And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
I have a very hard time making it through by myself. I need His help. I can ask for it. I can ask for peace every time I look at my phone.
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The goal of my faith is progression. If I can feel Him guiding me, I'm doing it right.
I should seek to hear Him as an apostle would. It will hasten my becoming like Him
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
I want to be a man of peace, and I grow more powerful every time I choose to be more like Him.
And it came to pass that they all did begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.
Ask... Ask until...
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
All that I do, I should do in His name, and after His manner.
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
When I feel sad, I should pray
Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.
I should pray at the first sign of my peace fading away
And when the disciples had done this, Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you.
When I am willing, I become more like Him, and Heavenly Father notices this, and blesses me accordingly
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
I should have great patience with myself as I try to instill peace and kindness into my soul. They often don't seem to stick, but each attempt leaves a residue behind that collects and grows. There is no failure, because every attempt is progress
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
I should seek to do anything that I know is good.
If I fear to do good, I can ask to have my fear replaced by peace.
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
I should be a doer of the law upon which happiness is predicated.
I can have peace and happiness in my life, if I ask
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Whatever I ask HIm for, I should be willing to be changed in order to make it happen
I can be humble and changeable enough to let His power work in me when I ask for His help.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
I should strive for peace at all times.
He will help me as often as I ask
But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions.
That "one day" can be today. It can be any time I choose to ask Him for rest from my afflictions
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Peace is wisdom, wisdom is peace
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
I should let the light within me shine out to others
I can be a light
Therefore, they did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were in number not a few.
I should go to meet trouble head on, with His power in my heart.
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
I can bridle all my passions by seeking His peace at the first sign of tumult
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
I can listen to and be guided by the Spirit
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
If I open my mind to His peace, He can show me the things I need to see, to know, and to do
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
I should continually embrace empowering beliefs
I can make action based on empowering beliefs an automatic part of who I am
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
I know that all things follow law, and when I follow law, I can be happy
"We share the good news of the gospel with those who need peace and strength"
When I testify, I share this with myself as well as others.
"...[what] keeps us from being broken on the rocks of adversity is... the covenants we make"
Are covenants only for heping us avoid trouble? Is there no other use for them? Are they more than just a spiritual insurance policy?
Is there more to life than danger, suffering and sorrow?
I don't know. I keep asking for peace. I keep asking for help for others. Is health more than the absence of sickness?
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
I can reach out and be kind
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
I should listen for His counsel when I'm in transition points
I can receive good advice
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
I am not alone, and He will always give me the power I need if I ask
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
I am His handiwork. I should let that fact inform my choices.
I can be a masterwork
Grace be with you all. Amen.
I am not alone, and He will always give me the power I need if I ask.
Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice.
I should find a reason to be thankful for the hard things in my life
And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
I should not be afraid to consider myself a fool
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
He can help me feel peace
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
I should look around me throughout the day to find things that make me feel joy.
I can feel joy. Today. Now. In the moment.
"...receive increased happiness, comfort, joy, and peace in this life."
The promises I receivve are for now. In this life. Today. This moment.
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
I should find things to be grateful for often
Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Is the thing my mind is pondering profitable, or a distraction?
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
I should learn to notice and appreciate what I have around me
I can be aware of one good thing and say thanks
Let brotherly love continue.
Think of the person I'm with. Think of my brother. Feel that feeling toward him.
"Just as we never forget our own name no matter what else we are thinking about, we never forget a commitment that is etched in our hearts."
For our God is a consuming fire.
The stronger my belief in God, the more faith I will have, the more power to change I will have, the more I can do, and the more I can become like Him.
And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
If I listen with an open heart, ready to be guided, He will offer me guidance.
I can choose to follow
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Would I for one bitter pleasure sell my birthright?
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
I should ask for His help immediately at the first moment I hear that bitter voice
Bitterness defiles. I must not let it take root in me. Roots spread. He will help me.
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
I should seek first peace. The rest follows. But first, peace.
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
I should be willing to let myself be healed of faults in meekness.
I can be made better if I let Him do His work in me.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
I need to be meek and accept instruction on how to reach out to Michael.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
When I accept correction, even when it's hard, I am blessed with peace
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Every commandment that He gives me, that I follow, makes me better, stronger, and more like Him.
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
I am not in this alone
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
The life He has in mind for me is better than I can imagine. I should seek it and embrace it
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
I can keep going even when it's hard. He will strengthen me
For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
I can find my way back home by seeking to become more like Him. It's the same journey
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
The empowering belief I need is that I don't have to fix my problem, I just have to not keep Him out. If I just let Him in (by praying for peace and sitting with power), He can fix my problem.
As I choose to have empowering beliefs, I will become more like Him.
"It is essential that we honor and obey His laws"
Because His laws are the rules for becoming more like Him. Not just later but now, in this lifetime. And I want to become more like Him because He's always at peace, and He never suffers. He never suffers because he never believes His pain is pointless.
"The gifts of the Holy Spirit are testimony, faith, knowledge, wisdom, revelations, miracles, healing, and charity, to name but a few..."
And the way I invite the Holy Ghost to be with me to give me these gifts is by first finding peace.
"Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities"
Because that's where the transformational power lies - in overcoming infirmities - that can change me from human to God
"...God will, in due time, turn every affliction to our gain."
How? I don't kow for sure, but I do know that it starts by first finding His peace.
"...obedience to this gospel law enhances our capacity..."
I am transformed into more than I once was. Every act of obedience makes me a little more like Him
"Obedience gives us greater control over our lives, greater capacity..."
Life is still hard, but it has fewer disempowering distractions and stumbling blocks
"As we walk in obedience... we enjoy a continual flow of blessings..."
Emerson called it "compensation", recognizing it as how the universe was designed.
"If we are faithful to the covenants made [in temples]..."
I have to choose repeatedly to follow commandments. He only has to choose once. As I come to the place where I only have to choose once, I become more like Him
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Good works brings blessings
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
In His peace, I wield a weapon against which no force of darkness can stand
Peace is the root of power
Peace is the root of kindness
Peace is the root of laughter
Peace is the root of joy
