Reliving The Glory Days Of Sin

Repentance means you are sorry for it. So sorry that you admit it, stop doing it, fix it, and never do it, or anything leading up to it, nor anything like it, ever again; not in this life, nor in the next! If a person cannot meet these simple things, then they have not repented, and are totally guilty. An accounting will be required at the last day, because they have not forsaken the sin!

Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins — behold, he will confess them and forsake them.

~ D&C 58:42-43

If the people you harmed forgive you and treat you nicely, it means they are free.  Their forgiveness alone does not mean you are free from that sin. You must still admit it and forsake it, or you remain guilty.

If you are still enjoying that sin, or the results of it, then you have not forsaken it. You are keeping it, and therefore you are certainly not sorry for it. You have not repented, and are still guilty before God, and to whomever you betrayed!

Repent now! Stop it, now, and give it back!

Come Down Off The Mountain

Long ago, a friend told me to come down off the mountain to convert others. Of course this had no reference to seclusion, but rather to lifestyle.  And I had noticed many preachers who did this exact thing.  They made their converts and members feel good about themselves, because the preacher was just as immoral as they were.  The whole idea being, God loved them no matter what, therefore they felt privileged that they could do whatever they wanted.  They mixed up love and salvation.  They actually believed that just because God loved them, and they accepted that love, they could do anything they wanted, and yet still get into heaven.  What a crazy thought!

Ministering in prisons, I can tell you, there were many parents and loved ones who came to see the inmates.  These parents and loved ones truly loved their children and friends, but most of them understood the reason their loved ones were in this situation, and even agreed that they were a threat to society, and needed to be kept separated from society until they would behave.  It was not their love that would allow their criminal relatives all the privileges of society, it was proper behaviour!

Just because God loves you, does not mean you get a free ride into Heaven.  It means that He loves you! Father still expects us to change, to live a proper lifestyle.  It is why the call has gone forth so many times in scriptures, to repent!  To give up the bad lifestyle, and turn to the lifestyle the Son of God lived.  This is the only way to the Father, to follow the Son of God Himself!

I have never met anyone who said the reason they were converted was because the pastor lowered his standards, and began drinking, swearing, womanizing, flirting, gossiped just a little, etc.  I have seen people who joined churches, said they were converted, and looking at their lifestyle, they were also converted to immorality, rude jokes, vulgar behaviour, flirting, adultery, stealing, justifying, etc.  It is clearly apparent what they are converted to!

Do not be converted to lowering your standards.  Instead, maintain high morality and with kindness, help everyone you meet in their righteous endeavours, in whatever way you can within the bounds of the morality of the Son of God.  Most importantly, maintain the standards of Immanuel, so others may find their way to the Father of Lights.

Father Gives Grace To The Humble

 From time to time, I have received a question about the ministering of angels. Some folks being concerned with not having received the ministering of angels. They make statements like: God needs to give me the ministering of angels, so I can have faith; I have prayed like Enos, all day and all night, and still nothing; I need angels to tell me what to do; Angels come to others, they should come to me; etc.

I myself have found that angels come when it fits in with Father's plan. They do not come when there is no need. Everything must be done according to the plan, the purpose of this earth. I am reminded of the scripture from James, chapter 4, verse 3:

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Heavenly Father is not vain, and does nothing for vanity, and if we ask to see angels for vanity, then it is not likely that we will have our request granted. In fact, I would be more worried about a devil showing up, masquerading as an angel of light, and deceiving people who ask for their own desire.

Father gives grace to the humble. Humble means we are doing things for Father, the things He commands us to do, and when we ask for the assistance of an angel in doing the things Father commands us to do, then it is often at those times, when an angel will be requested to help us. Yet, we are to be the angels that Father needs to go do His work.

I came across a talk given by Brother Woodruff, from which I would like to quote just a small portion:

I am pleased to meet with so many of our friends this morning, and I feel desirous to talk to you upon a principle that I very seldom dwell upon before the congregations of the Saints. I have had my mind somewhat exercised of late on various thing, perhaps for the purposes known to the Lord better than myself, though they are principles we are all more or less acquainted with.

