Genesis 1

Friday, September 13, 2013


In this chapter, we learn about the creation of the earth. While this is not mentioned in this chapter, I'd like to clarify a few things. Everything was created spiritually before it was created physically. With that being said, it makes sense that we once lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to live here on earth. Our Heavenly Father created a plan for us called The Plan of Salvation, or The Plan of Happiness. In this plan, we were given the option to either come down to earth or not to. Those who chose not to come down to earth did not trust Heavenly Father enough and were cast out of Heaven. Those of us who did trust our Father were sent here to earth so that we can learn and grow and become more like Him. If we live our lives righteously and follow His commandments, we may one day return to live with Him. 
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (verse 1). In the creation of all of this "God created two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also" (verse 16) Something that comes to mind each time I read this verse is that He's with us, just as these great lights are also always with us. There is never a day when we cannot see the sun, or a night where we cannot see the moon or the starts. They are always there, just as He is. And those nights when we cannot see the stars or the moon for a moment, I think, is just like when we cannot feel His presence. They are there, though, even if we cannot see them. As long as we trust that He is still there even if we cannot feel His presence, that feeling will return. We just have to rely on faith. 
When reading the parts of these verses "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them," (verses 26-27). We were all created in God's image. So if we all look like Him, why do we call each other ugly? Why are we so conscious about our appearance and whether or not we are wearing the right brand of clothes? These things don't matter to God. He thinks we are all beautiful and that's all that really matters.

Moses 1

Friday, September 15, 2013


In this chapter Moses gets to see God face-to-face. Moses finds that God's presence is overwhelming and if he had not been transformed in such a way, being in God's presence would have killed him. This is very significant because later, when Satan is claiming to be His Only Begotten Son, Moses can stand in his resence without having to be transformed. 
There were a few verses I found that I would like to point out as being significant to me. The first of which is from verse 3. It states "...Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?" He is literally telling us that He is with us always and He will never leave us. I find this incredibly comforting to know that there is always someone by my side to support and uplift me in all ways. 
He tells us that "man is nothing," (verse 10). Which is why we really need to depend and put our full trust in Him. He's there for us, and as hard as this may be to imagine, He loves us more than our parents and families ever could. 
In verse 15, it says "Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where they glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God, for God said unto me: Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve." Moses is speaking to Satan basically saying he knows Satan is not God and he knows that what Satan says is not true. We are also told that God told Moses to only worship Him, not the Son. So since Satan is saying to worship the Son, who he is posing as, Moses knows that Satan's words are false. 
Lastly, in verse 24, "Moses lifted up his eyes unto heaven, being filled with the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the Son," it states that the Holy Ghost is testifying that there is a Father and a Son. Throughout the scriptures, we learn that the Spirit testifies of the truth of ALL things. Not just some, but of ALL. And since it is testifying of a Father and a Son, we know that exist.  

Abraham 3

Thursday, September 12, 2013


While reading through this chapter, I saw a part of a verse that is particularly meaningful. In verse 18, it says "They existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are... eternal." While when you look above it's talking about the stars, I think we can very easily view ourselves in this. We were made spiritually before we were made physically on this earth. If we live worthily, Heavenly Father has promised us the gift of eternal life and the opportunity to live with Him. I feel like this verse is also talking about us and eternal life. 
Following this, in verse 19, He says "I am the Lord thy God. I am more intelligent than they all." My first reaction to this statement was whoa, He's being really boastful here. But it's true, He is more intelligent than all of us. That is why it is so important that we trust Him and look to Him for guidance. Sometimes we get frustrated because we do not want to wait for Him to help us - we want it to happen right then or we want to make our own decisions. An Elder once told me that it is when we make our own decisions we become accountable before God. He sees the big picture, not just the small moments we see. Because of this, He knows what's best for us. And since He is a merciful God, He will help and guide us as He sees fit. 
The last verse I'd like to point out is verse 25, which clearly states that this life on earth is a time of testing. If we succeed and live worthily and follow His commandments, we have the opportunity to live with Him again.

Abraham 1

Wednesday, September 11, 2013


First off, I would like to bring up the fact that the first time it was confirmed to me that the Book of Mormon is true, I had never once opened the Book. I have been told and will assume this to be true, that my sincere desire alone was enough to find this answer. With that being said, I cannot think of a time where the Holy Ghost has testified the truth to me as I was reading. Until last night. As I read through the first page of the Book of Abraham, I felt a burning sensation in my chest unlike any I have ever felt. Scripture tells us that this is the Holy Ghost testifying of the truth. I know what I have read is true, and the Spirit confirms this. 
In verse 3, we learn that the Priesthood has been on this earth since the beginning of life - passed down to us from Adam. 
One verse that really caught my attention was verse 8, which states "Now at this time it was custom of the priest of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to offer up upon the after which was built in the land of Chalden, for the offering unto these strange gods, men, women, and children." The first thing that rushed through my mind is that our Heavenly Father is a kind and merciful God and would never ask us to do something like this. Life is the gift He gave us so that we could learn and eventually return to live with Him one day. It makes me wonder why people would ever think that any god would ever want such a sacrifice as this. 
Verse 11 specifies who three of the sacrifices were - three young virgins, one was of royal blood. They were sacrificed because they would not bow down and worship any other god. It is incredible to think that three young virgins would give their lives for something they know to be true and did not deny Heavenly Father as being the true God. 

2 Nephi 17

Monday, September 2, 2013


In studying this section from the Book of Mormon tonight, for the first time in awhile, I've had to turn to the seminary guide for help to understand what exactly it was I was reading and why it is significant. 
While reading in the seminary guide, there was one section that particularly stuck out to me. If we look at verse 14, it says "Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign - Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall give his name Immanuel." Now I'm sure most of us would just jump to the conclusion that Isaiah was prophesying of the coming of Christ. But in this manual, I learned that the prophesies from Isaiah often have duel meanings. One such example would be this one. In the manual, it says that "'God is with us' was meant to reassure King Ahaz that if he turned to the Lord, then God would help him." I think this statement is extremely significant because each time we read through the scriptures, this same idea is reiterated time and time again. If we turn to the Lord, He will help us. While it may not be in the way or the time frame we want, we can know that He's always there and will always help us. 
One thing I've noticed is that He is especially there for us in times of trial. When we really need to be picked back up again, there He is. And that's something we can count on all of the time. 
If we look a little bit higher up, in verse 9, one statement that is made is "If ye will not believe surely ye shall not be established." I think in a way, this verse talks about our lives and goals in general. We could use the word "established" in such a way to where it states that we are establishing our faith. Jesus Christ is supposed to be our rock, or foundation. Something that is permanent and is not wavering. There is a scripture that talks about how we do not want our faith to be wavering because if it is, then we do not have a solid foundation and can be swayed in whichever way society persuades us to go. It is for that reason we need to make sure we are establishing our faith on something firm and steady. Christ is our rock and He is there to guide us. We just need to look to Him. 
Something that was discussed in church yesterday is how sometimes our Heavenly Father will not listen to us if we do not listen to Him. I don't exactly agree with this statement, as I know our Heavenly Father always hears us. But I do think that He won't help us if we aren't willing to listen. After all, how can we? The perfect example of what happens when we ignore Heavenly Father is demonstrated in this chapter. Because two of the kingdoms (specifically) had no faith and ignored our Heavenly Father, they were destroyed. 
If we don't have faith in our Heavenly Father, we can also be destroyed spiritually. So let us make sure we are doing everything we can each day to strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

I would like to encourage each of you to watch this video as a follow-up to this post. 

http://show2.me/en/v/does-god-exist-1?eu=z6cfZ0ZlZ0   

2 Nephi 4

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

I always find the stories in 2nd Nephi to be even more significant. While reading through the section, the one thing that really just seemed to stick out to me was verse 16, which says "Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard." Now, obviously Nephi has seen far more things than any of us would ever expect to see. But I think each of us can still completely relate to what this verse is saying. I think most of us can say that when we read scriptures, when we truly read, we can feel our souls leaping in delight and want. When we read, we naturally ponder what we read and ask ourselves, "How can I apply this to my life?" To learn, we need to ponder these things in our hearts and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will testify of the truths of these things and reveal new truths to us.  

