Hi Everyone!
As I prepared to put this post together, I asked Siri, male voice version, "What is the definition of priestcraft?" He replied, "Priestcraft is a derogatory term. it means the knowledge or work of a priest." Well, that's one definition. Let me teach you what Priestcraft is according to the word of God.
My primary sources will be from 2 Nephi 26:29, and Alma 1 in the Book of Mormon but I will quote from 1 Peter 5:2 in the KJV of the Holy Bible as well.
So what is Priestcraft? In 2 Nephi 26:29, is reads, " 29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion."
In Alma 1:2-3, we are introduced to a wicked man. He is large and known for his much strength. He begins to teach the Nephite people. Some of his teachings are; he preaches against the Church of God and the teachings from the scriptures, he doesn't agree with. He teaches that "every priest and teacher ought to become popular and they ought not to labor with their hands" but should be "supported by the people." This man also taught "that all mankind should be saved at the last day" "they (people) need not fear nor tremble..." "for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life."
So how do the people like his teachings? Many like them quite a bit and begin to give this man money and goods. Why? This man teaches people that no matter what, they don't have to repent but that they are saved by the Lord no matter what. He teaches selfish and carnal values. People start making some very wrong choices and take on the philosophy, "eat, drink, and be merry." (Luke 12:19, 2 Nephi 28:7)
There are many who do not listen or agree with this man. One of these men is named Gideon. Gideon is an older man, ex-military, and a man of God who has served and taught his people for many years. When the wicked teacher meets with Gideon, knowing Gideon belongs to the church of God, the wicked teacher begins to argue with Gideon. Gideon is an experienced teacher and withstands all of the wicked teacher's words by using the words of God. This infuriates the wicked teacher and he draws a sword and kills Gideon. The people of the church of God, take this wicked teacher in front of their Chief Judge whose name is Alma. in verse 11 of Alma 1 we hear how this wicked teacher "stood before Alma and pleaded for himself with much boldness." This wicked man just killed an innocent man and yet he pleads for himself boldly! This should be a major hint to you why priestcraft can be so dangerous to our souls. If we don't think anything we do is bad, because we're already saved, why not kill or do what ever we want? Priestcraft is selfish in every way.
Alma is a man who is wise and is the Chief Judge over the land and is the High Priest of the Church of God. Alma teaches about the harms of priestcraft in verse 12 and says, "this is the first time that priestcraft has been introduced among this people. And behold, thou art not only guilty of priestcraft, but hast endeavored to enforce it by the sword; and were priestcraft to be enforced among this people it would prove their entire destruction." According to the law of the land, this man is condemned to die. We learn his name at the end of his life. He is named Nehor and he suffers "an ignominious death."
Turning to God and serving others is the true path to happiness. Jesus Christ did indeed ransom every man but He does not save men in their sins. Christ wants us to love God and to love one another. Let's follow the true Master Teacher and turn away from foolish and vain priestcrafts and live in harmony to God's commandments so that we can live happily and show our gratitude for Christ for what He has done for us.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
The Doctrine of Christ
Hi everyone!
Today I would like to teach you about the "Doctrine of Christ." Have you ever wondered what the doctrine of Christ is? There are so many opinions and versions to Christian's beliefs. We all believe in Jesus Christ, if you are a Christian, and yet we all have varying beliefs on what it is that Christ taught and what we're supposed to get out of His teachings.
God has used Prophets to speak through since the beginning. If you've read the Holy Bible you know this to be true. We study the teachings of Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, and many more. Well, this is also true in the Book of Mormon. Not as many people know the names of the Prophets of the Book of Mormon let alone what their teachings are that they received from God, just as the Prophets of the Bible did.
If you own a Book of Mormon, I will teaching from 2 Nephi Chapter 31. If you don't have a Book of Mormon, here a link you can click to view and study the Book of Mormon online. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng (if you would like to own a free copy of the Book of Mormon click this link- it's a gift! https://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon )
I'd like to teach you about the prophet Nephi's final words in the Book of Mormon and what he taught concerning the "Doctrine of Christ." Keep in mind these are Nephi's final words to us- because he wrote for us in our time. If I knew I only had a few words I could share before my voice was silenced, you can bet I would write what I deemed to be the most important for my posterity to read. Nephi did the same for us. In 2nd Nephi 31:2 Nephi wrote, "Wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying."
