Isn’t that inspiring! The church knows how to give us credit and motivate us! This is what my indexing chart looks like:
Quiz question: What is my indexing goal? Last year this would have been a goal of 3k if I was doing II birth records. 100 a day. @@@ Sunday 3/18/18 Good morning Brandon, Something new happened this week. My nephew, Britner Mecham’02 sent me a General Conference talk to listen to about prayer. He lives in Ogden, his dad works at Hill Airforce Base as a mechanic and his mom is my sister Gayelinn’72 who I vmail everyday. Gayelinn asked me to share my top favorite General Conference Talk List with her and she shared it with Britner months ago, last year. It looks like he sees those talks as an extension of me and feels closer and able to share with me because of them. Britner and I had a formal, more stiff email exchange after they sent me Christmas Candy. Gayelinn shares some of my vmails with them, especially the funny ones so they hear my voice too. Their dad has asperger’s syndrome so they need a normal male influence, image in their lives. But as you know I am not very normal. :) Here is the first talk he shared: APRIL 2009 | Lessons from the Lord’s Prayers Elder Russell M. Nelson\Of the Quorum of the Twelve ApostlesOur prayers follow patterns and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. He taught us how to pray.
With you, my dear brothers and sisters, I express love and admiration for Elder Neil L. Andersen. His call to the holy apostleship has come from the Lord as revealed to His prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. Throughout his life, President Monson has refined his ability to hearken to the will of the Lord. As the Savior submitted His will to Heavenly Father, so the prophet submits his will to the Lord. Thank you, President Monson, for developing and using that power. We congratulate you, Elder Andersen, and we pray for you!
The Lord’s Prayer
Our prayers follow patterns and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. He taught us how to pray. From His prayers we can learn many important lessons. We can begin with the Lord’s Prayer and add lessons from other prayers He has given.1
As I recite the Lord’s Prayer, listen for lessons:
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
“Give us this day our daily bread.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”2
The Lord’s Prayer is recorded twice in the New Testament and once in the Book of Mormon.3 It is also included in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible,4 where clarification is provided by these two phrases:
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,”5 and
“Suffer us not to be led into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”6
The clarification on forgiveness is supported by other statements of the Master. He said to His servants, “Inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you.”7 In other words, if one is to be forgiven, one must first forgive.8 The clarification on temptation is helpful, for surely we would not be led into temptation by Deity. The Lord said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.”9
Though the four versions of the Lord’s Prayer are not identical, they all open with a salutation to “Our Father,” signifying a close relationship between God and His children. The phrase “hallowed be thy name” reflects the respect and worshipful attitude that we should feel as we pray. “Thy will be done” expresses a concept that we will discuss later.
His request for “daily bread” includes a need for spiritual nourishment as well. Jesus, who called Himself “the bread of life,” gave a promise: “He that cometh to me shall never hunger.”10 And as we partake of sacramental emblems worthily, we are further promised that we may always have His Spirit to be with us.11 That is spiritual sustenance that cannot be obtained in any other way.
As the Lord closes His prayer, He acknowledges God’s great power and glory, ending with “Amen.” Our prayers also close with amen. Though it is pronounced differently in various languages, its meaning is the same. It means “truly” or “verily.”12 Adding amen solemnly affirms a sermon or a prayer.13 Those who concur should each add an audible amen14 to signify “that is my solemn declaration too.”15
The Lord prefaced His prayer by first asking His followers to avoid “vain repetitions”16 and to pray “after this manner.”17 Thus, the Lord’s Prayer serves as a pattern to follow and not as a piece to memorize and recite repetitively. The Master simply wants us to pray for God’s help while we strive constantly to resist evil and live righteously.
Intercessory Prayers
Other prayers of the Lord are also instructive, especially His intercessory prayers. They are so named because the Lord prayerfully interceded with His Father for the benefit of His disciples. Picture in your mind the Savior of the world kneeling in prayer, as I quote from John chapter 17:
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, … glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.
“… I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. …
“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
“I pray for them.”18
From this prayer of the Lord we learn how keenly He feels His responsibility as our Mediator and Advocate with the Father.19 Just as keenly, we should feel our responsibility to keep His commandments and endure to the end.20
An intercessory prayer was also given by Jesus for the people of ancient America. The record states that “no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.”21 Then Jesus added: “Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.”22
In a later prayer, Jesus included a plea for unity. “Father,” He said, “I pray unto thee for them, … that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.”23 We too can pray for unity. We can pray to be of one heart and one mind with the Lord’s anointed and with our loved ones. We can pray for mutual understanding and respect between ourselves and our neighbors. If we really care for others, we should pray for them.24 “Pray one for another …, ” taught James, for “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”25
Lessons from Other Prayers
Other lessons about prayer were taught by the Lord. He told His disciples that “ye must always pray unto the Father in my name.”26 The Savior further emphasized, “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name.”27 Obediently, we apply that lesson when we pray to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ.28
Another of the Lord’s prayers teaches a lesson repeated in three consecutive verses:
“Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen. …
“Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.
“Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me.”29
If companionship of the Holy Ghost is that important, we should pray for it too. We should likewise help all converts and our children cultivate the gift of the Holy Ghost. As we so pray, the Holy Ghost can become a vital force for good in our lives.30
Enhancing Our Prayers
The Lord has taught ways by which our prayers can be enhanced. For example, He said that “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.”31
Prayer can also be enhanced by fasting.32 The Lord said, “I give unto you a commandment that ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth.”33 A plea for wisdom in fasting was offered by President Joseph F. Smith, who cautioned that “there is such a thing as overdoing. A man may fast and pray till he kills himself; and there isn’t any necessity for it; nor wisdom in it. … The Lord can hear a simple prayer, offered in faith, in half a dozen words, and he will recognize fasting that may not continue more than twenty-four hours, just as readily and as effectually as He will answer a prayer of a thousand words and fasting for a month. … The Lord will accept that which is enough, with a good deal more pleasure and satisfaction than that which is too much and unnecessary.”34
The concept of “too much and unnecessary” could also apply to the length of our prayers. A closing prayer in a Church meeting need not include a summary of each message and should not become an unscheduled sermon. Private prayers can be as long as we want, but public prayers ought to be short supplications for the Spirit of the Lord to be with us or brief declarations of gratitude for what has transpired.
Our prayers can be enhanced in other ways. We can use “right words”35—special pronouns—in reference to Deity. While worldly manners of daily dress and speech are becoming more casual, we have been asked to protect the formal, proper language of prayer. In our prayers we use the respectful pronouns Thee, Thou, Thy, and Thine instead of You, Your, and Yours.36 Doing so helps us to be humble. That can also enhance our prayers. Scripture so declares, “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.”37
Prayer begins with individual initiative. “Behold,” saith the Lord, “I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”38 That door is opened when we pray to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ.39
When should we pray? Whenever we desire! Alma taught, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, … and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”40 Jesus reminded His disciples “that they should not cease to pray in their hearts.”41
The practice of Church members is to kneel in family prayer each morning and evening, plus having daily personal prayers and blessings on our food.42 President Monson said, “As we offer unto the Lord our family and our personal prayers, let us do so with faith and trust in Him.”43 And so, in praying for temporal and spiritual blessings, we should all plead, as did Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done.”44
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world—He who ransomed us with His blood—is our Redeemer and our Exemplar.45 At the close of His mortal mission, He prayed that His will—as the Beloved Son—might be swallowed up in the will of the Father.46 In that crucial hour the Savior cried, “Father, … not as I will, but as thou wilt.”47 So we should pray to God, “Thy will be done.”
And let us ever pray “that [the Lord’s] kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants … may … be prepared for the days … [when] the Son of Man shall come down … in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.”48
In our daily lives and in our own crucial hours, may we fervently apply these precious lessons from the Lord, I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen. @@@ This next one was over 30 minutes long. Here is Britner’s 2nd talk on prayer: OCTOBER 1994 OUR STRENGTHS CAN BECOME OUR DOWNFALL By Elder Dallin H. Oaks\Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles From an address given at a Brigham Young University eighteen-stake fireside on 7 June 1992 in Provo, Utah.
The Lord warned the first generation of Latter-day Saints to “beware concerning yourselves” (D&C 84:43). I seek to remind each of us of the mortal susceptibilities and devilish diversions that can unite to produce our spiritual downfall.
Lehi taught that “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, … righteousness could not be brought to pass” (2 Ne. 2:11). In the realm of spiritual progress, that opposition is often provided by the temptations of Satan. We learn in modern revelation that “it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves” (D&C 29:39).
Elder Marion G. Romney of the Quorum of the Twelve taught: “Latter-day Saints know that there is a God. With like certainty, they know that Satan lives, that he is a powerful personage of spirit, the archenemy of God, of man, and of righteousness” (Ensign, June 1971, p. 35). President Joseph F. Smith described one of Satan’s methods: “Satan is a skillful imitator, and as genuine gospel truth is given the world in ever-increasing abundance, so he spreads the counterfeit coin of false doctrine” (ibid., p. 36).
Satan uses every possible device to degrade and enslave every soul. He attempts to distort and corrupt everything created for the good of man, sometimes by diluting that which is good, sometimes by camouflaging that which is evil. We generally think of Satan attacking us at our weakest spot. Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve described this technique when he said: “Lucifer and his followers know the habits, weaknesses, and vulnerable spots of everyone and take advantage of them to lead us to spiritual destruction” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, pp. 218–19).
Like the fabled Achilles, who was immune to every lethal blow except to his heel, many of us have a special weakness that can be exploited to our spiritual downfall. For some, that weakness may be a taste for liquor, an unusual vulnerability to sexual temptation, or a susceptibility to compulsive gambling or reckless speculation. For others, it may be a craving for money or power. If we are wise, we will know our weaknesses, our spiritual Achilles’ heels, and fortify ourselves against temptations in those areas.