I know how hard it was for Laman and Lemuel to see their father die. They wanted their father to be with them forever. And then, don't we all. I think the one event in my life that made me realize how badly it hurts to lose someone was when I lost my grandfather at Christmas. It was the hardest thing I think that ever happened to me. Now at the time, I was not aware that God was acting in my life. Quite frankly, for the longest time, I wanted God out of my life, or at least as far away as possible. Before my grandfather died, I made it my mission to search and find God. There is a scripture from 3rd Nephi chapter 27 verse 29, which states "Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened."  And I feel that I did that to the very best of my ability. I tried to find that answer I needed. For the first few weeks after Thanksgiving, I read my Bible every night trying to reestablish the relationship with Heavenly Father I had severed a few years back. And yet, it just could not seem to do that. My relationship was gone, it seemed and I couldn't get it back. I told my parents I didn't want to work Sundays anymore and that the money wasn't important. I told them that if I didn't get my Sundays off, I would quit my job so that I could go to church. Thankfully, my manager was kind enough to give me my Sundays off. I went to church and was still searching and searching and I never found what I was looking for. As the weeks went by, my newly established habits dissipated. I stopped going to church and reading the Bible. A few more weeks went by and the next thing I knew, my grandfather was dead. Now like Laman and Lemuel, I did not look to God for help. Honestly, I didn't know He could help and I don't think I would have wanted His help at the time, anyway. Like Laman and Lemuel, I should've turned to God for the help I needed. He's always there to help and guide us. We just need to open our eyes and hearts a bit more to see that. 

Nephi goes on to talk about how hard it is to rejoice when we are burdened with sins. But our Heavenly Father has given us a way through the Atonement of Jesus Christ to rid ourselves of these sins. This is called repentance. It is absolutely essential to the Plan of Salvation, or the Plan of Happiness. When we have sins, we are definitely not happy. Nephi also states this to be true in his writing. When we have sinned, we need to take the initiative and the time to go and truly repent for what we have done wrong. The Lord will forgive you. And even if the person you hurt doesn't, know that the Lord's forgiveness is all you need. He will help you. That is His promise. Nephi says in verses 20 and 21, "My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions… He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh." Nephi just flat out tells us that God will support us and He will love us forever. And we can feel God's love for us. One of the easiest ways to feel His love is just to go and ask Him, "do you love me?". I promise you He will send you an answer that is a yes. And if for some reason He doesn't, it's because He knows you already know He loves you unconditionally. One time an Elder had me go and pray and ask God if He loves me. And the answer is yes. He loves each and every one of us. He will never forget us. We are His children and He loves us so, so, so much.  

"Oh Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever."

1 Nephi 17

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

I just have to start off saying that I absolutely love this part from verse 3, "And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them." All God asks us to do is keep His commandments, which are pretty easy, and He will bless us and provide us with the strength we need to get through trials. I can definitely testify that He has helped me through many trials and He has given me plenty of times to strengthen my faith in Him. I have found thus far that the more we trust Him, the more blessings we receive. When Nephi and his family began to strengthen their faith in the Lord, they received plenty of blessings, like good food.

"And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness." Nephi and his family journeyed through the wilderness for eight years! Most of us have trials and all that last just a short while. Definitely not normally eight years. I think this says so much for the faith of Nephi and his family. When they were in the wilderness, they often had to rely on the Lord to help them find food they could eat. I can only imagine how much faith that took. And yet they did it.

When Nephi and his family finally made it to their destination, the Lord called Nephi and told him that he needed to build a ship that would carry them across the waters. Nephi asked where the tools were and then said okay. This is probably a far-fetched analogy, but I think we can completely relate our lives to this particular event. Nephi and his family are just like you and I. Generally, we are not asked to build a ship, but to build our faith and testimony. Like Nephi, we need Heavenly Father's help. The tools He provides us are our scriptures, the Spirit and missionaries. Once a ship has been built and we deem it steady, we normally go out on the water. I think in this case the water can be viewed as the world. So really, we are taking our testimony out into the world to test it. Out at sea, a ship is always trying to stay above the water. Like us, we are always trying to stay above temptation. Where Nephi is going is the land the Lord promised him. After this life, assuming we lead good and righteous lives in accordance with the gospel, we will receive the land, or rather kingdom, that Heavenly Father has promised us. "Wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led." We need to listen to the Lord and follow His commandments if we want Him to keep His promise.

Continuing the analogy above, verse 18 says "And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord." This reminds me of all of the people who try to tear apart our testimonies not believing that the Lord said that this is the one true church. People complain about the Mormon faith and unfortunately, all too often, they have heard only misconceptions. Nonetheless, they still try to prove they are right, much like Nephi's brothers try to do in this verse.

After many events, at the end of the chapter, Nephi's brothers say "We know of a surety that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it is the power of the Lord that has shaken us. And they fell down before me, and were about to worship me, but I would not suffer them, saying: I am thy brother, yea, even thy younger brother; wherefore, worship the Lord thy God, and honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee." Heavenly Father, though, more than likely will not give us an event like this. But truly, we don't need it. We have our testimony. In Alma 32:21, we are told that to have faith is to trust in things that are not seen that are true. We know that God is the one true God. We know He's there and He loves us. While we do not normally receive dramatic events, we don't need them. After all, we have our faith, scriptures and testimonies, and that is plenty.

Hold on to your testimony and be not swayed by others who claim it to be false. You know it's true and Heavenly Father knows it's true, and that's enough. "Stand ye in holy places and be not moved until the day of the Lord come" and stick to your testimony.

1 Nephi 16

Monday, July 29, 2013

In the very first verse of this chapter, Laman and Lemuel complain to Nephi that what he has said to them is too much to bear. Nephi told them that they need to make sure they need to not harden their hearts and listen to Heavenly Father. I think what Laman and Lemuel were inferring when they said this is that those things which Nephi asked of them were too much for them to do, meaning they need the Lord's help. Nephi earlier had talked about how the wicked and unclean are not allowed into the kingdom of God. Laman and Lemuel pretty much fit into that category especially after all of their plots with trying to kill Nephi. I think in a way this is a reminder to us that when we have trials or other things that are too much for us to bear, we need to ask the Lord. After all, there is nothing too big or small for Him.

