A Call To The Servants Of God

The Vision 

On 13 March 2013 @ 1913hrs I found myself wrapped in vision of the Lord. 

There was a city being built, and a huge temple being built in the centre of the city.  It was a huge golden temple, which glittered in the sunlight.  The temple had at least six domed peaks with spires, and one big one in the centre.  The temple was covered in gold, with a great gold throne inside.  It was a throne for the Lord, yet someone else sat upon it.  It was supposed to be a temple of our Lord, with a great city around it.  The city was surrounded by a great green land with low rolling hills, with farms throughout.  It was a very lovely place. 

Red Snake 

There was an army, horsemen from the north with huge missiles on their backs, and as they rode their horses to the edge of the hill the horses jumped into the air.  The missiles ignighted and carried the warriors through the air, toward the city.  Some of the missiles and warriors were stopped by what seemed like a great force field around the city.  Some missiles penetrated through the force field and began to destroy the city.  Some of the missiles struck the wall of the temple, but couldn’t break it.  But eventually the wall weakened and a few of the missiles broke through and went toward the throne, but there was another force field around the throne that they couldn’t penetrate.  The throne shook mightily, but remained standing. 

During the attack the true priests of God, dressed in white robes, were gathered outside the city.  They stood, hundreds of them, perhaps thousands, on the side of the hill and witnessed the destruction. 

Evil reigned after the destruction.  Doctrine changed, but people were still praying and behaving as if what they were doing was good, yet they were following Satan.  They had been taught incorrectly, taught that good was evil and that evil was good.  Some actually believed that they were doing the will of God.  Evil spread throughout the world.  Darkness reigned.  The sky grew dark and the gold on the temple and on the throne no longer glimmered, but looked dark and shadowy.  The old king was gone. 

Black Snake 

In a land southward, many leaders were gathered together to choose a new king, and after much contention they did; a man with dark sunken eyes. 

When the new king was chosen everyone cheered.  Celebrations were held in many countries around the world.  In particular, a green-white-red flag, a blue-white-blue flag,  a red flag with stars.  Great multitudes of people cheered and waved their flags.  The city was rebuilt and the new king gathered huge, enormous armies around him, and they went forth throughout the land causing death and destruction where ever they went.  Great destructions lay everywhere.  Murder and evil reigned.  The new king sat on the throne and taught polluted, adulterated doctrines which spread darkness throughout the kingdom.  They sought the true priests of God and murdered all the true followers of Christ that they could find.   

The priests of God, full of pride, thought they could survive alone, relying upon God to save them, but they would not listen to God.  They were filled with the pride of thinking, that since God talked to them, they were special.  They would not gather together and work together with each other, and so they were overcome by the world.  One by one they fell.  Some were killed, others just fell to the world, becoming evil like the world.  But they all fell because they would not harken to the word of the Lord.  They should have been one as the Lord commanded.  They should have loved one another as He instructed them to.  They should have united together in the service of their Lord, so they would not be overcome by the destructions. 

Offering Tobacco In The Correct Way 

At last, only about 6 or 7 true followers of Christ were left, and they were gathered together in hiding to save their lives.  They knelt in a circle around the altar to pray, and a beam of light shone down from heaven, upon the altar, upon them.  The Lord smiled down upon them because they were united, because they had love one to another, because they no longer loved themselves, they were the epitome of humillity and meekness. 

A great huge beast, with huge wings, a dragon, which looked almost like an enormous bat, stood over the priests of God.  It was black and tried to encircle the priests with it’s great wings.  But the light from heaven shone down on the priests.  They were the last of the true priests of God, and as long as there were true priesthood holders gathered together praying, there would be a place for the Saviour to come.   

The Priests entered into a covenant with God, that they would stand as sentinals, that they would hold a prayer vigil around the altar, never ceasing; the altar grew larger into the form of a bed; and the scripture was said, that the Son of Man hath no where to lay His head; and the Priests of God covenanted that they would hold a vigil, that they would be in constant prayer, so that no evil could penetrate, so that the Lord would be safe while he slept, so that the Lord could have a place to lay His head, so that the Lord could rest! 

