Binding Satan

There really isn't much I can add to this quote because he states so beautifully what I feel every single day, whether reading or watching media pieces, or simply logging onto Facebook. Every day, we as a people draw further and further apart because of beliefs and opinions, and when trying to sway others to agree with a certain point of view, anger, bitterness, and resentment enter.

This is not the way the Lord intended us to be, and it is definitely not the way to become one with Him - and we are told that if we are not one, we are not His.
In present mortality, opinions are going to differ - there is no getting around that. But we need to look to the "One Source" who is right in all things, and that source is the Lord. If we are truly striving to become one with Him, He will always validate our thoughts and beliefs, because those thoughts and beliefs will be aligned with - and focused on - HIM.
Social media can be a great tool for good, but sadly, contention is bred more by the minute and is increasing in intensity. Since the only power Satan has is what we give him, he has acquired great power over the internet, and particularly, social media through our thoughts and words - for our thoughts and words can do major damage, and damage our own souls in the process. I pray that we can all remember this.
Have a great Sabbath!

A Reminder.

Just need to remind myself of this today.

God's Blueprint

This morning I have been deeply pondering this journey we call life. At the beginning of one of my books, I wrote this thought:

“Detours on the path add new dimensions to the experience, but some roads are better left untraveled. Of course, in the end, the journey is as important as the destination.”

When I ponder on this life (which I have been doing a LOT lately,) I think about my place in this world and wonder about God’s plan for me. I wish I could see my

personal blueprint–I wish I could glimpse the Father’s full itinerary for me, as well as the outcome, that I might adjust my actions, and my heart, accordingly. A blueprint is far more detailed than a plan, and details are important when it comes to so many things.

Sometimes the desire to please the Lords burns in me so much, I want to weep–but is a comforting weeping, not a sad one. Well, maybe a little sad because I long to see the face of my Savior, to know I’m following the eternal blueprint that Heavenly Father, in His loving way, personally designed just for me.

I know that my journey through this life has been just as important as the eternal destination I desire to reach with every fiber of my being. I know the lessons learned are priceless and more important than I can possibly comprehend.

Each week, I get to serve and associate with amazing brothers and sisters in Christ who are on the same journey, trying to make it to the same destination, but traveling different paths, longing to glimpse God’s personal blueprint for them as well. As I serve in the Lord’s house with these like-minded souls, there is a oneness present, a love and a bond that should always be present among the Lord’s people. Through that bond of love, I feel my Father’s love, and my Savior’s love. And I long to share Their love with the world. I guess in small ways, God does help me to do that, but in my heart, I wish I could do so much more.

So, with the Lord’s help, I will continue on in the pursuit of knowing God’s

blueprinted plan for me and strive to follow it. I just have to make sure Satan doesn’t tiptoe in with his enormous lead pencil and scribble on, or attempt to change the plans. He always tries and does succeed every now and again, but the Lord is always standing next to me with an industrial-sized eraser, so that at the end of the day, the blueprint is clean and new again.

And so is with all of us. May we all search out the Father’s personal blueprint for each of us and adjust our hearts and lives on the journey, that we may reach the destination He’s had planned for us from the very beginning.

Do We Really Mean It?

"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God,"Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way." ~C.S. Lewis

I have talked about this before, but I felt prompted to go back to it. When the Savior knelt in the garden and said, "Not my will, but thine, be done," His were the greatest and most empowering words ever uttered. So, for us, saying to God, "Thy will be done," should not be just uttered words. When we say them, we should mean them. They must come from the heart.

Yet how often do we say, "THY will," but actually mean, "MY will?"

Since the Savior gave everything for us in the garden of Gethsemane, and then on the cross, He proved His words. He did what He said He would. He submitted himself completely to the Father's will. Why do we think we can do less? If He kept His word, shouldn't we keep ours?

Heavenly Father's will for us is far greater than our own, and all He asks is that we obey Him and seek to know His will for us first, in all matters. His plan for His children is perfect, and His will for each of us is given in love and is ours for the taking.

May we all strive to emulate the Savior and follow His lead by allowing our own will to be swallowed up in God's. In return, we will be blessed with His love and spiritual protection in this life, and in the eternities, blessings beyond measure. The Savior has prepared a place for His own. I pray that we will all have a legitimate claim in that inheritance.