Latest / Scripture Central / ”Stand Forever” Ep. 24 | The Truth—The Gift of the Holy Ghost | Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge

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”Stand Forever” Ep. 24 | The Truth—The Gift of the Holy Ghost | Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge · Scripture Central

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  Pay whatever price you must pay to get and keep in your life the
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  spirit and power of the Holy Ghost.
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  We naturally look to find God in the dramatic, but almost always
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  He is in the small, the gentle, and the undramatic.
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  If you read and pray about the Book of Mormon and learn it is
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  true, what more will you know? How will your life be better?
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  Knowing Joseph Smith was a prophet in the church is true.
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  Ask anyone, including members of the church, those questions and
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  you'll get many different answers, but rarely the right
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  one. Nothing is worth nothing is
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  worth the loss of the Spirit. This world, she said, is too
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  difficult to traverse alone. What is the best of all human
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  conditions and what is the greatest gift God can bestow on
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  his children in this life? Hello, I'm Larry Corbridge and
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  this is episode 24 of Stand Forever.
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  In past episodes, we concluded that a purposeful life leading
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  to the realization of your divine potential requires
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  knowing where you are going, point B, where and who you are
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  now, which is point A, and then plotting a course in between.
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  We determined the course is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, also
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  known as the doctrine of Christ, including faith in Christ,
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  repentance, ordinances and covenants beginning with
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  baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end
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  engaged in God's work. The focus of this episode is the
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  gift of the Holy Ghost, which is not only a waypoint along the
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  path to eternal life, but in a way the destination in and of
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  itself. In the grand scheme of things,
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  eternal life is the greatest of the gifts of God, but in this
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  life, His greatest gift is the gift of the Holy Ghost, made
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  possible by the gift of His Son. It is monumentally important to
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  remember that as Paul said, neglect not the gift that is in
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  thee with the laying on of hands to get and keep the Spirit of
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  God in your life should be among your highest and front of mind
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  ambitions. Everything depends on it.
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  So again, this is going to be a long list, but look at the
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  repetition of the Word all in connection with the Holy Spirit,
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  in regard to what various scriptures have revealed first.
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  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
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  send in my name, The Lord said, He shall teach you all things,
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  and bring all things to your remembrance, Whatsoever I have
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  said unto you. Another, Scripture, the Spirit
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  of truth, will guide you into all truth.
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  Another, Blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after
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  righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.
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  Another, the Spirit searcheth all things.
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  Yeah, the deep things of God. Another, For by the Spirit are
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  all things made known unto the prophets.
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  Another example. Now the Spirit knoweth all
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  things another for all have not every gift given unto them, for
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  there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the
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  Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father
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  sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
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  Receive of my Spirit even the Comforter, which shall manifest
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  unto you the truth of all things.
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  For behold again I say unto you, that if if you will enter in by
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  the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, that will show unto you
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  all things what you should do. And by the power of the Holy
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  Ghost you may know the truth of all things.
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  Ask the Father in my name in faith, believing that you shall
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  receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth
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  all things which are expedient under the children of man.
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  Again, I know this is a long list.
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  Wherefore watch over him, meaning Joseph Smith, that his
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  faith fell not, and it shall be given by the Comforter, the Holy
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  Ghost, that knoweth all things. And this is my gospel,
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  repentance, baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of
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  fire, and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all
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  things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the Kingdom.
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  But a commandment I give unto you, that you shall declare,
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  whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart,
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  in the spirit of meekness in all things.
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  And I give unto you this promise, that it in as much as
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  you do this, the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing
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  record unto all things whatsoever.
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  You shall say another example, believe and repent of your sins,
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  and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
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  even as our fathers, and you shall receive the Holy Ghost,
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  that you may have all things made manifest.
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  Again, a long list, but to illustrate how consistent this
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  message is throughout scripture, how all-encompassing, all
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  inclusive is the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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  The Comforter is the truth of all things, quickens all things,
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  makes all things alive, knows all things, and has all power.
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  Speaking of the first vision, President Russell M Nelson said
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  this during that singular vision.
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  God the Father. Pointed to Jesus Christ and
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  said, this is my beloved son, hear him.
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  That admonition given to Joseph is for each of us.