I strongly urge all to read all of this chapter, as well as the last 6 chapters of 2nd Nephi but I will start in verse 13 in sharing what it is we need to do to receive eternal life. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if you shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism- yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel."
Now I ask the question, is this all we need to do? Let's listen to what our Heavenly Father told Nephi, (v 15) "And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." We learn from that verse that first, God is verifying the words that Christ taught Nephi are true, and second, that we must endure to the end to be saved.
So what does baptism and enduring to the end look like in our every day lives? I close with the final verses of the 31st chapter, (verses 19-21) "And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far say it was by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, beholdm, thus saith the Father: ye shall have eteranl life.
And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holt Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen"
So there we have the doctrine of Christ. If we follow these steps with diligence, and relying upon the grace of Jesus Christ, we have just been given the formula of how we need to live to return to our loving Heavenly Father and live with Him for eternity in happiness and peace.
Today I would like to teach you about the "Doctrine of Christ." Have you ever wondered what the doctrine of Christ is? There are so many opinions and versions to Christian's beliefs. We all believe in Jesus Christ, if you are a Christian, and yet we all have varying beliefs on what it is that Christ taught and what we're supposed to get out of His teachings.
God has used Prophets to speak through since the beginning. If you've read the Holy Bible you know this to be true. We study the teachings of Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, and many more. Well, this is also true in the Book of Mormon. Not as many people know the names of the Prophets of the Book of Mormon let alone what their teachings are that they received from God, just as the Prophets of the Bible did.
If you own a Book of Mormon, I will teaching from 2 Nephi Chapter 31. If you don't have a Book of Mormon, here a link you can click to view and study the Book of Mormon online. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng (if you would like to own a free copy of the Book of Mormon click this link- it's a gift! https://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon )
I'd like to teach you about the prophet Nephi's final words in the Book of Mormon and what he taught concerning the "Doctrine of Christ." Keep in mind these are Nephi's final words to us- because he wrote for us in our time. If I knew I only had a few words I could share before my voice was silenced, you can bet I would write what I deemed to be the most important for my posterity to read. Nephi did the same for us. In 2nd Nephi 31:2 Nephi wrote, "Wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying."
I strongly urge all to read all of this chapter, as well as the last 6 chapters of 2nd Nephi but I will start in verse 13 in sharing what it is we need to do to receive eternal life. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if you shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism- yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel."
Now I ask the question, is this all we need to do? Let's listen to what our Heavenly Father told Nephi, (v 15) "And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." We learn from that verse that first, God is verifying the words that Christ taught Nephi are true, and second, that we must endure to the end to be saved.
So what does baptism and enduring to the end look like in our every day lives? I close with the final verses of the 31st chapter, (verses 19-21) "And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far say it was by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, beholdm, thus saith the Father: ye shall have eteranl life.
And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holt Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen"
So there we have the doctrine of Christ. If we follow these steps with diligence, and relying upon the grace of Jesus Christ, we have just been given the formula of how we need to live to return to our loving Heavenly Father and live with Him for eternity in happiness and peace.
Friday, February 12, 2016
How to "Liken" Isaiah into My Life...and Like It
Hi everyone!
Okay the last thing I ever thought I would write about in my blog is about the prophet Isaiah and why we should “liken his words” unto us. One might ask, “Liesl, why wouldn’t you write about Isaiah?” My answer would be, “because I’ve never felt like I could understand him or his prophecies.” For those of you who may not know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our Church’s nickname is the Mormon Church. If you haven’t read the Book of Mormon before, I want you to know that the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ and goes hand in hand with the Holy Bible as true scripture.
In 2 Nephi 11:8, we are told by Nephi, “And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.” Even more importantly, Jesus Christ taught the Nephites how important Isaiah’s words were. The Savior taught, ““great are the words of Isaiah” and instructed the Nephites that they “ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently” (3 Nephi 23:1- Student Manual Book of Mormon) If the Savior wants me to search something diligently, I’m going to listen!
