Believe IN God? or Believe God?

There was a talk given on Sunday a few weeks ago that really touched me. He asked these questions," Believe IN God? or Believe God? Is there a difference?"

I posted this same thing on facebook, these are the responses.

"You have to believe IN God before you can believe God and obey His commandments."
"Believing in God portrays a sense that He can save all of mankind. Believing God means you believe that also pertains to you."
"its the same as saying to someone I love you...or...I am IN love with you. Being "in" means your heart, your soul, your every thought, your actions are all because of him, Our Saviour, Our Redeemer, Our Creator, the Great I Am."
"you could believe that God is there but believing in God is a personal relationship with him :)"

This gentleman, that spoke, said "..a belief IN God is enough to trust Him. Our desire comes to want to learn more of Him. Believe God enough to live the gospel. Repent, allow Him to cleanse us.

We must live by faith. Faith is actively following the Savior, its not believing. If we have faith we must be anxiously engaged. I believe the sun will come up tomorrow, but I don't have to do anything about it. That's not faith!! We become true disciples by being like Him. Being a disciple is more than just being... Its becoming!"

This is something that we have talked alot about on the mission. About BECOMING, be the person we are  to become, become a disciple of Christ. Faith is an action, we can believe all we want but we have to SHOW that we believe. Show are faith, by doing the things the Lord has commanded us to do. Amazing things you learn in church!! Can't wait to see what more I learn in conference!!
Remember who you are and what you stand for!

Bible or Book of Mormon?

Why do we need the Book of Mormon if we already have the Bible?

This is a very good question, and one that has been asked and that I have thought about for a long time.

The Bible talks of Jesus Christ, His earthly ministry and the Atonement. How amazing is this, that we have the life of our Savior Jesus Christ recorded! I know that the Bible teaches truth and it helps us to understand the teaches of Christ. M. Russell Ballard said,"...the Holy Bible is a miracle! It is a miracle that the Bible’s 4,000 years of sacred and secular history were recorded and preserved by the prophets, apostles, and inspired churchmen.

It is a miracle that we have the Bible’s powerful doctrine, principles, poetry, and stories. But most of all, it is a wonderful miracle that we have the account of the life, ministry, and words of Jesus, which was protected through the Dark Ages and through the conflicts of countless generations so that we may have it today.

It is a miracle that the Bible literally contains within its pages the converting, healing Spirit of Christ, which has turned men’s hearts for centuries, leading them to pray, to choose right paths, and to search to find their Savior."

The Bible is a miracle, and helped with the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Bible is an account of the prophets in Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon, is an account of the prophets in the Americas. So... Why do we have the Book of Mormon?

There are so many accounts, that the prophets give in the Book of Mormon for their reason of writing it.

In 2 Nephi 29 the Lord gives a reason of the Book of Mormon. "...Know ye not that there are more nations than one?..I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth.. Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another?...And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure.."

The Book of Mormon.."puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come."

I know the Book of Mormon to be Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I know that it teaches truth, and we can come to a greater knowledge and understanding of God, and what we can do to have eternal life.
I invite all of you to follow the prophet Moroni's counsel.."..if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them..that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts... I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with really intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost."

I know these things to be true. I know that Heavenly Father is a loving Father and wants all of His children to know of Him and this gospel so that we can all one day return to live with Him again.

Remember who you are and what you stand for!

Whats Important to you?

Me and my companion were reading a general conference talk by Dieter F. Uchtodorf. Its titled," Of things that matter most."
What are somethings that matter to you? Whats important to you and your life?
Just think about that for a moment. ..............................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................................

"If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most."

In this video I love what Pres. Monson says, "Despite the changes which come into our lives, may we fill our days as much as we can with those things which matter most."

I love Bro. Uchtodorf's counsel in this talk. Things that matter most, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ leads us to have a better relationship with Heavenly Father, our families and also ourselves.

I know the most important thing in my life is the gospel, and right now, its sharing the gospel. I hope to be able to show my Father in Heaven that He and my Savior matter most to me. Heavenly Father shows me everyday that I matter to Him, I think I can and should be able to return the favor.

Remember who you are and what you stand for!

 

 

"What have I done with His name?"

I was listening to a song in the car the other day and the words caught my attention.