But weakness is not our only vulnerability. Satan can also attack us where we think we are strong—in the very areas where we are proud of our strengths. He will approach us through the greatest talents and spiritual gifts we possess. If we are not wary, Satan can cause our spiritual downfall by corrupting us through our strengths as well as by exploiting our weaknesses. I will illustrate this truth with several examples.
Gospel Hobbies
My first example concerns Satan’s efforts to corrupt a person who has an unusual commitment to one particular doctrine or commandment of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This could be an unusual talent for family history work, an extraordinary commitment to constitutional government, a special talent in the acquisition of knowledge, or any other special talent or commitment.
Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve has likened the fulness of the gospel to a piano keyboard. He has told us that a person could be “attracted by a single key,” such as a doctrine he or she wants to hear “played over and over again. … Some members of the Church who should know better pick out a hobby key or two and tap them incessantly, to the irritation of those around them. They can dull their own spiritual sensitivities. They lose track that there is a fulness of the gospel … [which they reject] in preference to a favorite note. This becomes exaggerated and distorted, leading them away into apostasy” (Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 42).
We could say of such persons, as the Lord said of the Shakers in a revelation given in 1831, “They desire to know the truth in part, but not all” (D&C 49:2). Beware of a hobby key. If you tap one key to the exclusion or serious detriment of the full harmony of the gospel keyboard, Satan can use your strength to bring you down.
Misapplication of Spiritual Gifts
Satan will also attempt to cause our spiritual downfall through tempting us to misapply our spiritual gifts. The revelations tell us that “there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. … All these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God” (D&C 46:11, 26). Most of us have seen persons whom the adversary has led astray through a corruption of their spiritual gifts. My mother shared one such example, something she observed while attending Brigham Young University many years ago.
A man who lived in a community in Utah had a mighty gift of healing. People sought him out for blessings, many coming from outside his ward and stake. In time, he almost made a profession of giving blessings. As part of his travels to various communities, he visited the apartments of BYU students, asking if they wanted blessings. This man had lost sight of the revealed direction on spiritual gifts: “always remembering for what they are given” (D&C 46:8). A spiritual gift is given to benefit the children of God, not to magnify the prominence or to gratify the ego of the person who receives it. The professional healer who forgot that lesson gradually lost the companionship of the Spirit and was eventually excommunicated from the Church.
A Desire to Know All
Another strength Satan can exploit is a strong desire to understand everything about every principle of the gospel. How could that possibly work to our detriment? Experience teaches that if this desire is not disciplined, it can cause some to pursue their searchings beyond the fringes of orthodoxy, seeking answers to obscure mysteries rather than seeking a firmer understanding and a better practice of the basic principles of the gospel.
Some seek answers to questions God has not chosen to answer. Others receive answers—or think they receive answers—in ways that are contrary to the order of the Church. For such searchers, Satan stands ready to mislead through sophistry or spurious revelation. Persons who hunger after a full understanding of all things must discipline their questions and their methods, or they can approach apostasy without even knowing it. It may be just as dangerous to exceed orthodoxy as it is to fall short of it. The safety and happiness we are promised lie in keeping the commandments, not in discounting or multiplying them.
A Desire to Be Led in All Things
Closely related to this example is the person who has a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but who unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable.
We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation. Revelation from God is a sacred reality, but like other sacred things, it must be cherished and used properly so that a great strength does not become a disabling weakness.
Honors Can Sometimes Turn to Our Detriment
The honors we sometimes receive from our peers are potentially a strength, but we need to remember that Satan can turn these to our detriment also. We must be careful that we do not become like the prophet Balaam. The Apostle Peter said that Balaam “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Pet. 2:15), which Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve interpreted as “the honors of men and the wealth of the world” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1973, 3:361). Honors may come, but we should beware that they not deflect our priorities and commitments away from the things of God.
A Desire to Sacrifice More Than Is Needful
A willingness to sacrifice all we possess in the work of the Lord is surely a strength. In fact, it is a covenant we make in sacred places. But even this strength can bring us down if we fail to confine our sacrifices to those things the Lord and his leaders have asked of us at this time. We should say with Alma, “Why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?” (Alma 29:6). Persons who consider it insufficient to pay their tithes and offerings and to work in the positions to which they have been called can easily be led astray by cults and other bizarre outlets for their willingness to sacrifice more than is needful.
Social Consciousness Not Tempered by Other Values
Some persons have a finely developed social conscience. They respond to social injustice and suffering with great concern, commitment, and generosity. This is surely a spiritual strength, something many of us need in greater measure. Yet persons who have this great quality need to be cautious that it not impel them to overstep other ultimate values. My social conscience should not cause me to coerce others to use their time or means to fulfill my objectives. We are not blessed for magnifying our calling with someone else’s time or resources. We are commanded to love our neighbors, not to manipulate them, even for righteous purposes.
In the same way, we should not feel alienated from our Church or its leaders when they refrain from using the rhetoric of the social gospel or from allocating Church resources to purposes favored by others. We should remember that the Lord has given his restored Church a unique mission not given to others. The Church must concentrate its primary efforts on those activities that can only be accomplished with priesthood authority, such as preaching the gospel and redeeming the dead.
