Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
I can be part of His work by seeking His peace
"Friends coming into the house sometimes asked me 'What is your mother doing?' I would say, 'She is taking a problem to the Lord.'"
Maybe I could try more deliberately to stop and take my problem to the Lord.
They seemed confused and afraid. My anger they would've understood, but not sincere empathy. The Holy Ghost was palpable, and they seemed both terrified, yet also a tiny bit hopeful that someone was really, actually seeing them for perhaps the first time in their lives.
I finished by saying - slowly, quietly, peacefully, and completely at the behest of the Spirit - "I know that if Jesus Christ were here right now, he would say" (at this point, a mesmerized bystander, thinking I was aiming to hurt, said "I hate you") - "I love you".
I left the room, feeling filled and electrified by the Spirit, and thinking to myself that I should always act that way. And I offered a prayer of thanksgiving for the miracle of kindness I had just been involved in.
Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
No matter how I feel, He will always help me when I ask
The ancient, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
I should listen to the words of prophets and let them fill my soul with peace.
The Lord sent his word unto Jacob and it hath lighted upon Israel.
I should listen for the word He sends to me. In peace is the best way for me to receive it
And they shall look unto the earth and behold trouble, and darkness, dimness of anguish, and shall be driven to darkness.
I should have the faith necessary to look to Him for the peace and strength I need.
And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
I should strive to be among them that seek His peace
And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
He loves me and He will help me obtain every needful thing
"What mattered to Him was that I was doing the best I could, that my heart was inclined toward Him, and that I was willing to help those around me."
Inclined towards Him - that I immediately choose empowering beliefs based in Him to help me fix misalignments.
And all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and the treading of lesser cattle.
If I ask Him for help, I don't have to live with fear.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Empowering belief: do these things, and I will have peace.
He's wiser than me
He's more powerful than me
He's here with me
He knows me
He loves me
He can help me
He wants me to be happy
He will answer my prayers in the way that is best for me
I can become more like Him
The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, the king of Assyria.
He has good gifts to give me if I ask for them.
In alignment, there is usually a moving part and a stationary part. My will to God's will.
Although I always fear He will ask me to do something unbearable, I cannot think of a time when He did. I should be able to trust that He never will.
"...[conversations that lead us] to know not only what they believe, but most important, why they believe it."
Do I know why my ministering families believe?
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe surely ye shall not be established.
I should seek to become as He is and stand in the places He would stand.
But yet there shall be a tenth, and they shall return, and shall be eaten, as a teil tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves; so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
I should try to have as much of me as possible, be like Him. That starts with staying aligned with His peace.
There are only two sourcces of power (the ability to cause change): peace and anger. Only one works in the long run. I always have the choice.
And he said: Go and tell this people—Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not.
I should listen to His voice after seeking His peace, then do what He says, and notice if it makes me happy.
Then said I: Wo is unto me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.
I know His peace is possible to me. I have felt it.
"...a crusade and a consecration to a joy that justifies the existence of the earth"
Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy. In our theology, joy does, indeed, justify the existence of the earth.
"My dear fellow, who will let you?"
"That's not the point. The point is, who will stop me?"
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if they look unto the land, behold, darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
I should seek heaven by asking for His peace to fill me at the first sign of tension.
Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight!
I should be wise by seeking His peace in a deep and fundamental way.
Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, and wine inflame them!
I should start my day with scriptures, prayer, and peace.
"Let us more fully and confidently go ahead and meet the problems that beset us. Let us move forward confidently, not with halting steps, but steadily..."
I can imagine myself in power pose if I am feeling timid
"...the Lord knows more than we do and... he will answer our prayers in the way that is best for us..."
This is the empowering belief that defines faith in Jesus Christ
And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain.
When I feel sad, I can turn to Him and find peace at the first sign of misalignment.
And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence.
I don't have to suffer even a moment. The second I notice misalignment, I can seek His peace, and be healed, strengthened, and empowered.
And it shall come to pass, they that are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy, every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem
I should take the time to write my thoughts.
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.
I should seek to live by the Spirit, starting with keeping His peace with me at all times, and seeking to regain it the moment I notice it start to slip.
And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate, and shall sit upon the ground.
I should seek to sit in the comfort of His peace
"Winners set achievable goals day by day. Their plans consist of things that can be done, not what can't be done."
Do what I can, not what I can't
"If there are irritations in our lives today, there is only one prescription: make a pearl."
"Every adversity carries within it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit."
"We need not quarrel or compete with those who promote and encourage controversy. We need not spend our time in retaliation. They who would deceive, destroy, or belittle reap their own rewards."
I can be kind.
Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.
I should be kind to everyone, especially the unlovable and disagreeable
The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!
My face shows my joy or pain. I should let it be painted with joy by seeking His peace.
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?
When I need advice, I should turn to Him first
"...they may witness unto thee [Heavenly Father]..."
It is not because He needs to hear it, it's that we need to know that we believe that it's important enough to us that we want to tell Him that it's who we are.
"Focusing on the Savior and our covenants brings lasting joy!"
Focusing on Christ means feeling peace... His peace... which brings joy.
"...brings peace and understanding to our hearts in times of distress"
This peace can come in times of even the mildest of distress. I don't have to wait for the pain to become unbearable to seek His help. I can ask at the first second that I notice even a tiny misalignment.
"...willingness to focus on the Savior..."
The sacrament prayer asks me to remember, not to focus. It's like how being armed means I'm carrying a pistol in a holster, not that it's in my hand every moment
"...I was preparing to partake of the sacrament..."
How do I prepare?
The same way I prepare for every day. Scriptures, prayer, pondering - seeking to make a connection and tune the strings of my soul to His perfect 440 Hz A
"...we need not fear..."
The reason I need not fear is that I can have His peace anytime I ask.
"...willingness to obey His commandments..."
"Obey" implies some resistance on my part. "Embrace" might be a better word and image.
Don't obey - embrace.
"...learn the will of the Lord and then do it. True discipleship leads to a fulness of joy."
There's a good chance it won't be something dramatic and spectacular. Odds are it'll just be something small and kind.
Peace is focusing on the absense of upper body muscular tension.
And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
He is the model I should set for myself if I want to be different than I am
How would Jesus look for a job?
And upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
If I am struggling, calling to mind a pleasant image or memory can help me feel His peace
And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall;
There is no place I can be where His peace can't reach me if I ask for it
Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.
I should declare His peace to be good and seek to let it fill me any time I don't feel it.
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.
When I read the scriptures, I can find empowering ideas to ponder.
And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.
All power is the power to change. He will give me all the power I need if I first seek His peace.
"Look for the happiness... in every step of your journey"
Happiness is there. Always. But it only appears after I start looking for it. As does misery.
"He sees you not as the world sees you; He sees who you really are. He looks on your heart. And He loves you..."
He sees me. I should choose to see everyone I meet. Habitually.
And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.
I should keep trying to see everyone I meet as a person, not an object
Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen.
If I seek for His peace, I will become infused with His power.