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  We are to seek in every way we can to hear Jesus Christ who
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  speaks to us through the power and ministering of the Holy
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  Ghost. Another example of how
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  monumentally important the Holy Ghost is, is the Christ began
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  and concluded his mortal ministry teaching about the gift
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  of the Holy Ghost. At the outset.
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  He taught about being born again by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.
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  The heart of Nicodemus was pumping.
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  He was alive, or so he thought. And yet Jesus said, Marvel not
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  that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.
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  He concluded also his mortal ministry the same way, with the
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  promise that Heavenly Father would send the Comforter, the
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  Spirit of Truth, the Holy Ghost. Also, when he appeared on the
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  American continent, he followed the same pattern.
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  He began with the same promise to the faithful Nephites that
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  Heavenly Father would visit them with fire and the Holy Ghost.
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  He gave them power to baptize, and He gave them power to give
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  the Holy Ghost His disciples. His disciples prayed for that
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  which they most desired, that they desired that the Holy Ghost
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  should be given unto them. Christ then prayed, saying,
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  Father, I thank thee that thou has given the Holy Ghost unto
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  those whom I have chosen. Father, I pray that thou will
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  give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their
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  words. He then concluded that ministry
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  with the commandment to repent and be baptized for the purpose
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  of becoming sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost.
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  His very last words tied the Father, the Son, and the Holy
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  Ghost together as one, saying, The Father giveth the Holy Ghost
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  unto the children of man because of me.
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  The fact that the Lord commenced and concluded both ministries
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  teaching about the gift of the Holy Ghost is evidence enough of
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  its primary importance, President Russell M Nelson
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  quoted another president of the church, Lorenzo Snow, saying.
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  This is the grand privilege of every latter day St. that it is
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  our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit
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  every day of our lives. President Nelson then went on to
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  warn, however, saying. But in coming days it will not
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  be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding,
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  directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy.
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  Ghost Mormon concluded the record of Christ's ministry
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  among the Nephites with these words.
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  Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the
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  Son of the living God, which he hath commanded me, that I should
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  speak concerning you. For behold, he commandeth me
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  that I should write, saying, Turn all ye Gentiles from your
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  wicked ways, and repent of your evil doings, and from all your
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  wickedness and abominations, and coming to me, and be baptized in
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  my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins and be
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  filled with the Holy Ghost, that you may be numbered with my
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  people who are of the House of Israel.
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  That really is the end objective in this life to receive a
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  remission of sins and be filled with the Holy Ghost, which is
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  the source of Lovejoy and peace and and the power to be
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  fruitful, partake of the fruit of the tree of life and help
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  others do the same. If you read and pray about the
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  Book of Mormon and learn it is learn it is true.
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  What more will you know? Well, I'll know that Joseph
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  Smith was a prophet in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
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  Day Saints. Is the true church OK, But if
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  you're not interested in organized religion, if you
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  generally distrust institutions anyway, how will your life be
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  better? Knowing Joseph Smith was a
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  prophet in the church is true? How will your life be better if
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  you are baptized? Ask anyone, including members of
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  the Church, those questions and you'll get many different
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  answers, but rarely the right one.
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  People will talk about knowing the truth or the blessings of
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  living prophets, happiness and eternal families, additional
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  scripture, all of which are monumentally important.
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  But rarely will anyone say, if the Book of Mormon is true, then
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  Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of
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  Latter Day Saints is the true church.
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  And therefore I can be forgiven of my sins and endowed with
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  heavenly power to engage in God's work and ultimately,
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  ultimately return to the presence of God.
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  That's the answer. If the Book of Mormon is true,
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  it means not only God the Father in Jesus Christ appeared to
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  Joseph Smith, but others came as well.
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  Among others, John the Baptist restored authority to baptize
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  for the remission of sins. Peter, James, and John restored
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  authority to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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  Alma asked, What have you against been baptized in the
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  name of the Lord, as a witness before him, that you have
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  entered into a covenant with him that ye will serve and keep His
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  commandments, that ye that He may pour out His Spirit more
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  abundantly upon you and objective.
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  The essential problem in life is separation from God our Father.
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  The purpose of the restoration is to bridge that gap, extending
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  the blessings of the gifts of God's Son, His Spirit and His
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  life. In the parable of the 10
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  virgins, Jesus vividly described the indispensability of oil in
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  your lamp. The Spirit of the Holy Ghost,
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  the five foolish virgins who did not have oil, knocked on the
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  door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us.
