Remember That God Has and Will Deliver Us

SCRIPTURES THAT DISCUSS BOTH “REMEMBER” AND “DELIVER”

1 Nephi 4:3, 11-12, 17

3 Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.

 

1 Nephi 7:11, 17

11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?

 

Alma 29:11-12

11 Yea, and I also remember the captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did deliver them out of bondage, and by this did establish his church; yea, the Lord God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did deliver them out of bondage.

 

Mosiah 9:17

17 Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.

 

Mosiah 23:13, 23-24, 27, 29

13 And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king over you.

 

Mosiah 27:16

16 Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.

 

Alma 9:10, 22

10 And have ye forgotten so soon how many times he delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies, and preserved them from being destroyed, even by the hands of their own brethren?

 

Alma 36:2, 27-29

2 I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions.

 

Alma 38:4-5

4 For I know that thou wast in bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word’s sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee.

 

Alma 62:50

50 Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.

Helaman 7:20

20 O, how could you have forgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you?

 

Helaman 12:2

2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.

 

NONE COULD DELIVER EXCEPT THEIR GOD

 Come Follow Me, New Testament

What could have inspired Peter to leave the safety of his boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee during a boisterous storm? Peter had accepted this invitation once, and he was willing to accept it again, even if it meant facing his fears and doing something that seemed impossible.

Perhaps the Lord will not ask us to step out of a boat in the middle of a storm or contribute our meager supply of bread when thousands need to eat, but He may ask us to accept directions even when we don’t fully understand them. Whatever His invitations to us may be, they may sometimes seem surprising or even frightening. But miracles can happen if we, like Peter, will set aside our fears, our doubts, and our limited understanding and follow Him in faith.

 

Mosiah 21:5, 14-15, 36

5 And now the afflictions of the Nephites were great, and there was no way that they could deliver themselves out of their hands, for the Lamanites had surrounded them on every side.

 

Mosiah 24:13-14: I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. 14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

 

Mosiah 24:21: he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.

 

Alma 36:2-3 and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions. And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.

 

 

BUT IF NOT

Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

GOD DID DELIVER

1 Nephi 13:19

19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.

 

2 Nephi 3:9-10

9 And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel.

 

2 Nephi 9:11-13, 25-26

11 And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.

 

2 Nephi 7:2

2 Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer. O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make their drivers a wilderness and their fish to stink because the waters are dried up, and they die because of thirst.

 

Omni 1:7-9, 25

7 Wherefore, the Lord did visit them in great judgment; nevertheless, he did spare the righteous that they should not perish, but did deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.

 

Mosiah 2:4, 31

4 And also that they might give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, and who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and had appointed just men to be their teachers, and also a just man to be their king, who had established peace in the land of Zarahemla, and who had taught them to keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men.

 

Mosiah 25:8, 10, 16, 21

8 For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.

 

Alma 1:8

8 Now the name of the man was Gideon; and it was he who was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering the people of Limhi out of bondage.

 

Alma 19:27

27 And there were some who said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them because of their iniquities; and that it was the Great Spirit that had always attended the Nephites, who had ever delivered them out of their hands; and they said that it was this Great Spirit who had destroyed so many of their brethren, the Lamanites.

 

Alma 45:1

1 Behold, now it came to pass that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced, because the Lord had again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did fast much and pray much, and they did worship God with exceedingly great joy.

 

Alma 50:22

22 And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites.

 

3 Nephi 28:20

20 And they were cast down into the earth; but they did smite the earth with the word of God, insomuch that by his power they were delivered out of the depths of the earth; and therefore they could not dig pits sufficient to hold them.

 

 

PRAYERS FOR DELIVERANCE OR ANSWERS TO PRAYERS

 

1 Nephi 17:14

14 Yea, and the Lord said also that: After ye have arrived in the promised land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you out of the land of Jerusalem.

 

1 Nephi 5:5, 8

5 But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.

 

2 Nephi 4:31

31 O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?

 

Mosiah 28:7, 11

7 And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.

 

Alma 58:10-11, 37

10 Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.

 

Mosiah 28:7, 11

7 And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.

 

Mosiah 24:13, 16-17, 21

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

 

Alma 15:17

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/15.17?lang=eng&clang=eng#p17

17 Therefore, after Alma having established the church at Sidom, seeing a great check, yea, seeing that the people were checked as to the pride of their hearts, and began to humble themselves before God, and began to assemble themselves together at their sanctuaries to worship God before the altar, watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction—

 

Alma 17:35

35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.

