And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.
I should strive to help Him do His work by first embracing His peace
O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.
I should help others find the strength and peace I've found in the gospel
Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.
My thoughts can turn to peace and joy, and He can help me find it
And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
I should be aware of who is leading me. Peace is the sign.
They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
I can find peace, even when I'm struggling
But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.
I should see the work of His hands everywhere I look, know it is for my benefit, appreciate it, and add to it.
Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.
He can give me the power to be more like Him.
And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught.
I should strive to be teh best example of a man, without pain, without fear.
For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;
I can choose to watch for good things, note them, count them, embrace them.
And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
I can be happy with things as they are by seeing them as He sees them.
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
I can see in a powerful way if I ask Him to help me see what He sees.
But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.
If I try to see through His eyes, He will grant me the power to see as He sees.
And wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord! And their works are in the dark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding?
He knows me perfectly, and loves me anyway. The fear of thinking otherwise is a lie.
Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.
I should act in kindness toward myself and others
Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men
We are not separate. But I still have to choose to turn towards Him
And again it shall come to pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him:
He will teach me as I read the scriptures.
For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.
I should be willing to see the things He puts before me to see
Comfort says, "it will not be worse, just different".
"Why?" I ask.
"Why do you think?"
Does the adversary ever tell me that I am not allowed to feel peace because I don't deserve it?
Sometimes he tries, but it doesn't work very well. I know that peace is a physiology and I can always choose to feel it. The fact that I can always choose peace means that I always deserve it.
No man can humiliate or disturb me without my permission
For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.
I should be the invitation to partake
MOURN - processing the implications of the need to change
THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED - Looking over future hard things, one by one, and deciding they are manageable
MEEK - realizing that I have the power to choose to change
THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH - I can have anything in the world I want if I choose it
HUNGER & THIRST - Choosing to change
THEY SHALL BE FILLED - Every future act in the new direction fills me
MERCIFUL - not beating myself up for not having changed earlier
THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY - I obtain mercy because I'm in charge of choosing to extend it to myself
PURE IN HEART - single-mindedly focused on the work of becoming the new person I want to become
FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD - I see in myself His image in my countenance
PEACEMAKERS - gently & diplomatically handling other people who resist my change
THEY SHALL BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD - I treat them the way God's Son would treat them
PERSECUTED - realize it's a reflection on the persecuters, not on me
THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - I now live in His world, seeing others as He sees them
REVILED - it doesn't even cause me to doubt or hesitate anymore. I'm so focused on who I want to become that I don't think about the revilers.
GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN - The reward is that being like Him is habitual and effortless
For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.
He will help me do works of kindness
And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God;
I should seek to understand the scriptures and convince myself of the sense in which they are true. This increased knowledge gives me increased power to change and progress.
And, inasmuch as it shall be expedient, ye must keep the performances and ordinances of God until the law shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses.
Living His way is the surest path, even when it seems hard.
Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand.
When He tells me what to do, I can rely on it
And now this I speak because of the spirit which is in me. And notwithstanding they have been carried away they shall return again, and possess the land of Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be restored again to the land of their inheritance.
I should listen to the promptings of the Spirit and do them.
What shall then answer the messengers of the nations? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.
I should listen for Him to whisper words of peace to me.
Prayer, reframing, anchors, pattern interrupts, confirmation bias, imagination, visualization, memory, literacy, and logic
Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquities of their fathers, that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
Wherever I am, I should bring His peace into that place
Thy pomp is brought down to the grave; the noise of thy viols is not heard; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
I have a lovely song within me. His peace can help me find it.
And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces; and her time is near to come, and her day shall not be prolonged. For I will destroy her speedily; yea, for I will be merciful unto my people, but the wicked shall perish.
If I turn to Him for peace, he can make wherever I am be a pleasant palace.
Every one that is proud shall be thrust through; yea, and every one that is joined to the wicked shall fall by the sword.
I should join myself to Him and let His peace wash over me, be part of me, and soak myself in it.
"The things which are sacred or precious to us are the things we withdraw from promiscuous sharing. But now we are taught to throw everything within us into public light and common pawing."
"Common pawing" is the very essence of Facebook. I think that's why I despise it so.
And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
I should be on the lookout for things I can be amazed by
"Peter, before you can do things for people, you must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the secondary consequences. The work, not the people. Your own action, not any possible object of your charity."
"Those things - they're not even desires - they're things people do to escape from desires - because it's such a big responsibility, really to want something."
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
I can choose to have His peace with me at any time, wherever I go.
Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.
I can choose to focus on good things in any circumstance and thereby find peace.
And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
If I don't now specifically what I want, He can't give it to me.
Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
As I seek His peace, joy can follow
"In giving his counsel, Elder Packer asked, 'Would it make any difference if you remember that this is truly the Church of Jesus Christ?'"
If this is true, what else must be true, and them what should I do with that knowledge?
And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
I can seek His peace and beome free to enjoy His love.
And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
I can seek His peace and beome free to enjoy His love.
And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
He loves me and wants me to be happy
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
I should let myself be led by Him into His peace
And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
Despite my fear, I can become a mighty one through His peace
For the Lord God of Hosts shall make a consumption, even determined in all the land.
He has the power to do anything that is needful for me. I just need to ask
"...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."
I shout praises to the Holy One of Israel by the way I live my life. It's not by shouting words, it's by following Him. Not to be seen by others, but as a witness to myself.