An Intense Focus on Goals
There is great strength in being highly focused on our goals. We have all seen the favorable fruits of that focus. Yet an intense focus on goals can cause a person to forget the importance of righteous means. When I was serving in a stake presidency, a man bragged to me about the way he had managed to preserve his goal of perfect attendance at our stake leadership meetings. On one occasion, he was required to report for work during one of our stake meetings. When the employer denied his request for permission to attend this Church meeting, he told me with pride that he “called in sick” so he could come anyway.
I kept an eye on that man after that. I wondered if he would steal money in order to pay his tithing. That may be an extreme example, but it illustrates the point I wish to make. We cannot be so concerned about our goals that we overlook the necessity of using righteous methods to attain them.
Popular Teachers and the Potential of Priestcraft
Another illustration of a strength that can become our downfall concerns charismatic teachers. With a trained mind and a skillful manner of presentation, teachers can become unusually popular and effective in teaching. But Satan will try to use that strength to corrupt teachers by encouraging them to gather a following of disciples. A Church teacher, Church Education System instructor, or Latter-day Saint university professor who gathers such a following and does this “for the sake of riches and honor” (Alma 1:16) is guilty of priestcraft. “Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion” (2 Ne. 26:29).
Teachers who are most popular, and therefore most effective, have a special susceptibility to priestcraft. If they are not careful, their strength can become their spiritual downfall. They can become like Almon Babbitt, with whom the Lord was not pleased, because “he aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church; and he setteth up a golden calf for the worship of my people” (D&C 124:84).
Neglect or Distortion of Family Duties
The family, the most sacred institution in mortality, is a setting in which Satan is especially eager to use strengths to bring about our downfall. My first illustration under this heading is addressed to breadwinners. The Bible says it is a gift of God to rejoice in our labors (see Eccl. 5:19), but that gift can be corrupted. Our labors, and the prosperity and recognition we achieve by them, can easily become a god we place before him who said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). Carried to excess, a love of and commitment to work can become an excuse to neglect family and Church responsibilities. Most of us could cite more than one illustration of that reality.
At an even more sensitive level, a man’s righteous desire to act in his position as a leader in his family, if not righteously exercised, can lead him into self-righteousness, selfishness, dictatorship, and even brutality. A timely warning against this danger is the Lord’s blunt instruction that it is the “nature and disposition” of those who have a little authority to “exercise unrighteous dominion” (D&C 121:39). We must all heed the direction that priesthood authority must be exercised “by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned” (D&C 121:41).
By the same token, a woman’s righteous and appropriate desires to grow, to develop, and to magnify her talents—desires strongly reinforced by current feminist teachings—also have their extreme manifestations, which can lead to attempts to preempt priesthood leadership, to the advocacy of ideas out of harmony with Church doctrine, or even to the abandonment of family responsibilities.
Excesses in Giving
Another area in which strengths can become our downfall concerns finances. We are commanded to give to the poor. Could the fulfillment of that fundamental Christian obligation be carried to excess? I believe it can. I have seen cases in which persons fulfilled that duty to such an extent that they impoverished their own families by expending resources of property or time that were needed for family members.
Perhaps this excess explains why King Benjamin, who commanded his people to impart of their substance to the poor—“feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally”—also cautioned them to “see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength” (Mosiah 4:26–27). Similarly, a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith when he was translating the Book of Mormon cautioned him, “Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate” (D&C 10:4).
Accomplishment and Pride
Other illustrations of how our strengths can become our downfall concern the activity of learning. A desire to know is surely a great strength. A hunger to learn is laudable, but the fruits of learning make a person particularly susceptible to the sin of pride. So do the fruits of other talents and accomplishments, such as in the fields of athletics or the arts. It is easy for the learned and the accomplished to forget their own limitations and their total dependence upon God.
Accomplishments in higher education bring persons much recognition and real feelings of self-sufficiency. But we should remember the Book of Mormon’s frequent cautions not to boast of our own strength or wisdom lest we be left to our own strength or wisdom (see Alma 38:11; Alma 39:2; Hel. 4:13; Hel. 16:15).
Similarly, in referring to “that cunning plan of the evil one,” the prophet Jacob remarked that when persons are “learned,” which means they have knowledge, “they think they are wise,” which means they think they have the capacity for the wise application of knowledge. Persons who think they are wise in this way “hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves.” In that circumstance, the prophet said, “their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Ne. 9:28–29).
Distorted Faith
An unusual degree of faith in God, which is a genuine spiritual gift and strength, can be distorted so as to seriously detract from scholarly pursuits. I have known persons who began their academic studies with great momentum but, as time went by, did not continue to invest the necessary time in their studies. They supposed they had developed such great faith that if they simply did their Church work the Lord would bless them to achieve their academic objectives. In this way, the supposed strength of their faith became the cause of their academic downfall. We might say to them as the Lord said to Oliver Cowdery when he failed in his efforts to translate:
“It is because that you did not continue as you commenced. …
“You have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. …
“You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right” (D&C 9:5, 7–8; see also D&C 88:118).
