Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved.They love to “do the works of Abraham” when it pleases them, but they never seem to want to do the other works of Abraham like the offering up of their only son on the altar! I wonder why????
The same edict was given that these things must be done by command of God. In Jacob we read that it is only acceptable to live plural marriage when God commands it, and yet people do it just because they read about it. Then shouldn’t the same principle apply? Shouldn’t they sacrifice their children upon the altar, now that they have read about it? Or are they taking the name of the Lord in vain and just claiming(pretending) that God has commanded them to live plural marriage?
We are only to live plural marriage when commanded. Jacob says this, and in D&C 132 the Lord also says this. Verse 7 is quite implicit that He will not accept a marriage that is not appointed to us, and He will appoint only that which He and The Father ordained unto us before the world was. So those who are living this way better have been commanded to do it, and not just ‘felt’ that it was right. All things must be done in the Lord's way. And those who didn’t know this, and wonder what they should do, you had better repent of everything and purify your soul to perfection and be absolutely one with your spouses. This is not an area with which you want to take chances!
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So I am a mother of 5 small children and I read through your entire blog while I was up with my baby last night. Thank you so much for sharing! Just a question for you. When my husband was 17 his parents we going through an ugly divorce. He prayed to God for comfort and for 2 or more hours prayed with intense focus pleading with God to send a messenger. A light began to swirl before his eyes, when he opened them the light was still there in his bedroom. It grew brighter and his heart burned with love and warmth and he knew an angel was coming, but he feared and said, "Thank you God, I'm not ready!" Instantly the light vanished. He has lamented with experience for years, but it has given him great faith. After this he ran upstairs to his mother and embraced her and told her he loved her (which was a big deal because they were often at odds at this time) We both feel the angel had a message for him, and now maybe us. Any thoughts on bringing him back? My husband has since faced his fears and would welcome a messenger, but I worry I have some nervousness about entertaining angels. Any advice on overcoming fear? I worry my agency gets in the way of what I really want :( We have had some intense encounters with the adversary that I have to admit makes me nervous. I would love any thoughts. I am always seeking God in prayer, but I really felt lead to read your blog and reach out. So, no pressure, but thanks again for what your have shared!
ReplyDeleteDear Smith Family,
DeleteI feel so much in common with you! For I have done that myself. It is so very hard! So many times I have backed out because of fear, and then in sackcloth and ashes return to find a loving Father and big brother that didn’t even seem to notice my failure. They just love so unconditionally, that we find that we are always welcome. They are there always; always waiting for us to come back through the veil.
About five posts ago, I had an experience where I almost backed out from a great blessing. At first I was so afraid to be in the presence of someone so pure, but then longed for that pure Motherly love so much that I no longer remembered my fear. All I wanted was to be in Her presence. And that is one of the keys, that we want goodness so much, so very much, that we don’t even notice our worldly fears any longer. They just vanish like mist before the morning sun, and all we are left with is the beauty lit by that Heavenly Light.
Fear is a Major no-no when approaching the throne of God. It is a huge stumbling block, a veil that keeps us from seeing God face to face. We must not only learn to love with that perfect love as Christ taught, but also to accept that pure love, which Heavenly Beings have for us. Standing in the presence of pure love is amazing. It is intense. And it can be overwhelming! But it is so very worth it. We must desire that pure Love of God, desire it so much that we are willing to do all things to have it, even give up our fear.
To address Aaron’s experience when he was 17, that is amazing! Such a faith building experience. And to hear that he has overcome his fear, and is now ready to move forward in that area is truly great news! Fear is such a stumbling block, but the moment it is overcome, the blessings flow. And as long as the fear does not return, the blessings continue to flow.
DeleteThere have been many times when I feared and I lost the desired blessings. (One time the Lord came right out and told me that it was because I feared.) But as soon as I stopped looking at my fears, stopped thinking about them, stopped feeling even the tiniest bit of them, then the blessing flowed again.
I believe there were a few very important ingredients during that time when Aaron was 17. He was going through a very rough time and so was very humbled by it, broken hearted. He was contrite, willing to do anything the Lord asked of him, willing to go forth in righteousness, to do whatever it takes. Nothing else mattered. These are the same ingredients that need to be done today, and they will give the same result. The same thing that he did then, can be done now, and it will give the same results if all the ingredients are there. I am a very practical person, and I believe, and it has been my experience, that if our Fathers believed and behaved a certain way and they had the ministering of angels, then it follows that if we believe and behave the same way, then we will have the same results.
Another thing to consider is, often, when we pray and ask for a large blessing, like the ministering of angels, the Lord will send us a trial. And not always a normal sized trial, but a big trial where we can easily justify that we are in the right to respond in a sometimes less than Christ-like fashion. But there is a purpose to this trial. In order to gain such a specific blessing, we need to have eternal mercy completely on our side. And to have eternal mercy completely on our side, we need to pass that trial in Christ-like fashion. (D&C 58:2-4, one of my favourites) The blessing often comes after the trial of our faith. Then when we pass that trial in a Christ-like manner, we may then ask again for the desired blessing, and consequently be put on the path to obtain that blessing.
In response to your comment about nervousness about entertaining angels, and having intense encounters with the adversary, if I could say anything it would be to never give up. Don’t give up. Keep praying. Keep repenting. Keep being absolutely one with your spouse, with the most loving kindness. Never look for iniquity in each other. Take the other person’s sins upon each other. Carry them with the most pure love of Christ. Keep helping your neighbours. Keep serving. Keep going until the angels just naturally gravitate to you; and they will. We have all made mistakes. Many of us have outright rebelled against God. It is a terrible feeling, but we can start progressing again. We must understand that no amount of surface repentance will do it. We must have that complete change of heart of which is testified in the Book of Mormon.
Delete"And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."
~ Mosiah 5:2
We must give up the world and strive for righteousness and only righteousness, which must be our ONLY desire and our ONLY effort.
The Lord loves you so very much and will do all things for you. Don’t forget, both Sarah and Abraham laughed when they were first told that they would have Isaac, and yet neither the angels, nor the Lord, ran away. In fact, one time they even stayed for supper. Our Heavenly Father, His Only Begotten, and their Angels love us so very much and have tremendous compassion and will not have a problem visiting with you.
Pray for each other often, with a pure love,
Your brother,
Joseph
Thank you so much for the thoughtful response. It is extremely comforting to me because a couple of your points are things I have felt specifically would be pleasing to the Lord that we should do :) So thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank-you for your kind response. I'm glad there was something useful in there. Please keep us updated, if you feel inspired to share, when the angel returns.
ReplyDeleteYes, we will indeed. I feel your insight into a large trial coming we're heaven sent. We are passing through some serious trials, and indeed it is tempting to respond in a way that would seem just, but I truly am desperate to have eternal mercy on our side. I am so grateful for that insight. God is good to his children, in our weakness.
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