Latter-day Strength

We're using Mosiah 5 to understand the Mighty Change of Heart, which is NOT one big gigantic change. It's gradual changes in small areas of our lives. 

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

Have you experienced true repentance, the kind that makes you feel redeemed and holy, the kind that makes you feel grateful for the Lord's goodness. If you have, then Mosiah 4 is the chapter to read to help you retain a remission of your sins. 

The Reader's Digest version: 1) Be humble, 2) Impart of your substance to the poor. 

We talk about both of these in this episode. 

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

We're going to use our own personal "Will-o-meter" to measure our alignment to the Lord's will. Think of a circle first and one point represents 0 degrees, where we are completely contrary to the Lord's will, and opposite that point is 180 degrees, where we are pointed directly aligned to his will. 

A remission of sins keeps us aligned to the Lord's will at higher levels. We are operating within a tighter, elevated range instead of varying and being all over the place in our faithfulness. 

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

Repentance is the goal of the Latter-day Strength Framework. It is the repeated, cyclical result of going through these steps over and over. 

1. Broken Heart & Contrite Spirit
2. A Desire to Believe/Change
3. Faith in Christ's atonement
4. Hope for Great and Marvelous Things
5. Charity: Love For God
6. Charity: Love for Fellow Man
7. Lay Hold Upon Every Godly Thing
8. Go & Do the Things the Lord Commands.

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

When you study the times the Lord says, "Ask and ye shall receive," you can find a lot of conditions. We will review those conditions in this episode, but here's your spoiler. Those conditions are essentially the same Latter-day Strength framework: 

1. Be Meek and Lowly in Heart 
2. Desire for what you are asking
3. Unshaken Faith in Christ
4. Hope for Great and Marvelous Things
5. Love for Christ
6. Love for Neighbor
7. Willingness to Lay Hold Upon Every Godly Thing
8. Go and Do the things the Lord asks of you. 

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

The Lord says in John 15:16: 

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you

The more we love the Lord, the more we can ask and receive as long as we are willing to keep his  personal commandments. 

I share my personal example in this episode.

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

When you review the use of the word "fruit" in scripture you'll see that it can be used in three different ways. 

1. Literal food/fruit
2. Evidence of good works
3. Love 

John 15 helps us see the connection between fruit and love, beautifully.  

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

The Tree of Life is a representation of the God's Love (Jesus Christ) and our love FOR God, which is the fruit. 

In this episode we explore what happens when we love Christ so intently that it causes us to come unto the tree of life and partake of His fruit, which intensifies our love for the Father. 

Christ loved the Father so intently that he was willing to do his will in all things, even in executing the infinite atonement. Our love for Christ and for the Father then is a reflection of how intently we will keep his commandments for us, not the lifestyle habits we've become accustomed to, but the individual commandments the Lord asks us to do so we can have greater strength and greater faith. 

Fortunately, this process isn't a single path journey, it's a process that gets repeated over and over and over again with no single destination point other than arriving at the moment when the Lord seals us his. 

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

Planting the seed means planting eternal truth in your heart, not just the eternal truth found in scripture, but the eternal truth of the miracles that you desire to receive in your life. 

Alma admonishes us to have Faith and Hope and use Diligence and Patience in order to partake of the fruit of the seeds we plant. 

In this episode I share how my wife followed this process and received miracles when she asked the Lord if He would teach her another way to treat and ultimately heal the health conditions that began to afflict her at a young age. 

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com

We're in Alma 32 talking about the SEED, the good seed, the GODLY seed that springs up unto everlasting life. It's time to plant this seed in our heart. How can we know it's true and an invitation to cast out the untrue, non-discernible, bad seeds from our gospel seed packet. 

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. www.singmeascripture.com

Ether 12:27 by Kamie Jacobs Bolen. Find her music at www.singmeascripture.com