How Prayers are Answered

Some misunderstandings about prayer can be clarified by realizing that the scriptures define principles for effective prayer, but they do not assure when a response will be given. Actually, He will reply in one ofthree ways. First, you can feel the peace, comfort, and assurance that confirm that your decision is right. Or second, you can sense that unsettled feeling, the stupor of thought, indicating that your choice is wrong. Or third—and this is the difficult one—you can feel no response.

Elder Scott, Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer

This is a great talk on prayer - http://www.lds.org/ensign/2007/05/using-the-supernal-gift-of-prayer?lang=eng

Let the Spirit Guide Your Prayers

For prayers to be efficacious, they must be in harmony with the plan of heaven. The prayer of faith bears fruit when such harmony exists, and this harmony exists when prayers are inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit manifests what our petitions should be.  Absent this inspired guidance, we are inclined to “ask amiss,”  to seek only our will and not “Thy will.”  It is as important to be guided by the Holy Spirit while praying as it is to be enlightened by that same Spirit while receiving an answer to prayer. 

Bishop Keith B McMullin, Our Path of Duty, April 2010 Conference

Pride Says "If you succeed, I am a failure"

The proud depend upon the world to tell them whether they have value or not. Their self-esteem is determined by where they are judged to be on the ladders of worldly success. They feel worthwhile as individuals if the numbers beneath them in achievement, talent, beauty, or intellect are large enough. Pride is ugly. It says, “If you succeed, I am a failure.”

If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more than men’s, we will have self-esteem.

President Benson, Beware of Pride, April 1989 Conference

Contention is the Spirit Leaving You

Whenever you get red in the face, whenever you raise your voice, whenever you get “hot under the collar,” or angry, rebellious, or negative in spirit, then know that the Spirit of God is leaving you and the spirit of Satan is beginning to take over. At times we may feel justified in arguing or fighting for truth by contentious words and actions. Do not be deceived. Satan would rather have you contend for evil if he could, but he rejoices when we contend with one another even when we think we are doing it in the cause of righteousness. He knows and recognizes the self-destructive nature of contention under any guise. You can recognize the Spirit of Christ within you when you speak to one another or speak of another person with a warm smile instead of with a frown or scowl.

Elder Theodore Burton, "Blessed are the Peacemakers", Ensign Nov 1974

Our Divine Potential Defines Us; Our Sin Does Not

It can be discouraging at times to know what it means to be a son of God and yet come up short. The adversary likes to take advantage of these feelings. Satan would rather that you define yourself by your sins instead of your divine potential. Brethren, don’t listen to him.

Elder Uchtdorf, Four Titles, General Conference April 2013

Jesus Christ Teaches Us What the Father Is Like

Of the many magnificent purposes served in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, one great aspect of that mission often goes uncelebrated. His followers did not understand it fully at the time, and many in modern Christianity do not grasp it now, but the Savior Himself spoke of it repeatedly and emphatically. It is the grand truth that in all that Jesus came to say and do, including and especially in His atoning suffering and sacrifice, He was showing us who and what God our Eternal Father is like, how completely devoted He is to His children in every age and nation. In word and in deed Jesus was trying to reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in Heaven.

Elder Holland, The Grandeur of God, Ensign Nov 2003

Stop Judging

This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following:

Stop it! It’s that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. 

Elder Uchtdorf, The Merciful Obtain Mercy, May 2012 Ensign

Benefits of Temple Service

President Hinckley: “If there were more temple work done in the Church, there would be less … selfishness, less … contention, less … demeaning [of] others. The whole Church would increasingly be lifted to greater heights of spirituality, love for one another, and obedience to the commandments of God” (Teachings, 622).

Renewal Through Service

The Lord’s power is at hand and evident. True believers will have unusual opportunities to be of service. I am convinced that those who labor unselfishly in behalf of others, with no thought of remuneration, will be physically and spiritually refreshed and renewed. 