Here the Lord counsels us on balance. Faith is vital, but it must be accompanied by the personal work appropriate to the task. Only then do we qualify for the blessing. The appropriate approach is to study as if everything depended upon us and then to pray and exercise faith as if everything depended upon the Lord.
Inordinate Church Service
A related strength that can be corrupted to our downfall is a desire to excel in a Church calling. I remember a graduate student who used his Church service as a means of escape from the rigors of his studies. He went beyond what we call Church-service time and became almost a full-time Church-service worker. He consistently volunteered for every extra assignment, giving help that was greatly appreciated in the various organizations and activities of the Church. As a result of this inordinate allocation of time, he failed in his studies and then mistakenly blamed his failure on the excessive burden of Church service. His strength became his downfall.
Similarly, I remember the concerns President Harold B. Lee expressed to me when I was president of BYU. Shortly before the Provo Temple was dedicated, he told me of his concern that the accessibility of the temple would cause some BYU students to attend the temple so often that they would neglect their studies. He urged me to work with the BYU stake presidents to make sure the students understood that even something as sacred and important as temple service needed to be done in wisdom and order so that students would not neglect the studies that should be the major focus of their time during their student years.
All-Consuming Patriotism
Love of country is surely a strength, but carried to excess it can become the cause of spiritual downfall. There are some citizens whose patriotism is so intense and so all-consuming that it seems to override every other responsibility, including family and Church. I caution those patriots who are participating in or provisioning private armies and making private preparations for armed conflict. Their excessive zeal for one aspect of patriotism is causing them to risk spiritual downfall as they withdraw from the society of the Church and from the governance of those civil authorities to whom our twelfth article of faith makes all of us subject.
Materialistic Self-Reliance
Another strength that can become our downfall stems from self-reliance. We are told to be self-reliant, to provide for ourselves and those dependent upon us. But success at that effort can easily escalate into materialism. This happens through carrying the virtue of “providing for our own” to the point of excessive concern with accumulating the treasures of the earth. I believe this relationship identifies materialism as a peculiar Mormon weakness, a classic example of how Satan can persuade some to drive a legitimate strength to such excess that it becomes a disabling weakness.
Not Really Following the Prophet
A desire to follow a prophet is surely a great and appropriate strength, but even this has its potentially dangerous manifestations. I have heard of more than one group so intent on following the words of a dead prophet that they have rejected the teachings and counsel of the living ones. Satan has used that corruption from the beginning of the Restoration. You will recall Joseph Smith’s direction for the Saints to gather in Kirtland, Ohio, then in Missouri, and then in Illinois. At each place along the way, a certain number of Saints fell away, crying “fallen prophet” as their excuse for adhering to the earlier words and rejecting the current direction. The same thing happened after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, when some Saints seized upon one statement or another by the deceased Prophet as a basis for sponsoring or joining a new group that rejected the counsel of the living prophets.
Following the prophet is a great strength, but it needs to be consistent and current, lest it lead to the spiritual downfall that comes from rejecting continuous revelation. Under that principle, the most important difference between dead prophets and living ones is that those who are dead are not here to receive and declare the Lord’s latest words to his people. If they were, there would be no differences among the messages of the prophets.
A related distortion is seen in the practice of those who select a few sentences from the teachings of a prophet and use them to support their political agenda or other personal purposes. In doing so, they typically ignore the contrary implications of other prophetic words, or even the clear example of the prophet’s own actions. For example, I have corresponded with several Church members who sought to use something President Ezra Taft Benson was quoted as saying as a basis for refusing to file an income tax return or to pay income taxes.
I have tried to persuade these persons that their interpretation cannot be what President Benson intended, because all who have held that sacred office, and all of the General Authorities, have faithfully filed their income tax returns and paid the taxes required by law. The servants of God are under the Master’s commands to follow him and to be examples to the flock (see 1 Tim. 4:12; 1 Pet. 5:3). We should interpret their words in the light of their works. To wrest the words of a prophet to support a private agenda, political or financial or otherwise, is to try to manipulate the prophet, not to follow him.
Misapplication of Love and Tolerance
Other strengths that can be used for our downfall are the gifts of love and tolerance. Clearly, these are great virtues. Love is an ultimate quality, and tolerance is its handmaiden. Love and tolerance are pluralistic qualities—encompassing all—and that is their strength, but it is also the source of their potential distortion. Love and tolerance are incomplete unless they are accompanied by a concern for truth and a commitment to the unity that God has commanded of his servants.
Carried to an undisciplined excess, love and tolerance can produce indifference to truth and justice, and opposition to unity. What makes mankind free from death and sin is not merely love but love accompanied by truth. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). And the test of whether we are the Lord’s is not just love and tolerance but unity. The risen Lord said, “If ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27). To follow the Lord’s example of love, we must remember his explanation that “whom I love I also chasten” (D&C 95:1). And we must remember that he chastens us “that [we] might be one” (D&C 61:8).