When I read the fifth verse, which says "And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness." The first thing that went through my head is, I wonder if this is how the Lord feels when we humble ourselves before Him? We do constantly need His help and it takes setting aside our pride to ask Him for the help we need.

Throughout the rest of this story, the faith of all of them is truly tested. They are given a ball which will lead them according to their faith and diligence. So, as long as they are faithful and do not murmur against the Lord or each other, everything will turn out alright for them. Nephi at one point breaks his bow and is unable to hunt for food for his family. The family after a few days gets very upset and begins to say bad things against the Lord, Lehi even does this. I think this was a test for them to see what would happen when they lost something they dearly needed. Instead of praying to the Lord and asking for help from Him, they try to take matters into their own hands. So often in our lives, there are things we cannot control and things that are too great for us to try to handle alone. Instead of getting mad or frustrated and wanting to give up, we need to allow ourselves to slow down and think. Once we have a firm grasp on the situation, we should pray and ask the Lord for help. Sometimes He doesn't give us a direct answer. Sometimes this means He trusts us enough to make the correct or more correct decision ourselves. And sometimes we don't get an answer because either choice is appropriate. One of the most amazing things I noticed while reading is that Lehi even got mad even though he's always been the most faithful to the Lord. I think this serves as a reminder that we are not perfect and that we all make mistakes and do things we shouldn't. Lehi messing up shows this.

What we need to remember is that when we do make a mistake, we need to make sure we repent and then try our hardest not to make that same error again. When we lack faith and hope, we need to ask the Lord for help. Sometimes He will then present us with a trial to test our faith and hope. I personally have had this happen. And while it is quite frustrating, so far there has not been a single trial I haven't made it through. This is only true because I have asked for His help constantly. We are encouraged to read our scriptures daily. I find that scriptures bring great comfort, but they are also a wonderful place to look for guidance. Someone at some point in the scriptures has experienced a similar trial to you and you can read their story. The Lord truly has given us all of the tools we need to get through anything. 

1 Nephi 15

Sunday, July 28, 2013

This chapter reminds me so much of exactly what I feel I am going through. There are so many people who do not understand many things because they refuse to ask the Lord for confirmation or help. My parents are definitely two people like that. Because of the hardness in their hearts, I cannot continue learning from missionaries or do anything like that at all. Nephi says in verse 5, "And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall." For the afflictions, it reminds me of the 5 or 6 days I spent terribly ill. It was to the point where I could do nothing but sleep. It is amazing to think something as simple as having the privilege of learning from missionaries taken away could make someone so sick, but it did. I feel like the more my parents fight me, the more and more harm they do to themselves when it comes to learning and becoming closer to Christ. As Nephi tells us, if we truly want to gain an understanding of something, all we need to do is ask the Lord. He will guide us and allow us to know which course we should take.

The day I was the most sick, my father suggested I take a walk, as he thought it was just nerves and exercise would help with that. I agreed and after a little under a mile, I had to go lay down as I felt so tired, like I had just run a marathon. A little later, I got back up off the ground under a tree and went to get a smoothie to eat. I figured it was something easy and surely I'd be able to eat that. I hadn't eaten in about 5 days by this point because my body would not allow me to consume any food. On my way home, I thought I was about to collapse from exhaustion. So I began to walk slower and finally asked the Lord for help. He gave me the strength I needed, just as He gave Nephi the strength he needed in verse 6. I did make it home, and with the Lord's help, I gained a stronger testimony from this. I found, yet again, that I am on the correct path doing what I need to do. And I found this out simply because I inquired the Lord. We are not all-knowing beings. We need help. And what an easy way to get it. All we have to do is ask. "Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you" (verse 11).

Many people will not believe in the Lord for a long, long time. It says in here that the full belief by all men will occur after Christ has come and gone. It is now that we are working toward this. We are told that when all of Israel is gathered again, the second coming of the Messiah will occur. Christ makes all things so much easier and it truly is so easy to believe in Him. All we really have to do is open our eyes and ears to see the wonders around us that have been created by a divine hand especially as no other could have constructed such things in such an amazing fashion.

Nephi also speaks to his brothers concerning the dream he and their father had about the Tree of Life. The tree is God's love for us and the iron rod is the word of God (which are our scriptures). When we read our scriptures daily, or the word of God, it keeps us from being easily tempted to do things we know we should not. We can receive guidance and strength when we read, which is what keeps us from doing the things which we know we shouldn't. The river of filth which Nephi and his father saw keeps the wicked away from the tree of life. It is the temptations which we want to go near, but as long as we continue to cling to the word of God, we will not perish. The river itself represents sin. "And if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also" (verse 33). And the kingdom of God is not filthy, therefore those with sins cannot enter the kingdom of God. This is why it is absolutely imperative that we truly repent for all the sins we have committed. To live again with our Heavenly Father, we need to strive to live righteous lives and follow His commandments and deny Him not. 

1 Nephi 14

Saturday, July 27, 2013

One thing I constantly see as I read through each chapter of the Book of Mormon is the constant emphasis of being a part of the right church. But what exactly is the "right" church? Most people wouldn't know which church is the one and true church because they haven't been searching for an answer. From all of the missionaries I've talked to, most say that we only receive an answer to this question when we are truly looking for one. I know that one way we can find which church is the true church is by reading our scriptures. We can then take what we've learned from them and ask Heavenly Father with a sincere desire to know if what we've read is true. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He will testify the truth to our hearts.

I think one thing that is so awesome about the Church of Christ is that nothing is complicated. The last two words of the first verse of this chapter are "stumbling blocks." When I see these words, the first thing I think of is an obstacle that's trying to prevent us from doing what we want or need to do. When we read this verse, it talks about how Christ will help take away the "stumbling blocks." To me, this means that He will help us get through the tough times and raise us up when we fall.

The angel speaks to Nephi and says "Thou hast beheld that if the Gentiles repent it shall be well with them; and thou also knowest concerning the covenants of the Lord unto the house of Israel; and thou also hast heard that whoso repenteth not must perish." One thing we need to remember as we go through our daily lives is that in the final day, our actions will be judged. With this being said, we need to make sure we consciously trying to make the very best decisions we can. If we fail to do so, we need to make sure we repent. The repentance process is incredibly simple. We first need to acknowledge that what we did is wrong. We need to ask for forgiveness from Heavenly Father and try to make things right. Then, we need to make the commitment and promise to our Heavenly Father to try our very hardest not to make the same mistake again. He knows we are not perfect, but He does expect us to make the effort. I think one way to look at the word "perish" is to think of what happens when we do something wrong. Each of us has the Light of Christ which lets us know good from evil, or right from wrong. The more wrong decisions we make, the smaller and smaller this light gets. When we make good decisions, this light grows brighter and brighter. I remember listening to a video Elder Bednar made in the Patterns of Light series. At one point, he says that if we continuously make wrong decisions, the Light can ultimately be diminished. We really don't want this because this light is what gives us guidance and help. With it, we grow closer to our Heavenly Father.

I think verse 10 really has a massive impact on this section "Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth." It pretty much tells us that we will have to make a decision as to which church we want to be a part of. Ultimately the decision comes down to whether or not we want to follow Christ.  For me, this is not a difficult decision at all. Perhaps, though, that is because I've experienced what it's like to not have Him as an active part of my life. I think as we go through our daily lives, if we open our eyes, we can truly see how much He does for us and how much He helps us. It truly is incredible. So if He's trying to help and make things easier for us, why not follow Him?

