Forgive

Oh Please, Oh Please, Oh Please learn to forgive here! 

If you refuse to forgive here where it is easy, how will you have the strength to forgive there where it is difficult?  

If you refuse to forgive temporal matters, how will you forgive Eternal matters?   

Returning Prodigal

As the diligent readers of this blog are aware, my primary focus on this blog is for the benefit of my relatives and friends, and the situations that arise in our lives, therefore much of what is written may be somewhat obscure for those reading who do not have a knowledge of the background of what is happening in the family.  This being the case, and since the audience of this blog is growing larger and reaching a greater demographic than what I had expected, I will endeavour to give a little more background information in the hopes that the posts will be viewed in context. 

For privacy I have decided to change personally identifiable information relating to the person(s) involved in this experience. 

Often our lives are touched by experiences that we would rather not have experienced, and sometimes our lives are touched by an evil that makes us quiver and shake, and would that we might not drink of the bitter cup. 

What do you do when a loved one, whom you loved with a pure love, starts to walk down that evil road?  What do you do when that loved one indulges in wickedness so vile that you vomit at the thought?  What do you do when that loved one commits heinous acts of rape for pleasure, and continually brags about stealing the virtue of one of God's innocent children?  How does a person deal with this? 

Often I post for the victims, because our Heavenly Father and His Son are Gods of the innocent; they are Gods of the oppressed, of the victims, and the victims will always come first with Father.  But this time, I want to share an experience I had concerning a relative of mine.  This is not an easy topic to write about, and there may be serious triggers here, so please use caution if you decide to read further. 

A relative, whom I care about so deeply, who was my very best friend in the whole wide world, had gone astray.  It began with pride, with little things: lying, deceiving, ridiculing, insulting, cheating, etc.  Then things began to digress to immorality.  Then once the pleasure of immorality sank in it began to get much worse.  My best friend began to make and execute plans to lure people into sexual immorality.  Until finally one day, this relative crossed a huge line and raped someone.  He told me that he was special and that the child should be grateful that she was raped by him, that it was a great honour for her to be raped by him. 

I felt so sick.  I started vomiting and couldn't stop for such a long time.  How could this happen?  How could my best friend be so evil? 

It didn't stop there, but I do not feel the need to go into more detail.  Suffice it to say that I was outraged, and could have nothing but compassion on the victim.  But what would happen to my relative?  He did things for which, according to scripture, he would spend an eternity in hell, and because we were the best of friends at one time, I was quite concerned that he would be cast off forever, never to return, never to progress, damned throughout all eternity.  And why shouldn't he be, after what he had done, after what he was doing?  Yet, a part of me thought of the Saviour.  I know that the victim will be saved, but what of the sinner?  What of the person who commits that terrible of crime against another human being? 

The thought of my love ones being lost to death and hell terrifies me.  I tried to help, counselling, admonishing, teaching, preaching, exhorting, being his friend, and giving all that I had, but nothing seemed to work.  I went to the Lord for help. 

A vision opened up in the which I saw the mercy of the Lord.  I do not want to go into detail in this post of what hell is like, or what a person who is consigned to that awful state must do to extricate himself.  But instead I would like to share that when a person who is in hell repents and becomes a good person, having removed all evil desires from their hearts, and when the time arrives that they are freed from the grips of hell, then they will be once again received by their loved ones. 

When the time came, myself and several others were there waiting when my relative came out of the darkness and ran toward us.  His face was shining, and his soul free from the evil that had once held him bound; I had my best friend back.  It was a most blissful reunion. 

We escourted him to the throne of God, where angels stood on either side of us, and Heavenly Father ran down from the throne, threw his arms around His returning child, and wept for joy. 

Heavenly Mother stood with her hand over her mouth, tears streaming over her cheeks, flowing from those eyes of perfect love, as she watched this touching reunion. 

The Son of God, who stood on the right hand of the throne, also witnessed the scene with tears running down his face. 

It was such a touching reunion.  Everyone could feel the absolute love emanating from the Father. 

The returning prodigal didn't feel worthy, and was so very concerned about not being worthy, but at this Heavenly Father just emanated more love for his returning child. 

Our Heavenly Father never gives up on His children, even when they go to hell.  He never stops His work.  He will never give up on anyone.  It is the will of God to seek that which is lost. 

I told the vision to my relative, who does seem to want to repent, but didn't think there was any hope or reason to repent, but this vision gave tremendous hope.  I am forever grateful for the mercy and love of God. 

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Let No One Set On My Servant

Behold, you have prayed and asked wherewith you may see my face and know that I am. Behold I say unto you, I have sent unto you my servant who holds the keys of this power to instruct you in my ways, so that I may have mercy upon you and show myself unto you, but behold, you have rejected him, and in rejecting him you have rejected me, you have slighted his counsel and mocked his teachings, which are my teachings, and unless you immediately repent I will withdraw my servant and his testimony will stand against you that you have rejected me, and you will not see my face until that great and terrible day. Amen. 