 

Alma 48:16

16 And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.

 

Alma 16:6

6 And it came to pass that Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And Alma returned and said unto them: Behold, the Lamanites will cross the river Sidon in the south wilderness, away up beyond the borders of the land of Manti. And behold there shall ye meet them, on the east of the river Sidon, and there the Lord will deliver unto thee thy brethren who have been taken captive by the Lamanites.

 

Alma 2:28

28 Nevertheless, the Nephites being strengthened by the hand of the Lord, having prayed mightily to him that he would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies, therefore the Lord did hear their cries, and did strengthen them, and the Lamanites and the Amlicites did fall before them.

 

3 Nephi 13:12

12 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

 

3 Nephi 4:8, 33

8 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites, when they saw the appearance of the army of Giddianhi, had all fallen to the earth, and did lift their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.

 

 

WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET DELIVERED

 

Mosiah 9:17

17 Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.

 

Mosiah 29:20, 40

20 But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.

 

Alma 56:47, 54, 56

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

Alma 60:11, 20-21

11 Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of God ye could do nothing and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain.

 Alma 44:3, 6, 8-9, 14

3 But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith.

 

Mosiah 11:21, 23, 25-26

21 And except they repent and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies.

 

Alma 61:13, 21

13 But behold he doth not command us that we shall subject ourselves to our enemies, but that we should put our trust in him, and he will deliver us.

 

Mormon 3:13, 15

13 And thrice have I delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and they have repented not of their sins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ,”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Oct. 2015

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Strengthened by the Atonement	Other Comments by Pres. Oaks
Because of that same Atonement, our Savior can provide us the strength we need to overcome these mortal challenges. That is my subject today.	Most scriptural accounts of the Atonement concern the Savior’s breaking the bands of death and suffering for our sins.
President James E. Faust taught, “Since the Savior has suffered anything and everything that we could ever feel or experience, He can help the weak to become stronger.”
He therefore knows our struggles, our heartaches, our temptations, and our suffering, for He willingly experienced them all as an essential part of His Atonement. And because of this, His Atonement empowers Him to succor us—to give us the strength to bear it all.	Our Savior experienced and suffered the fulness of all mortal challenges “according to the flesh” so He could know “according to the flesh” how to “succor [which means to give relief or aid to] his people according to their infirmities.”
At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus explained that He was sent “to heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18). The Bible often tells us of His healing people “of their infirmities” (Luke 5:15; 7:21). The Book of Mormon records His healing those “that were afflicted in any manner” (3 Nephi 17:9).
Isaiah taught that the Messiah would bear our “griefs” and our “sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). Isaiah also taught of His strengthening us: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee” (Isaiah 41:10).
Speaking of some of his own mortal challenges, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
And so we see that because of His Atonement, the Savior has the power to succor—to help—every mortal pain and affliction. Sometimes His power heals an infirmity, but the scriptures and our experiences teach that sometimes He succors or helps by giving us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities.
As the Psalmist declared, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). Some addictions are likely to have been caused by sinful behavior. Even when that behavior has been repented of, the addiction may remain. That disabling grip can also be relieved by the decisive strength available from the Savior.	We all have pains and afflictions and infirmities at one time or another. Apart from what we experience because of our sins, mortality is filled with frequent struggles, heartaches, and suffering. Examples: sickness, physical or mental difficulties, the death of a loved one, failure in our personal responsibilities, our family relationships, or our occupations, when a spouse or a child strays from the path of righteousness, feeling of rejection, life has many other challenges, such as unemployment or other reverses in our plans, some are born with physical or mental disabilities, the infirmity of depression is painful or permanently disabling, singleness, addictions.
Who can be succored and strengthened through the Atonement of Jesus Christ? Because of His atoning experience in mortality, our Savior is able to comfort, heal, and strengthen all men and women everywhere, but I believe He does so only for those who seek Him and ask for His help.
As Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “Having ‘descended below all things,’ He comprehends, perfectly and personally, the full range of human suffering.” We might even say that having descended beneath it all, He is perfectly positioned to lift us and give us the strength we need to endure our afflictions. We have only to ask.
His Atonement also provides the opportunity to call upon Him who has experienced all of our mortal infirmities to give us the strength to bear the burdens of mortality.	Our Savior’s Atonement does more than assure us of immortality by a universal resurrection and give us the opportunity to be cleansed from sin by repentance and baptism.
Like the good Samaritan, when He finds us wounded at the wayside, He will bind up our wounds and care for us (see Luke 10:34). The healing and strengthening power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement is for all of us who will ask.
I pray that we will all understand the hope and strength of our Savior’s Atonement: the assurance of immortality, the opportunity for eternal life, and the sustaining strength we can receive if only we will ask,

Deep Obedience - Exact Obedience brings Miracles and Gospel Blessings

Elder Nelson said a mission is an exercise in obedience training. “Obedience brings success; exact obedience brings miracles.”

