Prayer and Fasting

I need all the help I can get. Knowing that about myself has made the topic for tonight really hard. It is one that I struggle with truly understanding. It is that of fasting. It is developing a relationship with God while putting off the natural man and seeking the spirit even more earnestly.

Christ, the great exemplar taught us that as we fast we are seeking the spirit to guide us. We are humbling ourselves before the Father to show our love for him. We show that we can bridle our passions and truly desire the guidance form above.

Christ also taught, that man can not live on bread alone but by the words of God. How can we know everything that we need to if we are not seeking the spirit to guide us? It is so very simple and yet we make it so very hard on ourselves. Bread, will take care of us physically. It will nourish and strengthen us. However if we are given to fasting and prayer the spirit will heighten our awareness. He will guide our wants and desires and give us what we need to go that much farther than we could go on our own.

While I have seen this in my life. I struggle putting off the natural man. I pray constantly that I will not give in to the incessant banter of Satan and his legions. The scriptures tell us that they laugh at us they seek our failure. If they can get us to fail than they have had success. Misery loves company and that is what they are miserable.
The temptations in the scheme of things are but a small moment. As we overcome them however they are huge victories. Victories that lead us home, to be with our Heavenly Father.

One of those great victories that we can have is having the veil taken form our eyes. Moses taught that while Satan laughs at us and relentlessly seeks our destruction, we are striving to know the mind and will of God, the blessing is that we will be able to have sure knowledge of things. That the murky will be made clear and we will have great joy!

God, knows what we need when we need it. So, we must have the faith to prepare ourselves to receive what he is going to give us. We must come to know the mind and will of God. Seek the strength that comes from mighty prayer.

Prophets

The Lord sends prophets to help us, know and understand his will. Throughout history prophets have been called to show the way. They teach and call on everyone to repent and come unto Christ. If we follow their counsel, history has also shown us that we will be blessed.

In these turbulent days we need light and hope. Someone that can help us see in an ever darkening abyss is the prophets. The Prophet is a lighthouse that shines out to the world. They offer peace for the lost soul. Refuge from the raging storm. The world is a great place to be if we are aware of all it has to offer.

We must recognize that we are spirits having a mortal experience. As such we must learn to cast from us the natural man, and seek the best opportunities. The guidance that we need comes from one source, a loving Heavenly Father. 

We know that God is a God of order. He makes his will known unto us through his servants the  prophets. that is not to say that we should not cease to pray and only rely upon the words of a man. We must internalize their words. Pray, ask God if there is a prophet on earth and if he speaks for him. Then go and do! 

The prophets are there for our benefit to bring us to the savior of the world. As we heed the promptings that come from the prophets we truly will bask in the life giving light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

There is great power in prayer. Prayer influences how we act. It helps us realize how we handle the everyday life. As we take a few minutes everyday to include the father in our lives we actually are guided to better ourselves. 

Christ taught us to Pray always to avoid the temptations of the devil. The world is full of suggestive material. There is a multitude of things that vie for our attention and with out the aid of a loving Heavenly Father we could miss the mark. Prayer guides the way to life. It is the one constant thing that we can do to make everyday life a little bit brighter. 

Have you ever noticed how you feel when you pray and when you don't? Is there an difference? For me there is a stark difference. The things that I am trying to accomplish are just a little easier. I am aided in my decisions and I seek to always know if I am choosing the right. On the flip side when I have not counseled with the Lord, I find that my efforts are bogged down. I feel like I am out of control and have no vision for what to do next.

We are to pray always that we may come off conqueror. We are the ones who benefit from cultivating a relationship with God. Prayer is how we talk with him. We win when we humble ourselves to his will for us. We win when we are actively seeking to know what is the best course of action. The great thing about us having our own relationship with God is that each of are unique to him.  Each one of us learns differently, likewise each of us have the ability to have our own unique relationship with the Father. The great message is that we win, when we talk to God!!!

Learn to feel and recognize the spirit

Everyday we have experiences where the spirit tries to talk to us. Learning to recognize those sweet promptings is a process. That process can be mastered only through obedience and experience. Doing the small things! Diligently seeking to have an understanding and striving to learn.

I had a friend tell me once, that I was lucky. He said it seems it just comes so easy for you. He told me how much he struggled to feel the spirit. I told him that I was not lucky at all. I told him how I  found it hard to listen for those precious moments. I told him that I had to put to the test the remarks of the prophets and Christ. I had to fight for my testimony.