The group of priests in white robes were the last of the true followers of Christ.  They were the nucleus of Zion, and they prayed until the Lord came.  The Great Light came down from heaven upon those priests, and dissolved the beast that surrounded them.  The light shone down upon the altar, and burst forth from the altar and spread upon the face of the earth, and shattered and dissolved all darkness and evil.  The evil of the king’s city was vanquished, and in the middle of the evil king’s city the temple and courtyard were also destroyed.  All that was recognizable in the courtyard was the spire coming out of the ground, which slowly sank into the ground. 

As the light burst forth upon the earth, darkness dissipated and the sky became a clear, brilliant blue.  On a green hill far away, a new spire grew out of the ground.  It grew and grew and reached the sky.  Then underneath it grew a huge white temple, but very unlike the old one.  This one spread wide, offering peace and safety to the Lord’s people, and glittered brilliantly in the sunlight as if covered in sequins.  The wings of the temple grew as wide as needed to accommodate all who would come.  The landscape changed and the temple grew upon a huge green hill, surrounded by a countryside of lush rolling hills. 

Within the temple there were at least six circular altars in a semi-circle, and one larger circular altar in the centre.  Above each altar there was a portal in the ceiling through which shone a light from heaven, each light being a different colour of the rainbow.  Within each light, on the altar stood a heavenly being.  Above the centre altar was a larger portal through which shone a most brilliant white light, in which our Saviour, the God of Peace, stood. 

The Call 

The Lord told me to seek out those Priests in White.  And so I have been.  Those Priests in White, who do not want to be destroyed, must humble themselves and gather together and work together, sharing all their various gifts in order to be not overtaken by the world.  If they do not humble themselves and work together under God, they will be overtaken.  This is the warning voice of the Lord! 

The Lord has provided a method which will help those of His servants get into His presence to get their instructions straight from Him.  All those Priests in White, who want to receive further light and knowledge from the Lord Himself are invited to enter into this order to learn the ways of the Lord, that you may speak directly, face to face, with your Saviour. 

See the previous post "When Will Zion Come". 

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Prophets, Prophets, And More Prophets

It always amazes me, the "prophets" who use false profiles, and/or send out their minions to gather information.  Then take that information back to their "prophet", who then claim that information for their own.  All in an effort to convince their followers that they have a connection to the Lord. 

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My Sheep Hear My Voice!

Every once in a while, I get asked a few questions.  Unfortunately, sometimes the questions are from dishonest intent.  But that is nothing out of the ordinary.  There are always people that think they are sneaky, and do their best to be deceptive, thinking of course that they are justified in this thing, even though the scripture expressly warns them against such behaviour.  Nevertheless, there are some questions that I am concerned about.  They are questions that ask things like:  How do I talk to God; do I stand in a certain position?  Do I hold my hands in a certain way?  Do I have to stand on one foot while I pray?  Do I need to pray under a specific sign of the priesthood? 

Let me start by saying, there is no specific way of standing or any other thing you must do to get the Lord to answer your prayers.  Although, if the Lord prompts you to do a certain thing, then do it.  The Lord looks upon the heart.  And He will answer the pure in heart; those who hear Him and follow His commandments!  The Lord loves to answer us.  He answers whether we hear it or not!  It is up to us to learn to hear His voice!  To hear His voice is an invaluable tool!  It cannot be stressed enough! 

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 

Mosiah 26:21
And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive. 

Mosiah 26:28
Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day. 

Doctrine and Covenants 45:6
Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts; 

Doctrine and Covenants 84:60
Verily, verily, I say unto you who now hear my words, which are my voice, blessed are ye inasmuch as you receive these things; 

There are so many references, look them up, these are only a few.  Learn to hear the voice of the Lord!  Do whatever it takes; improve yourself, raise your standards, keep importuning the Lord until He blesses you! 

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Love Thy Neighbour

I love these verses from Leviticus: 

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the lord. 
~Leviticus 19:17-18  

"Thou shalt not hate thine brother in thine heart!"  It seems almost self-explanatory!  And yet how often is it that we feel one way in our hearts, while outwardly, we act differently.  It is best to reconcile the inner and outer man.  Let us be certain to have no hate, nor indeed any type of animosity toward our brother in our heart. 

"Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him."  In love toward our neighbour, we are to 'rebuke our neighbour', tell him of his folly.  We are to do this out of love for him, out of fear that he will lose his soul, out of fear that we will lose our brother.  We are not to rebuke our neighbour so that we can hurt him by the rebuke, remember, we are to show forth an increase of love after the rebuke, so that we retain our brother, and the bonds of love grow. 