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  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not
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  Jesus. This is important.
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  Jesus uses the metaphor of virgins only in this parable.
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  Why, they might have been servants or sisters or
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  handmaidens, but why virgins? Virginity, of course, denotes
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  purity. All 10, all ten were pure, and
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  yet five were not admitted despite their purity.
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  How surprising. How can that be?
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  We frequently think of purity as the ultimate and sole objective,
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  the key to enter the presence of the Lord.
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  But he did not say accept a man be pure, he cannot enter the
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  Kingdom of God. Rather, accept a man be born of
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  water and of the Spirit. He cannot enter the Kingdom of
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  God or the presence of God. True enough, no unclean thing
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  can enter the Kingdom of God. Yes, worthiness of course, is
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  essential, but worthiness alone is not sufficient.
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  Alma summed up all he had been called to preach by simply
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  saying repent and be born again. It isn't just repentance.
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  It isn't only improving your behavior, rather repent that you
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  may receive the Holy Ghost. Remember where you were going to
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  be endowed with the power of God also requires covenants and
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  ordinances. In Matthew's account, the Lord
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  says to the five foolish virgins, I know you not.
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  The Joseph Smith translation turns it around with Ye knew me
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  not Either way, contracts and covenants place the parties in a
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  relationship with each other, that they are not strangers, but
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  know each other. If you sign a contract, you at
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  least know who the other party is.
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  Neither one can fairly say, I don't know you, or you don't
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  know know me. The oil in the lamps of the five
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  wise virgins represents the truth and the Spirit of the Holy
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  Ghost, enabling one to avoid deception.
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  The Lord said this, And at that day when I shall come in my
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  glory shall the parable be fulfilled, which I spake
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  concerning the 10 virgins. For they that are wise, and have
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  received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their
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  guide, and have not been deceived, Verily I say unto you,
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  they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall
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  abide the day in our day. The Lord said For the
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  preparation wherewith I designed to prepare mine apostles, to
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  prune my vineyard for the last time, that I may bring to pass
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  my strange act, meaning my uncommon act, that I may pour
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  out my spirit upon all flesh. But behold, verily I say unto
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  you, that there are many who have been ordained among you
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  whom I have called, but few of them are chosen.
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  They who are not chosen to have sinned a very grievous sin, and
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  that they are walking in darkness at noonday and quote
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  without oil there is no light, even if you have lamps.
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  It is difficult to envision oneself like Christ or look
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  forward through the broad expanse of time to eternal life.
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  The Holy Ghost, however, makes life's purpose more immediate,
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  relatable, simpler, and within reach.
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  To fully realize your divine potential and receive eternal
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  life is the ultimate consequence of simply receiving the truth
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  and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit from day-to-day.
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  The gift of God's life is the ultimate consequence of
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  receiving the gift of God's Son and the gift of God's Spirit,
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  which quickens all things, makes alive all things.
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  Knows all things, has all power, and can tell you all things you
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  should do. There is, it seems to me, no
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  better example of of the profound change the Holy Spirit
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  works in a person than Peter and and and the Apostles.
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  They walked with Christ and were personally taught by Him
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  day-to-day for three years. They personally witnessed the
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  lame made to walk, the deaf to hear, and the dead to live
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  again. They saw him walk on water, calm
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  the wind in the angry sea. And yet, at the end, when the
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  angry night was full of threats and harm, they largely stepped
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  away. They abandoned him.
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  One denied him, another betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver.
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  But the story does not end there.
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  In a way, it was just the beginning.
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  Except for Judas, who took his own life, the other 11 disciples
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  would suffer cruel death because of their courageous teaching and
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  preaching and testimony of Christ, the one they earlier
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  abandoned and denied. What?
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  What made the difference? What accounts for the profound
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  change? Not in a few, but universally in
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  all of them? It was the gift of the Holy
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  Ghost. They had knowledge before the
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  day of Pentecost, but after the day of Pentecost they also had
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  power. And it is the combination of
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  those two knowledge and power that results in becoming
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  converted unto the Lord, and never fall away.
