Paul observed, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11). Such “peaceable fruit” comes only in the appointed season thereof, after the blossoms and the buds. Otherwise, if certain mortal experiences were cut short, it would be like pulling up […]
The perfect place to begin is exactly where you are right now. It doesn’t matter how unqualified you may think you are or how far behind others you may feel. The very moment you begin to seek your Heavenly Father, in that moment, the hope of His light will begin to awaken, enliven, and ennoble […]
Serving regularly in the house of the Lord and striving to keep the sacred covenants we make there will increase both our desire and our ability to experience the change of heart, might, mind, and soul necessary for us to become more like our Savior. President Russell M. Nelson has testified: “Nothing will open the heavens […]
The house of the Lord is where we can be transformed in higher and holier ways. So, when we walk out of the temple, transformed by our hope in the promises of the covenants, armed with power from on high, we take the temple with us into our homes and lives. I assure you that […]
In one of the most profound verses in all of scripture, Alma proclaims, “If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?”2 – Quentin L. Cook, “Can Ye Feel So Now?” Ensign (CR) November 2012
Covenant keeping leads us to seek after whatever invites the influence of the Spirit and reject whatever drives it away—“for we know that if we can be worthy of the presence of the Holy Ghost, we can also be worthy to live in the presence of Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.”10 This may mean that […]
No one can read Alma’s resume of the experiences of his father with the saints who joined the church at the waters of Mormon; of the Lord’s mercy and long-suffering in bringing them out of their spiritual and temporal captivity; of how by the power of the Holy Spirit, they were awakened from their deep […]
Change is part of a law of life. We must grow physically from childhood to adulthood, mentally from ignorance to knowledge, emotionally from insecurity to stability and spiritually to an abiding faith in a living God. – Thomas S. Monson, “Favorite Quotations from the Collection of Thomas S. Monson,” p.253
The Savior worked out His infinite and eternal Atonement so that we could in fact change, repent, and become better. We can actually be born again. We can overcome habits, addictions, and even the “disposition to do evil.”18 As sons and daughters of a loving Father in Heaven, we have the power within us to change. […]
King Benjamin makes it clear how we can receive the hope to hear those words if we find the way in this life to have our natures changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That is the only way we can build on the sure foundation and so stand firm during the storms of temptations […]