Preventing Strengths from Becoming Our Downfall
As I conclude, I need to caution myself and each of my readers that the very nature of this message could tend to the same downfall that it warns against. The idea that our strengths can become our weaknesses could be understood to imply that we should have “moderation in all things.” But the Savior said that if we are “lukewarm,” he “will spue [us] out of [his] mouth” (Rev. 3:16). Moderation in all things is not a virtue, because it would seem to justify moderation in commitment. That is not moderation, but indifference. That kind of moderation runs counter to the divine commands to serve with all of our “heart, might, mind and strength” (D&C 4:2), to “seek … earnestly the riches of eternity” (D&C 68:31), and to be “valiant in the testimony of Jesus” (D&C 76:79). Moderation is not the answer.
How, then, do we prevent our strengths from becoming our downfall? The quality we must cultivate is humility. Humility is the great protector. Humility is the antidote against pride. Humility is the catalyst for all learning, especially spiritual things. Through the prophet Moroni, the Lord gave us this great insight into the role of humility: “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).
We might also say that if men and women humble themselves before God, he will help them prevent their strengths from becoming weaknesses that the adversary can exploit to destroy them.
If we are meek and humble enough to receive counsel, the Lord can and will guide us through the counsel of our parents, our teachers, and our leaders. The proud can hear only the clamor of the crowd, but a person who, as King Benjamin said, “becometh as a child, submissive, meek, [and] humble” (Mosiah 3:19), can hear and follow the still small voice by which our Father in Heaven guides his children who are receptive.
Those who engage in self-congratulation over a supposed strength have lost the protection of humility and are vulnerable to Satan’s using that strength to produce their downfall. In contrast, if we are humble and teachable, hearkening to the commandments of God, the counsel of his leaders, and the promptings of his Spirit, we can be guided in how to use our spiritual gifts, our accomplishments, and all of our other strengths for righteousness. And we can be guided in how to avoid Satan’s efforts to use our strengths to cause our downfall.
In all of this, we should remember and rely on the Lord’s direction and promise: “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers” (D&C 112:10).
I testify that this is true, even as I testify of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose atoning sacrifice has brought to pass the Resurrection and will bring to pass all righteousness. @@@ Brandon, then as if the only way he can respond to me is by sending me another one he sent me another. “This is possibly my all time favorite talk on prayer it is a byu idaho dev. It is titled: A Personal Relationship with Our Heavenly Father as Taught by the Lord Jesus Christ given by : Elder Juan A. Uceda on nov. 28, 2017”-britner \ This is what I wrote him about it: vern jensen <phonev6@gmail.com>
9:24 AM (18 minutes ago)
to Britner
Comments:
- His talk sounded like a prayer, like a sacred prayer. The subject and his demeanor and the atmosphere matched.
- I like to measure things. He measured his prayers in his 45 years of membership. Have you ever heard of anyone doing that before?
- It was recent. Nov '17
- prayer vs. mighty prayer
- When was the last time you felt something when you prayed? He asked that 4 times.
- Moment in heaven.
- Prepare for prayer. I don't.
- Go apart. Avoid distractions during prayer.
- Pray in the morning. (My favorite time is as I fall asleep.)
- He hears all of us in different languages and even at the same time.
- HF is glorious and the God of the universe.
- Agony.
- Plead, beg, ask.
- Brigham Young- forced himself to pray at times.
- He paused. He repeated. He was humble. Sweet feeling throughout talk.
This was a great way to start off my sabbath morning. Thank you for sharing. @@@[It is 23min long] A Personal Relationship with Our Heavenly Father as Taught by the Lord Jesus Christ\The Lord Jesus Christ invites us to pray and to establish a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. Through His wonderful example, He has taught us how to establish and maintain that intimate relationship with His Father. In the scriptures we find Jesus praying many times to His Father, which expresses a very personal relationship with Him.
We read in the scriptures, "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened" (Luke 3:21). Jesus teaches us that a prayer from the heart opens heaven. He said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7). Today, we usually use the word "ask" to request something. The word "ask" in the original Greek is aiteo, which means "to ask," "to beg," "to crave," "to implore." The heavens will not be opened if we just say prayers. The heaven will be opened if we beg, if we crave, if we implore, if we pray from the heart.
When you pray, do you feel like the heaven is opened? When was the last time you felt something as you were praying?
In your personal prayers, avoid finding yourself in the middle of a routine kind of prayer. Only prayers from the heart open heaven. For you and me to avoid using vain words, we should prepare ourselves to pray. Before starting a personal prayer, we could read a scripture, or we could briefly ponder all of our blessings. Each one of us can find ways to prepare for a personal prayer.
Sometimes we do not feel like praying, and it is in those moments when the need is truly the greatest. Brigham Young taught the following:
When it is dark as midnight darkness, when there is not one particle of feeling in my heart to pray, shall I then say, I will not pray? No, but get down knees, bend yourselves upon the floor, and mouth, open; tongue, speak; and we will see what will come forth, and you shall worship the Lord God of Israel, even when you feel as though you could not say a word in His favor. That is the victory we have to gain; that is the warfare we have to wage. It is between the spirit and the body; they are inseparably connected." (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 3:207)
Jesus invites us to pray in such a way that we may be able to feel as though the heavens are opened.
