Reason and Logic

Today's brief post is being drafted in the airport in Djibouti, on my way to Burundi.  

I have contemplated the many theories associated with the belief in the existence of a God.

God = Being with power, knowledge, and love.

Most of Christianity believes in an afterlife (that we will dwell with God after we die), yet struggles to comprehend a pre-earth life. If we are taught in sacred writings (Bible, Book of Mormon, Koran, Talmud, Nitnam, etc...) that we are the children of God, then is it really that challenging to believe that we existed with him prior to starting our purpose on Earth (find truth, living according to it, experience true joy (only through Christ)).  

In the Old Testament, the mighty prophet Abraham was promised of The Lord posterity without end, as numerous as the sands of the sea.  If such a promise was made to Abraham, is it too far out of our range of logic to believe that God's children would out number even the sands of the sea, even more than this Earth offers?  

Found in modern revelation, The Pearl of Great Price: Moses 1:35-37: 

35 But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.

36 And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.

37 And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.

Surely Isaiah said it perfectly:  (Isaiah 55:8-9)

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

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

While so much of our existence here on Earth requires believe without seeing, belief in God moves us beyond mere desire into FAITH (an action that pushes the boundaries of belief into knowledge of TRUTH).  To some, FAITH is intangible.  To me it is very tangible.  As an example: Despite my weaknesses, the SUN still rises and provides warmth.  It is a tangible (feel) expression of God's love for all his children in whatever phase of progression they may be in.  Of note: The SUN receives its power and brilliance from the SON (Jesus Christ). The song of the variety of birds echoes in our ear drums to produce a tangible sound that is first felt then heard.

Of importance:  Our minds continue to learn and develop over a lifetime through experiences.  Our SPIRIT however learns very differently through feelings.  God frequently communicates spirit to spirit by the voice of the spirit or as previously stated, through feelings.  Our minds are often last to comprehend.  I know that GOD is real, he loves us, he wants us to be happy, but he can't allow us to experience true happiness or joy unless through obedience to his laws.  Thus the purpose to our life, to find what those laws (commandments, more than just 10) are.

Michael

We are at War!

Today's post is directed at the topic of ADDICTION(s).  This will be a topic I will cover in greater detail in the future as it is the MAIN tool of the Advisary to thwart our agency to choose the right.

A few things I don't remember but have been taught and believe:
1. We lived as spirits (not flesh and blood) with our Heavenly Father (God) before we were born on earth.
2. In that realm we were taught lessons, and we grew in our intelligence to use our AGENCY to choose good or evil.
3. Lucifer was in God's presence and proposed a plan that would remove mortal agency and subject "man" to perfect obedience.
4. Christ proposed the same plan the Father outlined: Give man agency to choose between right and wrong.
5. All spirits cast their vote and 1/3 of all the spirits of Heavenly Father were banished from God's presence.
6. Michael (the Archangel) fought against the Lucifer and his angels (The Great Dragon) and defeated them.
7. Lucifer became Satan (The Advisary as I will refer to going forward) and he and his devils were cast to earth to tempt and try mans agency.

Birth: From our first breath to the age of accountability (8 yrs old), the advisary has no power to tempt or try us.  But once 8 yr old, our agency is then open to temptation and the WAR begins again.  The Advisary doesn't want us to be successful or happy, actually he wants us to be miserable like he is.

Every day we face choices, some inconsequential (do I run or bike today?) and others monumental (do I click on an immoral website or read an uplifting book?)  The choice is always ours, the consequence isn't.  To every choice a set outcome is prescribed, although not always physical in nature, it is always spiritual.

What I mean by this is that within each of us resides our spirit, that resembles us in every way.  That spirit combined with our body forms our SOUL.  When we choose to injure our body, our spirit also suffers.  For example: Let's say I am fighting an addiction to smoke and in the moment of struggle I choose to eat doughnuts, a lot of them.  Eventually that choice will break down our WILLPOWER to resist the urge to smoke because we have already introduced a form of toxin into our bodies.

Imagine for a moment your body.  Now try to visualize your spirit in your body.  Is it comparable in size to your body?  If fruits, vegetables, meat, etc... feed and nourish our bodies, what is the fuel for our spirit?  Our spirit thrives on Service to others, reading truth (scriptures), gaining knowledge, etc... If we neglect our spiritual nutrition, we are in a sense surrendering our bodies to fight what will become a loosing battle.  If our spirit is not fed to grow and is smaller than our body, it is akin to a childs hand in a large glove, much of the uses will be diminished, in a sense going into battle unprepared.