Elder Haight, Filling the Whole Earth, Ensign, May 1990

Fasting With a Purpose

If all we do is abstain from food and drink for 24 hours and pay our fast offering, we have missed a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth. On the other hand, if we have a special purpose in our fasting, the fast will have much more meaning. Perhaps we can take time as a family before beginning our fast to talk about what we hope to accomplish by this fast. This could be done in a family home evening the week before fast Sunday or in a brief family meeting at the time of family prayer. When we fast with purpose, we have something to focus our attention on besides our hunger.

Carl Pratt, The Blessings of a Proper Fast, Nov 2004 Ensign

Converted: When Your Heart Tells You Things Your Head Didn't Know

For more than 32 years, Harold B. Lee was a special witness of the Savior, Jesus Christ. He testified, “In all solemnity, and with all my soul, I bear you my testimony that I know that Jesus lives, that he is the Savior of the world.”

In speaking of how to gain a testimony, he said:

“I once had a visit from a young Catholic priest who came with a stake missionary from Colorado. I asked him why he had come, and he replied, ‘I came to see you.’

“ ‘Why?’ I asked.

“ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I have been searching for certain concepts that I have not been able to find. But I think I am finding them now in the Mormon community.’

“That led to a half-hour conversation. I told him, ‘Father, when your heart begins to tell you things that your mind does not know, then you are getting the Spirit of the Lord.’

“He smiled and said, ‘I think that’s happening to me already.’

“ ‘Then don’t wait too long,’ I said to him.

“A few weeks later I received a telephone call from him. He said, ‘Next Saturday I am going to be baptized a member of the Church, because my heart has told me things my mind did not know.’

“He was converted. He saw what he should have seen. He heard what he should have heard. He understood what he should have understood, and he was doing something about it. He had a testimony.”

Harold B Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places (1974), 92–93.

Every Gospel Ordinance Focuses on the Atonement

The Savior’s spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for what the scriptures call the “original guilt” of Adam’s transgression (Moses 6:54). Furthermore, Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught (see 2 Ne. 9:21–23). As the Apostle Paul wrote, we were “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20). What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase!

That is why every ordinance of the gospel focuses in one way or another on the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely that is why this particular ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called “the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 2:340).

Elder Holland, "This Do in Remembrance of Me", Ensign Nov 1995

Need for Ordinances

Good conduct without the ordinances of the gospel will neither redeem nor exalt mankind; covenants and the ordinances are essential.

Elder Packer, The Only True Church, Ensign Nov 1985

The Power of the Book of Mormon

It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.

President Benson, The Book of Mormon--Keystone of our Religion, Nov 1986 Ensign

We Must BECOME

The Apostle Paul taught that the Lord’s teachings and teachers were given that we may all attain “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). This process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christchallenges us to become something.

Elder Oaks, The Challenge to Become, Oct 2000 General Conference

Meekness and Humility Brings Better Communication from The Lord

As the Lord communicates with the meek and submissive, fewer decibels are required, and more nuances are received.

Neal A Maxwell, April 1985 General Conference

Act Without Being Commanded

Usually the Lord gives us the overall objectives to be accomplished and some guidelines to follow, but he expects us to work out most of the details. Look at the objective, check the guidelines, and prayerfully ask--without having to be commanded in all things. Sometimes, the Lord hopefully waits on His children to act on their own and when they do not, they lost the greater prize, and the Lord will either drop the entire matter and let them suffer the consequences or else He will have to spell it out in greater detail. Usually, I fear, the more He has to spell it out, the smaller is our reward

President Benson, April 1965

We Are Living in the Great and Spacious Building

Largely because of television, instead of looking over into that spacious building, we are, in effect, living inside of it. That is your fate in this generation. You are living in that great and spacious building.

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1673

BYU Speeches, Elder Packer, BYU Devotional, January 16, 2007

Need for Revelation

No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration. The spirit of reverence can and should be evident in every organization in the Church and in the lives of every member.