When was the last time you felt something as you were praying? If you do not remember when the last time you felt something as you were praying was, then you must do something about it. It is very, very important for you to establish and maintain a personal relationship with your Father in Heaven. The enemy to all righteousness does not want you to pray, because he knows that the moment you start praying from the heart, you obtain power--spiritual power--and he loses influence over you. A mighty prayer provides spiritual power to face anxiety, depression, doubts about your own faith. A personal relationship with your Father in Heaven through prayers from the heart, through mighty prayers, will give you power to make the right decisions. For example, if you are wrestling with the idea of giving up and not continuing your studies at BYU-Idaho, then you desperately need help from heaven. And "Jesus ... praying, the heaven was opened." A prayer from the heart is a moment in heaven. It is indeed a moment in heaven. If you have a moment in heaven, you will know what to do. You will make the right decision.
In a world where so many temptations are presented to our eyes, where so much peer pressure is felt by good people like you, where you find people "that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)--in a world like this, you need to feel like the heaven is open to you. Prayers offered from the heart, mighty prayers, will give you spiritual power to face such things. And "Jesus ... praying, the heaven was opened." When was the last time you felt something as you were praying? Feelings of peace, of comfort, of joy, of love are some of the feelings that come to you when the heaven is opened.
Jesus teaches us how to pray. In the scriptures, we read, "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (Mark 1:35). Jesus prayed first thing in the morning--first thing in the morning. He would look for a solitary place to pray. In other words, He would avoid any distractions; He would unplug Himself from the world in order to establish a connection with the heavens. Do you pray first thing in the morning? Do you avoid any distractions as you pray? Do you unplug yourself from the world? Do you strive to establish a connection with the heaven? When a negative thought comes to your mind as you pray, what do you do to stay focused?
"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed."
Luke also records another moment of prayer that Jesus had. "And he [Jesus] withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed" (Luke 5:16).
Jesus teaches us how to pray. "And he [Jesus] went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39).
The word for "fell" in the original Greek is pipto, which is a verb and means "to descend from a higher place to a lower," "to descend from an erect to a prostrate position," "to prostrate oneself."
When the moment comes for a personal prayer, you have to always have in mind that you are going to address the Creator of all that is in the universe, the Creator of "worlds without number" (Moses 1:33), the God of heaven, the most intelligent and powerful being in the universe, "the father of mercies, and the God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3). Before such a being, I feel compelled to kneel down. You all are young and can, like Jesus, fall on the ground to have a moment in heaven through a mighty prayer.
Jesus said to His Father, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt." As you pray and say "not as I will, but as thou wilt," do you truly, really mean it? What changes do you need to make in your mind and in your heart to really mean it?
Our Father in Heaven uses prayers to teach us important lessons. As you strive to be humble and honest and sincere in your prayers, you will find that it will be easier for you to accept His will, even though this will not be what you were praying for.
Jesus prayed in times of anguish. "And being in an agony he [Jesus] prayed more earnestly" (Luke 22:44). The word for "agony" in the original Greek is agonia, which is a feminine noun and makes reference to severe mental struggles and emotions--agony, anguish.
When facing a difficulty, do you spend more time asking yourself, "Why me? How is it possible that this is happening to me? And why now?" Or do you kneel down in mighty prayer to reach "the father of mercies, and the God of all comfort"? The time of great distress for a person is the great opportunity for our Heavenly Father. Our hearts soften and our minds wrestle for answers. He will be there for us. Some of us might say, "He does not answer my prayers," "I do not know how to tell if He is really answering." Please remember that when Jesus was in an agony, "he prayed more earnestly." The time of great distress for a person is the great opportunity for our Heavenly Father.
The expression "more earnestly" in English comes from a Greek word, which in turn comes from another meaning "without ceasing, fervent." So in moments of trial, Jesus teaches us that we have to pray more earnestly, without ceasing, fervently. He said unto the ruler of the synagogue, "Be not afraid, only believe" (Mark 5:36). Only believe that He will listen to you very attentively. Only believe that He "will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart" (D&C 8:2). Only believe that you--yes, you--can feel peace and comfort. Only believe that you can receive spiritual power to overcome. I invite all those who are going through times of distress to turn to the living God, to be connected to the heavens, to go for a moment in heaven, to offer mighty prayers, prayers from the heart.
Mighty prayers reach the heavens. In the book of Psalms, King David explains what a mighty prayer is. "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" (Psalms 55:17). One of the meanings of the word "pray" in Hebrew is "to speak." And that very thing is what we do when we pray to our Heavenly Father: We speak to Him. Prayer is a wonderful thing. When we make a mighty prayer, we have a moment in the heavens. We all need a moment in the heavens, especially when we are going through difficult times. When we offer a mighty prayer, we have the attention of the most powerful, merciful, and loving being in the universe.
Every now and then, we are the real problem of prayer because we just say prayers, or we pray out of routine. Sometimes we do not pray with faith in Jesus Christ, and sometimes we do not even pray.