“Deep Obedience"

Kim B. Clark

Obedience connects us to the Savior and opens channels for His love and power to flow into us, much like life-giving nutrients flow from the trunk of a tree into its branches. The Savior said:

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; . . .

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.²

The Lord gives us commandments so that we might have His love, joy, and power in our lives. When we disobey those commandments, we weaken our connection to Him. If we do not repent, we become cut off from the source of divine power and joy in life. But the more we obey His commandments, the more we draw near to Him, the stronger the connection becomes, the greater the joy we experience, and the more we become like Him. We abide in Christ, and we prosper in the land. 

Once we see commandments as a blessing, our whole attitude towards obedience changes. Obedience stops being something that weighs on us because we are supposed to do it and becomes something we want to do because we know it brings blessings and joy, and we know it is the way to become more like Christ. The kind of obedience that connects us to Christ and brings divine love, power, and joy into our lives is not a reluctant, surface kind of obedience. It is obedience of the whole heart and soul.  It is deep obedience. 

President Ezra Taft Benson described that change of attitude and deep obedience in this way:  

“When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.”³

We have been called to discipleship and leadership in the great work of the Lord in the last dispensation. And the way forward and upward, the way to prosper in the land, is deep obedience to the Lord.

As we read section 59 together, I will highlight five dimensions of deep obedience:

(1) love God with all your heart;

(2) walk the strait and narrow path;

(3) bring to the Lord a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit;

(4) keep the Sabbath Day holy; and

(5) do all these things with gratitude and a cheerful heart.

How to Come Unto Christ – The Final Plea of Book of Mormon Prophets

In my recent reading, I was noticing that the final plea of many Book of Mormon prophets were all about the invitation to Come Unto Christ !

2 Nephi 2:6–8, 26-30 : Lehi’s Final Plea

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they reredeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.

30 I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen.

2 Nephi 33:4, 10-11: Nephi’s Final Plea

4 And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.

Omni 1:25–26: Amaleki’s Final Plea

25 And it came to pass that I began to be old; and, having no seed, and knowing king ^aBenjamin to be a just man before the Lord, wherefore, I shall ^bdeliver up ^cthese plates unto him, exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel, and believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good; for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord: and that which is evil cometh from the devil.

26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

Mormon 7:5–9 : Moroni’s first final plea

5 Know ye that ye must come to the ^aknowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.

6 And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat.

7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the ^echoirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are ^fone God, in a state of ^ghappiness which hath no end.

8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.

9 For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.

Moroni 10:30, 32-33 : Moroni’s second final plea

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God.

President Russell M. Nelson's Challenge to Read all the References about Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide and How to Mark Your Scriptures about the Savior

In his talk, "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into our Lives," Pres. Nelson explains why he wants us to take this challenge:

Earlier this year, I asked the young adults of the Church to consecrate a portion of their time each week to study everything Jesus said and did as recorded in the standard works. I invited them to let the scriptural citations about Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide become their personal core curriculum.

I gave that challenge because I had already accepted it myself. I read and underlined every verse cited about Jesus Christ, as listed under the main heading and the 57 subtitles in the Topical Guide. When I finished that exciting exercise, my wife asked me what impact it had on me. I told her, “I am a different man!”

I felt a renewed devotion to Him as I read again in the Book of Mormon the Savior’s own statement about His mission in mortality. He declared:

“I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross.”

1. Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into our Lives - President Russell M. Nelson’s Challenge

2. Promises of Daily Reading the Book of Mormon as Given by Prophets and Apostles in General Conference

Below are some ideas on how you could mark your scriptures about the Savior.

I bought the cheap, paperback copies of the 4 standard works. Then I copied the references to Jesus Christ from the Topical Guide and pasted them into a Word document. After I marked a verse in my scriptures, I crossed out the reference on my print out of the Topical Guide. 

