My Heart Burns Within Me When I Read These Words

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1 O THAT I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction. Continue reading →

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An Angel or a God, What’s it Going to Be Bro?

Posted on by Jared

The prophet Joseph Smith taught:

In the resurrection, some are raised to be angels, others are raised to become Gods. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 312).

The difference between an angel and a God is explained, in part, in this verse of scripture:

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Are You in Tune with the Spirit? Three Ways to Verify Your Sources

Posted on by Jared

The scripture teach that we are all influenced by “the Spirit/spirit”, but which one? Maybe this should be called the dichotomy of the spirit. Here is an example from the scriptures:

…the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit which was not of the LORD troubled him. 1 Samuel 16:14 JST

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What is a Spiritual Experience? Have You Experienced One?

Posted on by Jared

Latter Day Saints talk about Spiritual Experiences. I’m going to attempt to define what constitutes an experience with the Spirit. My source material will be the scriptures, the living Prophets, and my own experience.

I think the most basic concept we need to understand is that we are the children of God and that we lived in the Spirit world with Him before we were born into this world.

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Would You Help with a Research Project?

Posted on by Jared

I am gathering sources where LDS church leaders have shared Spiritual experiences. I would greatly appreciate it if you would provide a link or a copy of such material. This would include talks you’ve heard in local meetings, in general conference, as well as those you know about from other sources, those found in books, journals, diaries, magazines, and etc.

After reviewing those things gathered they will be made available on this blog for all to review and enjoy.

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Brigham Young’s Thought on Relating Spiritual Experiences

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Brigham Young said:

It is always peculiarly interesting to me to hear the Saints tell their experience. It is to me one of the best of sermons to hear men and women relate to each other how the Lord has wrought upon their understanding, and brought them into the path of truth, life, and salvation. I would rather hear men tell their own experience, and testify that Joseph was a Prophet of the Lord, and that the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and other revelations of God, are true; that they know it by the gift and power of God; that they have conversed with angels, have had the power of the Holy Ghost upon them giving them visions and revelations, than hear any other kind of preaching that ever saluted my ears. JD 1:90-91

How to do you feel about his thought?

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An Invitation to Bloggernaclist to Participate in a Miracle

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As I’ve cruised the Bloggernacle over the last eight months, I’ve been impressed by those who write and comment in the various blogs. Most are faithful, testimony bearing Latter Day Saints, who have done much to build up the Kingdom.

Nearly all Bloggernaclist have had their faith challenged to one degree or another by an array of historical/doctrinal problems that have come to light. A few have left the church, yet still exhibit a love for the gospel, but most are settled in their faith and are waiting for further light and knowledge. However, their view of the church and church leaders has experienced a “paradigm shift”.

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Friday Quiz: How to Avoid Deception

Posted on by Jared

Have you ever been deceived? Have you put your confidence in something or someone only to be disappointed? Have you suffered disappointment when the promises made by your employer never materialized? Have you ever purchased a fancy new electronics device that turned out to have more in common with fruit, than electronics, when it turned into a lemon?

There are many ways to be deceived. Some deceptions can turn out to be educational, and may even be worth the tuition; however, certain kinds of deception can be devastating.

The Lord has warned us about deception. To verify this statement, type the word deceive in a scripture search engine that uses all word forms. I came up with 125 hits. This is a subject worthy of our attention.

The best remedy for avoiding deception, according to the Lord, may be surprising to some who are reading this post. Think about it for a moment before you click the following link. See if you can come up with the remedy the Lord provides to help us avoid deception. The scriptures teach “…beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived”…write your answer down before clicking here. Continue reading →

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President and Sister Monson on “Promptings”

Posted on by Jared

This weekend members of the church have the privilege of hearing from the Lord’s chosen leaders for this day and time. Each of them has certainly invested a great deal of effort in prayer and preparation as they have selected their various messages to present in conference.

Wisdom would suggest that we as listeners should also invest in prayer and preparation to hear their messages. One way to do this would be to invite the Holy Ghost to be with the speakers and with us as a listener.

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Embracing Our Individual & Unique Gift of the Holy Ghost

Posted on by Jared

I’ve felt a desire to share some sacred experiences the Lord has given me. My whole purpose in sharing these experiences is to testify of Jesus Christ and the reality of the atonement. I hope by testifying of these things others will be strengthened spiritually and will be motivated to follow the Savior with full purpose of heart and receive all that He has for them.

The greatest concern I have is that those who read about my experiences will expect to receive the exact same experience in their life. I’m not sure it works that way. I think we need to explore our own unique gift of the Holy Ghost and learn how grow in it.

My ward leaders told me that after I was baptized I would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. I was nine years old and believed what they said. My dad was not a member and my mother was inactive, but both of them, at the urging of our ward leaders took me to the Salt Lake Tabernacle to be baptized.

There were about 30 or 40 people there. We were told to wait until my name was called. As we set there someone announced that the ordinance of baptism was sacred and that everyone there should have pure thoughts. In a few minutes a man entered the font and several young people were baptized. I immediately became concerned by what I saw. My thoughts were not about the Holy Ghost but about what happened when the newly baptized person exited the font. The wet white gown clung to them and revealed a lot of anatomy. I determined then and there that when my turn came I wasn’t going to reveal myself. Continue reading →

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