Elder Packer, Reverence Invites Revelation, Nov 91 Ensign

Repentance is a Happy Topic

Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration.

Elder Christofferson, The Divine Gift of Repentance, Nov 11 Ensign

Hold To What You Do Know

In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy’s affliction or this parent’s desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. It was of this very incident, this specific miracle, that Jesus said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”⁶ The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know....Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.

Elder Holland, "Lord, I Believe" Ensign May 2013

The Lord's Atonement is to Empower Us

I suspect that many Church members are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming and cleansing power of the Atonement than they are with the strengthening and enabling power. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us—that is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us.

David A Bednar, The Atonement and Journey of Mortality, April 2012 Ensign

We Can't Save Ourselves

I rejoice in the words of 2 Nephi 2:8: “There is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.” [2 Ne. 2:8] There is no other way. Many of us are trying to save ourselves, holding the atonement of Jesus Christ at arm’s distance and saying, “When I’ve perfected myself, then I’ll be worthy of the Atonement.” But that’s not how it works. That’s like saying, “I won’t take the medicine until I’m well. I’ll be worthy of it then.”

Stephen Robinson, Believing Christ, April 1992 Ensign

Becoming Converted and Spiritually Self-Reliant

We become converted and spiritually self-reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants—through worthily partaking of the sacrament, being worthy of a temple recommend, and sacrificing to serve others.

Elder Hales, General Conference, April 2012

Slow Down

Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.

President Uchtdorf, General Conference, October 2010

Learn Our Duty From the Lord Then Act in Diligence

We are to learn our duty from the Lord, and then we are to act in all diligence, never being lazy or slothful. The pattern is simple but not easy to follow. We are so easily distracted. Studying the daily news can appear more interesting than the priesthood lesson manual. Sitting down to rest can be more attractive than making appointments to visit those who need our priesthood service.

Henry B  Eyring - Priesthood Session, General Conference April 2010

Habit-Forming Sins

It is true that the great principle of repentance is always available, but for the wicked and rebellious there are serious reservations to this statement. For instance, sin is intensely habit-forming and sometimes moves men to the tragic point of no return. Without repentance there can be no forgiveness, and without forgiveness all the blessings of eternity hang in jeopardy. As the transgressor moves deeper and deeper in his sin, and the error is entrenched more deeply and the will to change is weakened, it becomes increasingly near-hopeless, and he skids down and down until either he does not want to climb back or he has lost the power to do so.

Spencer W Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness, p117

Lineage of Ephraim

There was a group of souls tested, tried, and proven before they were born into the world, and the Lord provided a lineage for them.  That lineage is the house of Israel, the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their posterity. Through this lineage were to come the true and tried souls that had demonstrated their righteousness in the spirit world before they came here. Our particular branch is the house of Joseph through his son Ephraim. That is the group whence shall come the majority of the candidates for celestial glory.

Elder Marvin J Ballard, In Crusaders for Righteousness pp 218-219

There Are No Ordinary People

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. ...We must take each other seriously--no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling...

C.S. Lewis, From the Weight of Glory

Jesus Learned Line Upon Line

When Jesus lay in the manger, a helpless infant, He knew not that He was the Son of God, and that formerly He created the earth. When the edict of Herod was issued, He knew nothing of it; He had not power to save Himself; and His father and mother had to take Him and fly into Egypt to preserve Him from the effects of that edict. Well, He grew up to manhood, and during His progress it was revealed unto Him who He was, and for what purpose He was in the world. The glory and power He possessed before He came into the world was made known unto Him.

Lorenzo Snow, Conference Report, Apr 1901, 3.

Do Good.

Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can, At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can

John Wesley

Apostasy Starts When We Lose the Spirit

I have frequently wanted to know how my apostasy began, and I have come to the conclusion that I must have lost the Spirit of the Lord out of my heart. The next question is, 'How and when did you lose the Spirit?' I became jealous of the Prophet, and then I saw double, and overlooked everything that was right, and spent all my time in looking for the evil; and then, when the Devil began to lead me, it was easy for the carnal mind to rise up, which is anger, jealousy, and wrath. I could feel it within me; I felt angry and wrathful; and the Spirit of the Lord being gone, as the Scriptures say, I was blinded, ...I got mad, and I wanted everybody else to be mad.

JD 5:210

If We Miss Opportunities, They Are Given to Someone Else

Had Oliver Cowdery remained true, had he been faithful to his testimony and his calling as the "Second Elder" and Assistant President of the Church, I am just as satisfied as I am that I am here that Oliver Cowdery would have gone to Carthage with the Prophet Joseph Smith and laid down his life instead of Hyrum Smith. That would have been his right. Maybe it sounds a little strange to speak of martyrdom as being a right, but it was a right. Oliver Cowdery lost it and Hyrum received it. According to the law of witnesses--and this is a divine law--it had to be.

Doctrine and Covenants 124:94-95

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 1:221-222

Grow in Revelation

Joseph Smith taught the Saints how to recognize and receive revelation: A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus

TPJS, p151

He'll Give Us the Maximum

I feel that [the Lord] will give that punishment which is the very least that our transgression will justify. ...I believe that when it comes to making the rewards for our good conduct, he will give the maximum that is possible to give.

J. Reuben Clark Jr., "As Ye Sow..." address delivered at BYU Provo, UT 3 May 1955,7.

More to Learn

I could explain a hundred fold more than I ever have of the glories of the kingdoms manifested to be in visions, were I permitted, and were the people prepared to receive them.

Joseph Smith, History of the Church 5:402

Grace Keeps Us On Track

The more we rely on the Savior's grace, the more we will feel that we are on the track our Father in Heaven has intended for us.

"Of Regrets and Resolution", Oct 2012 CR

Grace Allows Us to Repent

What does it mean to be a Christian? A Christian has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the literal Son of God, sent by His Father to suffer for our sins in the supreme act of love we know as the Atonement.  A Christian believes that through the grace of God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, we can repent, forgive others, keep the commandments, and inherit eternal life.

Elder Hales, Oct 2012 CR

Keep Trying; Don't Be Content

We may, indeed, be sure that perfect chastity--like perfect charity--will not be attained by any merely human efforts. You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again.

For however important chastity (or courage, or truthfulness, or any other virtue) may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still. It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection.

Mere Christianity, p 101-102

We Are Not Worthless; We Are in the Keeping of Angels

We need to come to terms with out desire to reach perfection and our frustrations when our accomplishments or our behaviors are less than perfect. I feel that one of the great myths we would do well to dispel is that we've come to earth to perfect ourselves, and nothing short of that will do.

I am also convinced of the fact that the speed with which we head along the strait and narrow path isn't has important as the direction in which we are traveling. That direction, if it is leading toward eternal goals, is the all-important factor.

Now, this is the truth. We humble people, we who feel ourselves sometimes so worthless, so good-for-nothing, we are not so worthless as we think. There is not one of us but what God's love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are children of God and that He has actually given His angels...charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping

If we are in the keeping of angels, God is certainly telling us that we are worthy to be watched over, helped, and directed by him.

"On Being Worthy", Marvin J Ashton, Ensign May 1989, pg 20.

Lessons Are Always Before You

No intelligent person in youth or old age should merely drift along. Look the world squarely in the face, listen and learn and not pass along, in life, indifferently, for there are grand lessons before you every minute.

Harvey Cluff Autobiography p 8

Knowledge Can Be Lost

If I now had in my possession, every devision which had been had upon important items of doctrine and duties since the commencement of this work, I would not part with them for any sum of money; but we have neglected to take minutes of such things, thinking, perhaps, that they would never benefit us afterwards; which, if we had them now, would decide almost every point of doctrine which might be agitated. But this has been neglected, and now we cannot bear record to the Church and to the world, of the great and glorious manifestations which have been made to us with that degree of power and authority we otherwise could, if we now had these things to publish abroad...For neglecting to write these things when God had revealed them, not esteeming them of sufficient worth, the Spirit may withdraw...and there is, or was, a vast knowledge, of infinite importance, which is now lost.