"Thou shalt not avenge."  There is only one reason to include this line here, and that is because our neighbour has done something against us.  The Lord says, "Thou shalt not avenge."  There is only one reason to avenge, and that is that our neighbour has caused us a problem, and so the Lord says to not avenge.  So, even if our neighbour does something to us, we are not to avenge.  I know I am repeating myself, but all too often people try to find some excuse as to why they are justified in seeking some sort of vengeance. 

"Nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people."   Not even are we to bear any grudge against each other!  Not even to have a hard feeling against each other in our heart.  Of course, we would never even have an occasion to have a hard feeling if we were not wronged, so this must apply after we have been wronged.  I say after, because only evil would exist in a person's heart should they have a grudge when no occasion was given.  Even if a person feels entirely justified, we are to have no grudge against the 'children of our people.'  And before anyone justifies that term, do a little more reading in Leviticus, because the Lord addresses that as well. 

"But thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  How do we love ourselves?  Often we are hardest on ourselves, but yet we still give ourselves another chance.  In fact, chance after chance after chance.  We still love ourselves, we still try to improve ourselves.  We still feed, clothe, and care for ourselves; should we not do the same for our brother who has trespassed against us?  Yes, of course!  How else could we love our neighbour as ourselves? 

"I am the Lord."  It is a common theme for the Lord to sign His work, to let people know that it is His word.  Sometimes the prophets will use the term, 'Thus saith the Lord.'  But in each case this means something more!  Here the Lord is not only reminding us of His covenant, and not only that He is the giver of that covenant, but also to remind us of His love for us, the recipients of His covenant.  He is telling us that He will keep His end of the covenant, that this is the way to be one with Him, that we who keep the covenant will inherit.  He will not let us down, but will fulfill all His words! 

P.S.  Would someone like to apply this to the positive, to the Zion mindset? 

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Facts

No point confusing people with facts! 

God loves you whether you believe it or not! 

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Forgiveness Talk

This talk on forgiveness was given by a friend of mine.  It is very pertinent to those who would like to look deeper into Godhood. 

Matthew16:9 Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  11 Give us this day our daily bread.  12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

We all have debts we owe, and debts to forgive, so let me talk with you about forgiveness of debt and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

We all have financial debts. We make minimum payments, in very small installments, when compared to the actual debt.  We also have spiritual debt. Not only are we are responsible for repaying our financial debts, but also our spiritual debts as well, and that is where the Atonement comes in.

Matthew 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Before we came to this earth, we made agreements with each other. Therefore, we became the creditor and debtor, before we were ever born. We had specific things we wanted to learn and accomplish in this life, so that our spirits could learn and grow. But, in order to do that, there had to be one willing to sacrifice and create opposition FOR YOU. So that you would be able to learn those lessons.

This is someone you loved… who agreed to come into your life and cause such pain, such grief, such heartache, such sorrow that you would have no other choice but to change and grow your heart, to be able to overcome it. Just like a seed that is planted in the ground, it had to go through such tremendous change and growth that it literally burst open, before it could become the beautiful flowering plant, or tender tree.

I’m sure this thing which we asked them to do was SO HARD, that they didn’t  want to do it. But, we begged and said, you have to do this for me… There is no one else who loves me enough to do this, except you.  And they agreed to do this very hard thing which would offend us, break our hearts, and tear us down. And in return, we agreed to love them and forgive them, unconditionally.

We come to earth with no knowledge of those friends and those agreements, but they come into our lives, just as they agreed. They perform their service to us, just as they agreed.

And We… Are hurt. We are angry. We curse them. We hate them. We shut them out of our lives and we talk about them behind their back. We gossip and speak poorly of this person… This friend who loved us SO MUCH that they came here and agreed to do this very hard thing, just for us.

Maybe this is why Jesus said:
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  Luke 6:37 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Matthew 18: Jesus talks about a king and his servants. One who owed 10,000 talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay,   his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.   27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owes.  29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

Are we like him who receives forgiveness for our debt, and then turns to demand payment from another?

Matthew 5: 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

We have a responsibility to forgive ALL those who have trespassed against us, if we expect to be forgiven of the debts we have. Jesus said, I will forgive, who I will forgive. But of you it is required to forgive all men.

Maybe this is because HE knows of all those agreements that we made in our pre earth life.