Some time ago, I was trying to calculate how many prayers I have had in my 45 years as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I found that I had offered at least 120,000 prayers in those 45 years. As I have prayed to my Heavenly Father over the years, He has taught me many, many important things. I have learned to know the difference between offering prayers with my lips and offering mighty prayers. When I offer a mighty prayer, I feel something. Sometimes I feel peace, sometimes I feel joy, sometimes I feel comfort, sometimes I feel loved. I have learned to prepare myself for a moment of personal prayer. I have learned to pray in my heart (see 3 Nephi 20:1) during the day. I have learned to spend more time thanking Him than asking Him. I have learned that I am naked before Him, that I cannot hide anything from Him as I pray. I have learned that mighty prayers bring spiritual power to me. I have felt this power. I have seen it. I cannot deny this. Through mighty prayers, I hear the voice of God speaking to my mind with ideas and speaking to my heart with feelings and promptings. I know the voice. I love that voice. It sounds deep down in me. I cannot deny this.
I have an iPhone with me. I can call my mother or my father using this device, and I can hear their voices very clearly whenever I call them. I do not know how it is possible that, without any cable or visible connection, I can talk to them in New Jersey. My voice travels through the air in a way that I cannot see or comprehend. I cannot understand the science behind all this. But one thing I know: It works! It functions! That is all that I need to know. Now, please do not ask me how it is possible that millions of people can pray at the same time and in different languages and our Father in Heaven is ready to listen and to answer at the same time. I cannot understand how that happens. But one thing I know: It works!
I know beyond any doubt that there is a God in heaven. He is your Father and my Father. He lives. His name is Love. His name is Mercy. I am not worthy of His love. I am not worthy of His mercy. I am not worthy of His blessings upon me. I am less than the dust of the earth. I am nothing before Him. But in spite of being nothing before Him, I can kneel down before my Maker, and I can speak to Him. And He, in His infinite mercy, answers back, answers back, answers back.
I have come to know in the flesh that Jesus is the Christ, that in Him I have power to overcome all things (see Philippians 4:13), that He is my Lord, my King, my Savior, my Redeemer. President Monson is indeed the prophet of the Lord today. I sustain him and his counselors and the Twelve as prophets, seers, and revelators. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. @@@ These took me 3 days to listen to. One each day is plenty. I am not sure why prayer is so important to Britner right now. But to tell the truth, is there anything more important than speaking to God? Probably not. Since he is a sophomore or junior in HS I did not want to overwhelm him with analysis. The email I included before this talk was my 3rd one so it was longer than the other two but still brief sentences and to the point. As you can imagine I am flabbergasted that I have a nephew sharing talks on prayer. What a wonderful celebration I am having! Tyhf. I hope he will open up and tell me more of what he thinks about them. Here is our first exchange about the one by RMN our new prophet and president:vern jensen <phonev6@gmail.com>Mar 14 (4 days ago)\to Britner
Britner,
I just finished listening.
Here are 3 things I liked. What are some things you liked?
1- He used examples from Jesus Christ!
2- He spoke slowly and clearly and unapologetically.
3- I felt relief when he said we don't need to summarize the talks from sacrament meeting.
What are some things you liked?
Britner Mecham
Mar 14 (4 days ago)
to me
I liked how he used a quote from the prayer talk that you sent to me.
I generally just like Russel M Nelson
I liked how he gives examples of how to magnify the effects of prayer
I liked how he said not to over do stuff, and it reminded me of this talk: https://youtu.be/X5xCeiXDN9E
Preview YouTube video Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall by Dallin H. Oaks
I also liked how he used different examples from the Lord, and some ways that they apply to us.
vern jensen <phonev6@gmail.com>Mar 16 (2 days ago)to Britner
Thank you. Great job!
> I liked how he said not to over do stuff, < ME TOO! NO SENSE IN FASTING FOR A MONTH! :)
@@@ 5pm Sunday, So I have felt motivated this afternoon. I wrote a letter to my HPG presidency because they were out of town and a letter to our ward missionaries. When I write the missionaries I only number 1-10 observations. I know their time is short. The reason I came back to writing you today is because of a tease/joke in HPG. Todd May teases Ted Fifield that if he lives till the millenium his job will to sit there indexing day after day. To Ted that seems like hell. @ So here I am indexing day after day wondering if I am doing enough to help build God’s kingdom here on earth. It looks like others would say, Vern you go for it. . . We aren’t going to do that boring stuff! What they don’t understand is that you can do things to make it less boring. Foreign language really helps. That makes it a challenge. Plus there are different degrees of difficulty: beginning, intermediate, advanced. Plus there is measuring how long a batch takes, sort of like racing yourself. Plus there are different projects: birth records, marriage records, death records, passenger lists, mustering rolls etc..
Now admittedly I feel lonely. So I go to the FS library everyday. But I still feel lonely. I am hoping the Facebook group I joined can help that. I have been too busy this week to even go there, so I must not have been that lonely. :) @ Are you smiling about that indexing tease? What outdoorsy man wants to sit at a computer and try to read old records? @
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