As it says in Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Follow the Lord and He will help us and give us the guidance we desperately need.

1 Nephi 13

Friday, July 26, 2013

Something I'd say one of the missionaries was having a really hard time with was trying to get me to understand the importance of the Book of Mormon. Yeah, we know it's a book that contains scripture. But that doesn't necessarily immediately make it super important for us. That probably sounds rather odd considering scripture is always important, but when you're being told that it's important, it's different from actually knowing it's important.

One thing I'd like to discuss first before going back to my statement above is in this chapter one thing that is mentioned is how important materialistic items are to the church of the devil. It is those things which people of this church desire. Now we know material items can't make us happy. It doesn't matter how many things we have that we want. When it truly gets down to it, not all the things (items) in the world will make us happy. Psychology, for example, has shown us that humans are naturally social - we need someone to love us and someone for us to love. If we are entirely focused around material items, we don't have that. I think our parents' love for us is much like Heavenly Father's. And I mean that in the way that we want our parents to love us. I, for one, feel this deep desire and need to know that my parents love me. Heavenly Father ensures that we feel His love for us throughout each of our days. I was watching a video about Tender Mercies from the Lord. Each time He helps us out, it's a tender mercy. And these are so incredibly important in our lives. Without His help, we probably would not make it through this life and even if we did, we never would reach our full potential and be as happy as we possibly could.

I would say that our scriptures in a way are a tender mercy from the Lord. He's giving us guidance and help. Often times, when we read our scriptures consistently, we can receive personal revelation which will help us with whatever it is we need. This is why it is essential that we have the fulness of the gospel. How is it we can learn about something if pieces are missing? It's like trying to go into a higher math class without taking its prerequisite. I would think that right now I am definitely learning how important the Book of Mormon truly is. Parts of the Bible, as mentioned in this chapter, were lost and for that reason the Bible does not contain the fulness of the gospel. In order for us to learn, we need to fill those missing pieces.

I think verse 16 also gives a great example of what scriptures do for us "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them." I think it gives a great description in pretty much explaining that when we humble ourselves before the Lord, we receive help. Reading our scriptures and praying are two ways we can work on humbling ourselves. It's recognizing that we don't know everything and we truly need help from our Heavenly Father to guide us to make good and righteous decisions. Those that don't humble themselves before God generally do not receive His help. Now I can't speak for everyone, but I know that if the guidance I can receive from Him will make things a little easier and more bearable, I definitely want that help.

Verse 23 talks about what exactly the book Nephi saw contains "Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles." In the Book of Mormon, these covenants, or promises, Heavenly Father has made to us are mentioned. One such promise He's made us is that He will never abandon us. No matter how many people leave us in our life, no matter how bad things get, He will always be there to lift us up when we all. And I find that knowing of that promise is incredibly comforting. To know someone is always there for you. 

1 Nephi 12

Friday, July 26, 2013 

When reading through the summary part of this chapter it talks about how there are those who "dwindle in unbelief" and the first question that came to my mind is - is it those who know naught where to find the truth of the gospel or the true church or is it simply those who have found the truth and refuse to accept it as being the truth? And I guess that's a hard question to answer because there are so many different things that influence our beliefs on a daily basis. For some of us it's family and friends and other things are our own beliefs. For me, I was raised in a Catholic family. Needless to say, some of the Mormon beliefs are quite different. And it makes you sort of wonder if those who dwell in disbelief, is it because they can't or don't know where to find the truth or is it they've mentally discarded the truth and done their best to ignore it?

For me, part of finding the truth was talking to the missionaries, but the bigger and I'd say the biggest part was simply getting on my knees and asking Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon is true. I've also asked Him about other things like baptism and each time I've received an undeniable confirmation that this is in fact the true church. So then you have those that find the truth, but then they leave. Is it because environmental factors affected them in such a way that they changed their beliefs? Because what is true is true forever and ever. So I would guess that those people simply are trying to ignore the truth and if you put enough effort in, you can easily ignore the truth. It truly is not that difficult of a thing to do.

In the first few verses Nephi speaks of the inhabitants fighting against each other, much like the world does today. Some wars are over religion. Some are full out country verses country wars and some are just small and in a group of people, rather than a mass amount. I think so often in our world today we have so many religious arguments between people because they don't want to listen to hear the truth because they believe their belief is the one and only true one. But they don't want to listen to others to test that. If you really believe you have the truth, you should not fear listening to others to hear about their religion because if you know the truth, what others say shouldn't matter. 

"And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost" (verse 17). The Gospel is simple and is definitely not complicated by any means. The mists of darkness, I think, is a symbolic representation of the darkness we feel and experience when we've done something wrong. When we do things that are against Heavenly Father's commandments, we can feel the presence of the Spirit decreasing. Heavenly Father gave us these commandments to protect and guide us and we really need to listen to Him. He knows what's best for us. The more bad things we do, the more we refuse to acknowledge the bad things which can ultimately blind us in such a way where we don't realize we continue to do bad things. We end up hardening our hearts against the truth and do what we feel is right rather than listening to Heavenly Father. If He knows what's best for us, we should listen to Him, right? After all, we can't see our lives as a whole. The only things we see are the past and present, and that's not really very much at all. 

1 Nephi 11

Friday, July 5, 2013

Nephi was sitting there pondering what his father had shared with him of the vision Lehi (Nephi's father) had. 

As Nephi was thinking about these things, he also desired to see what his father saw. The Holy Ghost then came and swept him away to an "exceedingly high mountain" (verse 1) of which Nephi had never seen before. 

Nephi saw the things which his father did because he has great faith in the Lord. The Holy Ghost came before Nephi. And told him that because of his faith, Nephi would see the things which he desired to see. 

Nephi saw Mary, the mother of the Son of God. When Nephi first saw her, he commented on her beauty and then said "I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things" (verse 17). I think this verse helps us to know that Heavenly Father loves us so, so much. But that does not mean we will know the meaning of everything. We have to trust and have faith that the Lord is doing what's best for us in the long run. I know so often I question why I am going through a particular experience, one such experience is with my parents - I don't understand why they, my father in particular, hates the Church so much. I shared my testimony with him the other day and he told me I made up everything and imagined all the impressions and feelings I've had. I had shared some of these with a very close friend of mine and I asked him, when I told you about the feelings and impressions I've had, did you believe me? His answer was yes, he did and does believe me. I don't understand why someone who is a friend would believe me more than my own parents do. I know Heavenly Father loves me dearly. I've prayed to know that. But I don't understand why He allows my parents to be the way they are. 

Nephi then sees the tree of life and the Holy Ghost asks Nephi if he knows the meaning of it. Nephi replies "Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things" (verse 22) The Holy Ghost says yes and that God's love for us is "most joyous to the soul" (verse 23). I think we can use this to remember that the one thing that matters the most is God's love for us. No matter what we do in our lives or how bad things get, our Heavenly Father will always love us. 

