A Prophet Speaks

"We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation. … In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."

Noah warned of the coming flood, Moses warned Pharaoh of the plagues, and our prophet today warns, “The battle with sin is real. The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to disrupt testimonies and impede the work of the Lord. He is arming his minions with potent weapons to keep us from partaking of the joy and love of the Lord.”

Like other prophets, President Nelson is the Lord's mouthpiece. He gives warning of upcoming disasters. I read each of his talks since becoming prophet, and identified key themes regarding upcoming days. These themes include receiving revelation, repenting, and sharing the gospel.

Receive revelation and remain steadfast in your knowledge of the truth. In several talks, President Nelson has stressed that you must gain a testimony of the gospel.

He says, “If you are not sure you even believe in God, start there. … Humble yourself. Pray to have eyes to see God’s hand in your life and in the world around you. Ask Him to tell you if He is really there—if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen."

Our Father in Heaven is listening, and He wants you to know Him. He wants you to know yourself as His child.

Once we receive a witness of our Father, “do the spiritual work” to know the surety of our Savior. Know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is just that— the church of Jesus Christ. No matter if you’ve never heard of the church, if you’ve been faithful for many years, or if you’ve distanced yourself from the covenant path, come and know for yourself that this is where the Lord wants us to be.

Our Father wants us to receive constant revelation to guide our lives. Testimony is critical, but we must receive guidance everywhere. President Nelson says on choosing his counselors as prophet, “Because I know that good inspiration is based upon good information, I prayerfully met one-on-one with each Apostle. I then sequestered myself in a private room in the temple and sought the Lord’s will.”

The holy temple is an ideal location to gain revelation. But you can and should access the power of heaven anywhere through earnest prayer to our loving Father in Heaven, who “wants to speak to you”. 

President Nelson’s prescription for how to increase your capacity to receive revelation is to live more purely, obey exactly, seek earnestly, feast daily on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regularly commit time to temple and family history work.

I testify that as I have approached Heavenly Father with my worries, anguish, and confusion he has poured out His Spirit with such abundance I can scarcely take it in. He truly is waiting to answer our concerns, our daily questions and our desire to know His mysteries.

Another key to surviving our mortal experience is receiving ordinances through the priesthood power of God. President Nelson emphasizes that eternal life and family are only possible if we choose to be baptized, confirmed, endowed and sealed under the proper authority, and then live our lives in accordance with the covenants we make at these times. 

It is critical to stay in the church and faithful to our covenants. Nowhere else can we find the keys of the priesthood, so where are we to go?

President Nelson explains that we need to repent:
"The word for repentance in the Greek New Testament is metanoeo. The prefix meta- means 'change.' The suffix -noeo is related to Greek words that mean 'mind,' 'knowledge,' 'spirit,' and 'breath.'
"Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to 'repent,' He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit—even the way we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies."

Repentance is a sacred blessing! What joy I have found in Jesus changing my heart!

As we learn to receive revelation, make covenants and repent, it’s critical that we give the same opportunities to those we love (and let us remember, the Lord invites us to love our enemies.)

President Nelson states, "Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life."

Our brothers and sisters need to hear this message. Are you willing to share?
Individuals who have died without receiving ordinances also need the opportunity to make sacred covenants. My husband and I recently had a chance to go to the temple and be baptized for family who have passed. I testify with no doubt that these relatives are overjoyed, and waiting anxiously for further ordinances.

As we follow these principles, we will find happiness now, we will find exaltation hereafter, and we will find miracles. President Nelson says, “Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory.”

We have been blessed with an outpouring of revelation from heaven. Now is the time to continue to seek more revelation. Now is the time to make and keep covenants. Now is the time to build the kingdom through missionary and temple work.

In April of 2019, our prophet of God, President Russell M. Nelson gave us a clear warning: “Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.”

Guest Post Announcement

Hello, all! I recently wrote a post for Moriah Simonowich at Delighting In Him.
Check out my post (and the rest of her beautiful blog) here:
https://delightinginhimblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/trusting-god-with-pain-megan-halverson/

When I look inward,
down to my very depths
I see a vast ocean of greatness,
molded from the eternities.
Vast hidden waves well up, meeting no shore
amid the infinity of my being.
I am powerful. I am great.
And I am terrified.
Looking down from my lofty heights
I see the world,
and I will change it.
Like clay in the hand of a sculptor,
I will mold the masses of the world
into a more perfect order.
Humanity is an inconvenience,
Merely tying me down
To the surreal normalcy of life,
Holding me back from destiny,
Keeping me in the lower realm,
Damning me to dwell amid mortality.
Universes melt before me,
Leaving mere vapors where before stood empires.
Mighty, powerful, admirable in their own way
but nothing before the immensity of my soul.
Races bow down in my presence,
the billions of the earth kneel,
feeling the power of my spirit.
Many souls are absorbed into mine,
attracted to a kindred and mighty aura.
And when I rise, nothing will stop me.
I will destroy what comes into my heart,
leaving a vast and majestic loneliness.
Nothing else remains.
No opposition rises against my reign.
In all the universe, just one thing remains;
the infinity of my soul
amid the drowned destruction of eternity.
My ocean has overcome all.
My waves have come crashing down.
I am powerful. I am great.
And I stand terrified before the reality of my own self.

