Not yet??? - Principle Three

Day 1 - 1 Nephi 18:11 "And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the wicked"

"Write about why according to this verse, the Lord "suffers," or in other words "allows," us to be in bondage at times.  (See also John 9:1-3 for further insight into why God allows forms of bondage such as physical handicaps.)"

John 9:1-3 "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."

Since God consecrates our afflictions for our gain, I'm guessing sometimes we haven't learned all of our lessons yet, that there is still something needed to stretch us, to grow us, to strengthen us.  When the people of Alma where in bondage, they went through a faith-promoting process where they were strengthened to the point where they didn't feel their burdens, before their prayer of liberation was answered.  It has been my experience that whenever I pray for the Lord to zap a terribly antagonistic foe with lightening -- it doesn't work.  Not at all, and I know this because sheepishly I admit trying it a few times when younger.  This is the prayer that works, and works beautifully.  'Please give me what I need to be equal or greater than the problem I face'.  And there is beauty in the process of gathering strength and inspiriation to face our frustrating challenges.  It may not be very obvious while we're in the middle of hardship, but with our spiritual hindsight, later we can see a method to the madness.

My Great God - Principle Two

Day 7 - Alma 24:10 "And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son."

"Capture this scripture for yourself.  what does it teach you personally?  Freedom from the bondage of addiction is a gift from God.  here Alma thanks God for three great gifts.  What are they?  Write about them in your own words."

First the three gifts:  The privilege of repenting.  Here I marvel that such a mechanism even exists.  An eraser, a chance to clean the slate.  Second, that many sins can be forgiven, that the process of repentance and forgiveness is powerful enough for many trespasses.  Third, the gift of peace, of confidence before God, because our guilt no longer drags around behind us.  Guilt in the heart is a heavy burden, when guilt is gone, the lightness and euphoria that replaces it is sweet.  Really sweet.

I personally love the phrase "my God, yea my Great God".  The admiration, the love, the evidence of a personal relationship sounds through these words.  I love that Heavenly Father is so majestic, so noble, so large in capacity.  And the Christ right along with him.  Sometimes I can't get over how extraordinary it is that we're related, that I get to associate with them, that they put me here so that I could join them completely someday.  Revelations 3:20-21 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne"  This verse reveals an intimicy, a personable Christ who regards us so much, he wants us to have what ever he has.

True Root - Principle Two

Day 6 - Mosiah 11:23 "And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God"

"When we are under the influence of any addiction, one way to describe our situation is to say that we are in bondage.  Is our addiction [any repeating bad habit] really the primary sin we need to repent of, or is it just a symptom?  According to Abinadi, what is the true root of sin?

My bad habits and "addictions" come from not being rooted in Christ.  Or in other words not consciously bringing the Spirit into my life.  So the true root of sin is not turning to the Lord.  Because when left to my own devices, I gradually sink.  My sins and bad habits are a symptom on the surface, a symptom of the condition and attitude of my heart.  Where my heart truly is, my actions follow.  The only way to get the power to act differently is from conscious contact with the Spirit, with the Savior.  I am 3 days - video game free!

Rays of Hope - Principle Two

Day 5- "And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you."

"Salvation means to save or preserve something precious.  Christ's atonement is His testimony to us of how precious we are to Him and the Father.  Keep track today of some of the little ways, the positive coincidences, the tiny blessing that demonstrate your preciousness.  At the end of the day, record a few in your journal.  If you do not honestly feel precious before Him, speak to Him in writing, of your honest feelings."

I remember last year, in a hard, destitute phase in our lives that I came across this verse and challenge.  I had quite the attitude..."sure, fine, but there won't be any blessings to write about".  At the time I was sure, despite all my gospel knowledge that I had fallen between cracks.  Either the Heavens intended it, or they just plain forgot about me.  My prayers were bouncing off the ceiling.  But I decided to try this anyways, and at first I had to look hard, then they came.  One small blessing after the other.  I realized after a few days that there were rays of hope everywhere.  I just had to be willing to accept their reality.  This exercise was one of the elements that helped restore my brightness of hope.  A wonderful buoyancy to enjoy amid life's storms.

God's Love - Principle Two

Day 4 - Mosiah 4:6 " I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body"

"I often say that I believe in the goodness of God, but when it comes right down in believing that this goodness is extended to me by my Savior I lose my faith.  I would ask you in the words of King Benjamin 'if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards [you]"?  Has this happened to you?  Describe how this belief (or lack of it) impacts your life and influences your compulsive/addictive behaviors."

