Declare Your Witness

It’s wonderful how faith is shared and creates belief in others. When we declare the wonders of God, it helps encourage others to believe in God and His power. Jesus often taught that He could do no miracle because of unbelief or that they had so much faith that He could perform miracles for them. Our belief is a key element in receiving the miracles desired. As we share our witness of Him and His wonderful gifts, it helps others believe.

In Helaman 5 the wicked Lamanites had put Lehi and Nephi in prison. They were told by Aminadab, one who was once a believer, that if they cried unto the voice until they believed, the darkness would then be removed. They do and the darkness leaves and the Spirit comes and fills their souls with unspeakable joy and glory. They hear the voice of God, angels come down from heaven and minister unto them. Then after this glorious experience they are told to marvel not and not doubt. I’m assuming that means to not doubt that they had this wonderful experience. This is a common pattern. As soon as the Spirit leaves, the devil and his angels come to try and convince us that the marvelous experience we or someone just had didn’t happen. Moses 1 is a good example of this.

Then the record shares that they went forth, ministering to the people, declaring throughout all the regions round about the things which they had heard and seen. This convinced the majority of the Lamanites, because of the greatness of the evidences which they received. Those that believed laid down their weapons of war, their hatred, and the traditions of their fathers (Helaman 5:41-50). In other words, they repented.

When we declare our witness of the beautiful spiritual experiences we have, we help others exercise faith in Christ and repent and be filled with the love of God.

There is an evil tradition being passed down, that we ought not to share spiritual experiences. What would the scriptures or our journals look like if no one shared spiritual experiences? There would be no reason to read them for they would not increase faith in Christ and God’s plan for us. What would happen if Joseph Smith never shared seeing God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ? What would have happened to the Lamanites in the time of Helaman 5?

We have another witness of the power of sharing sacred, spiritual experiences with King Lamoni and his declaration after awakening from his slumber in Christ. When he awoke he declared, “I have seen my Redeemer…” (Alma 19:13). He bore this witness to those that had the same dark veil of unbelief as he had had a few moments before. After awakening and declaring his witness of the Lord, he and his wife and eventually their servants all sink down, being overpowered by the Spirit. When they awake they minister unto the people and declare that they had seen angels and conversed with them (Alma 19:12-14, 34). After hearing their witnesses the record states that many did believe in their words; and as many as did believe were baptized; and they did establish a church among them (Alma 19:35). They shared sacred, spiritual experiences to the unbelieving and that helped others increase their faith in Christ and believe.

I believe this evil tradition has developed because of misunderstanding the scriptures. In Alma 12:9 we are told, “It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall impart only according to the portion of his words which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.”

The portion of His words that He has granted unto the children of men includes receiving the Spirit of the Lord, seeing angels, receiving the ministering of angels, healings, the gifts of the Spirit, hearing the voice of the Lord, hearing the voice of God, the Father, seeing Jesus and seeing Father. If we are allowed to share any spiritual experience that is in the scriptures, the way I believe Alma taught us in Alma 12:9, then let us open our mouths and see the same results that the lamanites experience in Helaman 5.

Please don’t believe the false tradition that we aren’t to share spiritual experiences. Unbelief and wickedness are the results; whereas, sharing spiritual experiences results in faith in Christ and God and repentance (Helaman 5:51).

In all things we should act under the influence of the Holy Ghost but I’d say our current culture has swung the pendulum way too far in the direction of NOT sharing spiritual experiences and look at the fruits. Many youth, children and adults are slipping away into forbidden paths.

May God bless us to proclaim His holy name and bear witness to the marvelous light and life that He offers as we come unto Him. This is my prayer.

”And Whoso Treasureth Up My Words, Shall Not Be Deceived,” (JST Matthew 24:39; JS Matthew 1:37)

“And whoso treasureth up my words, shall not be deceived” (JST Matthew 24:39; JS Matthew 1:37).

We learn that a republic is rule by law. A democracy is not really what our Constitutional government is based upon. Yes, leaders are voted on to take seats of governmental power by a majority vote, but they are chosen to enforce the law, interpret the law and create new law. The process to create new laws is tedious and difficult. There is a reason for this struggle. Righteous men must be sought after to fill these positions of power or the people will mourn for their wickedness. “Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:10).