 As years pass, I grow more complacent. The fire in my heart dims, and my dreams of making a difference and leaving a mark fade. Rather, my dreams become more conventional. Go to college, work at the first available retail store, rent an apartment, marry the most convenient man. Have children someday, and raise them in a quiet American town.These things are lovely, and my ambitions include at least a couple. But don't most of us long for more? Most children live more enthusiastically and vibrantly than most adults I know.
A wise mentor once told me that "moderation in all things" is a terrible, terrible way to live. He memorably suggested moderate fidelity to a spouse. "My husband won't be hurt if I flirt with just a couple guys, or if I kiss my friend, it's not sex anyway..."
Do I want marriage? Yes, but only intentional, vibrant, all-in marriage where my husband and I can find freedom in the very depth of our commitment. I want a marriage that is, in itself, an act of rebellion towards a society which devalues family. As a wife, I want to give myself completely to a man whom I can not only love, but respect. He has to be a man I admire, and with whom I can bravely look forward to eternity.
Among the greatest desires of my heart is a home to keep and a family to raise. I have no idea what this home may look like or where it may be, but I do know it will be excellent. The Spirit of God will dwell and direct our paths as a family. My husband and I will prioritize our family in faith, rather than being "moderately invested" as parents, coming to Christ together. My home will be orderly and filled with the Spirit of God, as a 'holy place' in which to dwell.
I also have a desire for education. Development of character and ability is among the highest, most sacred callings and I choose to answer by steadfastly seeking after what is noble, true and praiseworthy. My soul yearns to minister to those who have less, by feeding the hungry and freeing the captive. I will help those in prison make a better, more joyful life. Mentoring youth has always called me. I want to see more of the world, to have adventures and to see the vastness of this one planet that God created. As a journalist, I will find and share truth, providing my countrymen with the information needed to make independent judgments and come together to improve this nation. In all of these pursuits I wish to become, passionate, empathetic, elegant, joyous and courageous. I wish to create beauty in the world through living my faith and serving others.
Because I wish to do this, I will. I will hold onto my dreams and make them a reality. Life is what you make of it; make something that matters.

Do you ever look up at the sky and see the wonders of space and feel like you're a burden on the world, that you're detracting from the beauty of the universe merely by existing?

Or do you oscillate between feeling unique, like you stand alone among the race of men, and feeling completely alone in the very sameness of every human being?

Sometimes among all the experiences we share and emotions we go through during this life, the most pressing is our own expendability. How little of a mark we make, how the world would largely be the same with or without you, as if the universe was merely indifferent to your very being.

You've felt this.

I've felt this.

And yet, even with how insignificant we seem when considered rationally, our Father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ state that we are valued. That we are loved beyond reason, through the supernal reason of the divine.

In fact, "God so loved the world, that he gave his Only Begotten Son..."

Isn't that beautiful?

My Best Friend

A little more than five years ago, I was a little girl stepping into Sunday services at a church for the first time. I thought I might learn some truth there, perhaps the meaning of life (as one does when investigating a new religion), but never imagined that I'd find my best friend in the twelve year-old, slightly crazy girl chatting with the other Beehives. My stern, shy, serious self felt so isolated at the time, but this wonderful girl, Caitlyn, helped me learn to love others and have fun and grow together instead of sticking to myself.
 Now we're still little girls, only seventeen. I've grown in a lot of ways, and so has she. Her intellect is astounding, allowing a richness even to ordinary conversations. I love her for how she discusses politics and science and religion and relationships and everything else. For how she refuses to let her youth invalidate her thoughts and opinions.
I love how she wants to do a thousand different things. How she wants to understand the world through her pursuit of science, and how she wants to help illuminate the world for others by sharing what she's learned. The light in her eyes when she talks about learning is one of the most delightful things.
It's also superb to just sit and talk with her about boys or English accents or dinosaurs or heaven or whatever. To have fun and laugh and just be silly, or to compete to try to be mutually better.
I could go on and on about Caitlyn. Her compassion., her bravery, her defiance, her loyalty, her optimism and dedication.
Now she's going to do some more great things and make an even better life out at college. And she's going to rock it like the babe she is. So looking forward to sharing more adventures with her through the years.

Humoring me by acting in a production of Romeo and Juliet

YW Hike this year

At my 13th birthday party

Last time seeing each other before she left :)

I've often heard that a good guideline as to what you should wear is whether or not you'd be comfortable standing in front of the Savior in such a manner.
But imagine yourself next to the Savior right now. Imagine yourself standing in front of the Lord of all men, your Redeemer, who loves you with a love unfathomably deep. And imagine being preoccupied by what you're wearing.