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  When the resurrected Christ commanded his disciples to
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  preach the gospel among all nations, he instructed them to
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  1st tarry in Jerusalem, until in his words they be endowed with
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  power from on high. The Lord repeated the same
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  admonition for his servants in this dispensation, saying,
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  Therefore, in consequence of the transgressions of my people, it
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  is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little
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  season for the redemption of Zion, that they themselves may
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  be prepared, and that my people may be taught more perfectly and
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  have experience, and no more perfectly concerning their duty,
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  and the things which I require at their hands.
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  But this cannot be brought to pass until my elders are endowed
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  with power from on high. Jesus famously said to Peter,
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  When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
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  Peter really could not strengthen others until he was
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  converted. And the essence of conversion is
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  to be born again. It is to receive the Holy Ghost.
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  In the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, Moroni gives this
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  solemn warning, this insightful warning, saying Unto all the
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  ends of the earth. He says, And now I speak unto
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  all the ends of the earth, that if the day come that the power
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  and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be
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  because of unbelief. And woe be unto the children of
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  man. If this be the case.
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  If, what be the case, if the gifts and power of God are done
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  away? For there shall be none that
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  doeth good among you. No, not one.
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  And then he repeats it. For if there be one among you
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  that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God.
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  Neither Peter, or anyone else for that matter, could or can
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  strengthen thy brethren or do any other eternal redemptive
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  good without the power and gifts of God.
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  The power of the Holy Ghost is essential to becoming fruitful,
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  to make a difference. Partake of the fruit of the tree
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  of life to be fruitful and help others do the same.
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  The Lord also ask this compelling question saying there
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  are many called but few are chosen and why are they not
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  chosen? Why?
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  Why 10 virgins? Why not 21?
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  Who was wise and another foolish?
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  Many are called or invited, but not everyone is chosen or enters
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  in. Why?
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  That is a question of questions, and the Lord gives the answer
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  the question and the answer should capture the attention of
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  anyone who can fog a mirror, he explains.
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  They do not learn this one lesson.
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  And what is that lesson? The powers of heaven can only be
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  received upon the principles of righteousness.
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  That's it. That's the one lesson many are
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  called, but few are chosen. And why is that?
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  Because they lack the oil. They lack the powers of heaven
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  because they do not learn one thing, how those powers are
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  received. The reason they do not learn
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  that central lesson is because, yes, they've become distracted
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  with, as the Lord said, the things of this world and the
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  honors of men. They are blinded by the tinsel
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  of the world, which shall pass away and overlook the treasure
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  treasures of heaven, which will last forever.
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  Describing the condition of those who, for whom the Spirit
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  of the Lord had ceased to strive, Mormon gave this dismal
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  description. They are without Christ and God
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  in the world, and they are driven about it as chaff before
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  the wind led by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind,
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  or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves without sail or
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  anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her.
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  A woman who was married and divorced multiple times to men
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  who were all unfaithful and abusive ultimately turned to a
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  boyfriend for fulfillment, affection, and love.
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  She reasoned she had tried to do the right things in her life for
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  so long, but nothing turned out as she expected.
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  So she in her words, tried another way, the way of the
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  world. Although she felt loved, wanted
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  and valued for a short time, soon misery, shame and
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  embarrassment settled in. She then said this.
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  Looking back on her life, she said I knew it was wrong.
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  I felt, as did Alma, the pains of a sin tormented soul.
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  Instead of bringing me the love that I so long for, I felt just
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  the opposite. My anger toward myself as well
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  as the injustices of my life turned inward and I became more
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  depressed. I felt momentarily I had lost
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  the one thing that had brought me peace and love in the past,
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  real peace and real love, rather than any attempt at
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  substitution. So she said.
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  The relationship ended and I began my journey back to Father.
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  I have learned how extremely important it is to invite the
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  Spirit continually to study and pray every day before anything
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  else. Without that constant
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  nourishment. It's too easy to be overwhelmed
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  when trials don't subside without the Spirit to guide you
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  through them. There is nothing compared to the
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  quiet, calming assurance that you are not alone and that He is
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  helping you through it all, continuing on with her words.
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  By comparison, the peace that comes through knowing that your
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  actions are pleasing to the Father and that you are clean
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  and worthy to serve Him cannot be overstated.
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  Nothing, she said. Nothing is worth.
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  Nothing is worth the loss of the Spirit.
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  This world, she said, is too difficult to traverse alone.
