- Deeper, more meaningful prayer (11/11-19/2012)
- Pondering the word of God (12/8-20/2012)
- Meditating to cast out all Telestial influences (12/25/2012 - 3/13/2013)
And we've begun perhaps the most in-depth online analysis of D&C 93:1:
Most recently, we spotlighted charity, and gave you some easy-to-implement methods to increase your love and charity towards others.
You can't overstate the importance of charity in your life. It is one of the surest ways to eliminate gloom and increase happiness and light in your life:
"We should have before us a strong desire to do good to others. Never mind so much about ourselves. Good will come to us all right if we keep our minds outside of ourselves to a certain extent, and try to make others happier and draw them a little nearer to the Lord. … When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated" (Pres. Lorenzo Snow, Conference Report, Apr. 1899, 2–3).
The Next Step: A Personal Invitation
D&C 93:1's next step in seeing the face of the Lord concerns your desire and ability to "calleth on my name".
Instead of my going on and discussing how we can do this effectively, I'd like to invite you to tell others how you have effectively called on God, to the extent that you actually felt Him speak to you.
In the next day our two, feel free to contact me anonymously (click here) or leave a comment (below).
I look forward to hearing how you've called on God.
You never know how your testimony might just strengthen others out there!
Thank you for another great post!
ReplyDeleteI am just a nobody but want to share my testimony and witness.
I know the Lord is aware of each one of us individually and continues to manifest Himself to His children today.
I was given an understanding of how near and interested He is in our individual lives via a a vision that was given to me during a blessing.
For a brief moment, I was able to remember how familiar He is to us and how much we have forgotten that close association we once had with Him. I was so stunned to realize these things! It's truly amazing how much we have forgotten what we once knew.
My testimony echoes that of President Ezra Taft Benson when he shared the following:
“Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us.” (“Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” in Speeches of the Year, 1974, Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1975, p. 313.)
Thank you for your wonderful posts. There have been a few times when I have clearly heard the voice of the Lord. One time particularly He taught me about faith in a way I will never forget:
ReplyDeletehttp://preparethyheart.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-little-over-year-ago-we-lived-in.html
We call upon the name of Christ when we perform priesthood ordinances. When we bless others who stand in need. When testify in His name and when we close a prayer (always in His name or say Amen to these things.
ReplyDeleteAnother way to “calleth on my name” is through mighty prayer.
I have found for me, that regular prayer will not bring about the blessings I desire. I needed to experience mighty prayer on a consistent basis.
I know we have been taught “how to pray” but I have found that there are prayers and then there is Mighty prayer.
I know I used to pit all my petty interests first on my list to ask God. I would get bogged down on less important things that I had predetermined to be “of great worth” to me that I didn’t even think or desire what would the Savior really want me to ask for instead. Getting outside myself and freeing up my mind to allow the Holy Spirit direct my prayers has had unbelievable results.
I decided to “Call upon His name” even that of Jesus Christ, our Lord while praying unto the Father. When prompted by the Holy Spirit to repent of mistakes that I needed to be forgiven of, The Spirit gave me the following to utter,”Heavenly Father, I call upon the name of Jesus Christ, thy Son, thine Only Begotten Son, who is my Advocate and Mediator, to approach Thy throne, for I am unworthy to do so. I ask that He might plead my case before Thee, for I have sinned and have need of forgiveness of my transgressions that I have stated before. I call upon His Name, even Jesus Christ, upon His merits, upon His Atonement for which he has paid the price that justice demands and has bled from every pore and died upon the cross for my soul. Father please allow my Savior to request mercy and forgiveness from Thee in my behalf. (As I finished these words I felt the power of the Holy Ghost fill my very soul and I knew that I had been forgiven completely).
Yes, Christ will be our Advocate and Mediator but we must ask it to be so. Ask and you shall receive. Remember we cannot assume anything. We need to know that our dear Savior stands, in our darkest hour of repentance, ready to plead our case before the Father. We are at that moment unworthy to approach the throne of God ourselves for no unclean thing can stand in His presence but He who knew no sin, who waits for our crying out and call to fill that void will be asked by the Father to approach that glorious throne and seek our forgiveness. This is another way we can Call upon His name.