Law is what governs us. A majority cannot change truth. Law should equate to truth and if righteous men and women are in tune with truth, then they will use the law to the benefit of all. If they are not familiar with truth then they will twist the laws to reflect their own beliefs or they will change the laws to fit their belief systems. “When the wicked rule the people mourn” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:9).

Now look at what happened to the Nephites in the Book of Helaman. “Yea, they began to remember the prophecies of Alma, and also the words of Mosiah; and they saw that they had been a stiffnecked people, and that they had set at naught the commandments of God;
And that they had altered and trampled under their feet the laws of Mosiah, or that which the Lord commanded him to give unto the people; and they saw that their laws had become corrupted, and that they had become a wicked people, insomuch that they were wicked even like unto the Lamanites.
And because of their iniquity the church had begun to dwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of God did stare them in the face.

And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples—
Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should cleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish.
For behold, they saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus had they become weak, because of their transgression, in the space of not many years” (Helaman 4:21-26).

This scripture speaks of the laws and prophecies given to Mosiah and Alma. The Lord set up the government for them to help them stay in the right way but they veered from the truth. Because of this, the church began to dwindle in unbelief. Now compare this to the Constitutional law that God gave us. “According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:77-80).

God has given us the laws and prophecies to help us be a successful people. This is only done when we have the freedom to choose the course we will go. Notice the emphasis on using our moral agency to be accountable for our own sins, “That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:78).

Our laws have become corrupted and we are no longer permitted in many instances to act according to just and holy principles. As a whole we are becoming weak and we no longer believe in the spirit of revelation and prophecy. Just look at our tax law. When you are void of the spirit of the Lord you have to make a law for every circumstance you can possibly think of. The Lord’s law of finance is easy, 10%. The people are left to their own conscience to decide what that means and the Lord doesn’t have to spell out every possible exception. We are governed by the Spirit of the Lord.

This is no longer the case in our laws both as a nation and as a church. We keep wanting and needing more and more laws because we keep rejecting the laws established by God in the Constitution and those restored to us by the prophet Joseph Smith. We don’t need more programs. All we need is the word of the Lord.

Remember Lehi’s dream. Those that come to taste and feel the love of God are those that are governed by the word of God, “they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree” (1 Nephi 8:30). “And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God” (1 Nephi 11:25). The word of God leads us to the love of God.

Look at the opposite approach. It is trusting in man or in the word of man. With every new man appointed to office comes new laws from his own preferred way of doing things. This leads to darkness. At the very beginning of the vision Lehi saw we read, “And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste” (1 Nephi 8:5-7). As he followed a man he found himself in a dark and dreary place. Notice the enticings of this man. He appears to be clean as he is dressed in a white robe. The man speaks unto him and bades him follow him. Notice he doesn’t bade him to follow the Savior but to follow him, a man.

Men and women of God will always invite us to come unto Christ, never to follow themselves. God our Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ will lead us to truth and joy. Nephi said, “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm” (1 Nephi 4:34). “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 28:31).

We are promised by the Lord that we will be preserved, perfected and sanctified by holy laws of the celestial order. In the great section of 88 in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord reveals to us, “that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:34).

If we are not governed by the laws of God, then we will be deceived. If we allow every man or woman that sits in a seat of power and authority, as they suppose, to dictate to us every new wind of doctrine that is of men or devils, we will be deceived. The Lord has warned, “Woe unto you, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge, the fulness of the scriptures; ye enter not in yourselves into the kingdom; and those who were entering in, ye hindered” (JST Luke 11:53). And this great warning and blessing, “And whoso treasureth up my words, shall not be deceived” (JST Matthew 24:39; JS Matthew 1:37).

The nation and the church must learn the word of the Lord and then follow the word of the Lord, the laws of God. If we do not, then we will be cursed and be deceived. If we do, then we will come unto the love of God and be filled eternally by His love. Truth tastes good. The words of eternal life taste good. They fill our souls with joy. There is no fake substitute for it is clearly discerned by the Spirit of the Lord. By the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:3-5).