Nephi sees Christ's entire life here on earth. From scriptures like this, we can know that Christ really did live and die for us. One thing to remember is that even when no one else really understands how we are feeling, Christ does. He suffered for each of us as individuals. When I share something like my current experience with the missionaries, they always mention that. They say they may not really understand, but Christ does. We can pray to ask for comfort and help. And if it is God's choice, then we will receive the comfort we so desire.  

Nephi sees another vision of people straying from the tree of life - the Gospel. "And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (verse 26). It can sometimes be so tempting to live the life society feels we should. That form of life goes against that which pleases God. We need to stand firm with our beliefs and not conform to the negative trends of society. 

1 Nephi 10

Monday, July 1, 2013


In this chapter, Nephi starts off talking about the vision his father had of the coming of Christ. Many of the Jews did not like the idea of the Messiah at all and many tried to kill Him during His time here on earth. Verse 6, which says "Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer," tells us the reason we need Christ. During this time, the people had fallen into a state called an Apostasy where the people rejected and killed the Prophets. They turned away from Heavenly Father and decided to do as they wanted and worship false gods and idols. Heavenly Father decided the best solution to this was to send His Son so that He could come and save us all. Verse 10, "[He] should take away the sins of the world," says what He did for us. Because Christ died for us, we are able to repent for our sins. 
The Jews crucified Christ and Christ rose again on the third day. Because Christ lived a perfect life, He was able to perform the Atonement which is what enables us to be able to repent for our sins and much more. 
Nephi's father went on to speak about the Gentiles and also the house of Israel. Lehi says that the house of Israel should be compared to the branches of an olive tree. And they will be broken like the branches and scattered all over the world. I think this describes us as people today. I think the tree can be a representation of our Heavenly Father and the branches would be symbolism of us. Many of us have broken away from the Father and scattered about much like the broken branches of an olive tree. 
Lehi then speaks of the literal gathering of the house of Israel. This will happen when everyone has received the "fulness of the Gospel" (verse 14). 
To help guide us down the right path we have the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost "is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him." To diligently seek Him is to find the fulness of the gospel and do all that the Lord asks us to. To receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which means that as long as you remain worthy, you will have the Spirit as a constant companion, you must be baptized into the Mormon Church and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by proper authority. 
Verse 18 gives us the reminder that Heavenly Father is here forever and ever and that He will never forsake us. I find this to be incredibly comforting and reassuring each time I read it. 
Verse 19 says that we will learn more about the gospel and of our Heavenly Father as we continue to seek and earn of the truth of all things. The ways we can learn is through prayer, reading scriptures daily, and applying what we learn to our own lives. The scriptures are like a guide for us - we constantly look in them when we need help. I also find that they bring a great amount of comfort when I read. 
As we live through this life, we need to remember that there will come a day when we are to be judged. And all the things we have not repented of will be held against us. We need to remember that "no unclean thing can dwell with God" (verse 21). or in His kingdom. 
All of these things we know to be true because we know the Book of Mormon is true and should not deny the things we know to be true because of this (verse 22). 

1 Nephi 9

Sunday, June 30, 2013


In verse 3 of this chapter, which says "Nevertheless, I have received a commandment of the Lod that I should make these plates, for the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people," Nehi receives a commandment from Heavenly Father to make a second set of plates for a "special purpose." Nephi, as we find in verse 5, had absolutely no idea why we was asked to make these plates. He just did what the Lord asked out of faith. I find it incredible that Nephi trusted the Lord so much. 
From Nephi's testimony in verse 6, "But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulflling of all his words And thus it is. Amen.," we know that the Lord knows all things from the beginning until the very end. He knows us entirely - our thoughts, feelings, needs, and wants. We also need to trust Him enough to tell us something when He thinks the time is right rather than trying to convince Him that we should know what we want to know as soon as we want to know it. And, as Elder Earley said, it can be kind of scary to put our full trust in Heavenly Father and just wait until the time is right. 
I know, for me, one of the scarier decisions is trying to decide where to go to college. I've prayed many times and maybe it's because I haven't prayed sincerely enough about it, but I don't feel like I've really gotten an answer as to where to go for that higher level of education. I, like many others, am very uncomfortable with the unknown. I can, though, trust that Heavenly Father knows what He's doing and will tell me when the time is right. I encourage all who read this to do the same. Completely put your trust in Heavenly Father. 

1 Nephi 8

Thursday, June 27, 2013

                        

In this particular chapter, Lehi sees a vision of the Tree of Life. Laman and Lemuel, refusing to entirely have faith in the Lord refuse to eat the fruit of the tree. The Tree of Life represents God’s love for us, the fruit represents eternal life and the iron rod symbolizes the Word of God – the Gospel. I believe in this chapter we can say that this is where Heavenly Father openly shows His love for Nephi and his brother Sam. They, throughout all of the hard times, have remained faithful to the Lord. They trusted him when He asked them to go to Laban’s house to get the plates and never doubted that he would safely deliver them back to their family. Laman and Lemuel on the other hand had a very hard time trusting the Lord. Even when an angel appeared to testify of the truth, they still doubted the Lord. Obviously, we do not want to be like Laman and Lemuel. Even when the trials of life are difficult, we need to remain faithful and trust that what the Lord says is the right thing to do.

My personal example for trusting the Lord is I have to trust that even with my parents, everything will turn out alright in the end. I have so much that I could easily lose simply by converting and I hope and trust the Lord will not only help me through this, but that He will also help my family see that this is the correct path and faith. Another part to this is my mom told me that while I am on vacation, I am not allowed to read The Book of Mormon. I have found that when I don’t read this book, my faith is easily moved; I have a much harder time standing my ground faith wise. So I asked Heavenly Father what I should do and the answer was to read The Book of Mormon, anyway, even if my mom does not approve.

In the chapter, where Sariah, Sam and Nephi are waiting unsure of where to go, I think it symbolizes how we are. We really aren’t sure what to go and road to follow unless we have someone telling us. Lehi is a prophet and he guides the three others so that they may come join him at the tree of life. The tree of life symbolizes eternal life. So, if we follow the commandments of Heavenly Father and do good acts as well as have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized by total immersion for the remission of sins, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end, we too can have eternal life.

Lehi beckoned Sariah, Sam and Nephi to come over to the tree to partake of the fruit, “And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.” They listened to Lehi and have done all other things which makes them good in the eyes of Heavenly Father. Notice that Laman and Lemuel are not here. They don’t have faith in Heavenly Father and because of their stubbornness, they will not partake of this fruit.

When we look down at verses 19 and 20, it says “And I beheld a rod of iron… And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the iron rod, which led to the tree.” The iron rod symbolizes the Word of God or scriptures, like the Book of Mormon and the Bible. These books are our guide to lead us on a straight and narrow path, which is God’s path. The last part of that verse says that. The tree holds fruit which symbolize eternal life. So we are on a straight path to return to Heavenly Father as long as we do all that He says.

There were some people who did not or were not able to follow Lehi to the tree. Those that chose not to follow, once they did taste the fruit, were ashamed because of their actions. They saw all of the blessings following Heavenly Father would bring and yet, they did not do that before.