"Father named me after Grandpa
He said he hoped that I would one day
Be the man that he was
Well, Grandpa died when I was five years old
And so he hasn't been around to know
What his namesake has done
But what if he's watching
What if Grandpa's seen all I've become

What have I done with his name
I'm hoping he won't be ashamed
The right or the wrong
I've done it all with his name

Someone named me after Mormon
Trying to turn world against me
Because of faith etched in gold
But that name has stood for goodness
And its fame now floods the nations
By the words Mormon wrote
Now, what if he's watching
Have I been true to what Mormon made known

There's a Name above all others
And it's the only one that saves
So Grandpa, me and Mormon
We love this Name
And we know He's watching
Jesus sees all of our faith

What will we do with His name
He's hoping we won't be ashamed
The right or the wrong
We do it all with His name
But, He can catch us when we fall
'Cause that's what He does with His name

That blessed name
I love His name"

This song really made me sit back and think. "What have I done with His name?" Being a missionary I wear the name Jesus Christ on my name badge, but when my mission is over I won't have the name badge anymore. When I was 8 years old I was baptized and I promised to take upon my self the name of Christ at all times. In 2 Nephi 31:13 it says,"..I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism-yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost..."
I love what the prophet Alma taught in Mosiah 18:8,"...yea, and are willing...to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in."

What have you done with His name? As for me, I really hope that He won't be ashamed!

Remember who you are and what you stand for!

TRANSFERS!!---

That time has come again. Yes, transfer calls came and I am now in Santa Rosa, training! Yes, training! I thought alot to myself about the type of trainer that I would want to be. I thought about my previous companions and thought about the things that they all taught me.

Sister Nestman, was one of my first companions when I first came out here. She was full of energy and complete love for the gospel. We had many good days, but we also had some hard days. No matter how the day was going, good or bad, she always had a positive optimistic attitude about her. She always told me to be optimistic and something better was going to come.

Sister Beardsley, had the attitude of never giving up. She continued to push forward no matter what she was going through. I'm grateful for her willingness to serve a mission and was able to put the negative things behind her and to keep going.

Sister Lewis, was full of complete Christ-like love. She was always just loving everyone and always expressed her love. The first day I met her I felt love from her. She knew that Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of His children, and I could feel that from her.

Sister Tuifua, had an amazing way of talking to people. When she spoke you could feel the Spirit immediately! She was very good at following the Spirit, in her words and actions.

I've been so blessed to be able to serve with some amazing woman. I know that Heavenly Father gave them to me for a reason.

Now that I am training I only hope that I can take each and every one of these things that each of them have taught me and to be able to apply into my everyday life.

I've come to understand and realize that people DO come into our lives for a reason. We may not ever know the reason, but I know that the Lord does put them into our lives. So I'd like to ask, who is in your life right now? What are you to learn from them? What are you to help them with?
Remember who you are and what you stand for!

Mormon-Fu

I had been taking Mormon-Fu for quite a few years now. Since I was 8 years old, being trained in the school of Sunday and seminary, having had many good instructors and coaches, knowing some great moves and stances, my coach decided it was time for my title match.

This was not a national, state city, or even block title. It was something far more important to me, and to those who knew me. For if I won this, I would be able to practice in the celestial dojo with the best master ever.

As I walked into the locker room, I saw my opponent putting on his murky black karate uniform. His name was Lucifer D. Satan. He'd been around for a very long time. He was small, quick, deceptively powerful, and an unbelievably chatty fighter.

From the moment I walked in, he began taunting me trying to make me attack him in the locker room and get me disqualified before the match even began.

I kept my cool and said "I do my talking in the ring." "I do my talking in the ring," he mimicked. As they led us into the ring, I could see a small crowd in the top ten rows of the five hundred row stadium and could tell it was going to be a very rough crowd.

As the referee went over the ground rules, some of the crowd jumped in the ring, knocked the referee out and dragged him away.

As I watched helplessly, the bell rang and the devil landed a vicious blow to the head, full of hate and malice. 

While I lay on the ground, He swung at me with a evil music left and right. This took a little out of me, but in a unprecedented move, I stood up and bore my testimony, but he slashed through with a blonde in a mini-skirt. 

I stumbled back and leaned heavily on the ropes, but I acted more dazed then I was and as he came in, I spun and nailed him with a church hymn. He struck blindly with a fast car, but I blocked him with our dying ford and countered with the power of prayer.

He tried hopelessly to hit with evil urges, but I sidestepped with a family that cared for me greatly and gave an uppercut with the power of the priesthood.
He was bleeding from several places now, but as I attacked with a solid testimony of the Word of Wisdom, suddenly he sidestepped and grabbed me with a boring speaker and a sleeper hold. I slide out with a good spiritual fast and testimony meeting, but I was noticeably hurt. He tried to drop me with a fishing trip on Sunday, but that was his mistake, I don't fish well. I began to pepper him with a few quick trips to the temple interposed with baptisms for the dead. He was on the run now, as I threw in a few scriptures from The Book of Mormon.
In my haste to finish him off, I ran right into sports on Sunday. I swung with a friend taping the super bowl for me on Sunday. But I was noticeably stung and bleeding in a few places. He struck back again and again with drugs and pornography and anything he could get his hands on, but his arsenal was shrinking quickly.
We stood back for a second, blood was dripping from both of us.
All of a sudden my inner strength swelled, and I hit him viciously with my mission call. I tattooed the signature of the prophet Thomas S. Monson across his forehead and knocked him out by serving a successful and honorable mission. 
I knew that was not all. True enough, I had won this match but I knew there would always be a rematch and he would be back again, only more powerful the next time.