Let no man set on my servant for he that setteth on my servant setteth on himself, and damneth himself, And there is an end. 

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It Is Time To Stand For Christ

After His resurrection, Christ showed Himself to the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.  And, after introducing Himself, and giving power to baptize, immediately He began teaching His gospel, specifically repeating several times that there should be no disputations among His people, that disputations were not of Him.  Jesus very quickly moves through the first principles of His gospel, emphasizing the importance of repentance and baptism and becoming like a little child.  And He doesn’t stop there.  He continues by listing the behaviours that He expects of His people, which are quite thorough and, in my opinion, could take a great deal of time to master.  After this, our Lord makes this statement:

“… except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” 

He goes on to explain what the old commandments were, and what His new commandments are, which we must keep in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  They are: 

• Do not be angry, cuss/curse your fellows, nor call him an idiot.  And fix the things we have done wrong, and fast too. 
• Don’t lust after anyone. Don't allow it to enter into your heart!  This is adultery of the heart, and those who do this will be cast into hell. 
• Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and marrying her who is divorced is adultery. 
• Make no oaths, but be perfectly honest and honourable in your communications. 
• Do not return evil for evil (ie: Don’t hurt him back!)  Help those who make you help, give to those who ask, lend to those who would borrow. 
• Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you. 

These six new commandments, along with the beatitudes, are certainly a tall order to live up to.  And yet the Lord says: 

“Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” 

If the Lord commands it, then it is achievable, so do not be discouraged, keep pushing forward; after all the Lord has said that His blessings are not only for those who are keeping all His commandments, but also for "him that seeketh so to do"  What a glorious promise!  Even though we are not yet perfect, the Lord will still bless us if we love Him and are seeking to keep all His commandments! 

“Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  

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Daughter Rescued

Not too long ago, I took several of my children to the river to swim and enjoy the summer weather, and with my three year old there I spent a lot of time collecting colourful rocks for her. As my children played, I found myself praying for my little family.

And while I was looking one direction my ten year old daughter slipped on a rock and went under. The current was fast and could carry a person far downstream very quickly. As my daughter went under and took in her first mouthful of water, a hand reached down and pulled her back to the surface. She held onto a log and looked around to see who had pulled her up, but no mortal hand was near.

The mere thought of losing one of my children caused terror to well up inside me.  I felt horrible for not watching closer, prayed the Lord to forgive my negligence, and recommitted myself to greater vigilance.  Life is so precious, so fragile, and I am so grateful for Heavenly Father's watchful eye.  Yet, this thought is vain. Heavenly Father cares more for our children than we do, for they are His children as well and He has a plan for each of them, from which He will not deviate.  And the thought of losing one of His children is so terrifying to Him, that He will do all things to rescue a lost soul. 

Children are so amazingly pure and full of faith; they can see and recognize Heavenly experiences for what they are. No wonder Jesus advised us to become like little children. 

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

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Prophets Serve, They Never Rule!

Heard the funniest thing, someone was accusing me of being a prophet, as if that was a bad thing!  How funny is that?  Of course, I can see their concern, because they are so priestcraft, one-man, Lucifer oriented, that they actually believe that a prophet rules over others; no wonder they are worried.  If their evil doctrine were actually true, then they would not be happy because it would take away their hope that someday they could rule.  Then they would lose out on the evil desire of their hearts. 

But that doctrine of the devil is not true, and it will be overcome someday.  The truth is that all can talk to God, and many do.  I know of several who do.  To those who love power, priestcraft, status, and control, etc, you never will talk to God, because those things are anti-God, they are anti-Christ.  Your doctrine is of the devil and you will return to him whom you list to obey. 

To my fellow sojourners in Christ, stay the course.  Do not be deceived by the power-mongers.  Do not fall to their doctrine that you can only obtain your salvation through them.  Go directly to God, He is there waiting for you.  He loves you and will accept all who turn their hearts to Him. 

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Matthew 7

There was a boy who grew up in a farming community during a great depression as a result of a terrible drought.  Because of the drought most farms were decimated, and most farmers and their families suffered terrible losses, including watching many of their children die.  It was a horrific scene! 

The boy witnessed this loss all around him.  His family suffered, but not like the other families.  His dad was an exceptional farmer and had a much greater farming knowledge than the other farmers in the community, so his plants always produced slightly more than his neighbours.  So, even though they did not have anything to spare, they had enough to stay alive. 

This scene of carnage weighed heavily on the boy, and he realized that not all farmers tended their crops the same, but they all seemed to use different methods, and the farmers who used better methods survived the drought better than others.  And, based on the bottom line, his dad apparently used the best method of all, which meant that there must be a better way yet. 