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  Another woman said. When I was baptized again and
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  given the Holy Ghost once more, something changed inside of me.
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  The Spirit spoke to my soul and told me I was exactly where I
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  needed to be. She said.
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  I've never been the same since. I feel His presence daily and
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  I'm so grateful I've have Him to help guide me home.
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  Ask almost anyone what they most want in life and Lovejoy and
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  peace in some combination. We'll surface in the discussion.
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  Paul taught the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy peace.
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  He also said, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and
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  peace, and believing that you may abound in hope through the
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  power of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ is unmistakably
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  revealed by the power of the Holy Ghost, Nephi said.
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  And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews that
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  Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles
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  be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal God, and
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  that listen to this, and that he manifested himself unto all
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  those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
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  Yeah, unto every nation, kindred tongue, and people, working
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  mighty miracles, signs and wonders among the children of
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  men, according to their faith. Jesus also said, the Comforter,
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  which is the Holy Ghost, shall teach you all things.
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  It is the power by which you may know the truth of all things.
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  It will show you all things you should do.
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  It is the fountain of living water that springs up unto
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  eternal life. The best, the best of all human
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  conditions in this life is to be endowed with heavenly power, to
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  be born again, to have the gift and companionship of the Holy
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  Ghost. A friend of mine, Robert Schick,
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  a young man from Midway, UT, said about his mission
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  experience. These are his words.
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  One of the great blessings of my mission was to learn to
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  recognize the Spirit. It was hard for me to feel the
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  Spirit before my mission because I was so involved in other
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  things, school, friends and sports, he said.
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  I was not listening. The Spirit will not hit you like
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  a rock, he said. It is a little feeling right
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  here in my chest that pierces me to the very soul, that makes me
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  feel happy, makes me feel joy. One of the strongest reasons we
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  are here is to feel the Spirit. I learned to love the scriptures
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  on my mission. They answer every question in
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  the temple. We can feel the spirit better
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  than anywhere else on earth. But that's the end of his words.
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  The voice of the Spirit in a way is a bit perplexing because it
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  is, yes, a still small voice, but at the same time it's also
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  sure, penetrating, pervasive, edifying, sustaining and
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  certain. Joseph Smith taught the Lord
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  cannot always be known by the Thunder of His voice, by the
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  display of His glory, or the manifestation of His power.
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  And those that are most anxious to see these things are the
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  least prepared to meet them. And were the Lord to manifest
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  His powers as He did to the children of Israel, such
• 34:57
  characters would be the first to say, Let not the Lord speak
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  anymore, lest his people die. We naturally look to find God in
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  the dramatic, but almost always He is in the still, the small,
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  the gentle, and the undramatic. The Lord said to Elijah, Go
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  forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord, and behold, the
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  Lord pass by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains,
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  and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord.
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  But the Lord was not in the wind.
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  And after the wind and earthquake, but the Lord was not
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  in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire.
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  But the Lord was not in the fire.
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  And after the fire, a still small voice.
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  There are strong winds that ran the mountains.
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  There are also earthquakes and fire.
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  And God's hand may be in some of it, but all of it together does
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  not reach the heart and soul of man.
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  As God's still small voice. Not nearly the Spirit of the
• 36:20
  Holy Ghost is so sure, penetrating, pervasive, edifying
• 36:25
  and sustaining, it cannot be inadvertently denied.
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  So much so the Lord said. And whosoever speaketh the word
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  against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him.
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  But whosoever, whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost,
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  it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither
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  in the world to come. Notwithstanding how penetrating
• 36:52
  the voice of the Lord is, we must choose to hear it because
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  it is still and it is small. It can easily be lost in the
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  clamor of ambient noise and silenced by the roar of sin.
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  As Amulek said, contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but
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  receive it and take upon you the name of Christ.
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  Pay whatever price you must pay, bear whatever burden you must
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  bear, and make whatever sacrifice must be made to get
• 37:36
  and keep in your life the spirit and power of the Holy Ghost.
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  Everything depends on getting and keeping the power of the
• 37:47
  Holy Ghost in your life. Everything depends on that.
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  In the next episode, we will explore the next coordinate to
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  waypoint along the covenant path and during to the end.
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  I hope you will join me for that because it doesn't matter how
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  far you go if you don't get to the end.