I know that we are always in a battle with Satan. Everyday is going to tempt us with anything he can get his hands on. I know that the power of God is more powerful than Satan no matter what! I know that with all these things that we have in the gospel, our scriptures, hymns, seminary, church, the commandments, with all these things we can and will be able to win the battle against Satan.
Remember who you are and what you stand for!

"..How is it that ye have no Faith?" -Mark 4:40

A few days ago we had a baptism. I've still been thinking about Nikki, her baptism and the light that shined in her face that day. She was SO excited to be baptized. That whole week, she just kept saying how excited she was.
I was happy to see that she was so excited to follow Jesus Christ. I know that she knows that getting baptized was the right thing to do. I thought to myself, "Have I ever been that excited to follow Jesus Christ?" Why don't we, or why aren't we as excited to follow Him?

I was reading this morning in Matthew 14. The disciples of Christ are on a ship in the middle of the sea and a storm comes. Jesus started walking towards them on the sea. "And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, Is is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid." Peter then asks the Lord,"...bid me come unto thee on the water." Christ's response to this was,"Come.... he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind.. he was afraid; and beginning to sink.... Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" 

"What would it be like, to have faith to move mountains, faith to walk on water?"

I know we can all be excited to follow Jesus Christ. It is our faith in Him as the Son of God that leads us to do whatsoever He asks of us. Sometimes we do not always know the reasons, but He will help us and support us as long as He sees we are doing our best to follow Him.

Remember who you are and what you stand for!

"Follow thou Me"

Today we were able to see a wonderful woman take that next step and follow Jesus Christ. Yup, she was baptized!

Earlier that morning I was reading in the Book of Mormon, I had left off the night before in 2 Nephi 30. So I started reading and read chapter 30 and 31. Chapter 31 talks about baptism, which was a little ironic because we had a baptism today. I read through each verse as carefully as I could. I feel like I should have this chapter memorized because I've read it so many times. I've come to like this chapter the more and more I read it.
The prophet Nephi explains in chapter 31 why Christ was baptized, and how important it is for us to be baptized. One of the GREATEST things about getting baptized, isn't just taking upon ourselves the name of Christ, but we also receive a wonderful gift! The gift of the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit to be a constant companion to us. To help lead and guide us through the rest of our lives as long as we live worthy of it. What an AMAZING gift our Father in Heaven has given us!
As I was reading however there was a question that Nephi asked that caught my attention. " And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the work of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighter to save." 2 Nephi 31:19

What an interesting question. Are we done once we enter the waters of baptism? Nope, life still goes on. We will still have trials and struggles, and that's why the atonement of Jesus Christ is so great. We are able to repent, and return to live with Him. In the next verse it says,"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." I love this last part.. "If ye shall press forward, and endure to the end...We shall have eternal life."

Just like in my last post, we are not perfect but we can be clean and I know that baptism is a way that we can be clean. We can be as clean as we were when we were first baptized as long as we repent and keep going forward following Christ.

I know that Christ lives and I know that we will one day return to live with our Father in Heaven again and we can be with our families forever.
Remember who you are and what you stand for!

Perfect or Clean?

What is the difference between being perfect and being clean? Is there a difference?

Yes, there is a difference. I think sometimes we think that there is not, and that can be discouraging.

Sometimes we will find our faults and focus on them and do everything we can to make those faults better, but in the mean time forget about everything else. In the Book of Mormon, in Ether 12:27 is says," And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Bruce C. Hafen said,"As we draw closer to God, He will show us our weakness and through them make us wiser, and stronger. If you're seeing more of your weakness, that just might mean you're moving nearer to God, not farther away."

It is important for us to recognize our weaknesses but not to dwell on them or get discouraged. It is a time for us to learn and then do better next time. If we have the desire to follow Christ and be better, we will want to repent and we will strive to be better. Will we be perfect? No, but we can strive to do our best.

I know that it is important for us to "...repent of [our] iniquity, and become clean before the Lord."

I know that we aren't perfect, "..all of us are 'works in process,' we can be worthy while still needing improvement."

I know that through Jesus Christ and His gospel we can be clean and strive to be the best that we can. 

Remember who you are and what you stand for! 

We are all precious sons and daughters of God. The Lord knows the desires of our hearts. When we are willing to humble ourselves, repent and be baptized we can be clean. What a great blessing. I will forever express my gratitude to the Lord, for the wonderful amazing example He is to all of us.

"We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy-not guilt trips!"-Elder Russell M. Nelson

Please read this talk below! Dis is AMAZING!

Cecil O. Samuelson, "What Does It Mean to Be Perfect?"