So what does it mean to “liken?” According to dictionary.com, the definition of “liken” means; “to represent as similar or like; compare.” When we liken something to our own lives, we look for comparisons or similar things we can relate to. How can I relate to an Old Testament prophet who lived hundreds of years ago? In many ways, it’s difficult for me to understand Isaiah’s prophecies. There are differences in how he lived, dressed, and what his culture was like, compared to mine. Isaiah’s way of writing was often written with a “dualistic nature” (Book of Mormon Student Manual) and heavily uses symbolism. Despite these differences Isaiah and I have similarities. The biggest similarity is that Isaiah and I both worship the same God and recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
So what can I, or anyone, do to understand and “liken” Isaiah’s prophecies? Thankfully we have many spiritual helps. First, I think it’s important to start with prayer. We should ask God. We are promised in James 1:5 of the New Testament, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” That’s a great promise! We also have footnotes in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament that direct us to other scriptures that give insight as well as a Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary which furthers knowledge and understanding of principles, or even symbols, that might seem foreign to us. I’m also grateful for living prophets today who have been called and chosen by the same God Isaiah was called by. They too receive revelation and spiritual guidance for all mankind on the earth.
So if you’re like me and desire to have a better understanding of Isaiah, this post is a guide to help you know how you can “liken” Isaiah to yourself. With diligence and patience on our part, and the help of the Lord, we are promised, “For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept…” (D&C 98:12)
Happy reading!
Okay the last thing I ever thought I would write about in my blog is about the prophet Isaiah and why we should “liken his words” unto us. One might ask, “Liesl, why wouldn’t you write about Isaiah?” My answer would be, “because I’ve never felt like I could understand him or his prophecies.” For those of you who may not know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our Church’s nickname is the Mormon Church. If you haven’t read the Book of Mormon before, I want you to know that the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ and goes hand in hand with the Holy Bible as true scripture.
In 2 Nephi 11:8, we are told by Nephi, “And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.” Even more importantly, Jesus Christ taught the Nephites how important Isaiah’s words were. The Savior taught, ““great are the words of Isaiah” and instructed the Nephites that they “ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently” (3 Nephi 23:1- Student Manual Book of Mormon) If the Savior wants me to search something diligently, I’m going to listen!
So what does it mean to “liken?” According to dictionary.com, the definition of “liken” means; “to represent as similar or like; compare.” When we liken something to our own lives, we look for comparisons or similar things we can relate to. How can I relate to an Old Testament prophet who lived hundreds of years ago? In many ways, it’s difficult for me to understand Isaiah’s prophecies. There are differences in how he lived, dressed, and what his culture was like, compared to mine. Isaiah’s way of writing was often written with a “dualistic nature” (Book of Mormon Student Manual) and heavily uses symbolism. Despite these differences Isaiah and I have similarities. The biggest similarity is that Isaiah and I both worship the same God and recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
So what can I, or anyone, do to understand and “liken” Isaiah’s prophecies? Thankfully we have many spiritual helps. First, I think it’s important to start with prayer. We should ask God. We are promised in James 1:5 of the New Testament, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” That’s a great promise! We also have footnotes in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament that direct us to other scriptures that give insight as well as a Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary which furthers knowledge and understanding of principles, or even symbols, that might seem foreign to us. I’m also grateful for living prophets today who have been called and chosen by the same God Isaiah was called by. They too receive revelation and spiritual guidance for all mankind on the earth.
So if you’re like me and desire to have a better understanding of Isaiah, this post is a guide to help you know how you can “liken” Isaiah to yourself. With diligence and patience on our part, and the help of the Lord, we are promised, “For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept…” (D&C 98:12)
Happy reading!
Saturday, January 30, 2016
A Lesson on Doctrine and Principles
Hi everyone,
This week I learned about doctrine and principles.
I’d like to talk
about how doctrine is different from typical beliefs that people have. As I’ve
gotten older, I’ve been surprised to hear people say that they were changing
the congregation they usually go to, or changing to a new Church or a new
religion. The reasons are varied, just as we are varied as people with
different backgrounds and different teachings we were raised around. Some of
the reasons I’ve heard were, “I didn’t like the new Father who came and changed
the core beliefs of our religion and started preaching his interpretation.” Another
person said, “I liked that the minister said we could drink beer and still get
to heaven.” That last one made me laugh along with the person who said it. This
is why doctrine is different from interchanging beliefs people have changed and
interpreted in different ways.
The following examples are from my instructor Brother Graf.