He Suffereth It - The Fellowship of His Suffering

I was pondering Mosiah 15:5 this morning and “suffereth” caught my attention. Here is the verse, “And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people” (Mosiah 15:5).

Typically, I believe, when we see the word suffer or suffering or suffereth, we think of feeling physical or mental anguish or pain. But, it is clear in scripture that there is a dual meaning found in the word suffer. The second phrase in the verse quoted above says, “but [He] suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.” Here another definition of the word suffer is very evident. He “allowed” himself to be mocked, and scourged, etc. When focused on in this light, “to allow,” then we gain greater depth for the Lord’s perfect control of His emotions, feelings and ultimately His love for others and His willingness to allow them to exercise their agency, no matter the consequences.

Websters 1828 Dictionary’s third description of suffer is, “To allow; to permit; not to forbid or hinder. Will you suffer yourself to be insulted?”

Jesus truly “allowed or suffered” Himself to be mocked, scourged, cast out and disowned by His people (see Mosiah 15:5). His miracles prove that He had the power to stop the personal suffering, but He “allowed” it to happen.

“And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men” (1 Nephi 19:9).

Here suffereth may be using both aspects of suffering, to allow and to feel pain. This adds great depth and meaning to our understanding of what will be expected of us as we truly come unto Him as true disciples of the Lord, Jesus Christ and His Father.

Jesus allowed or suffered others to hurt Him because He honored and respected everyone’s agency the same way Father does. He loves us so much that He willingly allowed or suffered Himself to feel pain or suffer to fulfill the demands of justice because of the consequences of our sins. We can repent. We can change. We don’t have to suffer any longer because He suffered for us already. He willingly “allowed” Himself to suffer for all of our sins. It is so beautiful! The magnitude of His love is beyond expression. Why? Because He loves us!

Father allowed all things to happen because He loved us enough to let us find truth and become one with truth through exercising agency and then changing, repenting. He needed a son willing to suffer himself to be slain for the sins of the world, willing to receive the justice of our sins. Jesus was that Son. Because of Him my sins can be remitted as I repent fully. I love Him. I testify of His reality.

On this path of becoming like the Savior, we come face to face with suffering, feeling mental and physical anguish and allowing all evil to happen to us. Experience has taught me that if we truly seek to know the Savior of the world, we will be required to willingly suffer others to do to us similar things to what they did to the Savior. As we LEARN the truth, ACT on that truth and then SHARE that truth with others, in some form or another we will have opportunities to be mocked, scourged, cast out and disowned by our people whom we love too. I would suggest the scriptures are replete with that truth (see John 17:3, Moses 1:39, Alma 7:11-14). Joseph Smith is an example of this too. He learned the truth about God, He acted on what he learned and then shared what he learned. Ultimately he was killed for this.

Some would say that because Jesus suffered, we won’t have to or because He allowed bad things to happen to Him, then we won’t have to. This is true to some extent as found in Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19. We won’t have to pay the price of justice for our sins, if we repent. But there is another side to this. If we are required to become like Him to live with Him and His Father, then we will have the great opportunity to enter the fellowship of His suffering (Philippians 3:10). Here are two other great commands given to us by Jesus Christ, “...for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;” (3 Nephi 27:21). “...what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27).

On this journey we won’t handle these experiences perfectly. We won’t suffer these things to happen to us exactly as the Savior did until we have perfect charity. If we truly come unto Him, we will learn to suffer all things as the Savior did. I’m so grateful for His suffering the demands of justice that He can allow me to live in this grace period as I practice becoming like Him, as I practice charity.

To summarize my thoughts on suffering posted here, I might say this. If we are to become one with Christ, we must suffer as He did by suffering others to exercise their agency to our suffering. We join the fellowship of His suffering. I pray for strength to truly allow or suffer others to exercise their agency to my great pain. This pain is swallowed up in Christ as I give it to the Savior and trust in Him.

He is the ONE! He is the WAY! He is the LIFE and LIGHT of the world!

(See also Isaiah 53 and Mosiah 14).

Personal Revelation: Fear NOT! God Hath Not Given Us the Spirit of Fear

The Lord keeps showing me that fear is not of Him. I believe one of the major deceptions of the evil one is getting us to think that our fears are really answers from God telling us not to do or think certain things. Scripturally it is clear. Let’s look at a few verses and examples.