In my previous post I described how the Holy Ghost communicates with us, spirit to spirit.  The voice of the spirit is a feeling.  Our spirit needs to be healthy in order to be sensive to Hear (feel) those promptings.

This brings me to my last comments today.  Addiction is a horrible tool the Advisary uses to bind the agency of the sons and daughters of God.  This binding is nearly impossible to break and impossible once an addiction persists.  The debilitating sorrow, loss of confidence, and shrinking of our spirit seems to condemn us to the pits of dispair and spiritual death, BUT each day the SUN rises anew, and this day become the day for men to prepare to meet God by trying again to use our agency in healthy and productive ways.

Yet, on our own, we fail again and again, and again............

A few questions:
1. Are the scriptures true?
2. If the scriptures tell us that Christ can save, then why doesn't he?

3. Is there something that we must show him first in order to qualify for his GRACE (strength)?

For each of us, this SOMETHING is different, but through the wisperings of the Holy Ghost we too can hear what me wants of us.  Wash 10 times in the river? Put mud or saliva on our eyes? Simply look up and live?  

Let's each of us decide to do that something and allow Christ to break our chains of addiction that bind us.

Michael

Purpose to Life, Important to consider

What is life?  It is really to be lonely and stressed?  What about relationships to people around us, are they important or just fleeting moments throughout the passing hours of our day?  Are values important?  Which values, only the ones we choose to live by at the moment or something more concrete and "true"?

Forgive my ramblings, but this has been weighing on my mind all week.

When I first joined the US Navy I was indoctrinated on the Navy core values: Honor, Courage, and Commitment.  These words were not unfamiliar to me, as the scriptures (Holy Bible and Book of Mormon) I read my entire life taught me the same principles.  Years later upon accepting a commission into the US Army, I was introduced to many more values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.  These added values buoyed my faith that the military had the solid foundation for good and right in the world.

Unfortunately, the world likes making values for organizations but never inwardly adopts them.  Thus the world continues to spiral down the moral slopes of regression, until it eventually ceases to adopt the facade of these values.  This is a plea to all who read this post to rise up and live these values as if your life depends on it, for it does.

This week's news is full of warnings and fearful predictions.  If those who would live these values faced injustice and immorality with such courage, there would be no fear, only faith.  One might ask: Why face this?  Who am I to do so, it wouldn't make a difference.

This takes me to my last and final point of the post.  Our life isn't without purpose.  We are not alone in our struggles and trials.  Our sorrows are known and felt by others.  Help is always, always available.  We are all on this earth for a grand purpose: To learn to recognize truth, and live according to it.  Simple and true.  What if all men (synonymous with male and female) were to recognize this truth, there would cease to be wars and contentions, cease to be misery and despair.

Nevertheless, this world has an age and must end according to God's will.  We have a whisper of a warning given through inspired scripture that bears remembering.

(Matthew 24:6-10)

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.


After such gloom, surely there is a light: The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (Exodus 14:14).  These words were spoken to Moses, and we can read about his deliverance, so too shall our deliverance be.  This is truth.  Feel it, believe it.

Charles W. Penrose said: “We are to arise in our might and in our strength and go forth to victory; not with a desire to shed blood, not with the desire to destroy our fellow creatures, but in self defense and because we do want to maintain and hand down to our posterity those sacred principles of liberty that have been revealed from on high” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1917, 21).

I bear my witness that God the Father loves us, we are his spirit children, sent to Earth in physical, mortal, imperfect bodies to be tested and proven (accepting truth and living according to it).  I know that Christ is our Savior, even in these days of wars and rumors of wars, we too shall see that HE is the only one that can heal, lift, and carry our sins and burdens.  This Soldier depends on him daily for support and strength, to live without fear and to have courage to live the Army and Navy values taken from Holy writ.  Join me in raising our values high and encouraging others to do the same.

Michael

Sunday Study

Of note:  The word Cleave stuck in my mind with 2 distinct references.

 

1. Abraham 5:18: Then shall a man leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh.  (the word UNTO means until)

 

2. Zachariah 14:4: And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

 

The word cleave has two meanings.

1. To join

2. To divide

Thus making the visualization all the more powerful. 

In this context, a man must (divide or cut) out the world or other priorities in order to (join as one) with his wife.  Cleave is appropriate in both uses.