Jesus Christ in the Scriptures

·         Attributes of Christ

o   Faith, Hope, Charity, Virtue, Knowledge, Patience, Humility, Diligence, Obedience, Leadership & Teaching, Discernment

·         The Strengthening aspect of Jesus’ Atonement (Grace)

·         The Redeeming aspect of Jesus’ Atonement

·         Christ’s doctrines, laws, and parables

·         The Life of the Savior

·         Symbolism & Prophecies, His Mission, Creator, Antemortal

·         Christ’s Second Coming

·         Divine Sonship, power & authority, titles of Jesus Christ

·         Rejecting the Savior

·         How we can draw the power of Jesus Christ into our lives. 
   (1)  We begin by learning about Him.

 (2)  We choose to have faith in Him and follow Him.

 (3)  We make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision. 
(4)  We reach up to Him in faith.

In order to mark "each verse" as President Nelson challenged, first I include the categories above for the major references and second, I use yellow to highlight every other reference to Him along with a couple of words around that reference. I am now in 2 Nephi and I feel that by marking "each verse," I am learning so much about the Savior and His love, His attributes, and His power. After I finish, I will read the Book of Mormon, focusing on what patterns and themes I can learn from my markings.

How Can We Overcome Pride? and A Personal Checklist for Pride

Pride

See Also: Humility and Meekness

Pres. Benson, Chapter 18: Beware of Pride

https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-ezra-taft-benson/chapter-18-beware-of-pride?lang=eng

President Uchtdorf’s talk on pride – Oct. 2010:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/pride-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Pride a gateway sin that leads to a host of other human weaknesses. In fact, it could be said that every other sin is, in essence, a manifestation of pride. -Uchtdorf

Video clip of this quote 8:42 minutes – 10:19

We Must Not Inhale

When I was called as a General Authority, I was blessed to be tutored by many of the senior Brethren in the Church. One day I had the opportunity to drive President James E. Faust to a stake conference. During the hours we spent in the car, President Faust took the time to teach me some important principles about my assignment. He explained also how gracious the members of the Church are, especially to General Authorities. He said, “They will treat you very kindly. They will say nice things about you.” He laughed a little and then said, “Dieter, be thankful for this. But don’t you ever inhale it.”

That is a good lesson for us all, in any calling or life situation. We can be grateful for our health, wealth, possessions, or positions, but when we begin to inhale it—when we become obsessed with our status; when we focus on our own importance, power, or reputation; when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings—that’s when the trouble begins; that’s when pride begins to corrupt.

Uchtdorf on how do we Conquer pride?  

So how do we conquer this sin of pride that is so prevalent and so damaging? How do we become more humble?

It is almost impossible to be lifted up in pride when our hearts are filled with charity. “No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love.” 22 When we see the world around us through the lens of the pure love of Christ, we begin to understand humility.

Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. Nor does it mean denying or withholding the talents God has given us. We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman.

Humility directs our attention and love toward others and to Heavenly Father’s purposes. Pride does the opposite. Pride draws its energy and strength from the deep wells of selfishness. The moment we stop obsessing with ourselves and lose ourselves in service, our pride diminishes and begins to die.

Elder Bednar:

We will only receive spiritual gifts and talents when we are in the right place at the right time so that the Lord can use us to bless somebody else.

I think in the culture of the Church we have a peculiar way of talking about talents like, “I have these talents” and sometimes there is an arrogance about that, like “Aren’t you so lucky that I am bringing my talent to bless you?”  In which case I think there is no talent, it has been removed.

So it is not just that you have one talent or a particular capacity, there is a wide range of talents and capacities with which the Lord can bless you with because you will be in the right place at the right time and that talent or gift will be used to bless someone else. We only have these so we can be the conduit through whom God can bless people.

So if you are striving not to get them as if they are trophies to display, but if the real intent of our heart is to be good, to be worthy, so that God if he needed me could use me.

How Do We Combat Pride?

1-      Uchtdorf - Charity Conquers pride:  

So how do we conquer this sin of pride that is so prevalent and so damaging? How do we become more humble?

It is almost impossible to be lifted up in pride when our hearts are filled with charity. “No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love.” 22 When we see the world around us through the lens of the pure love of Christ, we begin to understand humility.

Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. Nor does it mean denying or withholding the talents God has given us. We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman.

Humility directs our attention and love toward others and to Heavenly Father’s purposes. Pride does the opposite. Pride draws its energy and strength from the deep wells of selfishness. The moment we stop obsessing with ourselves and lose ourselves in service, our pride diminishes and begins to die.