Those who were not able to find the path were lost. I think the path can symbolize the Word of God as well. I know that at the time when I was not listening to God, I was truly lost. I was also very, very unhappy with myself and everyone around me. Honestly, at the time, I did not think God was such a big deal. I did not think the Bible really meant anything or that it was anything to really care about. Heavenly Father gave me an opportunity to change that, and I can say that I’ve never been happier. It helps so much to have someone you can always rely on and trust. The missionaries have also been absolutely amazing. I would not trade for them. I think that if it had not been for all the help they’ve given me, through the power of the Holy Ghost, I would not have made it as far as I have.

As we continue to strive down the straight and narrow path the Lord has set for us, and as long as we do all that He says, we can one day be in His presence again. The trials and all may be tough now, but it will totally be worth it. I encourage all that have not given the Mormon faith a try to do so, it literally saved my life and I truly believe it can do the same for others. Heavenly Father will welcome you back with open arms no matter what you have done. He did for me, He will do it for you. Ask and you shall receive, that is a promise He made us. Ask for help and He will give it to you; ask for an opportunity and you will receive one. Take advantage of it and allow yourself to change your life for the better. It is entirely worth it, this I can promise. 

1 Nephi 7

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Nephi states that they “did speak unto him [Ishmael] the words of the Lord” (verse 4). This shows that Nephi was testifying to Ishmael and that Ishmael also felt the Spirit. From that, Ishmael knew the truthfulness of Nephi’s and Nephi’s brothers’ words. Each time we testify to someone, they can know the truth of our words by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can know the truthfulness of the words of others by this as well.

Laman, Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael rebelled against Nephi ad the others. The four that rebelled were having a hard time choosing between the words of the Lord and the comforts of home. I am sure that that had to have been a difficult decision especially because all four of them clearly lacked faith in Heavenly Father. A lot of times, though, we need to just give up our want for an understanding of all things and just do what the Lord tells us to. In verse 12, which states “Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.”

After Nephi spoke these words, and a few others, his brothers became exceedingly mad at him for saying that they have no faith and it almost seems like Nephi is saying he is better than them. Nephi tells his brothers and the two daughters of Ishmael that they should not return to the land of Jerusalem because if they do, they will perish. Nephi’s brothers became overtly angry with him and bound him with cords. Their intent had been to leave Nephi in the wilderness for animals to eat him. Nephi, though, asks the Lord to give him strength so that he could break the cords which bound him. Nephi shows us that instead of asking the Lord to change our situation, we should instead ask to have the strength to get through the trial we are facing.  

Because Nephi was faithful and trusted the Lord entirely, the Lord helped him. Nephi knew that just having a little faith in the Lord is enough. Heavenly Father promises us that if we have just a little bit of faith, we can move mountains.

Nephi quickly forgave his brothers for trying to take his life. This is how we should be – quick to forgive one another. I think that if Nephi can forgive someone for trying to kill him, we can most certainly forgive someone for anything they do to us. Nephi then told them that even though he had forgiven them, they still needed to ask for the forgiveness of the Lord. Because of Christ, we can repent and be forgiven for our sins. The Lord has promised us that when we truly repent for our sins, we will be forgiven and He will forget the sin which we committed regardless of how bad it may seem. There is only one sin which He will not forgive and that sin is if you receive a direct witness and still deny Him and the truthfulness of the gospel, like what Laman and Lemuel have done. We should take advantage of the opportunity to repent for our sins. Life is so much easier when we can rid ourselves of unnecessary burdens of sin. One thing to remember is that only Heavenly Father’s opinion counts. So even if someone refuses to forgive you after you’ve truly repented, it doesn’t matter because only the forgiveness of Heavenly Father matters. If you’ve done your best to make up for what you did, the Atonement will make up for the rest and you can rest easy, because you’ve done all that you can do. 

1 Nephi 6

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Nephi tells us that it is his intent to “persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved” (verse 4). We know from reading and from The Plan of Salvation that the only way we can return to our Heavenly Father is to accept Him into our lives and do all that He has told us to do. Because of Christ, His only Begotten Son, we can be saved and return to Him. It is our job to make sure we try to give everyone a chance to accept God and follow the teachings of Christ. While we cannot force a person to do anything, we can ask them to pray and ask Heavenly Father with a sincere heard and real intent to know if these things are true. When they find for themselves that these things are true, we must hope that they will act on their findings. And though we cannot make anyone do anything, we can help guide them. Heavenly Father has promised us that if we look to Him for help, He will help us and will “make our paths straight.” Helping people and guiding them is the work of missionaries, but we have been told by Prophets and Apostles that even when we are not on a mission, we should always be doing missionary work and sharing the gospel with others.

Nephi also tells us in this chapter that he will only write about things which God tells him to. Nephi also tells us that what he writes will not be pleasing to us unless we want them to be.

Nephi also makes it clear that all of the words on these plates are useful to us. So we can trust that reading the Book of Mormon will help us and is not a waste of our time. I personally can say that each time I read my scriptures, it helps me to feel closer to my Heavenly Father. There are times in my life where my faith and trust in Heavenly Father is really tested. I have found that if I stop and read my scriptures during this time, I feel much more at ease and the trial seems easier to endure. 

1 Nephi 5

Sunday, June 23, 2013

When Nephi and his brothers left to go into the wilderness and had not returned for several days, Sariah began to complain and murmur against her husband, Lehi. When Sariah does this, it shows her little faith in the Lord. The Lord was the one who commanded Nephi and his brothers to go out into the wilderness and get the plates from Laban. Since the Lord told them to do this, He will also protect them for being faithful and doing what He asked them to do.

Lehi, though, tries to comfort his wife and tells her “and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban and bring the down again unto us in the wilderness” (verse 5). When Lehi says this, he demonstrates his complete faith and trust in the Lord. In this manner, we should all strive to be like Lehi and trust the Lord will protect us and will help us in our times of need.

The sons, of course, do return from the wilderness and are fine. Sariah and her husband were overjoyed to see their sons again. In verse 8, Sariah tells them that she now believes and has faith in the Lord. But I don’t believe that truly is faith because to have faith is to trust in things that are not seen, which are true and Sariah had to see in order to believe. If she had really had faith, she would have trusted what she could not see, which was the Lord’s promise.

Lehi read through the records his sons had obtained. As Lehi read through the records, he “saw all these things, [and] he was filled with the Spirit” (verse 17). The Books of Moses were also with these records. I think it is so cool to think that the books of Moses which are located in the Pearl of Great Price are from this long ago. We can know that these things are true by prayer and also because of Joseph Smith. Heavenly Father would never allow a prophet to write something if it were not true. Nephi was a prophet and so was Joseph Smith. Nephi wrote this book (the Book of Nephi) and Joseph Smith put it into the English language (by writing it). So we now have two witnesses and God that these things are true. Therefore, they must be.

And in verse 22, Nephi tells us that the Lord had a purpose for the plates. We can conclude that there is a purpose for everything the Lord does and asks us to do. He really does know what He’s doing, so strive to trust Him completely, even when things are difficult. 

1 Nephi 4

Friday, June 21, 2013

In the first verse “And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us to up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord,” we can see that Nephi tries his hardest to continuously have faith in the Lord despite his brothers and the other difficult circumstances. I feel like I can relate to Nephi in that my parents and family are constantly talking bad about the Church. It is difficult to be faithful to the Lord and to trust that everything will turn out alright when it seems so bad. One of my favorite scriptures comes from Doctrine and Covenants and it says “My son [or daughter], peace be unto thy soul: thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (D&C 121:7-8). I think Nephi realized, as we all should, that our situation is only temporary and that things will get better.

