A Mighty Change in Us

Mosiah 5:2 ". . Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."

The "mighty change" starts when a tiny spark ignites our hearts.

Believe in God

Mosiah 4:9 "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

Every burden can be lighter through belief in God.

The Only Way

Mosiah 3:18 ". . salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent."

Jesus Christ is the One, the Only way.

Eternally Indebted

Mosiah 2:34 " . . ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are; . ."

Heavenly Father is the one creditor who returns blessings of joy when we make a payment!

Teach Them to Your Children

Mosiah 1:4 "For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates (scriptures); . . and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time."

Scriptures are crucial to every generation.

My Prayer to God

Words of Mormon 1:8 "And my prayer to God is concerning my brethren, that they may once again come to the knowledge of God, yea, the redemption of Christ; that they may once again be a delightsome people."

Disciples of Christ want to share the joy they have found with others.

What is Prosperity?

Omni 1:6 ". . Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land."

The world's "success" is not synonymous with the prosperity of God.

Communion with the Holy Spirit

Jarom 1:4 "And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith."

Faith makes personal revelation and communion with the Holy Spirit possible and even common.

Lord, How is it Done?

Enos 1:7-8 "And I said: Lord, how is it done? And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen."

Faith in Jesus Christ motivates us to move forward.

Scriptures Testify of Christ

Jacob 7:10-11 "Believest thou the scriptures? . . for they truly testify of Christ . . none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ."

Christ is in there -- From "In the beginning"*  to "strengthen the family."*

*(Genesis 1:1)
*(The Family Proclamation)

Choose Life Today

Jacob 6:6 "Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die?"

Life starts with a soft heart.

Good Can Overcome Evil

Jacob 5:59 "And this I do that, perhaps, the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches, that the good may overcome the evil."

Trees and people produce good fruit when their roots and branches change for good rather than evil.

Take Counsel From the Lord

Jacob 4:10 "Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works."

The best counsel is the result of our actions: prayer, scripture study, and listening to prophets.

A Voice of Warning

Jacob 3:12 "And now I, Jacob, spake many more things unto the people of Nephi, warning them  against . . every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them."

The ways to sin may change over time, but the consequences remain the same.

Every One Can Make a Difference

Jacob 2:2 "Now, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify mine office with soberness . . I come up into the temple this day that I might declare unto you the word of God."

Every person is responsible to make his or her uniquely positive difference.

He Labored for Their Welfare

Jacob 1:10 "The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them . . and having labored in all his days for their welfare--"

. . as loving parents do for their children.

In Favor of Plainness

Second Nephi 33:6 "I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell."

Plain verses complicated: easy to choose, hard to accomplish.

Which Spirit Directs Aright?

Second Nephi 32:8 ". . For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray."

Which spirit will I listen to today?

A Perfect Brightness of Hope

Second Nephi 31:20 "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, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

Good luck finding anything that compares to this assurance.

The Restoration of His People

Second Nephi 30:8 ". . the Lord God shall commence his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth."

All countries, families, languages, and ethnicities will be able to participate in God's work.

More Nations Than One

Second Nephi 29:7 "Know ye not that there are more nations than one? . . and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?"

God's word is meant for everyone. Every. One.

The Precepts of Men

Second Nephi 28:31 "Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost."

"The power of the Holy Ghost" can assist us as we measure "the precepts of men" to the word of God.

Fear Towards God

Second Nephi 27:25 ". . their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men --"

Do those who "fear God" in a bad way reject a desire to know him?

* See explanation by Todd D. Christofferson
“There are many places in the scriptures that counsel mankind to fear God. In our day we generally interpret the word fear as ‘respect’ or ‘reverence’ or ‘love’; that is, the fear of God means the love of God or respect for Him and His law. That may often be a correct reading, but I wonder if sometimes fear doesn’t really mean fear, as when the prophets speak of fearing to offend God by breaking His commandments. “… We should so love and reverence Him that we fear doing anything wrong in His sight, whatever may be the opinions of or pressure from others” (“A Sense of the Sacred” [Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Nov. 7, 2004], 6–7).

Prayer

Second Nephi 26:15 ". . the prayers of the faithful shall be heard . ."

When in doubt . . don't.

There is Only One Savior

Second Nephi 25:20 ". . there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved."

Jesus Christ is the Way. The Truth. The Light. There is no other.

Who Shall Turn it Back?

Second Nephi 24:27 "For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"

The purposes of the Lord will happen.

They Shall Have No Pity

Second Nephi 23:18 "Their bows shall also dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children."

This description fits the terror of ISIS in our day.

Game Changer

A General Conference talk that sets my "feet to the fire" is by Dale G Renlund (04/02/16):

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/media/session_1_talk_12/4828276382001?lang=eng

General Conference Today and Tomorrow!

Saturday 10-12:00, 2-4:00 pm
Priesthood, 6-8:00 pm
Sunday 10-12:00, 2-4:00 pm

Come listen to a Prophet's voice - here and now - at a TV or Internet connection near you!

The Wells of Salvation

Second Nephi 22:3 "Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."

Finding Jesus = finding Joy!