Drunkards Of Ephriam

There is a movement that seems to be taking off with speed.  It is the justification of not following the advice of the Word of Wisdom, so much so that some are using Sacrament scriptures to justify excessive drinking, especially of the Sacramental wine. 

 8 And it came to pass that when he said these words, he commanded his disciples that they should take of the wine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might drink of it.

 9 And it came to pass that they did so, and did drink of it and were filled; and they gave unto the multitude, and they did drink, and they were filled. 

Being filled does not mean filled with bread and wine, but filled with the Holy Spirit. Then when filled, administer to others. So, how much it takes to be filled with the Holy Spirit is subjective, not to mention that the officiator must have true power in the priesthood to actually receive the full promise of the ordinance.  Then, once filled, stop and administer to others. 

This also introduces the concept that one must first gain the approval and authority from Heaven in order for the ordinance to have efficacy, so that those who partake can be cleansed and filled with the Holy Ghost. 

Those who administer should partake first, be filled with the Holy Spirit first, then when they are pure, administer to others. They do not partake first for any status reason, for they are to be the servants of servants, but to be cleansed first before administering to others, that they may perform their duties in righteousness.  If they partake first for any status reason, they are impure, they will not have the Holy Spirit, and cannot administer in righteousness.  They are to "wash their hands first", not because they are special, but because they don't want to contaminate the bread and wine that they serve to their children, they don't want to contaminate the souls of those to whom they administer. 

Turn to the Lord.  Perform His ordinances the way He says, and that which He promises will be given immediately according to His word. 

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We Must Accept The Truth

The wicked take the truth to be hard and won't accept it.  They argue with it, get angry with it, fight against it. 

The truth is that Jesus commanded us to be perfect.  Nephi said that the Lord gives no command unless He has also prepared a way to accomplish the thing which He commands.  So then, there is a way to be perfect.  So why argue about it.  Why not put into practice the entire gospel that Jesus taught; to repent, lay down our old life, and rise to a new life in Him; to get better; to keep progressing. 

I have had my challenges.  I grew up in a redneck home, subjected to abuse, and was taught all kinds of nasty things.  I fought very hard to get those things out of me.  And you know what?  There are still lots of left over challenges and ongoing consequences from those years.  I am not perfect; but I will not ever preach that there is no need to be!  I will never say something so anti-Christ like: "Nobody is perfect, and nobody can be, and God doesn't expect us to be." 

I say this is anti-Christ because it is exactly opposite to what Christ taught. 

I am not perfect, but I keep striving to get a little better every day.  And so many times I have failed.  But Jesus is there for me, and for you.  Don't settle for mediocrity in your morals just because you are not perfect.  Keep striving.  Keep progressing.  So what if it would take several lifetimes!  Keep progressing anyway.  It is not how perfect you have become that gains us entry into Christ's kingdom, but it is which direction we are consistently going.  Stand for Christ and preach what Christ taught, even if you are not perfect at it yourselves! 

Do not get upset or angry just because we are expected to keep all the commandments? 

I am not perfect, but I am not going to lie and say that we are not supposed to do what Christ taught.  But we must be constantly striving for it. 

I have made a lot of big mistakes in my life, and Heavenly Father knows this, yet because of the importuning of His son, Jesus Christ, He has forgiven me and let me come into His presence.  Does this mean that I have accomplished everything that I could of, had I not done those wicked things that I did?  No!  Yes, I have been forgiven, and by His grace have I progressed (I still have a long, long way to go!), but I will never have what I could have had, had I not done those things in the first place.  But there is hope.  There is always hope.  A person can repent, truly repent, and seek for the grace of Christ.  His grace is sufficient for all those who repent and humble themselves before him.  His grace is offered to all the penitent.  He loves all of His children, and wants them all to come home. 

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Bragging Is Not Repentance!

 43 By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.

Sitting around a campfire, bragging about all the nasty things you used to do, is not repentance! 

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Different Types Of Visions

 There are many different types of visions, and they come in different forms.  Don't be afraid if the different types of visions have various new age names, like astral projection, etc.  There are many gifts of God, and it seems that most of the time they are symbolic.  The gift of prophecy must be accompanied by the gift of revelation.  The two go hand in hand.  Otherwise, how will one understand the prophecy if the meaning wasn't revealed?  The same goes for other gifts like speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues, faith to heal and the faith to be healed, etc.  And usually these complimentary gifts are found in two separate people.  Heavenly Father is a great believer in humility, eliminating pride, and having people work together seems to help accomplish that goal. :) 

About a week or two ago, I was hiking along a wilderness mountain trail when an omen crossed my path.  I stopped and prayed.  I prayed for my family, for those who will yet join my family, for my friends, and I prayed fervently, sending out energy, to any and all who would need help.  While I prayed I saw the scene before me and then backed away high in the sky, moved forward and zoomed back in to a new spot on the trail.  Some call this sort of thing a type of astral projection.  At this spot a big brown mamma bear came running down the trail at me.  She stopped, scuffed the ground, made growls and noises at me.  She walked to one side of the trail, then off to the other side.  Soon, she left the trail and I could pass.  Then I zoomed out and back to my current location. 

Don't be afraid of the gifts of God.  Pray for the interpretation.  If it is of God, He will provide the interpretation, either directly to you, or through another.  Remember, the Lord does like to share His gifts.  Don't turn away from a correct interpretation just because it didn't come through you!  Don't reject the interpretation just because it doesn't fit into your paradigm, or because you think it should mean something different.  Be humble before the Lord.  He will not forsake you.  Be humble and work together for the glory of God. 

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