Declarations of Truth for Me From a Prophet of God

My Declarations of Truth

from God’s Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. The statements of truth were adapted from the prophet’s message and words, “Embrace the Future with Faith”, given in the Women’s Session of General Conference in October 2020. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/37nelson?lang=ase)

The following was an idea, which came from Rio (of a Work and a Wonder) who mentioned doing something similar in her message and report of President Nelson’s talk during a live Instagram Inklings Institute class on 3/25/2021. As I reviewed President Nelson’s message a few days later, I could see and understood what she meant when she said there are many declarations, which state truth of who the daughters in God’s Kingdom truly are. It took me a good amount of time to make the list, but the results were so worth it. I love the power that comes to me when I read these statements of truth!  I hope you feel it too!

• I am part of a group of sisters that is more than eight million strong. 

 • These sisters and I have not only the numbers, but the spiritual power to change the world. 

• I find ways to encourage others and share our Savior’s light. 

• I am absolutely heroic! 

• I have strength and faith. 

• I have shown that in difficult circumstances, I bravely carry on. 

• The Lord loves me and sees the great work I am performing.  

• I have proven that I am literally the hope of Israel! 

• I embody the hope that President Gordon B. Hinckley had for me when he introduced “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” 25 years ago in 1995. He underscored how irreplaceable my influence is in the Lord’s plan. 

• The Lord has said, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” (D&C 38:30) 

• I can create places that are safe, both physically and spiritually. 

• My home is a personal sanctuary of faith—where the Spirit resides—my home becomes the first line of defense. 

• As I continue to follow the counsel of those whom the Lord has authorized to guide me, I will feel greater safety. 

• I have been endowed with priesthood power through the sacred priesthood covenants I have made in God’s holy temple. 

• My family is sealed for eternity. 

• My endowment gives me constant access to God’s power as I honor my covenants with Him. 

• A place of security is anywhere I can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and be guided by Him. 

• When the Holy Ghost is with me, I can teach truth, even when it runs counter to prevailing opinions. 

• I can ponder sincere questions about the gospel in an environment of revelation. 

• I have places of security where I can retreat to help me embrace the future with faith. 

• My spiritual foundation must be solid. Then, when metaphorical earthquakes rock my life, I can stand “steadfast and immovable” because of my faith. 

• The Lord has taught me how to increase my faith by seeking “learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118) 

• I strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ by striving to keep His commandments and “always remember him.” (Moroni 4:3) 

• My faith increases every time I put my faith in Him. That is what learning by faith means. 

• Each time I have the faith to be obedient to God’s laws—even when popular opinions belittle me—or each time I resist entertainment or ideologies that celebrate covenant-breaking, I am exercising my faith, which in turn increases my faith. 

• Few things build my faith more than does regular immersion in the Book of Mormon. This book testifies of Jesus Christ with such power and clarity. Its prophets, as inspired by the Lord, saw my day, and selected the doctrine and truths that would help me most. The Book of Mormon is my latter-day survival guide! 

• My ultimate security comes as I yoke myself to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Life without God is a life filled with fear. Life with God is a life filled with peace. This is because spiritual blessings come as I am faithful. Receiving personal revelation is one of the greatest of those blessings. 

• The Lord has promised that if I will ask, I may receive “revelation upon revelation.” (D&C 42:61) 

• I have been promised that as I increase my capacity to receive revelation, the Lord will bless me with increased direction for my life and with boundless gifts of the Spirit. 

• Even when things go well, I can continue to prepare myself and my family. I will never stop. I will never become complacent. 

• The adversary never stops attacking. So, I can never stop preparing! 

• The more self-reliant I am—temporally, emotionally, and spiritually—the more prepared I am to thwart Satan’s relentless assaults. 

• I am adept at creating places of security for myself and those I love. 

• I have a divine endowment that enables me to build faith in others in compelling ways. And I never stop. 

• My vigilance in safeguarding my home and instilling faith in the hearts of my loved ones will reap rewards for generations to come. 

• I have so much to look forward to! 

• The Lord placed me here now because He knew I had the capacity to negotiate the complexities of the latter part of these latter days. 

• God knew I would grasp the grandeur of His work and be eager to help bring it to pass. 

• The days ahead will not be easy, but I have been promised that the future will be glorious for me and others who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord’s hands. 

• I will not just endure this current season. I will embrace the future with faith! 

• Turbulent times are opportunities for me to thrive spiritually. They are times when my influence can be much more penetrating than in calmer times. 

• I have been promised that as I create places of security, prepare my mind to be faithful to God, and never stop preparing, God will bless me. He will “deliver [me]; yea, insomuch that he [will] speak peace to [my] soul, and [will] grant unto [me] great faith, and … cause [me] that [I can] hope for [my] deliverance in him.” 

