Why Don't I Have The Spirit Anymore?

How often has it been that people have looked back on their lives and ask, "Why don't I have the Spirit anymore?  I used to have it all the time, what happened?  Maybe it wasn't real, maybe I just imagined it?" 

It is often because they asked for guidance and felt the Holy Spirit, received several witnesses, but then didn't follow through.  The cares of the world, or the influences/ridicule of other people led them to second guess the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

The ridicule, advice, suggestions of other people have influenced you away from following the guidance of the Holy Spirit you once felt. 

The Spirit did not withdraw from you, you withdrew from the Spirit.  Return to the counsel of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will return to you.  And don't leave it, even if it is your own family members who are counseling you against the Spirit, against the witnesses that you have already received. 

Return to God, and He will return to you. 

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The Reality Of Hell

One of the responsibilities of a person to whom the Lord shows truth, is that person must now stand as a witness to that truth or be guilty of the sins of those who did not know better, yet could have done better because of the testimony of the one who saw. 

As a witness, I must stand against false doctrine, and declare the truth or I will not be found guiltless at the last day.  I have seen these things, and say with a perfectly clear conscience toward God, that Hell is a very real place and state of being. It is eternal in nature as are the consequences of our sins. Hell is as eternal in nature as is Heaven. 

Beware of the doctrine of the Scribes (scriptorians), they twist the scripture for their own gain, to lull away the hearts of men. They are the doctors of the law, the lawyers that argue points of doctrine, those people of whom Jesus declared woes. 

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Are We Prepared?

Remember ye the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.  

3 Nephi 25:4-6 

One of the reasons that we are still under a curse as a people and not establishing Zion, is that we are not keeping all the commandments.  We need to keep the Law given to Moses at Horeb.  The only problem is that many changes and traditions have been added over the millennia, which make it difficult to follow the original Law that God gave to Moses at that time.  It is a good thing that Christ came in the meridian of time to correct that Law. 

On the surface, Christ gave us six major corrections to that Law, all following a simple principle.  The principle is to take the Law and apply it to our minds and to our hearts.  For example, when the Law states; Honour our father and mother, we need to make it part of our internal make up, not just a physical act.  Physical laws are telestial, and if we are aiming for a celestial glory then we must live a celestial law. 

So, we not only take care of our parents as though they were of the highest stature, but we must also apply it to our minds.  We should be thinking about how to honour them, and coming up with ways to do so.  We should be planning ahead so that when our parents get old, we are prepared and ready to care for them.  Then we will have met the requirements of a terrestrial order.  Far more than just physically caring for them, now we are mentally prepared and invested, prepared for any eventuality so that we can undeviatingly honour our parents. 

But since we are still aiming higher yet, so we strive to apply the Law to honour our parents to our hearts.  It must become a part of us; it must be the core of our hearts; it must be that to which we turn for our own joy.  And if it is our joy to honour our folks, we have become one with them, then when would we ever not be prepared, or when would we ever not meet all the physical and temporal and psychological and emotional and spiritual requirements?  It is our greatest joy, and we have celestialized that Law.  Now, and not before, are we worthy for a portion of a celestial glory. 

The Law given at Horeb was not replaced at the coming of Christ, but it was corrected, made new and complete, fulfilled.  And it is the declaration of the Lord that we must live this law in it’s complete, correct, and full form to meet the requirements of the Holy City. 

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Adam Fell ??

Adam fell that man might be; men are that they might have joy. 

I read a comment about this statement that introduced the idea of a conundrum in the fact that disobedience had to take place in order for us to be here, but that obedience was needed for us to go back to God, which may forward the idea that disobedience is an acceptable evil and a good thing.  I have even heard insinuations that people should go and do evil, just so that they can experience the bad and therefore appreciate the good.  This, to me, seems ridiculously stupid, only a blatant justification to satiate their appetites for evil.  Those who behave this way will find an eternal loss at the end of the road. 

“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if  we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.” 
~ Joseph Smith Jr. 

Adam did not fall in the sense that he committed any crime.  As I have said before, the scriptures were written for wicked people, who can’t think or understand beyond punishment and reward.  In reality, Adam made a clear, informed decision to leave his exalted state to enter mortality again for us. 

In the Garden of Eden, before entering this estate, Adam waited on Eve to decide when she was ready to enter this estate.  Eve chose the time, and entered first, then Adam also entered.  They did not sin, nor were they disobedient; they chose to become mortal so that their children may ascend. 

Adam laid down his exaltation that man might be; men are that they might be exalted. 