Paul taught, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:7-8). I believe this is one of the jewels of revelation. I have never found an example in scripture when the Lord uses fear to dissuade or discourage someone from moving forward in a particular course of action or thought. There is a righteous fear of the Lord, but that is describing a holy respect for God, not the fear described in this post.

“Fear not!” I just did a search on “fear not” in the scriptures. It comes up many, many times in the scriptures. Usually it is the Lord or His messengers telling the people to fear not. So many experiences in the scriptures and my own personal experiences have taught me that fear seems to always be at the gate of faith, opportunity and blessings from God. We have to walk through and into the face of fear to get to the blessings of God. Joseph Smith’s first vision is a great example of this.

Joseph shared, “After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction--not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being--just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me” (Joseph Smith History 1:15-16).

Even though he spiritually prepared himself and went before God in sincere prayer, he was attacked by the evil one. In Joseph’s 1835 account of the first vision he stated, “I made a fruitless attempt to pray; my tongue seemed to be swollen in my mouth, so that I could not utter. I heard a noise behind me, like some person walking towards me. I strove again to pray but could not. The noise of walking seemed to draw nearer. I sprung up on my feet and looked around but saw no person or thing that was calculated to produce the noise of walking.” The devil will try to incite fear in any way possible.

The first vision is a great example of the adversary trying to use fear before a great spiritual manifestation or experience occurs. But Satan will also use fear to keep one from believing in a spiritual experience after it occurs as well. Moses seeing the Lord is a great example of the adversary trying to get you to worship him and disbelieve the great spiritual experience after it happens. It is interesting that in verse 15 of Moses 1, Moses recognizes that Satan’s glory is darkness unto him and Moses commands him to depart and deceive him not. The author of deception is darkness. His tactics are darkness. Fear is a dark feeling. Do not be deceived by fear. In verses 16 and 18 Moses commands Satan to depart but the evil one doesn’t leave. Satan rants in a loud voice and commands Moses to worship him. At this point Moses is being overcome by evil. The record states, “...Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell” (Moses 1:20). Fear brought the bitterness of hell. Fear brings fruits of the evil one. When we listen to our fears, we’ll notice fruits of the evil one subtly enter our mind and heart. It can completely overcome us if we don’t recognize what is happening and cast out the evil one. Moses drew upon the Lord to overcome. The scripture reads, “Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory. And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan. And it came to pass that Satan cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and he departed hence, even from the presence of Moses, that he beheld him not.” (Moses 1:20-22). When Moses used the name of the Lord, that is when the devil had to leave his presence. So we must recognize fear when it comes and cast out the evil one in the name of our holy Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has one of the best talks I’ve ever read on this topic of the adversary seeking to use fear to stop our progression on the path of illumination and revelation. I highly recommend it. I was led to it when I started dating my wife and was about to turn back. Here is the link https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland_cast-not-away-therefore-your-confidence/

As I ponder the decisions, questions and revelations I’ve received in my own life, the devil will always be there seeking to make fear a factor in my decisions moving forward and in my reflections about the past. Fear is the opposite of faith. That has become more and more clear as I continue to battle this in my life.

My thoughts go to Alma 32:21 and Ether 12:6.

“And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21).

“And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6).

I feel like these verses and experiences have taught me that faith isn’t so much in being absolutely certain in the answer from the Lord before moving forward. He gives line upon line and as we have faith to move forward He opens the way before us. We have to step into the fog or darkness, hoping and placing faith in Jesus that He will deliver us...not because He has spelled everything out for us and because it all logically comes together in our minds before stepping forward. We have to place our faith and trust in Him, in the small assurances and answers He has given us.

There is a great scene in the Indiana Jones movies. He comes to a ravine, a cliff, and there isn’t a bridge there. He has to step onto the empty space, trusting that there really is an invisible walkway there. It is a marvelous explanation of faith. We have hope that He will provide and deliver us. Sometimes we sit there and we ask and ask and ask for an absolute revelation and firm answer, telling Him that if He will just give us the full answer we will exercise faith and doing what He tells us to do. But where would the faith in Him be if we knew 100% the course we should take? It’s easy to have a law of Moses guide book and then exercise faith to follow it. What is difficult is exercising faith in Him as we inch our way out onto the cliff, believing in Him to provide a solid surface to walk on even though we can’t see or feel it there until we shift our weight fully on the foot that is walking off the cliff. Even though He has done that over and over again for us in our lives, it still requires faith each time to walk off the cliff.

