Category Archives: Holy Ghost

Laban Strikes Out

27 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by in Agency, Faith, General, Holy Ghost, Obedience, Pride, Prophets, Testimony

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casey

Remember that old poem “Casey at the bat”? It tells of the mighty Casey, the greatest hitter in baseball who famously, and heroically came to bat at the end of a game and had so much confidence, that he let the first two pitches go by without even a second thought to even swing. Then, on the dramatic third pitch in a cloud of dust, he whiffed on the third and final pitch, striking out, and ending the game. He had let two perfect opportunities go by, and when crunch time came, he blew it. The mighty Casey had struck out.

Amazingly, a very similar story took place in real life about 2600 years ago in a little town called Jerusalem. Instead of the mighty Casey, the man was Laban. Lets check out the drama that unfolded.

Laban was an important man in the community, and was known to be kind of a big deal among the Elders of the Jews. He was likely very wealthy, and had in his possession the plates of Brass, which included the Law of the Jews, as well as the record of his entire genealogy down from the first prophets, through Joseph, and all the way to him. These Brass plates would basically be the prize that would go to the winner in the epic “at bat” that took place all those years ago. The mighty Laban at the plate and the humble Lehi as the starter on the mound.

The first pitch from Lehi occurred after he was shown a vision of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. It would be destroyed if its people would not repent. He then went about the city preaching. This first pitch was not received well. The scriptures explain, “And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them¹”

Now, Laban and all his Jerusalem buddies, the Jews, had decided to mock Lehi, instead of listen. But that wasn’t all, the scripture continues, “And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away².” Well, the mighty Laban, as well as his friends, decided that they didn’t quite like that first pitch from Lehi, and decided to let that go, and instead opted for attempted murder and death threats. Lehi’s fastball right down the middle, his call to repent and be saved? The mighty Laban decided to pass. Strike 1.

For the second pitch, Nephi took over on the mound, with a fresh arm, and he and his brothers traveled back to Jerusalem from their wilderness hideout. They decided on an even more direct approach, to just go ahead and ask Laban for the plates. Besides, its not like he was actually reading the scriptures or following their teachings right? Worth a try. So, the next pitch was another straight fastball right down the middle. “Hey, Laban, can we just go ahead and have the brass plates?” How’d that go? “And it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence; and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore, he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee³.” So, after the second middle of the plate fastball, and perfect chance #2, Laban not only watched it go by, but also threw out a false accusation of robbery, and dished out death threats. Strike 2.

Now, the mighty Laban seemingly was oblivious to the dire situation he found himself in, he had not only rejected the words of the prophets, but he had also threatened to kill them, and falsely accused them of robbery. Both big no-no’s in Jewish law at the time. But, we will get into that later.

The third pitch delivered by Nephi was an even slower, perfectly straight softball floating beach ball pitch. Nephi and his brothers went back to their place, gathered up all their gold and silver in an effort to buy, or trade for the plates of brass. What a deal right? Lehi was likely a very wealthy man, and had a lot of precious things. So the 4 brothers headed in to see Laban again, this time loaded with their treasure, and what happened?… ”[Laban] did alust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property4” Nice. So another 4 counts of attempted murder, and armed robbery. Or, in other words, Strike 3.

Laban probably didn’t even realize he was up to bat. He didn’t even swing. The Lord handed him 3 perfect opportunities to do it the easy way, the way that would have left him alive with his head still attached, but he was blinded by lust. Lust for power, and for money.

The story and life of Laban ended a few hours later that night when Nephi was led by the spirit to the street where Laban was passed out drunk. Nephi was constrained to slay him. He shrunk, but eventually did slay Laban by cutting off his head with his own sword, disguised himself in his clothes, and obtained the brass plates for his posterity and fulfilled the commandments of the Lord.

Nephi was commanded to kill Laban. To some, this may seem strange. A righteous prophet commanded to slay another man while he lay drunk in the street? Was that necessary? Lets look at it through 2600 year old eyes.

In 600 B.C. Jerusalem, the laws were a bit different than they are here in the USA in 2015. The “Law” was the law of Moses as it was written in the old testament. And Laban over the months and especially the last few days of his life was certainly breaking many of those laws.

Laban’s first problem was that he was likely among the “Jews” who mocked Lehi, and sought to take away his life. Not exactly living up to “thou shalt not kill”

Laban’s second problem was that he had falsely accused Laman of robbery. Robbery at that time was a capitol offense, or punishable by death. Also, in Deuteronomy 19:18 the law regarding false testimony is spelled out. “And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother” Wow, so if you falsely accused someone of a capitol crime, guess what? Congratulations, you were guilty of a capitol crime!

