I pointed out some remarks that I felt were important to mention as I read both talks. In the talk Let the Holy Spirit Guide I like the fact that Elder Rasband explain the importance of knowing the way the Spirt communicates with us.
He said: Our Father in Heaven knew that in mortality we would face challenges, tribulations, and turmoil; He knew we would wrestle with questions, disappointments, temptations, and weaknesses. To give us mortal strength and divine guidance, He provided the Holy Spirit, another name for the Holy Ghost. We have the sacred responsibility to learn to recognize His influence in our lives and respond.
Each week as we partake of the holy sacrament, we make a
covenant to always remember Him. How do we do that?
*First: We strive to live worthy of the Spirit.
We obey God’s laws
We study the Scriptures
We pray
Attend the temple
Live true to the 13th article of faith “being
honest, true, chase, benevolent,
virtuous, and doing good to all men.
*Second: We must be willing to receive the Spirit.
The Lord has promised, “I 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. “
*Third: We must recognize the Spirit when it comes.
You feel it in words that are familiar to you, that make
sense to you, that prompt you… The voice of the Spirit is still and small. Do
you know that voice?
*Fourth: We must act on the first prompting.
Ending remarks with his testimony.
If we
pay attention to the prompting that come to us, we will grow in the Spirit of
revelation and receive more and more Spirit-driven insight and direction. The
Lord has said, “Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good.”
May we
take seriously the Lord’s call to “be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.
“He leads us by the Holy Ghost. May we live close to the Spirit, acting quickly
upon our first promptings, Knowing they come from God. I bear witness of the
power of the Holy Ghost to guide us, guard us, and ever be with us, in the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Uchdorf talk went into the idea that we need to let our fears aside and enjoy the Lord's love.
"The Great Awakening"
During Joseph Smith’s time. One of the primary objectives was to awaken
the people who appeared to be asleep regarding spiritual matters. These
preachers had a dramatic emotional preaching style…Their speeches didn’t put
people to sleep but they may have cause a few nightmares…their purpose seemed
to frighten people into Church.
Fear as manipulation: Fear
has often been used to get people to take action. Parents with children,
employers with employees, politicians,
with voters, and it’s even used in marketing, etc. In his talk he wants us to
contemplate and consider the extent to which we use fear as means of motivation
and to suggest a better way. He continues explaining the problem with
motivating through fear?
It is true that fear can have a powerful influence over our actions and
behavior, however that influence tends to be temporary and shallow. Fear rarely
has the power to change hearts… people who are fearful may say and do the right
things but they do not feel the right things…they often feel helpless and
resentful, even angry. Over time these feelings lead to mistrust, defiance,
even rebellion.
The more I come to know my Heavenly Father the more I see how he
inspires us and leads us. His work and His glory is to mentor us, exalt us, and
lead us to His fullness. God is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and abundant
in goodness and truth. Our Father is Heaven love for us, His children surpasses
by far our ability to comprehend. Does this means that he overlooks behaviors
that run contrary to His commands? No, definitely not! But he wants to change
more than our behaviors. He wants to change our very natures. He wants to
change our heart.
He wants us to reach out and take firm hold of the iron rod, confront
our fears, and bravely step forward and upward along the strait and narrow
path. He wants this for us because He loves us and because this is the way to
happiness.
He sent His son!
God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to show us the right way.
God motivates through persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and
love… God is on our side. He loves us, and when we stumble, He wants us to rise
up, try again, and become stronger.
He is our mentor.
He is our great and cherished hope.
He desires to stimulate us with faith.
He trusts us to learn from our mistakes and make correct choices.
This is the better way!
What about the evils of the world?
The corruption and wickedness in our day are alarming but in spite of
all this, I wouldn’t trade living in this time with any other time in history
of the world.
We are blessed beyond measure to live in a day of unparalleled
prosperity, enlightenment and advantage. Most of all, we are blessed to have
the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which gives us a unique perspective
on the world’s dangers and shows us how to either avoid these dangers or deal
with them… the Lord often reminds us to “Be not afraid to be of good cheer, and
to fear not little flock.”
Brothers and sisters, we are the Lord’s little flock. We are the Saints
of the latter days. Inherent in our name is the commitment to look forward to
the Saviors return and prepare ourselves and the world to receive Him… As His
covenant people, we need not be paralyzed by fear because bad things might
happen. Instead we can move forward with faith, courage, determination, and
trust in God as we approach the challenges and opportunities… God Himself has
said, “In the World ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.”… Therefore, let us set aside our fears and live instead
with joy, humility, hope, and a bold confidence that the Lord is with us…
Brothers and sisters, we are the Lord’s little flock. We are the Saints
of the latter days. Inherent in our name is the commitment to look forward to
the Saviors return and prepare ourselves and the world to receive Him… As His
covenant people, we need not be paralyzed by fear because bad things might
happen. Instead we can move forward with faith, courage, determination, and
trust in God as we approach the challenges and opportunities… God Himself has
said, “In the World ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.”… Therefore, let us set aside our fears and live instead
with joy, humility, hope, and a bold confidence that the Lord is with us…
Con amor,
Vero
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