Logically, it doesn’t make sense. It is a paradox and God seems to enjoy those paradoxes. I think it’s because He takes joy in revealing Himself to us in the details, as we feel and know there was no way things would have worked out if it wasn’t for His involvement in our lives.

Jeffrey R. Holland and the scriptures state it well. He said, “After you have gotten the message, after you have paid the price to feel his love and hear the word of the Lord, ‘go forward.’ Don’t fear, don’t vacillate, don’t quibble, don’t whine. You may, like Alma going to Ammonihah, have to find a route that leads an unusual way, but that is exactly what the Lord was doing here for the children of Israel. Nobody had ever crossed the Red Sea this way, but so what? There’s always a first time. With the spirit of revelation, dismiss your fears and wade in with both feet. In the words of Joseph Smith, ‘Brethren [and, I would add, sisters], shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!’ (D&C 128:22).” (“Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence,” Jeffrey R. Holland, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Mar. 2, 1999, BYU Devotional).

These are higher doctrines of revelation that the scripture so beautifully share with us as we enter these roads. It is imperative that we live worthy of the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives and trust the grace of Jesus Christ as we diligently seek Him. There is no substitute. It takes work and a heart centered in God and His ways above all else. My prayer is for the strength to always live in the meekness of His Spirit, ready to respond as He gently leads me along. Praise be to God for His goodness in leading us along to Him!

The Beattitudes - Some Thoughts

I was thinking about Matthew chapter 5 today and a couple questions came to mind that I thought I’d post.. The questions are these:

Is doing what is socially acceptable righteous?

Are doing the works of righteousness the same thing as being righteous?

My thoughts were on the Savior’s life and this beautiful sermon of the beatitudes in Matthew 5. 

Was John the Baptist socially acceptable? How about Noah, Enoch, Lehi, Samuel the Lamanite? 

Jesus taught that blessed are the peacemakers. How did He go about establishing peace? Did He do all things for peace’s sake, or rather, did He do all things for truth’s sake, and as everyone discovers and embraces ALL truth then He knew that it would ultimately lead to true peace?

I wonder when I see His full life before me more perfectly what the full Christ will BECOME for me. He was meek and lowly yet He stood up to all the false beliefs and traditions of the society He lived in. When they falsely accused, misunderstood and misrepresented Him, He truly loved them and had compassion upon them because they knew not what they did.

Truly, Jesus is the answer. I pray for strength and faith to be more like Him. I’m so grateful for Him. I fall at His feet before Him. He has saved me from my sins and I pray for strength to give away all my sins that I might come to know Him more perfectly. Truly, He is the ONE! He is the WAY!

A Witness for Christ

I read JST John 1:19 recently and the Lord taught me some truths that I’m following now.

Here is the verse: “And no man hath seen God at any time, except he hath borne record of the Son; for except it is through him no man can be saved.”

I have come to know my Savior, Jesus Christ. I believed scriptures like Doctrine and Covenants 93:1 and Doctrine and Covenants 88:68 and went to the Lord to receive that witness. I believed His word and He delivered the promised blessing over 20 years ago to me. I witness that He lives and that He condescends unto the children of men in power and great glory. His grace is sufficient as we strive to come unto Him. He is a rewarder of those that love Him and keep His commandments. I am not perfect but my heart is on Him. Deep peace and love come only in and through the power of the Redeemer, Jesus the Christ.

I write this witness and testimony that my children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. I hope that my testimony will encourage others to receive the same witness for themselves, that He lives!

