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.