He taught me, “A Doctrine is a fundamental, unchanging truth of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Some examples of different doctrines are:
·
“Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost”
·
“Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and bones”
·
“Baptism is necessary to enter the kingdom of
God”
·
“All men will be resurrected”
These examples are doctrine that doesn’t change just because
a new law has been passed or because people no longer want to accept the
belief. They are truths that are established and decreed by God the Father and
His Son, Jesus Christ. For me, having doctrine that comes right from God, given
through ordained Prophets is a comfort. I don’t need to be confused and
constantly change what the world decides is now acceptable or not. I know what
God wants from me. I also have a way to test if I want to believe and follow
the doctrines. I have found as I really study out in the Holy Bible and the
Book of Mormon and other scripture and read and study the words of God, I can
start to understand what the doctrine can add and improve in my life. I can
also pray directly to my Heavenly Father and ask Him to know if what I read and
study is true. I can tell you from personal experience that our Heavenly Father
greatly wants to talk with us, His children, and it pleases Him to answer us
with comfort, peace, inspiration, and understanding through the Holy Ghost.
Brother Graf continued by teaching me what a Principle is.
He taught, “A principle is an enduring truth or rule individuals can adapt to
guide them in making decisions. Gospel principles are universal and help people
apply the doctrines of the gospel to everyday living. This means that a gospel
principle usually suggests action as
well as the consequences that follow.”
So what we can
understand from these words is that a principle leads us to action and helps us
know how we can live the doctrine.
A couple of ways the scriptures teach doctrine and
principles is by teaching doctrine and principles in a stated way. A stated way
is easier to recognize because you usually see these keys words: behold, therefore, thus we see,
and wherefore and if/then statements. If you read this
words, pay close attention to what follows because it will be an unchanging and
enduring truth that can bless our lives.
In closing, I’d like to share an example from my own reading
of the Book of Mormon that shows a couple of examples of stated doctrine
taught. The scripture is found in 1 Nephi 17:3. Within this verse you’ll see thus we see, wherefore, and if/then statements of doctrine/principles.
It reads:
“And thus we see that
the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God (then) he doth nourish them, and strengthen
them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded
them; wherefore, he did provide means
for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.”
I love the doctrine and principles stated that our God rewards
our obedience by nourishing and strengthening us and providing means that help
us to be able to keep His commandments.
I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he loves
us and will bless us as we try our best to keep the commandments of God. I
invite each of you to study and look for doctrine and principles, in the
scriptures, that will bless you and guide you throughout your lives.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
My Journey To Learning
Hi everyone!
I decided to make some big decisions this year to help me stretch myself and to promote personal growth. Some of those choices have been to skydive, despite a huge fear of heights, and I did it!! Another big decision was to go back to school after a 28 year break. This decision was made only after much prayer, asking our Heavenly Father if now was the right time to embark on such a big commitment. My answer was a very clear YES!!
Part of my schooling requires me to teach others....so this blog is my forum. Welcome to class everyone!
Today I would like to discuss choices and where our choices can take us. Also, my material will be coming from 1 Nephi 1-5 of the Book of Mormon. What is the Book of Mormon you ask? Great question. Here are a couple of links you can go to to learn more about the Book of Mormon as well as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
http://lds.org
https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/book-of-mormon
Now back to Nephi. Nephi was an ancient prophet, called of God like Moses and Abraham. Nephi's family consisted of his father Lehi, who was also a prophet, his mother Sariah, and his older brothers; Laman, Lemuel, and Sam.
Lehi was commanded to take his family and leave their homeland of Jerusalem. Many difficult choices and experiences lay ahead of them. This is where we come to choices. Laman and Lemuel did not want to be obedient to their father nor to their Heavenly Father. They made the choice to set their hearts on being disobedient and not seeking to know about God and His mysteries. They are described as having a "stiffneckedness" attitude. This term is not new in scripture. You can find this word in the Old Testament and in the New Testament of the Holy Bible as well as in the Book of Mormon. The topical guide has the synonyms; Hardheartedness, Rebellion, and Stubbornness listed under stiffneckedness. That helps you understand what Laman and Lemuel's attitudes were towards being obedient to God's commandments. In 1 Nephi 2:11-12 we read that Laman and Lemuel "did murmur in many things against their father because he was a visionary man" and "they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them." Continuing in verse 13 we read "they were like unto the Jews who were at Jerusalem, who sought to take away the life of my father." We learn from these verses that Laman and Lemuel made the choices to be stubborn, reject prophecy, were complainers, and even were murderers in their hearts.
