Holy Spirit

"Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;"

~ Alma 18:34

We are created after the image of God. We have the great gift of the Holy Ghost if we will invite it into our lives. God will call and guide us through His Spirit. His Spirit speaks of things that are just and true. When we are doing God's work, it is His Spirit that will convert others to a knowledge of the truth. Trust in the Lord, for He will lead you.

With Us Through the Dark

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

~ Psalms 23:4

There is a lot of evil in the world today. If you have not already faced a difficult trial in which it feels like you may be walking through that valley mentioned in Psalms, then you probably will at some point in your life. However, we do not need to be afraid of the evils as long as we rely on the Lord. The Lord can and will stand beside us and help us. He is our rod to hold onto. He will help us stay standing. When we are afraid, we can turn to the Lord, and He will comfort us. 

Build Your Wisdom Upon Understanding

"Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:"

~ Proverbs 24:3

We need to make sure that we are built upon wisdom. In order to make sure we are being wise, we need to make sure that we understand. We can only make truly wise decisions when we have an understanding. So, build up your wisdom upon understanding.

Bodies

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

~ Romans 12:1

The Lord has given us our bodies. They are a gift. We need to make sure that we are taking care of them, even if it may be hard at times.

Patience in Tribulation

"And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls. Even so. Amen."

~ Doctrine and Covenants 54:10

Even when things get hard, we need to remember to be patient. The Lord will not abandon us. However, trials will help us to learn and grow. If we will be patient and look unto the Lord, He will bless us. The Lord is coming, and with Him comes rest.

Counsel with the Lord

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let they heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

~ Alma 37:37

Whenever you make a decision, make sure to include the Lord. You don't need to ask him what you should eat for lunch each day, but decisions such as choosing a college, who to marry, or even who should be your friends are decisions in which you should consult the Lord. Remember to talk to the Lord both in the morning and in the evening. Thank the Lord for all He gives you. If you will do these things, you will be blessed.

Inviteth and Enticeth

"But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, everything which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."

~ Moroni 7:13

Everything good comes from God. As we serve and love others, we show that we are serving and loving God. It's hard to be in the wrong when you are trying your best to just do good and follow the invitations of the Spirit.

I Recommend Thee Unto God

"But behold, my son, I recommend thee unto God, and I trust in Christ that thou wilt be saved; and I pray unto God that we will spare they life, to witness the return of his people unto them, or their utter destruction; for I know that they must perish except they repent and return unto him."

~ Moroni 9:22

We should be striving to bring people unto Christ, for He is our Saviour. We need to come unto Christ ourselves as well. We all need to depend and come unto Christ. If we have a friend who has lost their way, gently try to bring them back. We want to save as many souls as possible.

A Saving Faith

"And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved."

~ Alma 5:13

We need to become converted to the Lord. If we do, we will be saved. However, conversion to the Lord is more than a one-time event. We must be faithful and continually humble ourselves before the Lord. If we are willing to do this and endure our trials, holding fast to the Lord, we can and will be saved.

Cry Out for Healing

"O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me."

~ Psalms 30:2

When we are hurt and in need, we can tend to end up mad at God. We ask Him why He allowed whatever happened to happen. Instead, when we are hurt and in need, we need to call out to Him. If we do, He can and will help and heal us. He loves us so much. We need to be willing to call out to Him and receive His healing power.

Never Be Weary of Good Works

"Teach them to never be weary of good works but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls."

~Alma 37:34

We need to remember to serve others. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we need and want to do, that we don't even think to serve others. Sometimes we think that maybe we should serve, then decide against it, saying that we are too busy or that we don't have enough energy to. But if we will spend just a little bit of time helping someone else, it can make both their life and your life just a little bit better. Your soul can rest assured that no matter what happens, you did something good.

Let Us Stand Together

"And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth."

~2 Nephi 7:8

The Lord stands with us. As the Lord's people, we are supposed to stand together, united not divided. We can find strength in numbers. It is good to not stand alone. We can protect others and have their protection if we stand united. In the Lord's church, we will not be alone. 

Angels Charged Over Thee

"There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."

~Psalms 91:10-11

The Lord is always watching out for us. He sends angels unto us to make sure that we are protected. As long as we do not accept the evil into our lives, we will be protected from it. Angels are watching over us, even when it may not seem like it. They are sent by the Lord. They can and will help us if we will pay attention and listen to them. 

The Righteous Need Not Fear

"Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire."

~1 Nephi 22:17

If you are following the Lord's commandments to the best of your ability - if your intentions are good - then the Lord will protect and preserve you. You do not need to be afraid. In these times of darkness and tribulation, it is very easy to be afraid. We need to be careful to not be overrun by fear. The Lord can and will protect us. That does not mean that we will have no trials and no afflictions. It means that as we trust in Him, we will ultimately be okay. We need to be constantly following the Saviour to the best of our ability, even when that may seem - or simply is - really hard. If we are willing to do what He asks, then we have no need to fear, for we will be preserved.

Follow After Righteousness

"He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour."

~ Proverbs 21:21

In the world today, it is easy to be distracted by the temptations that the world offers us. We tend to want immediate joy. We want to feel better right away. However, if we are willing to follow what the Lord asks of us and are kind and loving, even if it doesn't make sense or it makes us stand out, we will be blessed. Through righteousness, we can find true joy. It may come with pain and afflictions and trials at first, but it will ultimately be for our benefit. If we strive for this, we can and will find righteousness and honour. We will find a life worth living.

Christ Centered Life

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ"
~ 2 Nephi 25:26

Our lives should be centered on Christ. Christ is our hope and our joy. We can find peace through Him. He is the way to our salvation. He gives us a purpose in our lives. We should always be striving to get closer to Him. He loves us and wants to protect us. We should want to preach the truth of Him to others so that they can partake of the joy that He can bring into our lives.

An Instrument in the Lord's Hands

"Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth."

-Mosiah 23:10

Everyone struggles in life. The Lord hears us in our pains and wants to help us. He wants to help others too, but they aren't always willing to listen. We need to be instruments in the Lord's hands. We need to not be afraid to spread the truths that we know about Christ. Be willing to do what the Lord asks, even when it is hard. The Lord wants all of His children to come back to Him, but sometimes others need a friend in front of them who is willing to help them. Sometimes it is better for those who have struggled to bring people to Christ - someone that they know they can relate to - rather than a heavenly messenger. Be willing to be the person that the Lord uses to help others come to Him.

What Lack I Yet?

In Matthew 19:16-22, a rich man comes to Christ and asks how he can obtain eternal life. Christ lists the commandments to which the rich man responds that he is following the commandments, so what is he missing? Christ tells him that he needs to give up what he views as most precious on earth - his riches - so that he can serve the people.

Sometimes the Lord asks us to give up something that we love so that we can come closer to Him. Sometimes it feels like He is asking too much. This may be that we need to give up money, time, a relationship, et cetera. It will take faith, but if we will be willing to give up what the Lord asks, we will be blessed. Giving up one thing may allow for something better to enter our life.