Forgiveness is for the forgiver! It releases us from the spiritual prison we have created for ourselves with the bars and bricks of debt. Forgiveness is like taking the sacrament and truly putting the Atonement of Jesus Christ to work for us. It sets US free. It is the key to the open door, and all we have to do is walk through that open door, when we are ready.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

I stand before you today as a sinner, a beggar, a borrower, a thief. One who has outstanding debts to those who I have made agreements with, and those who have made agreements with me. But, I work every single day with the help of the Lord, to be made aware of those debts so that I can pay back the ones I can, seek forgiveness of the ones I can’t and trust in the Grace of my Savior Jesus Christ and the Atonement to cover the rest, after all that I can do.

Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Jesus said, Love one another. Forgive one another. Repay your debts. Go make things right with your brother. Repent, and I the Lord will remember your sins no more.

Now concerning those loved ons who came to us to provide us opposition in this life that we might grow and become who we desired to be while in this mortal existence. Imagine if you have not forgiven them. What will the Lord say to you when the day comes that you lay their debts at His feet and demand payment in full.

Who really owes the debt, unto whom?

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in Mark 14
3 ¶And Jesus being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  4 And there were some that murmured against her. 

6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her?             -8 She hath done what she could:

After all that I can do, when I stand before my Lord and Savior… There will be many who will stand as a witness against me. Those who will murmur against me, because of the outstanding debts which they have against me. They will seek payment in full, or vengeance of the wrath of the God against me, for all that I owe and have not paid.  And I, will fall upon my face and beg forgiveness from them and from Him.

I will plead the Atonement on my behalf. I will remember, and they will remember the agreements which we made with each other.  And I hope to hear Him say,

Why do ye trouble this woman? Let her alone… She hath done for you, all that she could.Her sins are forgiven, and I the Lord remember them no more.

In Jesus name, Amen. 

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The Deception Of The Window

The churches are like a window, looking into heaven.  The fly keeps beating his head against the window trying to get into heaven.  And no amount of trying to convince him to just go through the door will change his mind.  Because he can see heaven through the window.  He cannot understand to move back from the window to see and go out the door which is right beside the window.  And that is how the devil likes it.  He loves seeing all those dead flies in the window sill.  He loves for people to waste away their lives bashing their heads against the church windows wasting their lives and ending up dead in the end. 

Please go out the door into heaven!  The Lord is right there waiting for you!  💖  

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Us vs Them

At times, when we go through great challenges, often the Lord seems so far away.  At these times there may be a tendency to pray as if the Lord were distant; come help us, save us, we are trying so hard, etc.  This type of language stems from a deeper belief that the Lord is really distant, that He is doing His own thing, and that we are not really on the same team.  This type of belief and language hurts our Heavenly Father's feelings.  You are His work, you are His goal, your progression is the desires of His heart. 

Over Anxiety

"Behold, my beloved brethren, I will unfold this mystery unto you; if I do not, by any means, get shaken from my firmness in the Spirit, and stumble because of my over anxiety for you." 
~ Jacob 4:18  

I have all too often seen a person struggling with something precious for them, praying to the Lord, struggling in the spirit, searching for the answer, but because the problem is so dear to them, they are unable to hear the answer.  They have, what Jacob refers to as, over anxiety.  This over anxiety is a great deal of stress, that impedes our ability to think clearly.  It makes it ever so difficult to hear the answers we so desperately seek, especially if that answer is about a dear friend or family member.  I myself have recently experienced this.  I have a dear friend that is going through a huge trial, and has asked me for my prayers.  I have approached the Lord, but because of my over anxiety of concern for my friend and our relationship, I could not hear all the answer, so I also asked a different friend for his prayers.  The Lord was so kind,so as to give the answer to my other friend, who in turn gave it to me, of which I prayed about, and can pass it on to the friend who requested it of me.  To work together, to let go of any and all pride, to love each other; is this not what it is all about? 

On another note, there is the pride issue: 

It is indulgent pride to believe that God will not speak to another person on your behalf.  To believe that the Lord will only tell you, and 'if He tells another and not you, then it must be false', is false.  The Lord loves all of us, and speaks to whomever will listen, and a person will not progress if he does not learn to accept information from the Lord, even if it comes through another.  Of course, the Lord expects us to ask Him for confirmation.  He wants to talk to all of His children.  This is how chaos is avoided, and how we will all eventually see alike. 