He then tells his brothers that they have seen an angel and that angel confirmed their actions to be correct, so why should they doubt? Doubt is like a disease. Once it starts it is difficult to stop, as you begin to question things to the point of where you stop believing and lose faith at the slightest challenges. I think this is what has happened to Laman and Lemuel. The started doubting so much that now they cannot stop.

In verse 6, Nephi tells us “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” This is while Nephi was going to Laban’s house. Often times, we don’t know why Heavenly Father asks us to do something and usually, we don’t end up seeing the rewards and blessings for our actions until afterwards. Sometimes we don’t understand why we are told by Heavenly Father to do something. But we have to trust the Lord and have faith in Him, especially because He sees everything in the bigger picture whereas we only see the present.

In the Mormon message video series by Elder Bednar called Patterns of Light, we learn that the Lord often gives us just a little bit of knowledge to act on and when we do act upon this knowledge, we receive more. And the process repeats. I think Nephi realized this and trusted that the Lord had given him just enough knowledge to complete the task which he was given.

Nephi’s faith is once again challenged when he finds Laban drunk from wine. The Spirit tells Nephi that he needs to slay Laban even though Nephi’s heart tells him not to. The Spirit tells him that he needs to and Nephi remembers the words which the Lord had spoken to him earlier and proceeds to kill Laban. The reason Laban is slayed is because those who are wicked produce more who are wicked. They too are like a disease that needs to be diminished.

Those who are wicked like Laban and his servant greatly fear the Lord and want nothing to do with Him. I learned the hard way that a life without Heavenly Father actively in it is awful and not worth living. It truly does lead to nothing but misery.

Nephi testified of the Lord to Laban’s servant. The servant made an oath to Nephi saying that he would follow the ways of the Lord if his life was spared. Nephi spared the servant’s life and the servant joined their group.

Because of Nephi’s faith in the Lord, Nephi and his brothers got the plates of brass containing the genealogy records and made it safely back to their father. This, though, would not have happened if Nephi had not trusted and had faith in the Lord. 

1 Nephi 3

Friday, June 21, 2013


The Lord appeared to their father in a dream and told him that Nephi and his brothers were to go to the house of Laban so that they could receive the genealogy of their forefathers. When the father told Laman and Lemuel this, they said that it could not be done because it is too hard. But the Lord would never give us something if He is not willing to help us with it. And in Luke 1:37, we are told "for with God nothing shall be impossible." So Laman and Lemuel are incorrect, nothing is too difficult for the Lord to accomplish. 
Nephi, on the other hand knows this and says to his father "I will go and do  the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Nephi literally tells us that the Lord will never give us something which we cannot accomplish. That is not saying that it will be easy, but it will at least be possible. 
After reading this section, the one which is stated above, I felt a massive lift in my faith. With this, I have faith that the Lord can soften my parents' hearts even though it seems impossible right now. I think so often, we are tempted to be unfaithful because a challenge we face is difficult. But this is the time we need to rely on the Lord the most.
Nephi and his brothers head down to the house of Laban and Laman is chosen to ask Laban for the genealogy records. Laban got extremely mad and said that Laman was a thief and chased him off. When Laman returned to his brothers, he said the task was impossible and that they should return to the tent of their father. Lemuel agrees, but Nephi says they cannot return because they have not completed their task. I am sure it must be extremely difficult for Laman and Lemuel at this time. They have also lost everything and without faith in the Lord, they really have nothing. I think we can view Laban as the thing that weakens our faith here in our everyday lives. He's like the mountain that stops us from continuing to where we want to be. For Laman, Lemuel, and us, if we trust and have faith in the Lord, these challenges will not be or seem near as difficult. Also, we cannot give up on our first attempt to overcome something hard. Sometimes persistence and perseverance is the key. 
Nephi tells his brothers "Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord." So he's basically telling his brothers to have faith. In Alma 32:21, we are told that "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." While they do not know or have knowledge as to why this task is so difficult, Nephi knows and has testified to his brothers that the Lord exists and will help them. 
Laman and Lemuel were finally convinced by Nephi (who, by the way is their youngest brother) to go visit Laban again. He also convinces his brothers to trust the Lord. Nephi took all of their property, silver, gold, and all to Laban's house to trade. Laban began to lust for what they had. So Laban sent a servant to kill them (don't worry, they lived). They did end up losing all they had to the hands of Laban. At this time, Laman and Lemuel were extremely angry with their brother and father. They also, once again, hardened their hearts again the Lord. 
I think Laban is an example of how many people of this world are today. They, like Laban, lust after the possessions of others; they are obsessed with material items. I find this quite sad because material items will not bring you happiness and they most certainly will not help you return to your Father in Heaven. 
The Lord sent an angel to tell them that they needed to return to the house of Laban and that he, Laban, would be delivered into their hands. Even with the angel, Laman and Lemuel talked badly of the Lord and doubted His abilities. I don't understand how they could do that after having seen and heard an angel.   

1 Nephi 2

Thursday, June 20, 2013


As verse 1 tells us, sometimes the Lord speaks to us in dreams. I've had this happen once or twice and I began to wonder why. In a brief conversation with a returned missionary, we were able to conclude that perhaps this is because it is one of the few times in our lives where we are not distracted by worldly events. One of the other things with dreams is we can sometimes receive a divine gift by this. I've also had that happen before. The night going into Valentine's Day, I had a dream that I saw my Opa again. He was standing there smiling and he seemed truly happy. He was not sick or hurting, just very happy. He was also looking at me as though he could see me. I was overjoyed to get to see him again. 
Lehi has always been one that has displayed great faith in the lord. The Lord, as He promised in 1 Nephi 1:20, protected Lehi because he was faithful, by telling Lehi in a dream that he needed to leave Jerusalem. And we find in verse 3, Lehi obeyed. 
When Lehi left for the wilderness, he took nothing with him save his family and a few necessities. Lehi left behind his wealth, house, and land. I think it would take a ton of faith and trust to leave behind all of your possessions. Lehi pretty much lost all that he gained in his life, materialistically at least. And yet he still trusted the Lord entirely. 
In verse 7, we find that even after losing so much, Lehi still gave thanks to the Lord. Honestly, I think I would probably have been pretty upset if I were asked to just give up everything I own and then journey into the wilderness. This also shows us that Lehi is not a selfish person at all. Lehi was a very wealthy man who had a lot of possessions, so we can assume that he lived in great comfort. When he left his house we find that in both verse 7 and it is stated in verse 15 that Lehi dwelled in a tent (which is quite a step down from living in a luxurious house). But he still trusted the Lord and did all the Lord asked him to. 
I think Laman and Lemuel demonstrate how we as people, in general, are. They did not trust or really believe in the Lord. And they were also absorbed in material items. As Laman and Lemuel  did, people sometimes say that the Lord is not real, and seek to convince us of this (verse 11). But you must stand firm in your beliefs and hold onto what you know to be true. This is why you need a personal testimony, so that when this happens, you have something to hold onto. Trust what you know, not what others tell you. If someone ever tells you something that is questionable, you can always look to your scriptures, or you can pray and ask Heavenly Father concerning the validity of the statement. Heavenly Father is always willing to help us. 
Something to also remember is that when we testify to people, they will know by the power of the Holy Spirit that the words which we speak are true (verses 14 and 17). I think we can also use this when people are telling us something that is spiritually related. I think when they speak the truth, we can know by the power of the Holy Spirit whether it is true or not. 
In verse 16, Nephi prayed and told the Lord that he wanted to know the mysteries of the Lord, so Nephi wanted to know more about the Lord and he wanted to gain a better understanding of the ways of the Lord. While the Lord may not actually visit us like He visited Nephi, we will know in our hearts, by the power of the Spirit, what is true. 
The final thing I'd like to draw attention to is something I know from experience and that is when we harden our hearts against the Lord, He cannot help us. This is because we have been given the gift of agency, which allows us to make our own decisions, so we are entirely independent of the Lord. It is also something the Lord will never interfere with. He will not make decisions for us. With that being said, we need to be wise and careful when making decisions. 