Laban’s third problem was a combination of his 1st problem and his second problem. He actually had committed robbery, and actually had tried to kill Nephi and his brothers. Capitol offense, capitol offense. This is starting to be like OJ driving away in a white bronco.

So, in many ways, Nephi, who did not want to kill Laban, as was demonstrated by his entering into the city unarmed, and shrinking when the spirit constrained him to do it, was, in essence, carrying out the legal punishment for Laban’s crimes, even though he didn’t necessarily want to.

This story is a perfect example of how the Lord is in perfect control of every aspect of his plan for his children. He gave Laban plenty of chances to play nice, but he didnt. It also demonstrates how the Lord will always prepare a way for his children to succeed if they rely on him. The Lord provided the way for the brass plates to come into the possession of Lehi’s family, and did it in a perfectly planned out and fair way. God bless Nephi for following the promptings of the spirit even when it was very difficult to do.

I hope each of us can develop the amount of confidence in the Lord, and in ourselves to follow the spiritual promptings we are given. If we do, we never know what hidden blessings are in store for us or our family further down the line..

 

1 1 nephi 1:19

2 1 nephi 1:20

3 1 nephi 3:13

4 1 nephi 3:25

 

Treasure In Earthen Vessels

20 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by in General, Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, Light, Love, Motivation, Opposition, Poems, Strength, Trials, Weakness

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jarsofclay

Sometimes we don’t see our own worth in the eyes of God. We are his children, and he knows and loves each one of us perfectly. We mean everything to Him. He knows us, our problems, our fears, our apprehensions, our insecurities, our weaknesses, our doubts, our reservations, everything. He knows how we feel, how we think, how we are afraid to open up to our problems, and admit them even to ourselves. He knows! And He understands. And yet, He still loves us unconditionally! Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves of our true worth in His eyes, not our own, or anyone else’s. Just His.

For our Sunday School lesson this week, part of the scripture reading was in 2 Corinthians Chapter 4. As I was skimming through those verses, I read this which beautifully explained this principle to me. This is Paul speaking…

6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

I loved these words of encouragement. Paul and all the Saints and apostles and disciples were being persecuted for what they believed. But, in their sadness, pain, and worry, they had solace in Jesus Christ and in the comfort that He gives. The closer to the Comforter we get, the greater our resilience to pain, and suffering becomes, and the closer we get to our Savior.

Lets all look at our difficult times as opportunities to become closer to the Comforter, and to Jesus Christ who sends Him to us.

 

A Humble Prayer

My God! Through vessel weak and frail,
Wherein thy treasure hides,
Come shine thy light through darkened veil,
reveal my heart inside,

Real power comes through thee, not I,
Thy will, not mine, I’ll do,
‘Tho trouble, pain, despair reside,
Thy comfort will be true,

And when dark hours shall pass me by,
and I, cast down, will be,
As I look to thy treasure’s light,
Thy face, Thy love, Ill see!

The Secret Ingredient

31 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by in Holy Ghost, Stillness

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“We all know that human judgment and logical thinking will not be enough to get answers to the questions that matter most in life.  We need revelation from God.  And we will need not just one revelation in a time of stress, but we need a constant stream.  We need not just one flash of light and comfort, but we need the continuing blessing of communication with God.”

– Henry B. Eyring

We all have different ‘questions that matter most’.  Depending on our situation, those questions may change from ‘shall I marry this person’ to ‘am I ready for children’ to ‘what sort of occupation or school goals should I have’ or even ‘should I move my family across the country.’  While the individual questions that matter most will change from one person to another, there is a background of questions that matters most to all of us — ‘what is my purpose’ or ‘am I following Christ’ to ‘how can I be happy’.

Revelation is defined as communication from God to his children on earth through the light of Christ or the Holy Ghost by way of inspiration, visions, dreams, or visits from angels.  Revelation provides guidance.  Isn’t it comforting to know that there is a source of knowledge and light that we can call and count on for guidance?

“Revelation continues in the Church; the prophet receiving it for the Church; the president for his stake, his mission, or his quorum; the bishop for his ward; the father for his family; the individual for himself.”                                                                                  – Boyd K. Packer

President Eyring mentions an equally important aspect of revelation.  He calls it confirming revelation.  This is how or what we feel or come to know as we feel the Holy Spirit testifying to us that the words that one speaks are true.  An excellent example of this comes from the scriptures.  Lehi has a vision (revelation) that he should flee Jerusalem with his family.  Laman and Lemuel murmur, while Nephi takes it to the Lord.  He seeks and receives confirming revelation.  “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young… nevertheless having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father.” (1 Nephi 2:16)

Nephi backs up his words with his actions.  When Lehi later asks his sons to return for the brass plates, Nephi famously responds, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded…” (3:7).  Nephi didn’t see the task as something that his visionary father wished for, but a commandment from the Lord.  Nephi learned to feel and understand the promptings of the Spirit – and more importantly – to follow those promptings.  The guidance of the Spirit became crucial to completion of retrieving the brass plates and surviving the journey to the promised land.