God never gives all gifts, nor all information, nor all revelation to just one servant.  He does love all of us and will bless us through others as well.  The sooner this lesson is learned, the sooner a person may progress. 

Let us all work together.  Let us all seek God together.  Let us all love each other with that Divine Love that God sheds forth on all His children.

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Progress

I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. 
~ TPJS pg. 331 

The Gospel is a gospel of progression.  We must be ever learning, ever progressing.  That means getting better.  We have a tremendously long way to go.  And when the Lord, or the Lord's servant, teaches you something that is against your traditions, then go to the Lord and ask for further light and knowledge.  Ask for that witness of the Spirit that is promised in D&C 9.  Break down the question into very small segments if you need to.  Then go back to the Lord and ask for confirmation.  Just keep going to the Lord. 

If the church knew all the commandments, one-half they would condemn through prejudice and ignorance. 
~ TPJS pg. 112 

There are many commandments.  The Lord says, that He will bless us with 'commandments not a few'.  Of course all those commandments come from the first commandment, to Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, might, mind, and strength.  But until we learn that type of love, the Lord in His infinite mercy, grants us more and more, until we come to a full understanding of that type of love. 

Having a knowledge of God, we begin to know how to approach him, and how to ask so as to receive an answer. 
~ TPJS pg. 309 

And how does this knowledge come?  Through our belief in correct principles!  The principles must be correct, in order that our faith may bear fruit. 

Section 9 of the Doctrine and Covenants is a great place to start.  Moroni chapter 10 also gives great insight.  Alma chapter 32 teaches us how to grow our faith, so that it may bear good fruit.  In fact, study the Book of Mormon prophets, and watch how they got answers.  Pay close attention to the converts of the sons of Mosiah!  They reached out, broken hearted, totally contrite before the Lord.  Completely willing to give up all their traditions.  Just copy them! 

And because of the knowledge of this man, he could not be kept from beholding within the veil: and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear: for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting; wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus, and he did minister unto him. 
~ Ether chapter 1 pg. 545  (BoM 1st edition) 

We can all progress to this point; the point at which we see Jesus.  What do you think this story is in the Book of Mormon for?  It is there because we can obtain it.  Why would the Lord put this process in the Book of Mormon if it was not for us to follow?  It is there for us to follow.  The Book of Mormon is a blueprint for us to follow to get to God.  Follow it! 

And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.  Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God; But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fullness of his glory.
~ D&C 84:21-24 

The fullness of His glory!  Moses was trying to get all of Israel into the very presence of God.  Not just one or two special guys, but all of them!!  But they turned him down!  They had their traditions.  Did they give the same excuses as we hear today?  To claim their traditions were all that mattered, that this was the way they always worshiped, that this was the way their ancestors worshiped, etc.  And that God would accept them.  Yes, it is true that God will accept them if they live a lower law; they will be accepted into a lower degree of glory.  They will never enter into the "rest" of the Father, which rest is the "fullness of his glory." 

If it was possible for the children of Israel to enter into His rest, then it is possible for us today to enter into His rest!  If God wanted it so bad, for His children to enter into His rest, so bad that He was "angry" when they chose not to, why would anyone think this is not still what God wants for us today???? 

There are a great many wise men and women too in our midst who are too wise to be taught; therefore they must die in their ignorance, and in the resurrection they will find their mistake. 
~ TPJS pg. 309 

The Father of all creation wants you in His very presence.  It is time to progress.  It is time to give up the world.  It is time to give up your traditions for what the Lord is teaching.  It is time to go to the Lord and ask Him.  Ask Him.  Embrace Him.  And never let go! 

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To Know God

A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. 
~ TPJS pg. 217 

But what is knowledge?  What does it mean to "know"?  What kind of knowledge is he talking about? 

"I want to ask this congregation, every man, woman and child, to answer the question in their own heart, what kind of a being God is?  Ask yourselves; turn your thoughts into your hearts, and say if any of you have seen, heard, or communed with him.  This is a question that may occupy your attention for a long time.  I again repeat the question -- What kind of a being is God?  Does any man or woman know?  Have any of you seen him, heard him, or communed with him?  Here is the question that will, peradventure, from this time henceforth occupy your attention.  The scriptures inform us that "This is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." 

If any man does not know God, and inquires what kind of a being he is, -- if he will search diligently his own heart -- if the declaration of Jesus and the apostles be true, he will realize that he has not eternal life; for there can be eternal life on no other principle." 
TPJS pg. 137 

I submit to you, there is only one real way for anyone to know anything, and that is to actually, personally, have the experience for yourself. 