• As I prepare to embrace the future with faith, these promises will be mine! 

I know these truths because a prophet of God testified to it, with his expression of love for me and his confidence in me, and he did so in the sacred name of Jesus Christ.

I also know these things to be true because the Holy Ghost bears witness to my soul – through good feelings of peace and power, in my heart and in my mind.

Why are these declarations of truth important to me? Because I know the adversary tries daily to have me forget these truths. The spirit reminds me what is really true. “For God hath not given [me] the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” --2 Timothy 1:7

Happy Easter!

A few weeks ago, I listened to someone share and show a Christus statue to a group of young children. It was a statue of the resurrected Savior with His arms outstretched. At that moment I was filled with thoughts that Christ's arms are extended to all. He invites all of us to come to Him, and then follow Him. "His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come". It doesn't matter where we are in our life, what we have done or how worthy or unworthy we might feel. And we don't have to "fix" ourselves before coming to Him either. Because if we trust Him and let Him, He will do the fixing. Those arms are always extended, extending and inviting when we are ready. Jesus Christ desires us to come to Him, but He will not force. Figuratively, He does stand at the other side of the door waiting for us to open it up and let Him in (Revelations 3:20). To let Him into our lives with all our problems, challenges, heartaches, and more.

What does that "coming to Him" look like? It'll be different for each of us, but also the same. The condition of our heart and our desire matters. He will want our time, not a lot of it but a consistent effort to hang out with Him. It might look like reaching up to Him in humility in a heart-felt, pleading prayer. But also, with prayers of gratitude, a noticing of the good things He has already done for us. It looks like reading His words in the scriptures and hearing His words from His leaders and prophets. Being intentional about and wanting to hear Him. Being intentional about opening that door every day and letting Him in. Coming to Him looks like hearkening to His word and doing those things He inspires us to do. Trusting Him by putting aside our will and getting up and following Him to do His will. 

Just like the image I chose for this post; can't you just envision following Him and His footsteps?  His invitation to the rich, young ruler is the same for each of us - "come, follow me" (Luke 18:22). As we lay aside some of our desires and trust the Savior and follow Him, we can each know that Jesus Christ lives; He is calling out to us, and He is offering each of us a better way to live, to have His peace, and experience true joy. 

"When the Savior atoned for all mankind, He opened a way that those who follow Him can have access to His healing, strengthening, and redeeming power. These spiritual privileges are available to all who seek to hear Him and follow Him." Those are words from President Russell M. Nelson, just a few weeks ago in his message "The Power of Spiritual Momentum".

 
Jesus died for my sins.
Jesus suffered in Gethsemane and died on the cross for me.
Jesus Christ is my God and my Savior.
Jesus is my friend.
It is by His name I want to be known.

My joy is found in Jesus.

I know He lives! 

Have a Happy Easter!

#BecauseofHim

General Conference Preparations - Thoughts in 2022

I love general conference weekend! In our home our general conference participation has changed over the seasons. But I love the traditions and practices we have done. Happy memories! It still brings the family together.

Here is an invitation! Life can be stressful. But at general conference, you can find peace. Take some time to ponder what questions you have for God. Then don’t miss the inspiration the Lord has in store for you. Tune into general conference April 2–3 and see what’s possible because of Him. You can watch online at www.churchofjesuschrist.org. There are many ways to get ready. Things to do to set apart the weekend. Honestly, it is like a fun holiday for me. But don't put too much pressure on yourself. Don't feel bad if your conference participation looks different than someone else. Each season of our lives looks different, and it is okay. For instance, in the spring of 2014 I did a blog post, "Preparing for General Conference, our Conference Tradition" (https://rejoicerecordandremember.blogspot.com/2014/03/preparing-for-general-conference-our.html) . That post explains a lot of the ideas our family did for general conference. With older children (ages 27-18) our preparations and what we do now looks different than a season or two ago. And it is great! The efforts and preparation my husband and I made to make general conference a priority and special when our children were younger has paid off to be a big blessing. Consistency, diligence and sprinkled with some fun!

One of the main things for preparaing for general conference, I feel, is to personally prepare by opening our hearts and our minds to receive from God and Jesus Christ through the spirit. This week in studying Exodus 7-13 with the "Come, Follow Me" study, I saw a lot of connection to my preparations and approach to general conference from the hard heart of Pharaoh and his actions. As well as the plagues and consequences of Pharaoh not listening and obeying God.

President Nelson knows a lot about hearts and at age 97 years old he has seen a lot of the trials and afflictions (plagues) throughout the world. I can trust him. President Nelson knows Jesus Christ. President Nelson hears Him and hearkens to His counsel so he can lead the Church and Christ's people today. I know it! Just like the prophet Moses, President Nelson is also a prophet. A living prophet on the earth today. What a blessing!

Enjoy general conference!