So how do we receive revelation?  President Eyring states: Personal revelation of acceptance, for which we all long, does not come easily, nor does it come simply for the asking.  The Lord gave this standard for the capacity to receive such witnesses from God.  It is a guide for anyone seeking personal revelation, as we all must: ‘Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.  The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion.’ (D&C 121:45-46).

We all have some experience with dew.  Interestingly enough, dew forms very gradually and happens quietly.  Revelation and gospel strength happens the same way.  Now, there are times, especially in the history of the church when the floodgates of heaven are opened and angels, Jesus Christ, or even Our Eternal Father visit to communicate directly with man.  However, the majority of our growth will be steady and subtle, like the forming of dew.  We at times may not even feel our own growth, until morning comes, we run outside to play, and feel the cold and wet on our feet so distinctively that we cannot deny it.

Alright, now for the secret ingredient… At least, something that I leave out ALL THE TIME.  The secret to receiving revelation is shared with everyone who reads the book of Mormon.  The ‘Book of Mormon promise’ is given to us by Moroni.  As I am certain that you have read Moroni 10:3-5, I would ask you: How do you receive revelation?  What is the (my lacking) secret ingredient?  Pray? Pray with real intent?  Pray with a sincere heart? Recognize the spirit?  Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes.  But, before, all of that, Moroni exhorts us to “ponder it in your hearts” specifically the mercy of the Lord.

We see a pattern repeated both in the scripture and in our dispensation.  While a prophet is pondering, they are caught up in the spirit, they hear a voice, or the eyes of their understanding are opened.  Joseph Smith went to the grove to pray after pondering James 1:5.  He writes “I reflected on it again and again” (JSH 1:12).  The resurrected Savior even commands his other sheep to ponder and pray about his teachings (3 Nephi 17:3).

Truly, this is not a new thing for me.  We all learned very young: search, ponder, and pray are the things that [we] must do. (Children’s songbook 109).  I have just forgotten about that simple, yet critical step in receiving revelation.  I know that we all can and do receive revelation.  I, like President Eyring, know that Heavenly Father hears our prayers.  He loves us.  He knows my name and he knows your name.  He pours out revelation to his children.  We just need to seek it, be worthy to receive it, recognize it, and have the courage to act upon it.

Something to ponder…

*Notes from EQ 1/25. The lesson was based on the talk by President Eyring called “Continuing Revelation”

Comforters and Companions

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Holy Ghost, Marriage

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When my wife Amanda is away from our home (even if it’s for 5 minutes) – everyone goes completely wild.  It’s almost like she takes the well-mannered and calm parts of our brains and most of our sensibilities with her because while she is away the house gets turned upside down, and all the children (I include myself with the children) start acting like cavemen and/or wild animals.  I am convinced that there is some type of chemical reaction that occurs in each of us when the mother of our home is absent.  In fact, I know this is true, because the minute she walks in the door, everything is back to normal.  The house might still be a mess (it’s hard for that to rectify itself), but all of us feel the difference when Amanda is home.

There is a comforting power (yes, it is a power) that my wife has, that we cannot live without – at least not very long.  If we were left to our own devices (without her loving influence), we would quickly slip into ‘a state of nature…. in the gall of bitterness…being without [mom] in our world, and therefore we would be in a state contrary to the nature of happiness’. 1 This is not an over-dramatization – we would literally destroy ourselves due to lack of Amanda because we would be in a ‘state contrary to the nature of happiness’.

For us to be ‘in a state consistent to the nature of happiness’ my children need a mother and I need a wife.  By myself, I just can’t do it.  I need a best friend who is also my helpmeet.  I need someone who is every sense of the word superior to me, greater than me, better than me, smarter than me, more loving than me, more patient than me, more caring than me, more thoughtful than me, more giving than me, more understanding than me, more patient than me, and much more naturally spiritual than me who can lift me up to be more than I currently am.  I need someone who can comfort me even when she wants to kick me.  I need someone who can give me soft advice and hard advice (and someone who knows the difference).  I need someone who can pick me up when I am down, and I need someone who is strong enough to carry the weight of being a righteous mother.  I need someone who knows and understands that a righteous mother with a strong influence over her family makes Satan tremble.  I need her to make me whole.   I need someone who has my back even when, or rather especially when, I deserve it the least.  I need someone who will always be there.  I need Amanda.

