Hypothetical Questions

 If you ask me a hypothetical question, do not suppose that you will get anything other than a hypothetical answer.

I often receive hypothetical questions, which have no basis in reality.  And when I give an hypothetical answer, the receiver attempts to twist it into some sort of reality.  

To prove a hypothesis, one must be able to isolate the factors and reproduce the results.  The hypothetical query is not proven by personal thoughts or feelings.  To assume anything else is pride and consequently failure!

If you ask a hypothetical question, understand the answer must also be hypothetical, until isolated and proven to be reproduceable.

Signs That Follow

Well, I should get to posting again. And what better way to start off with a rather bold look at one of the saving graces offered by the Lord! I love helping people see what the Saviour is offering, and how to achieve it, so they can access that promise.

Since we have had questions and comments on all the "interesting" things being taught on the internet, and all the new ideas and new doctrines being promoted, I thought I would get right down to the nitty gritty, so the pure in heart may see God.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”
~ Mark 16:17-22

Often, when people do not get the results promised in scripture, they change the scriptures by applying a new meaning, so they do not feel so bad about themselves for not following the Gospel the Messiah taught.

Because they do not get the results promised in scripture, they promote their various beliefs and doctrines, and share their conclusions and suppositions of the various interesting things they find and connect in scripture, as if they were prophets giving revelation to the people, all to enlarge their vanity and cover the fact that they do not believe the Gospel taught by the Saviour, verified by the fact that they do not get the results promised by the Saviour to all those who believe. All of this is done in an effort to cover their refusal to follow the Saviour's programme, so they can follow after the desires of their own hearts. Because ALL who actually follow the Saviour's programme, get the results the Saviour promised!

One of the most apparent signs of those who do not get the results the Saviour has promised is, they change or ignore whatever rules they have to, so they can make-believe they are doing good. Often, those who do not have the signs the Saviour said would follow those who believe, they change those signs, and claim other worldly results are the signs that were promised. But, their actions, and the suffering of others around them, always reveal their true identity.

Do not be discouraged; do not be deceived. Just because there are many people who promote those false doctrines, and they justify their way so convincingly, they still do not have the results the Saviour promised, therefore, either they, or the Saviour is lying. Which one is lying? Which one has the results the Saviour promised; the Saviour, or them??? The truth is pretty easy to see.

Doubt not, but be believing. Believe; actually follow the Saviour’s teachings, and you will have those signs following. Those who believe the Saviour, will actually live the way the Saviour taught, and will have the signs He promised.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
~ John 3:16

The Lord loves us so much that He taught us how to live in the correct way so that we can have eternal life! All those who live in the way the Lord taught will have eternal life. How do you know if you are living the way the Lord taught? Because, the signs the Lord promised will follow you. In other words, all those who have these promised signs following them, will have eternal life with the Saviour!

So, do not be discouraged nor deceived, follow what the Saviour taught, and you will have eternal life, confirmed unto you by the signs following, promised by the Saviour Himself!

By Their Fruits Shall Ye Know Them

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,…”
~ Galatians 5:22-23

Several times, in the writings of Paul, he names off many of the fruits of the Spirit of God. These fruits of the Spirit of God are things like Love, Joy, Peace, etc. If these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit of God, then what are the fruits of the devil???

The fruits of following an evil spirit must be the opposite of following the Holy Spirit of God. Therefore, the fruits of the devil would be things like hatred, anger, hurting people, contention, arguing, murmuring, complaining, upset, grumpy, impatient, refuse to help, not willing to suffer for someone, refuse to care, being bad, saying bad things about someone, gossiping, withholding, taking, dishonesty, cheating, adultery, breaking your word, not keeping your word, covenant breaker, roughness, harshness, not being careful, indulgent, intemperate, spazing, greedy, saying rude things, finding fault with others, saying they do it too, you know it is wrong, but you do it anyway; and the list goes on.

If a person is doing any of these things, then they do NOT have the Spirit of God, but they are following the spirit of a devil! No person is justified before God in doing any of these things. In fact, those who do these things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

All is not lost! If you find yourself following this evil spirit then repent. Stop doing these things and start following the Holy Spirit of God, by loving people out here, not just in your head or in your heart, but out here as well. And after love, Joy, uplift people, spread peace, be patient and longsuffering with people, be gentle, be helpful, spread goodness wherever you go, be faithful to all, be meek, be temperate, look only to spread goodness wherever you go. This is the Spirit of Holiness. Plant this tree, and only produce the good fruit of the Spirit of God!

Comfortable

I have been thinking about this concept of being comfortable.  People finding a church, or a group of like minded people, who have the same or similar beliefs, with which a person can be comfortable.  And I find this interesting, because if a person does not like what is written in the scriptures, they try to change the meaning of what is written, so they can feel comfortable.  And they find another group of people or a church, which has the same changed meaning of the scriptures, so they can feel comfortable together.

