Forgive Yourself

No many how many times  I write, post, and pray to help others understand about forgiving, allowing

ourselves to be forgiven and moving on, there are still so many precious souls who can't seem to let go of past mistakes- not the mistakes of others, but their own. They can't seem to allow themselves to be forgiven, to let Christ's atonement work in their life. They can't seem to tear down that invisible screen Satan places between them and the Lord, blocking their view of the loving arms that are wide open, just waiting to receive them, to take the burden from them and free them of the heavy load they have tried to shoulder alone for so long.
How I wish that we could understand that each time we do this, we are basically saying to the Lord, "I don't believe You." We are not saying, "I don't believe IN You," but "I don't believe YOU." There is a difference.
I meet so many people who just can't seem to get past the past, which is a very, very, very important part of repentance and forgiveness. Believe me, I know! Like Linus with his comfort blanket, they drag it with them wherever they go- they can't seem to help it. But we need to remember that when we are dragging that blanket, there is an evil, unwanted rider onboard, and he is smiling and holding on, attempting to re-soil a blanket that had been laundered. Think about that.
I pray that we can all stay focused on the Savior and His promises, that our past may never dictate our present, or our future.

Destined for Greater Things

I wish wish all my heart that each and every one of us could understand how much we are loved by

the Father and the Son, how much we mean to Them, and how important our individual part is in the eternal plan. Every single person is of value and has a purpose, but it's up to us to use our gift of agency in a way that will help us discover what that purpose is. We truly are destined for greater things, but we cannot receive those greater things unless we let our will be swallowed up in the will of the Father, focusing solely on the things of Christ.
Man is that he might have joy, but to truly experience that joy, it can't be about us.
It is about Him.
It always has been.

He Has Already Lost

We know that Satan is an enemy to God, and so are the evil ones who follow and work with him to destroy the souls of men - a third part of the hosts of heaven, to be exact. He is known as the fallen

one, having fallen from heaven ( or more correctly stated, cast out.) And since Satan is God's enemy, as children of God and followers of Christ, he is OUR enemy as well. Each and every battle we fight against the powers of darkness on a daily basis is a fight against a fallen enemy.

Do you understand how vital that knowledge is!

Remember what I said before about Satan having no power over us except what we choose to give him by our disobedience to the Lord? Well, when we are doing our best to live by the spirit, heeding the promptings of the Holy Ghost, putting the Father and the Son first in every area of our life, the adversary has no power over us. NONE! Yes, we all stumble and fall from time to time, but the minute we get back up, brush ourselves off and begin again, the scrapes and bumps begin to heal and the battle armor is still in good repair, able to offer vital protection against a foe who, though he may continue to wage a war that began before we even came to the earth, will not accept his losses, because due to agency, he can still cause so much damage.

But no matter how many souls he corrupts, no matter how many hearts he turns away from the Savior, Satan will never win. He can't.
May we all live each day armed with faith in the Lord, completely devoted to Him, and sure in the knowledge that as long as we look to him in all our times of trial, no matter what our struggles are, He will help shield against the piercing arrows that the adversary is sure to unleash during the

moments of weakness that come while we patiently wait upon the Lord.

Why it Matters

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." ~Ephesians 6:11-13

Every single day, we witness things going on in the world that make this admonition from the Lord

more vital than we can even begin to fathom or understand. The meme below is one of my absolute favorites, however, I decided, just for fun, to search for some other memes online because I love this scripture so much; there are many - countless ones, but sadly on most of them, there is a major difference in word choice due to the different Bible versions. And that one change in word, to me, completely changes the admonition.

The difference? While the translation (in the widely-used King James version, and the 1599 Geneva version) is "the whole armour of God," in some other versions of the Holy Bible, "whole" is changed to "full," which weakens the admonition and takes away some of the urgency, and we CANNOT afford to do that. EVER.
Now, the difference between whole and full is that whole is something complete and entire, nothing missing, while full is utmost measure or extent, the highest state or degree. That is why words are so important. Many people may say, "Oh, it just semantics," but it isn't.

In any case, may we all put on the whole armour of God that we may be entirely and completely protected from the ever-growing evils of this world.

"There You Are, Lord."

Do you ever have moments when you feel so steeped in your own pain and sorrows that you feel completely isolated - even in a room full of loving Relief Society sisters?

So, you've been working your way through the Sabbath morning, enjoying the time with your husband, as well as the added bonus of having a couple of your grand-daughters attending church with you after their fun sleepover with "Mamaw and Boppa."
When you finally get to your meeting, you sit down and suck it up, thinking, "I've got this." Because you know that as long as the Lord is with you, everything is fine.

But this time, you aren't really fine.

Still, the lesson is great, and one that you need at exact moment. Because as you continue to listen,
your eyes begin to wander around the room to various women dealing with trials and griefs of their own, and then your heart follows your eyes, stopping on every person. The love in your heart for these amazing ladies quickly fills you up, warming you from the inside out.

Then you smile and think, "There you are, Lord. Of course, I knew you were here all along. Thank you."

Our Calling

"Today, move away from anything ungodly that is hindering your calling." ~Jonathan Cahn

As children of God, we are taught that we are partakers of a heavenly calling, but many times we forget that there are two parts to a calling - and in order to get to our calling, we must move away from something else. Even though we can't see the full picture or where we will end up in the Lord's calling for us, we CAN see what we need to move away from to get to where the Lord wants us. He

shows us those things for a reason. He does not want anything hindering us from His plans for us, and many times that means moving away from something good or better and on to the best things.

Many fans of my stories have asked when I will be writing more books and my answer is always the same: After years of writing inspirational romance, the Lord shifted my focus and called me another way, and though I shared messages of God's love through those stories, the time came when He wanted my mind and heart completely focused on Him, thereby taking me away from good and better things and shifting my focus onto the best. But this is just me; there is absolutely nothing wrong with good things or better things that put us on the path to God. It is about where the Lord wants us and where He leads us in His time, and it is about our hearts being open and in tune enough to be lead by Him. I still write a story here and there when prompted, but only when prompted.

As I have said many times before, I pray daily for the Lord to help me become the righteous, virtuous, holy woman He would have me be - to remember and become the woman I was before I came to this earth. I know that in order to be righteous, I must avoid unrighteous things. To be holy, I must avoid unholy things. To be virtuous, I must stay away from things that are without virtue. I must strive to be as the Savior is.

Jonathan Cahn said, "You are called to glory - that's the "to" of your call. The glory doesn't start when you get "to" where you're going, but when you come away "from" the old life. So start with the "from" and God will take care of the "to."
I'm still on my way "To" but the Lord is still walking that path with me, and He never lets go of my hand.

My Source of Reliance

I'm so sorry for my lack of posts these past few weeks. My brain hasn't been functioning at full capacity lately and getting anything done has been a struggle emotionally, but I have been blessed with an amazing husband who is always there when I need him. The Lord works through him constantly to help care for me.

Truly, I have so much to be grateful for, and this C.S. Lewis quote fits my life at the present perfectly.
Oh, how I rely on my Father and my Savior! From the moment I wake until I close my eyes at night to sleep, I lean on my Savior for His love, comfort, care, and His promise to always be there for me and help me through whatever trials I am called upon to face - I don't mean He takes the trials away, but He help me through them. And He is so very good to me. I have made sacred covenants with Him that I do my best to keep, and I know that as long as I never turn away from Him, He will never turn away from me.
As long as I remember this - as long as we all remember this,  we will be okay.