My wife is my favorite person in the whole world.  She makes me happy.  She makes me laugh.  I just like to be around her.   Even if we aren’t actively communicating – I just like to be close to her.  When we read, I like to be in the same room as her – just because.  When she cooks dinner – I like to just stand in the kitchen and watch (sometimes I help) because I just like to be near her.  I like the way she makes me feel.  She makes me feel wanted and important and special and she makes me feel worth.  In short – she makes me feel love.  She has a powerful effect on me that no other human has because of how I feel around her and because of how I feel for her.

Even when we aren’t in the same room – we are still together.  We are united.  We are a true companionship.  My thoughts can be her thoughts and our goals are the same.  Our hopes, dreams, intents, and happiness can all be shared – completely.  She is a true companion, and she is constant (unrelenting awesomeness and never-ending source of power and love) and she brings me comfort.   Her presence and power is the opposite of the chaos that we feel when she is away.  The peace and calm knowledge that we have when ‘mom is home’ cannot be replaced.

There is another power that brings the same comforting and calming affect and we have been told that we have access to it.  This is good news for you women because us men just cannot compare with your awesomeness – and this power is so good at it, they actually just named him ‘The Comforter’.  This comforting power has a similar affect on us – bringing peace, assurance, patience, and love while it is with us and as expected when this comforter leaves, we immediately turn into wild dogs and crazy people with no sensibility and/or reason.  We might be able to fend for ourselves for a few minutes – but eventually we will slip (not so gracefully) into ‘a state of nature…. in the gall of bitterness…being without God in the world, and therefore we would be in a state contrary to the nature of happiness’. 1

For us to be ‘in this state consistent to the nature of happiness’ we need help.  We need someone who is bigger, better, stronger, wiser, kinder, more patient, more loving, more understanding, more eager, and more awesome as our companion.  We need a best friend who is also our jumpstart.  We need someone who is every sense of the word superior to us, (in this case – perfect) who can lift us up to be more than we currently are.  We need someone who can comfort us even when he wants to kick us.  We need someone who can give us soft advice and hard advice depending on the situation we’re in.  We need someone who can pick us up when we are down, encourage us to continue onward and upward2 and we need someone who is strong enough to carry the weight of being a comforter to the whole entire world. We need someone who knows and understands that we have power within us that we haven’t even tapped into yet.  We need his half (let’s be honest – his half is essentially a whole) to make us as whole as we can be.   We need someone who has our back even when, or rather especially when, we deserve it the least.  We need someone who will always be there.  We need the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

The spirit (and its comforting power) is my favorite thing in the whole world.  It makes me happy.  It makes me cry like a baby and I love it.  I just like to feel it.   Even if we aren’t actively communicating – I just like to be close to it.  When I read, I like it to be with me – just because.  When I ride my bike (or insert any daily activity here) – I like to pay attention because he will help me and lead me and guide me.  I like the way it makes me feel.  He makes me feel wanted and important and special and he makes me feel worth.  In short – he makes me feel love.  The spirit has a powerful effect on me that no other force can has because of how I feel because of it.

Even when we aren’t in the same room – we can still be together.  We are united.  We have the promise of a true companionship.  My thoughts can be his thoughts and our goals should be the same.  Our hopes, dreams, intents, and happiness can all be shared – completely.  He is a true companion, and He is constant (unrelenting awesomeness and never-ending source of power and love) and he brings us comfort.   His presence and power is the opposite of the chaos that we feel when he is away.  The peace and calm knowledge that we have when ‘the spirit is felt’ cannot be replaced.

Let us seek this companion, who has promised to be our ‘constant companion’3 if we meet follow his rules for companionship.  Let us realize that the peace that he promises is far beyond ‘peace’ as we can define it or as it can be imagined by earthly minds.  It is ‘His peace that he gives us, not as the world gives’.4  That is real comfort and that is real joy.  Let us live ‘in a state consistent with the manner of happiness’

1 See Alma 41:11

2 There have been many people and sources for this phrase, but I choose to cite C. S. Lewis from the Chronicles of Narnia (The Horse and His Boy) – since he is my favorite.