To know what salt tastes like, to know what fire feels like, to know what God is truly like, can never be known by simply reading the scriptures, nor by listening to all the firsthand experiences in the world, but can be only truly known by actual first hand experience ourselves.  

And then, at that day, before the Son of Man comes, the kingdom of heaven shall be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 

And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, Ye know me not. 
Matthew 25:1-11  JST

Now is the time to get to know God.  This is the time to fill our lamps with oil.  This is the life in which we are to meet God in person.  Just like in the parable, those who wait, until the bridegroom comes, to fill their lamps with oil, or in other words, to experience being in the presence of God and learning His characteristics directly from Him in person, will find they are too late. 

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent." 
John 17:3 

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The First Principle Of The Gospel

These are incomprehensible ideas to some, but they are simple.  It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God Himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; and I will show it from the bible. 
~ TPJS pgs. 345-346 

Verily, thus sayith the Lord:  It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am. 
~ D&C 93:1 

The problem is:  As soon as anyone hears of a person having a prophetic experience, actually seeing and interacting with God in person, that person is put down as an impostor, and denounced, as if such a thing could not happen today!  There are many excuses, most common among them seem to be that God would only talk to those in certain lines and positions of authority, yet, I say to you that God has always talked to those who would listen, regardless of authority.  God has so often proved over and over again, that He can do His own work.  All those who limit what God can do, will be damned.  Indeed, they damn themselves.  The Prophet Joseph said:  "I say to all those who are disposed to set up stakes for the Almighty, you will come short of the Glory of God." 
~ TPJS pg. 321 

God has not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known onto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them! 
~ TPJS pg.  149

My friends, it is your privilege to progress, to purify yourselves, to approach God in person, to see with your own eyes, to hear with your own ears, to touch with your own hands, to actually know for yourselves the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent.  To know your Heavenly Parents, and the destiny available to you!  Seek the face of God always!  Never give up!! 

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Set Aside Mortal Thoughts

Now therefore set thine house in order, and reprove thy people, comfort such of them as be in trouble, and now renounce corruption, let go from thee mortal thoughts, cast away the burdens of man, put off now the week nature, and set aside the thoughts that are most heavy unto thee, and haste thee to flee from these times. 

~ II Esdras 14:13-15

 This scripture really stands out to me.  It is the advice the Lord gave to Esdras when he told him to prepare to leave this mortality to reside with the Son and others of the prophets until the times be ended.  I love the fact that the Lord says; "let go from thee mortal thoughts, cast away the burdens of man, put off now the week nature, and set aside the thoughts that are most heavy unto thee".  We are always so worried about our mortality, always carrying the burden of judgement, the burden of offence.  To stop being so weak, to set aside the thoughts that are most heavy unto us; what glorious freedom.  When someone has harmed us, when they have destroyed our lives; to not worry about such mortal concerns, to be free from that corrupt thinking! 

To set our hearts on the thoughts of eternity, to fill our minds with the things that concern our Heavenly Parents; that is our goal, to become like them.  To be truly free!! 

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Rediculous

Okay, this is getting rediculous! 

I have never heard anything more rediculous in my life.  Apparently, gluttony is not a sin, only the desire for gluttony is a sin.  'We can eat as much as we want, and there will be absolutely no negative side effects, as long as we  do not have it in our hearts.'  

This is crazy!  If you pig out, you will have the effects of pigging out.  How foolish can you be?  Yes, the Lord judges on the heart, but if you are stuffing yourself silly, it is in your heart to do so!  You only do what is in your heart.   As the Lord said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks."  

Cleanse the heart, and you will cleanse the body.  But, if you cannot cleanse the heart yet, then at least cleanse the body.  Then, after you have cleansed the body, take it to the next level and cleanse the heart. 

The Lord loves to see progression.  And if you can only progress a little, then progress that little.  Just do not stop progressing!   The Lord loves you, and will accept your progression.  Turn to Him, He will accept you.  

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Happy Things

I love talking about the happy things of the Gospel!  But, unfortunately, so many times we are asked to address those things that would pollute the doctrine of Christ, and it gets difficult after a while, only addressing the negative.  So, I thought to post about a happy subject this time. 

