoming an Example and a Light

Becoming an Example and a Light

Quoted by President Monson, in his talk "Be an Example and a Light" Photo by Karrie Lasater

This week's scripture study was the last six chapters of  2 Nephi.  I found 2 Nephi 28 very interesting. While it is kind of dark, the more I studied it the more I saw how much it can be related to the world we currently live in.  Nephi is warning of all the things that will draw his people away from Heavenly Father.  Here are seven examples that are happening today - 

1 -  Contention among different churches.
2 -  Denying the Power of God.
3 -  Disbelief in modern day revelation.
4 -  Live however you want there are no consequences.
5 -  The Law of Chasity is old and out of date.
6 -  False preaching and false doctrine.
7 -  Life is not valued, it is wasted.

While these things exist in the world there are things that we can do to be an example and a light to the world.  I had the wonderful opportunity to teach the Relief Society fourth Sunday lesson, our Bishop had chosen the most recent conference address by President Thomas S. Monson, "Be An Example and a Light" from the Sunday Morning Session.  This is based on two scriptures:

Matthew 5:16

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

1 Timothy 4:12

Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

President Monson goes on to explain that he believes that the second scripture explains how we can accomplish the first.  He says that we become examples of the believers by living the gospel of Jesus Christ in all the ways that 1 Timothy 4:12 tell us to.  President Monson says:  "Each of us came to earth having been given the Light of Christ.  As we follow the example of the Savior and live as He lived and as He taught, that light will burn within us and will light the way for others."

So how does this all tie into my Becoming Project?  First, if we are aware that the scriptures are written for us and our day, they become so much more personal. Second, I felt like President Monson was talking directly to me.  Giving me the pieces that I need to learn to put together to become more Charitable to those around me and those I meet everyday.  Each week as my scripture know grows, I see what I need to do to be a better example and a light.  I would highly recommend that we each study and then act upon this important message from our beloved prophet of Heavenly Father!

How can you know if your life is pleasing to the Lord?

 How can you know if your life is pleasing to the Lord?

Wow!!  What a question!  As I first thought about this question, I thought that's easy, its a primary answer - faith in Jesus Christ, prayers, paying your tithing, listen to the Holy Ghost, be a missionary.  Which are all true!  But....if we dig deeper what does this really mean?

2 Nephi 9:39 we are reminded "Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal."  What do we need to do to be spiritually minded?  We must embrace the truth.  In the world we live in today that is not always an easy thing to do. Everywhere we turn there are so many things that want to turn us to carnal thoughts. President Hinckley taught in his April 1987 Conference Address "Each of us, with discipline and effort, has the capacity to control his thoughts and his actions...We plead with people everywhere to live in accordance with the teachings of our Creator". In 2 Nephi 9:40 we are taught "I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken."

How can we be righteous?  We must Come unto Christ and receive His blessings.  2 Nephi 9:40-52 tell us how we can do these things.  We are told that we must come onto the straight and narrow path, we must be humble; not puffed up, we must come unto Christ for he is the "rock of your salvation" (2 Nephi 9:45), keep our minds pure, be teachable in all things.  We will be judged for our works so we must be charitable in all aspects of our lives. Jacob uses the words of Isaiah to urge us to not waste our efforts on the pleasures of the world but to come unto Jesus Christ to have eternal happiness.  We must be a disciple of Jesus Christ, acting as if he were right here with us at all times.  Because He is and He is the keeper of the gate at the end of the path and He alone will determine if we are allowed to enter into the gate and live with Heavenly Father.

So how does this relate to my "Becoming" project?  It seems that the more I study the scriptures each week, the more I understand that every Christ-like attribute depends on the others.  We need them all to be able to walk through the gate to Heavenly Father.  But we also need them all to be charitable in different aspects.  We must be grateful to feel true charity. We must be humble to express true charity. We must be obedient to have true charity. We need to have faith to want to be charitable.  We need knowledge, virtue and patience to be able understand what charity is and to become charitable.  We must be diligent and hope that even though we are not now always charitable, if we keep trying we will be able to become more charitable.  So, although I will continue to work on "Becoming more Charitable", I know that I can not focus on this alone.  I need to work to foster each of these attributes more deeply into my thoughts and actions each and everyday.

Here are 2 of my favorite quotes I found this week:

The scripture I am "Ponderizing"

2 Nephi 1:15

But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.

The beginning

I am embarking on a new journey.  I have decided to go back to school and get my bachelor's degree. I have enrolled in a great new program offered through BYU-Idaho called Pathway.  As part of one my classes I am working on a "Becoming" Project.  I chose the Christlike attribute of Charity and will be working on developing more Charity throughout this semester.  I have decided to share what I learn on my blog in hopes that it will help someone else also.

First, I want to share my story as to how I came to the Gospel of Jesus Christ - 

The gospel of Jesus Christ has impacted my life in so many ways.  I can not begin to imagine what my life would be without it.  I am a convert to the Gospel, I joined the church in my early 20's after I had been through a divorce after one year of marriage.  I kept felling like something was missing and felt I needed to keep looking for it.  I was helping a work friend prepare for her wedding reception and spending a lot of time with her family.  Her grandparents came for the wedding and I was invited to the Sunday family dinner.  As I set at the table with the sweet family listening to the grandparents talking about their mission, a warm and peaceful came over me that I had never felt before.  I knew this was what I was looking for.  I ask this family what it was that brought this feeling into their home and the shared with me their brief testimonies and invited me to meet with the missionary, they told me to think about it and to let them know the next weekend at the wedding reception and they would be happy to introduce me to the missionaries.

I thought about meeting with the missionaries and prayed several times about it.  At the wedding reception I told them that I would like to meet the missionaries.  They took me right over to them.  The missionaries and I talked for a few minutes and made an appointment to meet that Monday.  On Monday the missionaries arrived at my home and gave me the first discussion.  At the end of the first discussion, they said that they usually didn't do this but they wanted to ask me if I wanted to be baptized.  I thought about it for a few minutes and said that I would like to be baptized and could we do it by the next Sunday.  They said that we could but we would need to meet every evening that week to make it possible. That evening as I walked through my house to lock all the doors before going to bed, I realized that I had felt completely at peace and had been able to walk through my entire house without having to reach around a corner to turn the lights on for the very first time ever.  I attended my first sacrament meeting on Sunday and was baptized that evening. 

About 6 month later I met my husband.  We were married a year later and 1 1/2 months after the birth of our first daughter we went to the temple to be sealed for time and eternity.  We will be married 25 years next month (November 3, 2015).  Life has held many challenges and trials and I know the testimony that started growing when I sat at that table with my friends family has grown to so much more.  My faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ is the center of everything in my life.  I have never felt like that piece is missing in my life since being baptized and am so grateful to my friend Leslie and her family.

Why did I choose Charity as my attribute - 

There are several reasons but mainly because I have become aware of how I have let my life experience and disappointments change me in a way that I do not like.  I no longer see the good in people first.  I want to see the good in my fellow brother and sisters.  I want to be someone in this world who considers others in all that I do.  

What I have learned so far - 

It is not an easy thing the change the way you think and speak.  I have started by asking for Heavenly Father's help to control my words and thoughts in my morning and evening prayers.  I have done this for several weeks now and I am starting to see improvements in my thoughts and actions.  I have also committed this week to look up a charity related scripture and quote for each day.  These are the ones that I found the most meaningful.

My favorite scripture this week - 

Leviticus 19:18 - Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself...

My favorite quote this week - 

As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light in the lives of others. - President Thomas S. Monson