Today we have to actively do things that will guide us to receive a testimony. No longer can anyone ride the coat tails of another. We can not sit and wait for it to just fall into our laps we must go out and get it. Satan is working around the clock to ensure us his. Why then should we not be diligent in obtaining our own relationship with our Father.

There are times when I can not deny the spirit. He beats me over the head til I do get it. But lately, I have found that when I start my scripture study off with a prayer; I am able to hear and tune in loud and clear.
I have found that when I am diligently seeking for an answer; when I am reading, praying, and trying my hardest to do what is right, that is when I learn the most.

I have learned to pray that I will recognize the prompting of the spirit. I start out my day asking that I will be able to recognize the tender mercies that are all around me. How great it is, to know that if we will ask in faith we can be answered.

Follow the Prophet

My favorite primary song is "Follow The Prophet." I love it for the doctrine it teaches and the musical tempo it provides. It makes me happy. It helps me feel the spirit and seek to be a little better, a little brighter and excited for what is to come.

The prophet does a couple of things. He invites all to come unto Christ, and is the mouth piece of the God on earth today. He tells us what we need to hear. He invites us to come unto Christ and be perfected in him. He calls us to repent and to be better.

The children's song in the ninth verse reads:

"Now we have a world where people are confused.
If you don't believe it, go and watch the news.
We can get direction all along our way,
If we heed the prophets -- follow what they say.

Especially in a world where the answer for everything is to rely on yourself. So, many truly believe they must go it it alone. That simply is not true. There is a great oppertunity for us if we will recognize the need for our father in heaven to have a place in our lives. There is peace when we follow the prophet, and seek to be guides by the Lord.   

Don't Give Up

Some my most favorite sections of the Doctrine and Covenants are 121- 123 all written when when the prophet was in the Liberty jail. I find great comfort in them because he is asking the Lord how long will the oppression last. The Lord tells him to keep pressing forward. The things that you are going through are for your experience.

I really enjoy it when I can relate to the experiences that the prophets talk about. I find many times that unless I am really looking for it I miss the lesson. I pray that as I start my study I might get what I am suppose to. With these sections I can really relate.

I have never been in jail or anything like that. However I have felt many times like Satan keeps getting in his licks how much more can I take right now. I feel like I am alone or just want to throw my hands up and quit. these are the times when I need to focus. Go to work and make sure I gain the experience but press forward.

How important it is for us to receive that experience. Often times we may just need to slow down and look at what is around us. Satan longs for us to be miserable. The mundane of life eats at our time and we keep crowding in things and before you know it we have a very hectic life. We fail to recognize the simple the beautiful.

I loved president Uchtdorf's message to settle down and enjoy the simple things. It is after the little things that will bring us closer to Christ.

If you are right on the edge and want to throw your hands up, will you think about two things? Remember how much your elder brother truly does Love you. Second, stop and look at all the beauty that is around you. Allow for only the important and clear out the mundane and of little value. 

Family

The greatest opportunities for growth in this life are found with the walls of own homes. The family is where so many firsts are experienced. In the family is where so special memories are formed and eternal relationships are forged.

During this last  weeks FHE (Family Home Evening) I had been thinking a lot about the Proclamation on the family.

So I had everyone, spell the word family as an acronym

F (fart was the first choice) Forever Families. Families can be together forever. All of us are apart of an                                      eternal family. We are able to learn much from one another as we recognize that relationship with one another.

A Apply or Application We talked about applying what we learn. Internalize the lessons make them apart of our daily lives. study it out,  learn all you can and then put it to action.

M Marriage Recognize where and when it is appropriate to start a family. Marriage between a man and a woman is part of the plan. We are to work together and teach together and rise a familiy in unity an a desire to all return home.

I  Insurance, we might have stretched this a little. but the idea here is that we do those little things that insure us returning to our father. Reading our scriptures, Praying, FHE, going to church. These things build a safe haven from the outside world.

L Live, Laugh,LOVE memories that is where it is all at. Daily creating a atmosphere that will bring us closer together. I think it is so true that laughing provides for strong bonds. The greatest example of love is the Savior. If as a family we can learn about him and build our lives around him and his example we will come to be able to  love our neighbors that much easier.

Y Youth, You : In the family you are defined. Your character is molded and formed. Your values are created. 

The family is the greatest and biggest piece to our fathers plan.