Vulnerability at the Gate

I was reading in Alma 49 and had some thoughts that I felt came from the Lord. In this chapter, the Lamanites had come upon the Nephites to battle to the cities they thought were least fortified. Moroni had prepared by putting the most fortifications in their weakest cities. Weaknesses had become strengths (Ether 12:27). In this way they were prepared and defeated the Lamanites. Even though there was strength in these weak places, there was still one place that was vulnerable. It was the entrance. The record explains how they protected the entrance. It reads,

“18 Now behold, the Lamanites could not get into their forts of security by any other way save by the entrance, because of the highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the depth of the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the entrance.
19 And thus were the Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.
20 Thus they were prepared, yea, a body of their strongest men, with their swords and their slings, to smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security by the place of entrance; and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
21 And it came to pass that the captains of the Lamanites brought up their armies before the place of entrance, and began to contend with the Nephites, to get into their place of security; but behold, they were driven back from time to time, insomuch that they were slain with an immense slaughter” (Alma 49:18-21).

It is interesting that the entrance had to remain a little more vulnerable because they had to use the entrance when they weren’t in a battle. So, they increased their defenses in the spot of vulnerability and they put their strongest men there to defend that spot. In our lives there are some things that remain vulnerable because of the world we live in and the necessities of day to day living. For example, there is a telestial world that we live in. Sometimes it is impossible to block out all the filth. We interact with people that use poor language etc. When we interact with members of the church, many have lower standards and make evil look good. We must prepare with the most strength we can to fight off any false ideas, false doctrine and principles of evil that are taught all about us, from whatever source they come. We need the sword of truth to help us defend ourselves by the unrelenting attacks of the adversary. It is interesting in this account that the Lamanites care not for the lives of their people and are determined to take down even the most fortified city. We can never let our guards down. We must invite the Spirit into our lives each day.

It is interesting to me that even though they had prepared the rest of the city to be protected, they still needed active, live men to fight off those that attempted to attack them. We need to come ready to battle each day, no matter how much we feel prepared for the attacks of the adversary.

In reference to the entrance, it struck me that in order to progress in life, we have to be willing to consider doctrines and principles that we haven’t considered before. We have to be willing to be vulnerable, open to receiving new truths from God in the manner He chooses to expose us to them. For example, when someone loves the Bible and are exposed to the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It can make them feel vulnerable to read such a record. In their minds, it might expose them to ideas that are untrue etc. If they exercise faith, they can read and ask God if it is true. When we are given the sealed portion, I’m sure we will have similar doubts and worries. If we are fortified with the Spirit of the Lord, having done this before we are presented with new information, then when we read new records we can take them to the Lord and recognize if they are rooted in Him or not.

I have been reading new records. Some have tasted very good and sweet to me. Others I wonder and ponder upon. I have been open to others sharing dreams and visions and I have read their accounts and taken it to the Lord to know if these things can be of benefit to me and are worth my time and ponderings. Some would argue they have enough in the Book of Mormon, but I would say that saying we have enough is exactly what Nephi warns us of saying. “Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!” (2 Nephi 28:27). God has many, many records and witnesses He wishes to give us to enlighten us and come more fully unto Him. I know this is true. Joseph Smith taught about reading apocryphal writings, “Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom; And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited” (Doctrine and Covenants 91:4-6).

If we are going to ascend unto God, we must be willing to receive light and truth from whatever source God decides to lead us to. This will stretch us as we will feel vulnerable. That vulnerability creates a window of humility, an openness to the possibility that God is trying to teach us something useful and give us more light and knowledge.

Many people aren’t willing to expose themselves to new ideas because they are worried they will be deceived. This is interesting because they are already deceived. We live in a telestial world. We have to get past a telestial (deceived) level of thinking if we are going to rise above to greater light. To not be willing to learn new ideas is to be satisfied with the deceptions and lies we already live in.

I think some reasons we hold ourselves back from entertaining new ideas is the fear that we can’t recognize truth from error. I have found one good thing for me to do is stay firmly rooted in those things I know are true. For example, when I was studying for my masters degree in Bible and Ministry, I always made time to study and ponder in the Book of Mormon. There is a true, familiar spirit that I feel in the Book of Mormon. In this way, when I read other things or am exposed to different ideas, I can test how I feel as I’m reading these new ideas to how I feel when I read the Book of Mormon. I know what truth tastes like. Just like testing a new fruit. I know what a sweet orange tastes like and a fruit that isn’t sweet will not be one I want to continue tasting.