3 See D&C 121 (the whole section)

4 See John 14:27

Spiritual Hearing Aids

12 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Holy Ghost

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The Spirit is often described in testimonies or experiences as being a “still small voice”. In thinking about how the Spirit works I can’t help but compare it to my Grandma Alexander. That amazing woman bless her soul, was about deaf as a board. Communicating effectively and trying to converse with her in her later years was no easy task! Speaking to her using a “still small voice” would have been utterly and totally useless. The method I found most effective way was to pretty much yell loudly and slowly in her face hoping that she would also somehow also read my lips. Even with my signature communication method being used, like clockwork and without fail, my Grandma would stick both her pinkies in both her ears simultaneously, turning her hearing aids all the way up and sweetly ask “What did you say dear”?

In contrasting that to our own lives, it makes me think “are we like that towards the spirit”? The Spirit is less like me yelling at my Grandma, and more like a librarian who almost 100% of the time chooses to speak only in a quiet and gentle voice. What if the spirit prefers to use the voice you use when talking to someone in a movie theatre when you know you shouldn’t be talking as opposed to the voice used when you’re yelling to your neighbor across the yard? I realize those probably aren’t the best examples, but truth be told, the Spirit does seem to have a preference, and that preference is a “still small voice”.

So, how do we more easily hear that still small voice?” You guess it… Spiritual Hearing Aids! Stick those things in our ears, and when we think we hear something, simply stick both our pinkies in our ears simultaneously, turn them all the way up and sweetly ask “What did you say dear?”

The truth is, not even Rite-Aid carries these specific hearing aids (last time I checked anyways) and it doesn’t really work like that. The fact is, whether we know it or not we are born with these spiritual hearing aids. Better yet, we CAN turn them up, and best of all we don’t even have to risk poking our eardrums or brain to do it! However, turning them up often requires us to turn our surroundings down. The Spirit rarely, if ever, complies with our surroundings but rather makes us comply to his. “Turning down our surroundings” could mean turning down or abandoning the distractions, loud music, the crude language, movies or TV shows. It could mean changing the way we think, speak, talk act or react to others. It could simply mean changing ourselves and our surrounding to someone and somewhere that Christ could and would be comfortable in.

Take a look at where you are right now. Yes, right this second. Are you covered in Cheeto and Dorito crumbs? Are you surrounded by empty pizza boxes? Are you in a place that the Lord would feel comfortable in? Would you feel comfortable with the Savior there? If not, what would you change? How would you change it? What should it be? I don’t know all the answers but in my experience changing myself and my surroundings has been the most effective method in being able to feel and hear the spirit more easily. The harder I’ve worked, the more dedication I’ve shown to be more like the Savior, the easier it’s been to not only eliminate the things that don’t matter but also to break bad habits and replace them with good habits. Furthermore, it’s made it easier and more exiting to read the scriptures, to pray, to have patience, to go to the Temple, and yes, to be more receptive to the Spirit. The truth is the Spirit is always speaking to us, always! It’s whether or not we allow ourselves to hear, and be spoken to. It’s whether or not we choose to turn up our “spiritual hearing aids”.

I don’t mean to sound like this is easy because it likely will not be. Changing lifestyles and breaking habits can be very hard. Often times this means giving up, or changing hobbies, mindsets, habits, ideas, ideals, standards, and maybe even friends! It can be incredibly difficult. There are millions of people battling substance or alcohol abuse, pornography, various types of addictions, gambling, lying, backbiting, negativity and countless other tools the adversary uses to entrap us that would attest to how hard lifestyle changes are to make. HOWEVER, the bottom line is YOU CAN DO IT. You, yes you, really can do this.

You may want help and in fact often times you will NEED help. The Lord often uses experiences like these to build our faith, reliance and relationship with him. I can tell you however, that the Lord is always more than willing to step in, and offer you aid. It may be in the form of friends, co-workers, church members, family members or various support groups. Yes, that does mean that figuratively speaking there will likely be plenty of people willing to help you stick your pinkies in your ears… come to think of it there will probably even be those who are willing to go the extra mile and willing to stick their own fingers in your ears to help turn those spiritual hearing aids up! My point is, gather strength from wherever you find it. Whether it’s the Scriptures, prayer, fasting or from the testimonies or experiences of others. It may be from the words of the Prophet or Apostles. Know that our Father in Heaven loves you and is here to help you! Pray for help. Pray for strength. I can tell you, as you begin to make these changes and turn up your “spiritual hearing aids” you WILL become more receptive. It will become easier to make even more changes, or to keep up with the changes you’ve already made. It’s common for people may be scared of change, or fear what the changes will bring. They worry about what others will think and say. Know this; there is NOTHING of eternal worth that you will lose by becoming more like Christ and endless possibility to gain! Start slowly, even if it’s with a single trait or one small step at first. Even if you’re moving slowly forward at first just make sure you’re moving, it’s the fact you’re moving and changing that matters.