End conflicts that are raging in your heart, your home or your life. Bury any inclination to hurt others.
Now more than ever we need His peace.
Momentum is powerful concept…what can ignite spiritual momentum?
Many actions can ignite positive spiritual momentum:
- Get on the covenant path and stay there.
- Discover the joy of daily repentance.
- Learn about God and how He works.
- Seek and expect miracles.
- End conflict in your personal life.
Repenting is the key to progress.
Satan rejoices in your misery—cut it short.
Returning to the covenant path does not mean life will be easy, this path is rigorous.
Walking the covenant path, coupled with daily repentance, fuels positive spiritual momentum.
Let God prevail on your life and give Him a fair share of your time.
Seek an end to a personal conflict that is weighing you down between now and Easter. (in 2 weeks)
What are the specific promises he made if we follow this counsel?
My dear brothers and sisters, I love you. I cherish this opportunity to speak with you today. I pray daily that you will be protected from the fierce attacks of the adversary and have the strength to push forward through whatever challenges you face.
It occurred to me that despite knowing that the attacks will come we continue to pray for protection from those attacks. I know that at times I have questioned the efficacy of praying for the people in Ukraine to be safe when we already know they are being attacked by Russia.
None of us can control nations or the actions of others or even members of our own families. But we can control ourselves.
None of us can control nations or the actions of others or even members of our own families. But we can control ourselves. My call today, dear brothers and sisters, is to end conflicts that are raging in your heart, your home, and your life. Bury any and all inclinations to hurt others—whether those inclinations be a temper, a sharp tongue, or a resentment for someone who has hurt you. The Savior commanded us to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, and to pray for those who despitefully use us.
I keep pondering on this and so far as I can tell there are none “raging” for me right now. I realize that I have already been working for months to curb my temper, my tongue and my resentment. That isn’t to say that I’ve mastered all of them, just that I have made progress and all are generally in check.
We are followers of the Prince of Peace. Now more than ever, we need the peace only He can bring. How can we expect peace to exist in the world when we are not individually seeking peace and harmony? Brothers and sisters, I know what I’m suggesting is not easy. But followers of Jesus Christ should set the example for all the world to follow. I plead with you to do all you can to end personal conflicts that are currently raging in your hearts and in your lives.
I would not describe either as “raging” now but the two biggest conflicts for me at present are probably resentment at Laura’s slow pace of progress—especially her inability to accept and apply any counsel on how to more effectively improve (she seems determined to do it alone)—and resentment at Alyssa for a very similar pattern.
Momentum is a powerful concept. We all have experienced it in one form or another—for example, in a vehicle that picks up speed or with a disagreement that suddenly turns into an argument.
So I ask, what can ignite spiritual momentum? We have seen examples of both positive and negative momentum. We know followers of Jesus Christ who became converted and grew in their faith. But we also know of once-committed believers who fell away. Momentum can swing either way.
We have never needed positive spiritual momentum more than we do now, to counteract the speed with which evil and the darker signs of the times are intensifying. Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and armed hostilities. Spiritual momentum can help us withstand the relentless, wicked attacks of the adversary and thwart his efforts to erode our personal spiritual foundation.
Many actions can ignite positive spiritual momentum. Obedience, love, humility, service, and gratitude are but a few.
This is a concept I have been aware of for a long time although I have never focused on spiritual momentum.
- Get on the covenant path and stay there.
- Discover the joy of daily repentance.
- Learn about God and how He works.
- Seek and expect miracles.
- End conflict in your personal life.
I’m doing fine on number 1; I need to really feel the joy and make repentance truly daily; I think I’m doing well on number 3; I definitely need to do more seeking and expecting miracles, I certainly need them; I have ended much of the conflict in my personal life that I’ve had in the past but I can’t afford to allow a remnant to remain.
It is fascinating to hear that he had a dream in which he was essentially teaching the first two points.
Repenting is the key to progress. Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path.
Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life! Start today to experience the joy of putting off the natural man. The Savior loves us always but especially when we repent.
Returning to the covenant path does not mean that life will be easy. This path is rigorous and at times will feel like a steep climb. This ascent, however, is designed to test and teach us, refine our natures, and help us to become saints. It is the only path that leads to exaltation.
One of our greatest challenges today is distinguishing between the truths of God and the counterfeits of Satan. That is why the Lord warned us to “pray always, … that [we] may conquer Satan, and … escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.”
We must stay close to God in order to be able to detect the more convincing counterfeits of Satan.
Cast Satan’s influence out of your life! Please do not follow him down to his “gulf of misery and endless wo.”
With frightening speed, a testimony that is not nourished daily “by the good word of God” can crumble. Thus, the antidote to Satan’s scheme is clear: we need daily experiences worshipping the Lord and studying His gospel. I plead with you to let God prevail in your life. Give Him a fair share of your time. As you do, notice what happens to your positive spiritual momentum.
What is a fair share of our time? I’m confident that there’s not a universal magic ratio but it’s probably a good idea to look at the time we spend on worldly things (especially things like social media) and consider whether in comparison to that time we are dedicating enough of our time to worshipping the Lord and studying His gospel.
Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him. He parted the Red Sea for Moses, helped Nephi retrieve the brass plates, and restored His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Each of these miracles took time and may not have been exactly what those individuals originally requested from the Lord.
In the same way, the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, “doubting nothing.” Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ “giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life.
- Pray to exercise the faith that will bring miracles.
- Look around for evidence of where the Lord is helping to move mountains in your life.
- Remember times when the Lord has helped to move mountains for you in the past. (That will show patterns of what you should expect to see in current mountain moving efforts.)
I repeat my call to end the conflicts in your life. Exercise the humility, courage, and strength required both to forgive and to seek forgiveness.
Two weeks from today we celebrate Easter. Between now and then, I invite you to seek an end to a personal conflict that has weighed you down. Could there be a more fitting act of gratitude to Jesus Christ for His Atonement? If forgiveness presently seems impossible, plead for power through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ to help you. As you do so, I promise personal peace and a burst of spiritual momentum.
CASH IN ON THIS PROMISE.
My dear brothers and sisters, with all the pleadings of my heart, I urge you to get on the covenant path and stay there. Experience the joy of repenting daily. Learn about God and how He works. Seek and expect miracles. Strive to end conflict in your life.
As you act on these pursuits, I promise you the ability to move forward on the covenant path with increased momentum, despite whatever obstacles you face. And I promise you greater strength to resist temptation, more peace of mind, freedom from fear, and greater unity in your families.
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