Satan has a great hold upon the hearts of men in this generation.  It has taken many dear members of our faith away from hope, light and peace.  Some become atheist, others become evangelicals, etc.  In either case, it usually leads to those individuals preaching against the church and harboring bitter feelings for whatever reason.  Now why would someone become bitter against the church?  Maybe several reasons:

• Offended by fellow Member/Bishop/Stake President
• Falling Victim to anti-Mormon literature
• A member Discovers darker details of church history and concludes they were lied to all of their life. (this is almost always done by reading into anti-Mormon literature as well, the combination is like putting a match to gasoline)
• Looking into church history from the sources only after reading all of the pre conceived notions of anti-Mormon critics
• Forgetting how to discern the spirit of everlasting happiness (peace, comfort, calmness, enlightenment, no desire for contention).

That last part is important.  I have lost count how many times I have heard people say that the spirit told them that Joseph Smith was a false prophet.  They usually if not always say it in a tone of bitterness and contention.  Then they follow it up by saying the spirit told them that in prayer.  So let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of how the spirit communicates truth to us. First of all the evangelical faith discounts feelings you get from prayer altogether saying that our preconditioned minds cannot receive revelation or answers directly in that manner.  They say we feel what we condition ourselves to feel. In total, they deny that God can communicate directly to us through prayer and that the bible is the only canon that can teach us. (Don't get me started on how unreliable that notion is). Moving on, let’s start by breaking down how the spirit doesn't communicate with us.

Feelings Of:

• Being Unsure
• Fear
• Contention
• Confrontation
• Anger
• Hopelessness
• Despair

This list could really go on forever.  But let this suffice for now.  It is interesting to note how our prayers are answered.  If any one of those things listed above is felt in any way, just one of them, you are feeling the wrong spirit. In a nut shell, it is either a burning in the bosom or a stupor of thought (to forget that thing which was asked).  It isn't a revelation on how evil, wrong and false something is.  It is a simple stupor of thought.  Now let’s define how the spirit speaks truth to us:

Feelings of:

• Peace
• Love
• Calmness
• Assurance
• Balance
• Hope
• No desire for contention
• Charity towards all men
• Feelings and desires to serve
• Enlightenment that leads to peace not contention
• Burning in the Bosom

Again, this list could go on forever as well.  If the opposite of any one of those things are felt in any way, then you are feeling the wrong spirit. The English language or any earthly language for that matter is quit inadequate in expressing pure truth. So we do the best we can with what we have.

This one thing must be made clear.  Just because you feel the spirit isn’t speaking to you, or you are not feeling the spirit doesn’t mean that something isn’t true.  People argue that they have prayed to know if the church was true, or if Joseph Smith was a prophet and they received no answer telling them that he was a prophet or that the church is true, so they conclude that means none of it is true.  Many have gone through this process with much sincerity and painstaking heartfelt prayer, and still received no answer. How can this happen? Maybe I can offer some insight.

If you are one of those individuals that have gone through this, ask yourself this. “Did I become more confused praying about it? Did I feel angry, despaired, or turned around by just asking the question? Did I simply feel nothing at all?” If you are feeling nothing at all in praying about it, then ask yourself how your life is going. Ask yourself if you are happy or confused about life. Ask yourself if you feel tormented. If you do feel any of those things, then have faith and keep praying until you find peace. Don’t ever give up and I promise it will take you to these next steps if you endure well. As for those of you who may have felt the other above mentioned items in regards to receiving an answer, rest assured that it is the adversary telling you what he wants you to believe by confusing you, tormenting you, and turning your world upside down. Remember how the spirit speaks to us.  It is always peace, calm, happiness, balance, no desire for contention, etc. If you are not feeling those things, then it is not the spirit. If you are feeling feelings of confusion, despair, anger, contention, etc. it does not mean it’s because the thing you are praying about is evil, it is because the adversary is trying to keep you from receiving truth.  Just because the adversary tries to give you his answer about your important questions and inquiries, doesn’t mean that God is not trying to give answers to them as well. 

Here is the formula to get that answer you seek. First you must be ever so tirelessly seeking it, enduring to the end, never giving up. To get answers to ultimate eternal truths you must have a broken heart and contrite spirit, repenting daily, having a perfect hope in our Savior Jesus Christ, and living a life that shows our father in heaven that you really mean it. You need to show him that you really believe on his name by living the commandments, serving one another in complete humility, and praying for forgiveness each day.  Being born of the spirit is not some big life changing event.  It is an event that must take place within us every single day. For those of you who wonder if God even exists, or have become atheist and think that Jesus Christ is simply a religious superstition.  All I can tell you is, there must first be at least a desire to believe in the possibility before any step can be taken.  If you have enough peace in your life already and you’re dead certain that you need nothing else. Then go on living the way you are happiest if that is what you truly desire. As for those wishing to know more or come to understand truths beyond pertaining to the eternal foundations of this world and our existence, take these steps to get closer to our Savior and to ultimate peace.

Now onto the church and some of the things I love most about it.

The thing I love most about the church is its fruits. (By their fruits ye shall know them).  The biggest and most obvious in your face truth is how the church does not contend with other religions.  It does not preach against nor knock down the beliefs of others or their religions. (This can be of much debate simply because of our standing comment that, "We are the only true church." There is no effort made whatsoever to prove that or that other religions are false. It is simply stated, and the church does not single out any religions. If that statement (We are the only true church on the earth) is true from an objective standpoint, how else are we suppose to say it? 

Our church is truly a church of peace. This is the church's policy and how our dear prophets have each approached diversity of religion.  The big kicker is that the church doesn't even bother defending itself against anti-Mormon propaganda.  This policy nor these actions don't speak for all of the members of the church, for there have been great church members that have taken a defensive stand on our faith and put a great deal of work and their life's pursuit in to such endeavors.  However the church itself makes no such attempt.  The truth needs no defense, it speaks for itself. Thus another reason Christ taught in parables.  People either see the truth, or they do not.  No fancy verbage or directness will help them see it if they are not in tune with the spirit.

This is it for today.  I will post further blogs on this matter and others.  If any one is interested in addressing topics of church history or would like to know more please feel free to reply or comment.

Bryce