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Looking Beyond The Mark

It is amazing how many times in the scriptures that we are instructed to search out the mysteries of God.  (If anyone has taken the time to count, feel free to post it in the comments.)  I believe that it is imperative that we search out the mysteries of Godliness and that we approach God in person and receive divine instruction on those mysteries.  But are we asking about the mysteries of godliness or are we asking about details like what colour the paper that the record of life is printed on?  Are the questions pertinent to our efforts of entering back into the presence of God, or are we just interested in gathering facts and figures?  After all, when we learn something new from God, we are then under obligation to live up to that information. 

I am often asked very strange questions (At least questions that I consider strange), though everyone should ask questions about whatever topic interests them.  Some questions that I am asked are things like: what kind of commerce do they have in varying degrees of heaven; how do we use more of our brains, since we only use about 10%; what do people eat in heaven; how did the Gods first start????  All very valid questions, but to me, not all that important at this time.  In my view, those things are all second to our primary objective.  Sure they are important, but not really important until we have gotten our hearts in order and have repented of our sins and are progressing along the path of Christ. 

I think Christ said it best when he said that some people strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel (I am aware this saying applies to arguments over doctrine).  It is good to seek for knowledge, but it is also good to put first things first.  The question could be posed: Will this get me closer to my Saviour?  Will this information help me overcome the world and allow me to return to my Heavenly Father? 

By no means am I saying not to ask.  If it interests you then you should ask.  My only advice is to put first things first, and then all the other things will come. 

Just a few thoughts.

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Without Beginning Of Days, Or End Of Years

What an amazing statement. 

Recently a friend brought this phrase to my attention, along with similar topics in the conversation like: I am that I am; and that God always was, always is, and always shall be; and how we were with God from the very beginning.  The question was posed of, what is this priesthood, and what does ‘without father, without mother, without descent’ actually mean? 

When we look at the blessings that God has promised to the Fathers, we see that those blessings include things that only a God could accomplish.  When we take into consideration that level of priesthood, ‘without father, without mother, without descent’, how do we actually obtain that level?  What does it mean, ‘without beginning of days, or end of years’?  How did God actually obtain this priesthood?  Does it mean that only those who have it have it, and the rest of us are just out of luck? 

I would like to present the idea that “without beginning of days, or end of years” means that it already always exists inside us.  And we obtain it “without father, without mother, without descent” because it is already part of our divine make-up, always has been, always will be.  We do not obtain this priesthood by someone giving it to us, but by our realizing it, living up to the potential already inside us. 

To realize this potential we just need to follow the method that brings it out, and that is what God is trying to teach us.  That is why we are here.  The scriptures are full of the teachings of the Fathers, the methods that lead a person to realize godhood.  And all we need to do is follow the method that Christ taught and we will bring out that divine trait already inside us and realize our full potential.  Then we will have that priesthood like unto the Fathers, without beginning of days or end of years, from which all blessings flow. 

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Rumours, Lies, And Bearing False Witness

When Christ came He tried to lift the standard of morality by applying the commandments to the heart and mind, instead of just the outward physical acts.  For example:

Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God; 

But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 

If we apply the same principle to all the commandments we find that there is plenty of room for improvement, which is hopefully what we are all trying to do; to improve, to progress.  One of the commandments; Thou shalt not bear false witness, is easy to apply to the mind and to the heart.  If we follow the same pattern as Christ taught about not killing or even being angry, then we can see that those things that would lead a person to bear false witness, or precede bearing false witness, are also sin and should be avoided at all costs. 

Bearing false witness is often justified as only lying about someone in court, or at a trial, or in some legal way, though telling rumours or lies about someone is still bearing false witness even when not in court.  If a person were to say that they saw another stealing, yet they did not see the person steal, that lie is still false witness whether in court or not.  A false witness is a false witness.

Is the person who repeats a false witness, or an exaggerated account, or whatever other way spreading rumours not also contributing to that false witness?  Of course he is! 

For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory. 

And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory. 

And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory.  Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory. 

D&C 88:22-24

It is a harsh reality, that if a person cannot live the telestial law of not bearing false witness, that person cannot abide a telestial glory. 

As with sins of commission, there are sins of omission.  It is a personal responsibility to ensure the validity and truth of the information we pass on. 

Let’s be careful and cautious and raise our standards and strive with all our might to live up to the principles that Jesus taught.  Let us go forward and purify ourselves so that we too may stand in His presence and look upon His face and not be ashamed. 

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