Coming March 15, 2021

Mary Magdalene- Beloved of the Bridegroom

Available for Pre-order at Amazon

Hearing and Heeding the Lord

Pondering Amulek, this perfect scripture came to mind: 

“I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people. Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges. ~Alma 10: 5-6

How many times are we called by the Lord to do things that would draw us closer to Him? And how many times do we ignore that call instead of heeding it?

As I have said many times, God has a plan for each of us, and part of that plan is heeding His call. When the Lord asks us to do something, we should do it, no matter how inconvenient it may seem. If He asks us give up something, it is because He has something better for us. Our task is to recognize His voice, then go where He wants us to go, and do what He wants us to do. Because if we continue to put our own desires ahead of His desires for us, we may receive the lower reward we seek for ourselves, but we will also miss out on the higher one prepared for us - a far more glorious reward than we can imagine. And I'm not just talking material, but spiritual, which is far more important.

May we all learn to truly come to recognize the voice of the Lord in our lives. May we learn to hear Him and heed His word.

Happy Sabbath!

Surrendering to His Will

 God has a plan for each of us and it is always far greater than our own plans. His plans for us happen in
His time and in His way, and though our choices in this life may alter things - depending on how we use our precious gift of agency - we can never force His hand with our impatience, nor can we with our willful disobedience. All we can do is pray that His will be done, stay close to Him, and watch things unfold. Of course, there are times when He does give us what we ask for, even though it may not be good for us, but there is usually a lesson attached and He is hoping we will learn from it. We just need to remember that waiting on God's time is never a waste of time, because He know us individually and knows what is best. He always has.

We never know where God's will will take us, but if we let Him lead, it promises to be an amazing journey. Sometimes the journey is brutal, but He never leaves us to travel the road alone, and He does promise us that it will be worth it.

My testimony of this grows with each passing day, particularly during the past year, and for me, the journey truly has been worth it.

Have a great day!

Suit Up!

The main issue that spurred the conflict between God and Satan was agency. It is the very thing

over which the war in heaven was fought- and we are still fighting that war.

We have got to remember that Satan is always on the job. He takes no time off - no sick leave and no vacation. He is continually waging a war that he thinks he can win . . . but he can't, so he will leave as many casualties as he can. Satan destroys souls every minute and second of the day. He is a master strategist because he never gives up. And if we let our guard down for even a second, he will take an accounting of our weaknesses and do all he can to crush us. Each and every time we give into a weakness, we give the adversary a leg-up in the battle.

Satan has his own playbook with his own set of rules, and just as the Savior knows each of us, so do he, and he knows how to draft new players. We must not join his team, and we must not give away the precious gift God gave us.

Because no matter how good the captain of darkness is at his job, the King of Heaven is a far better leader. And He will always win in the end.

Have an amazing day!

Relying Solely on the Lord

 Each and every trial we face in this life prepares us for greater blessings. Our task is to learn and grow
from adversity, then endure well. We can only endure well when we involve the Savior, leaning solely on Him and not on the arm of flesh. Flesh can wither away to nothing, but the Lord never will. His love has - and will - endure all things. His ways will always be higher than ours, His thoughts higher than our own. And no matter how hard we try or how capable we may think we are, we can do nothing that is worth doing without Him.

Personally, I've learned that the times when my heart is fully in the Savior's possession, there is no doubt or despair in me. There is only gratitude for His help through the rough times and gratitude for the lessons. When I allow Christ to have full claim on me, He is able to do amazing things. Then my faith and hope in Him is strengthened, and I rejoice in God's eternal plan for me.

May we all embrace trials - both present and future adversities - relying on the mercy, grace, and comfort of the Lord.