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VIEW PERSONAL BELIEFS
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POSTED BY:
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skalenfehl
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DATE:
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29.11.2008 |
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SUBJECT:
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Ask and receive, not doubting! |
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LOCATION:
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Perry,
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So often people have sued the Lord for favor and for blessings. How easy is it to ask for something from our parents without paying the price for it? Should we not earn what should be so precious?
James 1: 5
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
How often do people ask what Joseph Smith once asked? Is there a true church? Is salvation found in the waters of baptism? Why are there so many churches? What should I believe? The above scripture found Joseph Smith with so many questions needing answers. A young man sought wisdom as many today do. He investigated many churches, read the scriptures, toiled in Spirit and hungered for an answer.
When we hunger for something we crave it. We seek to fill that hunger with satisfaction. We work by the sweat of our brows for wages meet for sustenance and nourishment. So, too, should we toil and earn the wages meet for spiritual nourishment. God will not upbraid or rebuke us for it.
Consider what some in the Book of Mormon have done to fill their yearning need for such nourishment and spiritual knowledge.
A man named Enos was hunting for food one day. How interesting and appropriate that He sought the Lord for spiritual nourishment as he sought for his own physical nourishment.
Enos 1: 3-8
3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.
4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.
5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?
8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.
Enos had believed enough to continually cry unto the Lord until he was heard. And his spiritual toiling continued for the benefit of his people and even for his enemies. He prayed fervently still, which yielded the fruit that he desired and wrote his testimony:
Enos 1:15
15 Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.
His uncle Nephi, who left Jerusalem also knew this as he too sued the Lord for the same testimony that his father, Lehi received. Nephi prayed to the Lord until he received his answer and this is what he tried to teach his doubting brothers, who had seen great things and still doubted:
1 Ne. 15: 11
11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.
Alma also understood this principle. He gained his testimony and preached to the people of a city called Zarahemla and exhorted them to look to Christ for their salvation and he testified to them.
Alma 5: 45-47
45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.
47 And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God.
Alma is a fine example of how the Lord blesses us when we truly hunger and thirst. Alma not only prayed, but he fasted and he prayed for many days for the same thing that many of us today seek--personal revelation from the Lord. They understood the need to sue the Lord for what is most precious. Truth. When we labor for our reward, we prove that we are willing to sacrifice for the reward as Alma did by fasting and praying for many days.
The Book of Mormon shows many examples of people who did not know God, who humbled themselves to know Him. They were willing to offer great sacrifices:
Aaron taught a Lamanite King who did not know God, but rather believed in a Great Spirit (a higher power). When the King learned of this, he found it important to know if it was true and if he could become a partaker of salvation and eternal life:
Alma 22: 16-18
16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day...
The king exhibited great humility, hope and faith. This is a great story. Many people in the land became converted because of this experience.
There are many such scriptures that admonish us to ask God in faith, believing and not doubting. The resurrected Christ visited these people and gave them the promise from His own mouth:
3 Ne. 18: 20
20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.
We have often been given this promise. We but have to follow the pattern of faith and sue the Lord for what is most precious:
Morm. 9: 21
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
Moro. 7: 26
26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
And the final promise of reading and studying the Book of Mormon:
Moro. 10: 3-5
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, 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 real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
This testimony, or witness through revelation that is promised to us is the spirit of prophecy spoken of by the Angel to John in the book of Revelation. It is the spirit of prophecy that gave Peter the Apostle the knowledge that Christ is the Son of the Living God:
Matt. 16: 17
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
When we ask the Lord, let us sue Him for what is most precious and humble ourselves enough to sacrifice our time, and our efforts to seek Him out and be heard. The Lord sees fit to try our faith and reward us accordingly, if we are willing to do as Enos or Alma did and many others to gain their witness. I want to add my witness that there is a God and He does answer prayers. I have also spent countless hours on my knees in prayer and I have received answers. We are all His children and He loves us all and is willing to give us everything that He has if we are willing to go after it. Great faith yields great efforts and great efforts yield great rewards.
I testify that the Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ and His church. I testify that those who read this can know the same thing if they hunger and thirst enough to seek the Lord and sue Him for it.
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