This is something I have come to know through this course.  I mean, I "knew" it before, but now I feel the concept of love and possibilities inside my heart of hearts.  Which is an entirely different experience than just hearing the words echo around inside my head.  What that means is when I identify a weakness that needs to be tackled , and it's not going anywhere on its own - then it is time to bend my knees and plead for strength and inspirations on how to combat my challenge.  It means I know that heaven is on my side and help will come.  Our afflictions, weakness and trials serve a really important function, well more than one, but one of them is so we will learn to make Christ our partner.  And it isn't just a phrase "a personal relationship with the Savior".  It is real, it is intimate and it works, time after time, problem after problem.  I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love the effects, I love the victories.

Personal Hell - Principle Two

Day 3 - 2 Nephi 33:6 " I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell".

"Copy this scripture into your journal, filling in the blanks.  Hell is a state of being "dead' or "damned."  Addictions (any behavior or habit you repeat) put us in hell on earth.  Our spirits feel dead or stopped from growth.  Write about a behavior that you keep repeating that keeps you from growing and being a progressively better you.  Who is it that Nephi assures us has power to get us out of your personal hell?"

Oh, is this ever timely.  So I've gotten wrapped up in an online video game.  And I use it to procrastinate, to be lazy, to ignore my kids, to keep from doing much better things with my time.  I've had it!  I can't stand the way I feel afterward.  Especially after Parley P Pratt said we'll be accountable for how we spent our all of our time.  So this is my first moment not playing anymore.  What is your indulgence that is out of balance?  What could you do without for the rest of your life and be glad to never return to it?  I will soon be on my knees asking for help in abstinence.  This resolve feels really good, but I already know resolve is not enough.  I have to come to the Savior with my weakness in order for them to be transformed into strengths.  I have faith I will find the help I need.  My commitment is online, so here it goes.

Even Me - Principle Two

Day 2 - 2 Nephi 4:19 " And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted."

"Nephi, a prophet of God, humbly admits to God the he is harassed by temptation and sin.  Why do you think God wanted him to record this and then allowed it to be preserved and handed down to us?  Who is it that has strengthened Nephi?  Who has he learned to trust?  What do you think it is that he trusts the Lord can do for him?  Can you trust that the Lord has enough mercy and power to redeem even you? Why?"

I still remember how poignant this self-discovery process was for me.  I believed in Christ, but somehow, sub-consciously, believed I wasn't good enough for His attention, for His notice, for His complete atoning sacrifice.  Somehow I fell short of whatever invisible bar there was to be redeemed, all the way redeemed.  We all carry around the story that we're broken, damaged goods.  We got that message somewhere along the way when we were young and I have carried it around for a long time.  Now I know that I'm flawed because the very nature of being mortal is automatically flawed.  I'm here to overcome it, tackle it, face it, beat it.  But having to do so does not disqualify me, it's supposed to be that way.  It's how I respond to challenges that matters, not that they happen.  It's whether I put in a good fight or not.  And last but not least, it's whether I come to Christ with my problems and my weaknesses and find enough trust to reach out to him and to open my heart to the love, the endless possibilities, the hope and the joy.  And the way the world is today, afflictions are a pretty big test.  One we need to study for every day, because we get "quizzed" every day.  And prayer is our conduit to the master teacher.  With study and prayer - these tests of weaknesses and trials can be tackled, conquered, made into triumphs.  Hundreds of little triumphs over my will.

Afflictions Made Good - Prniciple Two

Day 1 - 2 Nephi 2:2 "Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain"

"One element of the greatness of God is His ability and desire to consecrate our afflictions for our gain.  Look up the meaning of the word consecrate in the dictionary.  Write the definition in your journal.  Write about the afflictions that have come into your life.  Keep in mind that afflictions can be trials, heartaches, or illnesses, anything that causes you pain and distress, including your own mistakes.  How have you seen the consecrating poser of God applied to these afflictions?"

Consecrate =  to solemnly dedicate or devote something to a sacred purpose, to render holy.

How long should my list be?  Since I have all of the above: trials, heartaches, illnesses, pain, distress, PMS, mistakes (lots of mistakes) this could be a really long entry.  Sometimes we feel overwhelmed with afflictions, and the thought off feeling grateful for them, or thinking them good things can be a little much.  ESPECIALLY when we're right in the middle of them.  But I understand this principle in general, in fact received personal revelation about hard times and wrote about it on my blog.  It's kind of long, but this entry really means something to me.  Patty Ann writes some wonderful thoughts about this topic on her blog too.