When I first began this blog, I posted about some spiritual experiences, and I would like to write about another spiritual experience that we had just recently. 

Some have expressed an interest in how we hold our meetings.  Of course we hold all sorts of meetings, Sacrament meeting, council meetings, Sunday School, Family Home Evening, Firesides, Priesthood meetings, etc, etc, etc.  And each of them are conducted in a different way.  Yet, all are to be conducted by the Spirit of God.  So, I will share an example of how we conduct a Sacrament meeting.  But remember, it is not so much in how you conduct a meeting, as much as it is in the focus of the heart, and the utter humility and meekness before the Lord. 

1. We open with an Hymn.
2. Under the sign of the High Priesthood, I invoke the powers of heaven.  Call upon angels to attend, and whatever we need for the meeting (usually this is revealed through the spirit of prophecy). 
3. Sing another Hymn. 
4. Someone is called upon to give a talk or sermon.  They are to speak by the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation so that we can be edified. 
5. An intermediate Hymn. 
6. The Sacrament is prepared, blessed under the sign of the High Priesthood, and passed in accordance with the pattern set in the scriptures.  (It is the duty of those administering the Sacrament to ensure they have unleavened bread and appropriate wine for the ordinance.  Of course there are times when these things are not always prepared or available, although this should be a very rare occurrence if ever.) 
7. After (sometimes during) the Sacrament is a time to be taught by angels, receive revelation, etc.  Many people in the congregation receive revelation and speak by the power of God. 
8. The benediction is given under the sign of the High Priesthood, during which the Lord is thanked, the angels are released to resume their normal duties, and a blessing is often offered. 

This past Sunday, during Sacrament Meeting, some of the children in the congregation saw angles there with us.  There were angels actually present, and even Heavenly Father himself was watching.  One person spoke by the Holy Spirit, and we were edified.  It was a lovely spiritual experience. 

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Perfecting Ourselves

There is something bothering me tonight.  I have friends that are seeking an audience with their Saviour, and from time to time there seems to be frustration that their goal has not yet been realized.  And I worry that they will give up on their goal, or perhaps give up on their faith.  The reason I am worried is because it seems to be the only thing that matters to my friend, at the expense of other gospel principles. 

I have noticed several people who have seen the Saviour, talked to Him face to face, were not necessarily directly seeking an audience with Him at that time, yet they saw Him.  They saw Him when they were focusing on repentance, when they were focusing on self correction, on fixing themselves, fixing their hearts, and on serving others. 

"As I have loved you, love one another." 

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

Please do not give up!  Keep working on your goals.  Keep working on all the aspects the Saviour taught.  

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My Doctrine

Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.

Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.

And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.  

~ D&C 10:67-69 

I love this scripture!

The Lord has His own church, and all those who repent and come to the Messiah, are His church.  Even though this is a huge order, no other qualifications are necessary.   And anyone who says so, is not of God.  Oh, how comforting!  We no longer have to wonder at all the strange things that various churches ask us to do.  All we need to do is what Yesua did; what He does!  Then we are of His church. Yet we must endure, and remain in His church.  We must maintain that repentance and stay with the Lord. 

And the promise, that if we are of His church, and endure of His church to the end, He will establish us upon His rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against us! 

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Glory To God!

For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him. 
~ D&C 3:4 

No matter how high a person rises, it is still possible to fall.  Remember the fallen angels, Lucifer, and the prophets who fell.  There is a fallacy that a person can be sealed up and therefore can never fall.  But remember King David, and Solomon, etc, who fell and lost all they had.  Where much is given, much is required.  The higher a person rises, the further the possible fall.  The more a person knows better, the more strict the commandments to that person, the less leeway that person has to waiver.  As Jesus said, "Those who have ears to hear, hear." 

Of the person who knows better, it is required to do better, and that person will be judged according to what they know.  The person who does not know better, will only receive a few stripes, according to their actions, according to their heart.  Of course, each will only progress as much as they know and follow too.  So, it is a two edged sword, for a person cannot be saved in ignorance. 

We must always beware of pride, for the moment a person seeks to gratify their pride, their priesthood is gone, then they are left to kick against the pricks. 

Let us all remember, it is from God that all good things come.  Let us be ever so wise in the use of the gifts that He gives us.  Always keeping in mind, the one from whom all blessings flow, the one who trod the wine press and was perfect, the one who exists independent of all things, in whom is all things, from whom all things exist. 

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