2-      Recognize the enabling power of the atonement in our lives.

When we can recognize the enabling power of the atonement in our lives this solves the problem of pride. We realize how much the Lord is helping us to improve and do well which keeps us from getting puffed up about ourselves.

Read Jacob 4:6

 6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of ^aprophecy; and having all these ^bwitnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can ^ccommand in the ^dname of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

Jacob 4:6-7, 8-10– notice that verse 7 begins with “Nevertheless” - “Nevertheless” is what they call a connecting word because it shows that the two sentences are a related thought.  

 7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our ^aweakness that we may know that it is by his ^bgrace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.

Ether 12:27 has a similar theme.

I think there are many times when Grace and the enabling power are operating in our lives and it is like when “as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.” In our pride, we think we are becoming something on our own.

Pride - A Personal Checklist (list taken from Pres. Benson’s talk)

·         Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance. In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride. Therefore, we must understand how God uses the term so we can understand the language of holy writ and profit thereby. 

·         The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.

·         Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. 

General categories of pride:

   Disobedience is essentially a prideful power struggle 

   Selfishness is one of the more common faces of pride. 

§  self-conceit, self-seeking

§  self-gratification, worldly self-fulfillment

§  self-pity

Pride in not just those on the top looking down; far more common is pride from the bottom looking up, it is manifest in:

·         faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting

·         murmuring

·         living beyond our means

·         envying, coveting

·         withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another

·         being unforgiving and jealous

Another face of pride is contention:

·         arguments

·         fights

·         unrighteous dominion

·         generation gaps

·         divorces

·         spouse abuse

·         riots, disturbances

·         Contention in our families drives the Spirit of the Lord away. It also drives many of our family members away. 

Our enmity toward God takes on many labels:

·         rebellion

·         hard-heartedness

·         stiff-neckedness

·         unrepentant

·         puffed up

·         easily offended

·         sign seekers

·         wish God would agree with them

·         aren’t interested in changing opinion to agree with God’s

Enmity toward our fellowmen:

·         tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others 

·         desire to diminish others

·         pit their intellects, opinions & works against others

·         compare wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others

·         stand more in fear of men’s judgment than of God’s judgment

·         “What will men think of me?” weighs heavier than “What will God think of me?”

·         The proud love “the praise of men more than the praise of God.

·         Our motives for the things we do are where the sin is manifest. 

“Pride a gateway sin that leads to a host of other human weaknesses. In fact, it could be said that every other sin is, in essence, a manifestation of pride.”  –President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Pres. Uchtdorf – The Gift of Grace - Apr. 2015

What does the story of Simon teach us about pride?

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/the-gift-of-grace?lang=eng

 

In the Bible we read of Christ’s visit to the home of Simon the Pharisee.

Outwardly, Simon seemed to be a good and upright man. He regularly checked off his to-do list of religious obligations: he kept the law, paid his tithing, observed the Sabbath, prayed daily, and went to the synagogue.

But while Jesus was with Simon, a woman approached, washed the Savior’s feet with her tears, and anointed His feet with fine oil.

Simon was not pleased with this display of worship, for he knew that this woman was a sinner. Simon thought that if Jesus didn’t know this, He must not be a prophet or He would not have let the woman touch him.

Perceiving his thoughts, Jesus turned to Simon and asked a question. “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: … one owed five hundred pence, … the other fifty.

“And when they [both] had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?”

Simon answered that it was the one who was forgiven the most.

Then Jesus taught a profound lesson: “Seest thou this woman? … Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”24

Which of these two people are we most like?

Are we like Simon? Are we confident and comfortable in our good deeds, trusting in our own righteousness? Are we perhaps a little impatient with those who are not living up to our standards? Are we on autopilot, going through the motions, attending our meetings, yawning through Gospel Doctrine class, and perhaps checking our cell phones during sacrament service?

Or are we like this woman, who thought she was completely and hopelessly lost because of sin?

Do we love much?

Do we understand our indebtedness to Heavenly Father and plead with all our souls for the grace of God?

When we kneel to pray, is it to replay the greatest hits of our own righteousness, or is it to confess our faults, plead for God’s mercy, and shed tears of gratitude for the amazing plan of redemption?25

Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God.26 Thinking that we can trade our good works for salvation is like buying a plane ticket and then supposing we own the airline. Or thinking that after paying rent for our home, we now hold title to the entire planet earth.