1 Nephi 1

Thursday, June 20, 2013


In verse 4, we learn that repentance is a necessity. Heavenly Father through the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ, has given us a way so that we may repent for our sins. Something to remember is that no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God. The really cool thing is once we repent for our sins, Heavenly Father promises us that those sins will be forgotten. One thing to remember about the repentance process that when we repent, we are making a promise to both Heavenly Father and ourselves that we will try not to commit that sin again. If we continually commit the same sin, it means we have not really repented for what we did wrong. We must put forth the effort to not make the same mistake again and again. 
Through prayer and faith, we know that the Book of Mormon is true. With that being said, sometimes it is difficult to hold on to the testimony we each individually have gained. When we feel like our own testimony is weakening, we can rely on another's testimony to get us through that rough time. We can use the vision Lehi had (in verse 8) to strengthen our testimony with his testimony; we can help ourselves remember that God is real and will help us. One thing you can do is count the blessings you have. By doing this, you can see all the good things God has done for you. Something else to remember, though, is that when you draw strength for a time from another's testimony, you can never completely rely on theirs. A testimony is personal and it is something you need to develop on your own. Prayer is a great way to do this, as is daily study of the scriptures. 
Like what happened to Lehi in verse 12, when we do things that the Lord tells us to or that pleases Him, we allow ourselves to draw closer to our Heavenly Father, which enables us to also have a stronger relationship with the Spirit. Heavenly Father encourages us to read scriptures daily. By doing so, we develop a stronger relationship with both Him and the Spirit. 
The coming of the Messiah is also mentioned in this chapter. Christ came to save us of our sins. This allows us to be forgiven for the mistakes we make. This also supports what verse 14 says about the Lord being merciful. 
The last verse I'd like to point out is verse 20 which says "the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." This verse tells us that the Lord shall protect all who are faithful unto Him. So when we have even just a little bit of faith in the Lord, He will help us and protect us in our time of need. 

Introduction to the Book of Mormon

Thursday, June 20, 2013


In the very first line in the Book of Mormon, we are told that the Book is comparable to the Bible and contains "the fulness of the everlasting gospel." By this we know that the words that are spoken in here, just like the words contained in the Bible, are true forever and that time will not change the truthfulness of these books. 
The Book of Mormon is different from that of the Bible especially in that it explains parts that the Bible is quite vague on. For example, the Bible tells us that we need to be baptized, the Book of Mormon clarifies how we should be. There is a line in the introduction that says "[The Book of Mormon] puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come." This means this book tells us how to come closer to our Heavenly Father and what we need to do so that we may one day return to Him. 
We can know that the Book of Mormon is true through prayer. The Holy Spirit will testify of the truth. When you pray, you must be asking sincerely and with real intent or you will not receive an answer. You also must be willing to act on the answer you receive. 

Question from reading: What is eternal salvation? 
Answer: Eternal happiness. Sometimes The Plan of Salvation is called The Plan of Happiness, so we can therefore conclude that eternal salvation is eternal happiness. 

Matthew 4

Tuesday, June 11, 2013


"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (verse 4) This verse tells us that we must live by the principles and words of the gospel. They are what will guide us, not the words of man alone. I think this is a very significant verse because it helps remind us that we do not have all of the answers. Our friends and family likewise do not have all of the answers. Often times, the best thing to do is ask Heavenly Father for help or search our scriptures for an answer. When you read scriptures, you set yourself up in a position in which you can receive personal revelation for a solution to your problem or the comfort and guidance you need. Occasionally you can receive a divine gift from Heavenly Father. But we need not look to man for an answer, but to those who have the divine power to help us. 
"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (verse 7) This is what Christ responded to Satan when He was tempted by Satan to prove His power. The first thing you must answer when you read this verse is 'What does it mean to tempt the Lord?' It has actually taken me much time and thought to come up with an answer, but I suppose we could think of it as asking the Lord to do some miracle when it is of no worth to us, like when we don't need it. Just asking the Lord to do something for the sake of doing it. Heavenly Father has already blessed us with so much, we really should not try to tempt Him in any way, shape, form, or fashion. We need to live worthy to Him. 
"And saith unto him, All these things I will give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." (verse 9) Satan was trying to convince Christ to come and worship him. I think it is amazing that Satan would try to even make these promises knowing that there was and is no way he could fulfill his promises. They are worthless and best left ignored. We can relate this to a lot of temptations we experience in life. Often times they seem appealing in the moment, but many times we will regret the particular decision later. With this being said, it is easier not to allow yourself to fall to the temptation. If you need help and the strength to resist the temptation, you can always call upon Heavenly Father for assistance and He will happily help you. 
I think verse 10 "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" serves as a reminder to us that there is only one God and we should only worship Him. So often people fall into the typical life and end up forgetting or ignoring their religious connections and affiliations, which can really hinder us spiritually. I will admit that there was a point in time in my life for about seven years where I allowed God to play little to no part in my life. It was the biggest mistake of my life because I am now having to learn everything, so everything is quite new. All that has been posted on here, all of the references on here are from what I've learned and applied to my life in the past five months, nothing more. But for those seven years, they were some of the most miserable years ever. I didn't know why then, but I do now. I encourage anyone who has fallen away from God and the gospel to go and seek a better relationship with Him now. Do not wait another day, do it today and you will appreciate it. You can be healed spiritually, emotionally, and physically by doing this. 
The story of the men with being turned into fishermen (in the following verses) shows us that Christ is a fisher of men. He wants to enable us to be saved. So He goes and fishes out the wounded and the hurt, the helpless and the weak, the brokenhearted and all those that need help. And He invites them to come unto Him. He tells us that by doing so, we allow ourselves to have the opportunity to be free of all sins and to one day rejoin our Heavenly Father in heaven. 
I think in this story, Christ shows an amazing amount of faith and dedication, as well as love. He loves us enough to come out and search for those of us who truly feel the need to have Him in our lives. He also stays with us through everything. No matter how bad or complicated things get, He is always there welcoming us with open arms. When we pray, He can allow us to receive comfort from our Heavenly Father; comfort that we sometimes so desperately need. Heavenly Father and Christ love us more than anything. They also have a complete understanding of all the pain we go through. They are the best to look to when times get tough. Not friends, Google, or anywhere else. But to them and the scriptures. In both we can find our answers and the guidance we need.