One of the Apostles said to me years ago,

"Brother Woodruff, I have prayed for a long time for the Lord to send the administration of an angel to me. I have had a great desire for this, but I have never had my prayers answered."

I said to him that if he were to pray a thousand years to the God of Israel for that gift it would not be granted unless the Lord had a motive in sending an angel to him. I told him that the Lord never did nor never will send and angel to anybody merely to gratify the desire of the individual to see an angel. I said to him that these were my views. The Lord had sent angels to men from the creation of the world, at different times, but always with a message or with something to perform that could not be performed without. I rehearsed to him different times when angels appeared to men. Of course, I referred to the last days an angel would fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwelt on the earth. The reason it required an angel to do this work was the Gospel and the Priesthood had been taken from among men.
Hence, God had to restore it again.

Now, I have always said, and I want to say it to you, that the Holy Ghost is what every Saint of God needs. It is far more important that a man should have that gift than he should have the ministration of an angel, unless it is necessary for an angel to teach him something that he has not been taught.

I am going to refer to some of my own experiences with regard to the ministration of angels and that operation of the Holy Ghost. I have never prayed for the visitation of an angel, but I have had the ministration of an angel several times in my life.

Lured By The Hypocrites

You know, I have many friends and associates who live the way of the world.  They swear, cuss, tell foul and degrading jokes, they spend their time and money on pleasures, watch foul movies, go to bars, listen to music with disgusting lyrics, lie a little, cheat a little, gossip, spread rumors, and bear false witness about all those who do not enjoy the filth they enjoy.  All this, and one of their biggest issues is, that others should accept them.  Yet, they cannot even find it in their hearts to accept those who do not enjoy the same filth as them!  O how they love to quote the scriptures for their own use; how drinking and smoking etc. are not against the commandments, but only a word of wisdom, not to be given by commandment, nor constraint.  How they love to say, they would rather a man swear a stream as long as their arm, instead of a pale faced preacher.  And yet use this as justification to put down the people who give all they have to help others, who work tirelessly in the service of their God, who do not lie, cheat, nor steal, who only help them.

My concern is to the faithful members of the Church, who are feeling the peer pressure to lower their standards and conform to that type of culture.  And so I would say to you, stay strong!  Stay devoted to the Lord and His lifestyle.  The Son of God came to show us the way to live, so we can walk back into the presence of Father.  The Saviour did not lie!  This is the only way back into the presence of the Father, and the faithful are guaranteed a place at His right hand.  If you have given in to the pressure of friends or family, then repent.  Return immediately to following the lifestyle the Saviour lived, and become His people once again.  Trust in the promise that the Father gives all those who repent and follow in the footsteps of His Son, that they will be forgiven and accepted into His family!

Seeking Pride

 It is amazing, how many people claim they want to get to the Saviour and will not follow what the Saviour taught.  I have watched for years, people struggle to get to the Saviour.  They do everything they can think of to get there, trying every crazy new idea, and year after year, they are no closer.  Yes, they do learn many things along the way, but so do we all.  The bottom line is, they are still no closer to a face to face with the Saviour, than when they first began their quest!  I watch as they do anything they can to avoid the way the Saviour taught.  I watch as they twist the Saviour's words, and still that does not work.  I watch as they deny His words, twist His words, change His words, go out of their way to do anything except keep His words.  The simple truth is, we can only get there by keeping the words of the Saviour, by walking the same path He walked, by going further than what He has gone.  "If ye love me, keep my commandments."  This does not mean that we pick and choose which commandments to keep, and which can be avoided.  We must do as the Saviour did, and He kept all the commandments of the Father.  It is all about our hearts, if it is truly in our hearts, then we will keep all the commandments!  No matter how long a person holds onto their pride, saying they will find the way to the Saviour by doing it their own way, it will still not work.  Heavenly Father has been around a long time, and He sent His Son to teach us how to return.  And the only way to return is to do things the way the Son of the Father has instructed!  Believe Father loves you, and only wants you to go further than what He has gone.  Keep the commandments, do not hurt others, only help and love others.  Seek after Him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength.  Live only the lifestyle He has lived, and you will soon find yourself embraced in His arms!