Why we need a Prophet

Many people I have talked to lately don't feel the need for a prophet and/or new revelation when we already have the Bible, and the truths that are in it.

I will answer the question using the Apostle Paul's words to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:5 says "One Lord, one faith, one baptism."  That was the church of Jesus Christ, back in the days of the Bible.

Ephesians 4:11-14 says this about the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

We need a prophet who receives revelation from God to keep us unified in the faith.  Much of the New testament is about how the Apostles went about to different areas of the church and had to make adjustments to the church because

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the household.  A cornerstone lines up the foundation, so the foundation is in place.  The prophets and apostles are the foundation.  A foundation holds up a house and gives it a strong base.  The saints are the household.  We can be saints if we align our will with God's will by being obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

There are so many churches who perform different ordinances and preach different laws, that it can be difficult to tell which church is God's one true church.   One Lord, one faith, one baptism. This is because there has been a great apostasy.  My testimony is that I know that God has reached out in love for his children and he has called another prophet to the earth, and He has given Him all the keys of the priesthood.  He has been given that divine permission and revelation as to how to restore His church.  Joseph Smith was that prophet.

I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God.  I have heard his word and I have prayed to know if he was a prophet.  By the power of the Holy Ghost, I have come to know that he is the prophet today.  If we heed his word, we will not be led astray, but we will be led to be the people God intends on us being.  God loves us, so he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, and he has always called prophets.  Why wouldn't he send one now when the world needs one most?!?  The answer is that he has.  

I invite you to hear the message he declares on April 5th and 6th of 2014 in General Conference.  

In fact, I invite you to check out anything you'd like on the General Conference page.

This is the message that I bring to the world: God speaks.  Not only does God live, but he speaks through a prophet just as He has in former days, He does now in the latter-days, and it will bless your life.  Pray to know the truth of this message for yourself.  God will answer your prayer if you are sincere, if you pray with real intent, and have faith in Christ.  Go into General Conference with a question, and leave with an answer.  "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things." -Moroni 10:5

Here's what Thomas S. Monson said at the last General Conference.
The talk is titled "Love- the Essence of the Gospel."

Being Inspired; A constant Challenge

 Being inspired is something that has been a challenge for me since day #1.

As I've grown older, I've since found refuge in the place known as the night sky.  Though, now that I think about it, it's not even really the night sky(though that certainly helps as I've mentioned before).

It's the darkness.

When it is dark, it's unknown.  You can't see.  You don't really know what's going on.  All you really know is your immediate surroundings.

That's an ideal situation for me, it allows me to tune out everything else.  Starting from square one, I can build up a world, a universe, the possibilities are LIMITLESS.

The future is yet unwritten.

To me, that's a comforting thought, my future is not set in stone(at least my future during this life).  I can make choices to help others, to fumble around in the dark, to do what I want...

But do you know what helps me be inspired even more?

A prayer to my Heavenly father.

A silent plea for aid for just a little more help.

I know He will help me if I just ask.  He's done it before and he continues to do it even as I speak(write?), He loves me (as any parent does).  

President Monson had something to say about this subject, 

"Not a day has gone by that I have not communicated with my Father in Heaven through prayer. It is a relationship I cherish—one I would literally be lost without." -Reference-

I would be lost without my inspiration and my inspiration comes from God, it's really just one huge cycle!

Go figure.

Which way is right...?

So there was this one time, at band camp...

Nah, just kidding!

Last week, our District (group of missionaries), was asked to usher at an InterFaith concert put on by the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.  We, of course, jumped at the opportunity!

So we hopped on the Metro and got on our merry way.

When we got off, we were at a loss at where to go (we were all unfamiliar with this particular part of D.C.), but luckily, I had grabbed a map.  I whipped it out and started to look for the street we needed to go to,

"Excuse me, are you all lost?", a woman asked us.  Four men in suits with a map and slightly confused faces apparently stand out 'round these parts(this was a tender mercy for sure).

At first she tried to guide us with the map, then she decided the map was too troublesome and she pulled out her 'I' device(I, personally, dislike all apple devices).  With the Power of Technology, she told us exactly where we needed to go, how we needed to get there (she googled the address) and quickly left us before we could ask for a name.

Left to our own devices(a paper map), we began navigating to the road we thought was our destination.

We were almost there.  We were almost late.  We were relieved to see that street, then~

~TRAGEDY STRUCK!~ 

We realized that we had gone to the wrong part of the street!  Pulling out our map, we frantically tried to find the next part of the street.  Seeing now where we needed to go, we set out again, this time at a more forced pace.

In the end, we got there about a half an hour late with no real consequences.  Everything that needed to get done, got done and the night was a success!

Looking back though, I can see the parallel in my own life.

We were told exactly where we needed to go by that woman who helped us, but we were unfamiliar with the area, so we followed what we thought was the right route to the wrong place...