It is ironic, people want to be good and follow the Lord, and yet if there is something in the scriptures that they do not want to do, they find as many excuses as they possibly can, of why they do not have to do it.  And if they cannot find a suitable excuse, they change the definition of what they are instructed to do.  That way they can still say they are doing what they are supposed to do, and try to not feel bad about why they are not doing it.

But, I am a person who believes in the bottom line.  I only believe in results.  How can I feel comfortable if I do not get the results that are promised by the Lord in the scriptures.  Therein is the problem.  All these places where people go to feel comfortable with their beliefs, they do not get the results of what is promised in the scriptures.  What is the Point?  If the Lord comes and says:  You will get this if you follow me.  And if a person does not get what the Lord has promised, then that person is not following the Lord.  If the Lord comes and says:  If the members of my Church, who live in such and such a way, they will get these blessings.  Now if you or your church do not get those blessings, then you are not living the way the Lord said.  What is the point of making a church that does not follow the Lord?  Or in other words, what is the point of making a church that does not get the results the Lord has promised, and therefore proves that that church is not the Lord’s church?

If you are not getting the results the Lord promised, then you are not following the Lord’s Gospel, so what is the point of making another church?  Why go?  You are not doing it right, because you are not getting the results.  If you are not getting the results, you are obviously not following the Lord.  So, if you are not following the Lord, why make a church, or a group of like minded people to deceive yourselves?  When people do not get the results the Lord promised, they are not following the Lord, they have changed the doctrine.  They have changed the Gospel.  They have changed the ordinances. 

And how can a person tell if the church/group/person has changed the ordinances, or are following the wrong ordinances????

Because they do not get the results promised by the Lord! 

I just do not understand why a person would want to go to a church/group/religion that does not get the results promised by the Lord?

You have a right to believe any way you like, but if your beliefs do not bare the correct results that the Saviour said, then what is the point?  You are only deceiving yourself and others.

Instead, go to the Lord and like minded people of the Lord, who get the results the Lord promised.  Humble yourselves enough to learn from them, and get the same results the Lord promised for yourself.  Blessed are those who come down into the depths of humility, and learn from their fellow man.

Alma 16 - Planting The Seed

What if you had a craving for muffins?

And you have tried many recipes in your life, and none of those recipes made muffins that satisfied you?

What if someone showed up and said they had a recipe direct from the Lord, and you noticed that they were always satisfied, and enjoying their muffins. What if they offered to share that recipe with you?

What if you just could not bring yourself to follow that recipe, the whole thing is just too suspicious. You have tried so many recipes in your life, and you just do not have the energy to keep trying. What do you do?

But this recipe is claimed to have come from the Lord, and all who follow it are showing good results, so you think about that. You watch and you think, and you let that curiosity work within you, until you start to desire to give it a try.

But you are cynical, and give up a few times, and change the recipe here and there (just a little), so it will not work out and you can say it was a bad recipe. They you can feel proud of yourself that you were right all along. Of course, you know you did not follow the recipe, and others are still getting the results, and you still desire to have some decent muffins, so secretly, you give the recipe another chance.

This time you follow the recipe perfectly, and you get some good results. You get wonderful muffins that taste so good! You cannot believe it, so you make up some nonsense about it just being a fluke, and throw the recipe away.

But eventually you crave those muffins again, and you search out the bakers who are following that recipe, and you ask them to share it with you. They do, and you start baking the best muffins of your life.

With time, you get better and better at following the recipe, and your muffins taste better and better!

Bearing False Witness

“There is no salvation in believing an evil report against our neighbour.”

~ Joseph Smith, Jr.

Unfortunately, there always seems to be someone saying something bad about someone.

In the scriptures, we are instructed not to gossip, nor to bear any type of false witness about anyone, yet how often do we find ourselves listening to gossip?  Why should we even contribute to such evil as to listen to it?  There is no honour in believing gossip.  There is no goodness to be found in repeating gossip.  Gossip only causes contention.

How sad it would be to be a child of the Devil, which is the father of contention!  Why would anyone want to stir up the hearts of men against one another?

Instead, let us promote peace!

Do not gossip, nor bear false witness in any way!
Do not listen to, nor contribute to gossip.
Do not break your covenants by believing an evil report about your brother.

Do not look for evil in anyone.

Be sure to completely forgive all who have ever borne false witness against you.

"Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God!"

How wonderful, to be called the child of God!

Racism And Hatred

It is always so sad to me, when I hear of people putting others down because of their genetic background.  It is an unfortunate part of world society, but it does not have to be so. We can choose to interact with each other kindly, without prejudice.

"When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent.  Do you see why it is violent?  Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind.  When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence.  So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind." 

~ Jiddu Krisnamurti

Not many people know that I myself am not originally from the main culture of Canada.  I find it best to not to focus on things that separate people.  Although, I must admit, it does bother me when I hear people denigrating any culture.  Having travelled to many countries around the world, I find there is good in every culture, and that good far outweighs the bad.

There are so many good things in every culture, which are really all a part of the one macro-culture of the entire planet, and those good things are amazing to explore!