The boy, touched by the plight of his neighbours, and having nowhere else to turn, went to the Lord in prayer and begged the Lord to show him a method that would work even in a drought, so that his family and neighbours might not suffer anymore. 

The Lord heard that prayer, and that very morning the Lord started teaching that boy.  And each day the boy would apply the new lessons that the Lord had taught.  This went on until the boy’s little garden flourished and produced more than an entire field.  The boy excitedly went about telling the other farmers this new method that the Lord had showed him, but he was met with horrible treatment. 

One farmer would say, “My father before me farmed this way, and his father before him farmed this way, and I am going to keep their memory alive and continue farming their way,” even though his fathers never experienced a drought. 

Another farmer said that, “If your way works so well boy, then your family should be well fed and healthy.”  The boy answered, “They are.”  The farmer retorted, “I saw you with the sniffles last year, so you are not perfectly healthy.  You are just trying to deceive me to lead me away from the traditions of my fathers.” 

Another farmer hated the boy because he saw the results and knew his own methods were lacking, then accused the boy, “You are using some sort of witchcraft or evil to get your bountiful harvests,” and he spread his lies and rumours far and wide, scaring others from even listening to what the boy had to say. 

The boy went home dejected.  His only hope had been to help his fellow man, but they rejected such a simple thing.  When he arrived home, he found that his garden was under threat and his neighbours were trying to ruin him.  It wasn’t long before some of his friends and neighbours drove the boy out of their community.  After all, they reasoned, if the Lord was going to reveal anything to anyone, He would reveal it to the lineage of the “chosen” families first, even though God has proclaimed:

“I am no respecter of persons” 

Go directly to God in person.  He is no respecter of persons.  He will accept everyone who repents and does His will.  You do not have to be of the “blessed” or “chosen” lineages.  You are a child of God.  Your Father will talk directly to you!  Go to Him; He is waiting for you. 

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Choose Your Own Resurrection

 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

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I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.  And I will add unto thy days fifteen years  

I was thinking about Hezekiah, and wondered; What if the Lord showed up with a couple of angels and told you that you had five more years to live, and whatever body you had at that time, He would resurrect you in that body?  What would you do?  Would you start to diet and exercise, and build the body that you want for eternity? 

It sounds almost too good to be true.  We could actually build whatever body that we want, and God will seal that body to us for eternity!  What a great opportunity. 

Now if only it were that easy. 

But wait, it is that easy! 

Our Father in Heaven has already promised that we can build our hearts into whatever we want, and when we are resurrected, He will seal that heart to us for eternity.  The same spirit that we cultivate here will rise with us in the resurrection. 

“Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God.  Nay, ye cannot say this: for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.”  (see Alma 34:31-36 for more detail) 

In other words, we will still be the same person there that we are here.  Just because we pass through the veil doesn’t mean that we will all of a sudden become a different person. 

Whatever heart we have when we die, is the heart that He will resurrect us with.  So be sure that it is the heart that you want for all eternity! 


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Nobody's Perfect

The Law given on Mt. Sinai to the Isrealites was a lower law, a law of ordinances, a law of performances.  To put it in Mormon terms, it is the law of the Telestial Kingdom.  It is the law that must be kept just to enter the lowest part of heaven.  It is quite sad to hear my family and friends justify their breaking of that law, with the excuse ‘Nobody’s perfect.’  Nobody’s Perfect?!?!  What kind of excuse is that?  Of course nobody’s perfect!  But how does that justify anyone in breaking such extreme laws?  Surely a person can be perfect of not killing?  Of not committing adultery?  Of not stealing, not lying, of honouring their parents, etc?  Those who refuse to keep the lower law, will go to hell. 

Christ came to bring a higher law.  The principle He taught is very easy to apply, just take the lower law and apply it to our hearts.  Do not break any of the commandments, even in our hearts.  Don’t even do those things in our hearts that would lead to breaking the commandments in our hearts.  This is the Terrestrial Law.  He gave the commission to Love One Another, and how could anyone do something against another, even in their hearts, if they loved them?  They couldn’t.  If a person cannot keep the law that governs a specific glory, then they cannot abide that glory, the two are inseparable. 

But what about repentance?  It is often stated that we can just repent and God will let us in (to whatever glory we fancy), but this is false.  Yes we can repent.  But repentance alone (how it is often referred to today) is not enough.  We must actually repent and live up to the requirements of the glory of heaven that we wish to obtain.  If we do not live up to the requirements, then we will not abide that glory. 

Nobody’s perfect.  We all need the saving grace of the atonement of Jesus Christ.  Turn to Him.  Abide in Him.  He is mighty to forgive, and mighty to save.  He will never stop His work, until everyone that can be saved, is saved.  He loves you, and will never give up on you. 

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