In contrast, Nephi made the choice from the very beginning to turn to God. In 1 Nephi 2:16 Nephi is describing himself as "having great desires to know the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry into the Lord" and that the Lord "did soften my heart." Nephi "did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father" and"did not rebel against him like unto my brothers."
So we see that Nephi had righteous desires, he prayed to God in faith, as well as with an attitude that submitted to the Lord's will and chose to be obedient to God's commandments.
We may not be asked to leave our homes and countries like Nephi's family was, but each of us are given daily choices to choose what kind of people we will be. Are we willing to keep the commandments of God? Do we pray with faith? Do we listen for the answers that can bring us peace, clarity, and softened hearts? Our Heavenly Father loves each of us and desires to bless and help us, just as He always has with His children since the beginning of time. I have learned this past week to pray when I have difficulties and need guidance. Also, to have righteous desires and faith in the Lord that He will bless and help me in whatever it is He knows I need in my life.
I invite everyone to read and study the story of Nephi, and his family, as they journeyed in the wilderness and look for lessons and examples from Nephi that can help you in your lives and decisions you need to make. I promise if you look with faith, you will receive.
I decided to make some big decisions this year to help me stretch myself and to promote personal growth. Some of those choices have been to skydive, despite a huge fear of heights, and I did it!! Another big decision was to go back to school after a 28 year break. This decision was made only after much prayer, asking our Heavenly Father if now was the right time to embark on such a big commitment. My answer was a very clear YES!!
Part of my schooling requires me to teach others....so this blog is my forum. Welcome to class everyone!
Today I would like to discuss choices and where our choices can take us. Also, my material will be coming from 1 Nephi 1-5 of the Book of Mormon. What is the Book of Mormon you ask? Great question. Here are a couple of links you can go to to learn more about the Book of Mormon as well as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
http://lds.org
https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/book-of-mormon
Now back to Nephi. Nephi was an ancient prophet, called of God like Moses and Abraham. Nephi's family consisted of his father Lehi, who was also a prophet, his mother Sariah, and his older brothers; Laman, Lemuel, and Sam.
Lehi was commanded to take his family and leave their homeland of Jerusalem. Many difficult choices and experiences lay ahead of them. This is where we come to choices. Laman and Lemuel did not want to be obedient to their father nor to their Heavenly Father. They made the choice to set their hearts on being disobedient and not seeking to know about God and His mysteries. They are described as having a "stiffneckedness" attitude. This term is not new in scripture. You can find this word in the Old Testament and in the New Testament of the Holy Bible as well as in the Book of Mormon. The topical guide has the synonyms; Hardheartedness, Rebellion, and Stubbornness listed under stiffneckedness. That helps you understand what Laman and Lemuel's attitudes were towards being obedient to God's commandments. In 1 Nephi 2:11-12 we read that Laman and Lemuel "did murmur in many things against their father because he was a visionary man" and "they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them." Continuing in verse 13 we read "they were like unto the Jews who were at Jerusalem, who sought to take away the life of my father." We learn from these verses that Laman and Lemuel made the choices to be stubborn, reject prophecy, were complainers, and even were murderers in their hearts.
In contrast, Nephi made the choice from the very beginning to turn to God. In 1 Nephi 2:16 Nephi is describing himself as "having great desires to know the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry into the Lord" and that the Lord "did soften my heart." Nephi "did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father" and"did not rebel against him like unto my brothers."
So we see that Nephi had righteous desires, he prayed to God in faith, as well as with an attitude that submitted to the Lord's will and chose to be obedient to God's commandments.
We may not be asked to leave our homes and countries like Nephi's family was, but each of us are given daily choices to choose what kind of people we will be. Are we willing to keep the commandments of God? Do we pray with faith? Do we listen for the answers that can bring us peace, clarity, and softened hearts? Our Heavenly Father loves each of us and desires to bless and help us, just as He always has with His children since the beginning of time. I have learned this past week to pray when I have difficulties and need guidance. Also, to have righteous desires and faith in the Lord that He will bless and help me in whatever it is He knows I need in my life.
I invite everyone to read and study the story of Nephi, and his family, as they journeyed in the wilderness and look for lessons and examples from Nephi that can help you in your lives and decisions you need to make. I promise if you look with faith, you will receive.
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