Promptings/commandments/tests

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

Abraham 3:25

In reading Ezra Taft Benson's first chapter, I read the scripture above and had a thought occur to me. Sometimes when we receive spiritual promptings, they are hard to listen to. It's hard to be obedient, if we don't want to or don't understand the reason behind the prompting. But I realized that this life is a test and that most often we are required to make a decisions or do things on our own, according to our best judgment. So, spiritual promptings should be obeyed, because there are rare, they make it easier for us to know God's will, and we don't have to decide what to do: it's given to us. 

 I think of all the prayers that I have prayed asking for specific answer, and I've been times I feel peace about several options and conclude that I just need to choose one and allow heavenly father to guide me or just stop me that's not the right answer. So I think of the times that I don't get specific answers, and how often that happens. So when I do get a specific answer, I should listen and be grateful for it and obey it, because that is the Lord's will! And sometimes it's hard to know the Lord's will. 

"The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it. The great commandment of life is to love the Lord."

Chapter 1: The Great Commandment—Love the Lord

http://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-ezra-taft-benson/chapter-1-the-great-commandment-love-the-lord?lang=eng

Conversion

In Alma 19 there's so much to do about conversion. There's a scripture that says that king Lamoni was overcome, that the spirit had overcome his natural frame. And the footnote leads to Mosiah 3:19, where it talks about overcoming the natural man. And then later it talks about how they become converted to the Savior and that they had no more desire to do evil. That kind of conversion is something that needs to take place on a daily basis for me. I need to always be trying harder and harder or in different ways and better ways to become a saint through the atonement and to become more like the Savior. And slowly lose my desire to do evil.

PoEM Tie God in to Solve Problems at Work

I love this chapter. On pages 60-64, Clay talks about how he taught a man the principle of forgiveness at work. Apply the principles of the gospel! Use what I know to work to solve problems in secular environments as well, and use them as teaching opportunities to teach others and awaken their sense of faith and trust in Heavenly Father. 

Also, pray every day that those I interact with will feel of my love for them and of God's love for them. This will make it so easy to teach them about the gospel. And to apply the scriptures or orincipldd of the gospel. Also as a teacher he prays every day that he will be able to teach with love and that the Spirit of God will be in their classroom. That is something that I should do.

Teach P of S before commandments

One thing I love about Alma chapter 12 is how after Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden, God sent angels to teach them about the plan of salvation and redemption. And in verse 32 it says that God had been the plan of sedation and then he taught them the Commandments. That sequence is really important. We will have motivation and desire to keep commandments  and to know them and we will have an appreciation for them because they allow us to get back to heavenly father. That is why we must understand the point of salvation first, and then we will understand and want to keep the Commandments.

Strong? You still need to learn.

I like how in Alma 7, Alma rejoices at the faithfulness of the people. He says he is happy to see them still strong in believing in Christ. But he still proceeds to tell them about repentance and baptism and the Atonement; he shows them that they still must be focused on the Savior and spend their lives constantly drawing nearer and nearer to Him.

Then he goes on to say that no unclean thing can enter into God's presence, just in case they had forgotten. And he teaches them to keep working on faith, hope, charity, and doing good works in order to continue to keep their garments spotless.

Then he says, "And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which testifieth in me" even though he knew that they were already diligent. But the Spirit STILL told him to preach these things unto them. I love that.

Follow the spirit

Live worthily, pray fervently, follow courageously (the Spirit's guidance). PMG 97

His promptings are quiet and still and soft and subtle. Listen!!

Goals-nay speak no ill

I had a goal for a while to practice not speaking ill of others. I felt like I need to revisit it because this last week was especially difficult to do that, and I think there is more that I need to learn. In Ephesians 4:29-32 it says: 

Only say things that are edifying to others.

Grieve not the Holy Spirit. To me this means even if I don't understand why I feel a certain way about saying something, if I feel like I shouldn't say it, then just don't say it. Let the reason of not offending the spirit be enough. Even if there isn't another reason that I can identify, like if I don't think the comment is that mean or if I think it is true or if I think it is necessary to say or anything like that. If I feel like I shouldn't say something then that is a good enough reason. And I need to listen to the spirit.

Don't say anything out of bitterness or anger or malice.

Be kind to one another and tenderhearted and forgiving, and think about how much Heavenly Father and Christ have forgiven me.

Then hymn number 233 says a few things as well:

Speak no ill. Speak kindly words. Don't tell every tale I've heard, because it is beneath a noble mind. Speak the best we can. Ask for a heart that tries to a efface other's faults. Think higher of man. Search for good in others earnestly. Be lenient to others' feelings. Don't make others' faults known.

Another interesting thing is in him number 235 and in doctrine and covenants 88 124 it relates speaking negatively of others to being lazy. Maybe that's because we are looking for the good in them and instead just easily finding the faults in them. And also we are trying  (because it does take effort sometimes) to stand up for them or to change the conversation or to be kind, when their faults are obvious.