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 72-73

Our Allotment in Life; Great Success in Being Ourselves

Elder Henry D Moyle taught: "I am sure today that in our lives many of us wish that we were something other than we are, thinking that their lot is preferable to our own. But Alma said further, (he quotes Alma 29:2-3). I believe that we, as fellow workers in the priesthood, might well take to heart the admonition of Alma and be content with that which God hath allotted us. We might well be assured that we had something to do with our allotment in our pre-existent state. This would be an additional reason for us to accept our present condition and make the best of it. It is what we agreed to do...We unquestionably knew before we elected to come to this earth the conditions under which we would here exist, and live, and work. So little wonder it is that Alma of old said that we sin in the thought, or in the desire, or in the wish that we were someone other than ourselves. He said further, (quotes Alma 29:6-9). I have a conviction deep down in my heart that we are exactly what we should be, each one of us, except as we may have altered that pattern by deviating from the laws of God here in mortality. I have convinced myself that we all have those peculiar attributes, characteristics, and abilities which are essential for us to possess in order that we may fulfill the full purpose of our creation here upon the earth. Once again, that allotment which has come to us from God is a sacred allotment. It is something of which we should be proud, each one of us in our own right, and not wish that we had somebody else's allotment. Our greatest success comes from being ourselves. I think that we can console ourselves best by believing that whatever is our allotment in life, whatever is our call in the priesthood, the Lord has been wise and just, and I might add, merciful, in giving to us that which we meed to accomplish the particular purpose of our call.

Conference Report, Oct 1952, 71-72.

Joyful People

I think we can become so serious about the process of living the gospel that we forget the major outcome is to be a joyful people.

Elder David A Bednar, Church News, 9/30/89

Faith Brings Happiness

When faith is properly understood...it...can transform an individual's life from maudlin, common everyday activities to a symphony of joy and happiness

Elder Scott, Nov 2010, 43

Religion Gives You Wings

Harry Emerson Fosdick once wrote: “Some Christians carry their religion on their backs. It is a packet of beliefs and practices which they must bear. At times it grows heavy and they would willingly lay it down, but that would mean a break with old traditions, so they shoulder it again. But real Christians do not carry their religion, their religion carries them. It is not weight; it is wings. It lifts them up, it sees them over hard places, it makes the universe seem friendly, life purposeful, hope real, sacrifice worthwhile. It sets them free from fear, futility, discouragement, and sin—the great enslavers of men’s souls. You can know a real Christian, when you see him, by his buoyancy” (Twelve Tests of Character [1923], 87–88).

I hope it is clearly evident when the world looks at us that we are known for our buoyancy—that we live, believe, and practice real Christian ideas and doctrine.

Elder L Tom Perry, Oct 1999 Conf, A Year of Jubilee

Have Hobbies

Select something like music, dance, sculpture, or poetry. Being creative will help you enjoy life. It engenders a spirit of gratitude. It develops latent talent, sharpens your capacity to reason, to act, and to find purpose in life. It dispels loneliness and heartache. It gives a renewal, a spark of enthusiasm, and a zest for life.

Elder Richard G Scott, Ensign May 1996, 25-26

Testimony of Christ

It is He, Jesus Christ, who stands at the head of this Church which bears His sacred name. He is watching over it. He is guiding it. Standing at the right hand of His Father, He directs this work...Unitedly, as his apostles, authorized and commissioned by Him to do so, we bear our witness that He lives and that He will come again to claim His kingdom and rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Of this we are certain and bear apostolic testimony.

Gordon B Hinckley, Ensign, April 2001, p 21