Likewise, I've had guidance from my Heavenly Father, Parents, Leaders, etc... and continued forward, thinking I'm going the right way but cut off from their direct presence(the internet in this case), I lost my way for a time, but with the guidance of the scriptures, prayer, personal revelation (or a map)... I always have returned back to the right way(also known as happiness).

I can testify that our Heavenly Father loves us and wants nothing more than for us to be happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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When life gets dark and dreary...

Prayer is so important to me.  It is SUCH a blessing that all of God's children have been given.

I love the song "Did you think to Pray" in the LDS Hymnbook.

1. Do you ever feel tired, overwhelmed or weary?
2. Do you ever want the metaphorical night to be changed to day?
3. Does your life ever get dark and dreary?

If you are like me and answered "yes" to any of these questions, well... then don't forget to pray.

Ere you left your room this morning, Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Savior, did you sue for loving favor as a shield today?

When your heart was filled with anger, Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace, my brother, that you might forgive another who has crossed you way?

When sore trials came upon you, Did you think to pray?
When your soul was full of sorrow, Balm of Gilead did you borrow at the gates of day?

Chorus:

Oh how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day.

so when life gets dark and dreary,

Don't forget to pray.

These words mean so much to me.  I know I can turn to my Heavenly Father at ALL TIMES because he loves me more than I can comprehend.

One of my favorite Children's songs has these lyrics:

I Pray in Faith

I kneel to pray, every day.  I speak to Heavenly Father.  He hears and answers me when I pray in faith.

I begin by saying "Dear Heavenly Father." I thank Him for blessings He sends.  Then humbly I ask Him for things that I need, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

Your Father in Heaven loves you and wants you to succeed.  He has a plan for you and if you will humble yourself, trust Him and pray, He will lead you to happiness in this life and eternal life in the life to come.  

Matthew 7:7-8 says: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Parents: They really do care!

"I, [Aram], having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my [Father and Mother]..."

                                                                                          -Full Reference-

I wish I had spent more time with my family before I left on my mission.  I wish I had gotten to know them better and built up a better relationship with them.

Yes, we have a good relationship right now, but I think back to what it could be if I spent more time getting to know them when I was younger...

When I look back at my child and teen years, I take a look back memory lane.  I see flashes of the little things my Dad did for me.  He tried to reach out to me but something else was always more... Important. (you know; video games, books, homework, etc.)

Created with excerpts from M. Russell Ballards' Talk "Fathers and Sons: A remarkable relationship"

Did I take a moment and ask my parents about their hopes and dreams?(shocking, right?)  What about their life BEFORE I came into the picture? (Yes, there is a before)  How much time did I really spend with them?

Made with excerpts of Robert D. Hales Talk "Our Duty to God: the Mission..."

It's a two way street, both parent and child need to want it...

But how do we increase our relationship???

We do it the same ways that we build friendships with other people!  At least that's what I've found.  I talk with them, I ask them how they are doing!

I think it's kind of like that with God.  

Do we really know our Heavenly Father?  Do we want to know Him?  He's already there, just waiting for us to go to Him and let Him know that we are ready to start talking!  This Mormon Message really puts it in perspective!

I know that we can go to our Heavenly Father in prayer and talk with Him, just as we do with our parents here on Earth.

What activities have you seen that help build a better relationship with your parents?

Note:  Elder Matt Hart will be taking over posts on Fridays starting next week!  Be sure to give him a warm welcome!

Patience: It's a virtue for a reason

"Go forth among... thy brethren and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls."

-Full Reference-

Patience has been something that I've struggled with my entire life.  I want to keep pushing forward, I want to keep improving myself as fast as I can.

Most of the time, that's not in Gods plan.  FALSE!

God realizes that if I improve as fast as I want too, I would be very, very, very, tired...

 King Benjamin(a prophet-king from The Book of Mormon) talked to his people about this.  I'll 'liken' this scripture to how I read it when I need a reminder to slow down,

"...See that [improvement is] done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [you] should run faster than [you have] strength."

-Full Reference-

Improvement has a cost-
Trials.  Time.  Pain.

Even when we exercise, we're tearing muscles to make them stronger.  When we go through trials, we're trying our Faith, to make our spirits stronger.

Something that has always helped through these times of trouble is the fact that I can always go in prayer to my Heavenly Father.  I can talk with Him.  I can ask for help.  I can tell Him what I'm feeling.

Like any loving Father, he knows what's going on, but he still wants to hear it from us!

I also found that serving/helping others is a GREAT way to help me feel better.  It just gives you that warm tingly feeling!

Over time, I have learned that patience with our Father in Heaven and trying to understand why He would allow us to go through trials is a way to thrive while going through our tribulations.

This Mormon Message is a great uplifter and it's helped me out a lot!

Made from a speech given by Quentin L. Cook, "Hope Ya know, We Had a Hard Time"

How have you learned to help yourself be more patient?