The tender mercies of the Lord are over those who he has chosen because of their FAITH...

"Obedience is the First law of Heaven.  All progression, all perfection, all Salvation, all godliness, all that is right and just and true, all good things, come to those who will live the laws of Him who is Eternal.  There is nothing in all Eternity more important than to Keep the Commandments of God."---Elder Bruce R McConkie

Obedience,....this is something that we all struggle with at some point.  From when we are young, when our parents teach us right from wrong.  When we go through our Teen years,...and finally as Adults.  Obedience is such a difficult thing.  But why?!  It seems simple enough to just choose the right, to do the right thing....I mean we all want to do what is right, we all want what is best,...and we surely know that if we choose wrong or do the wrong thing we have consequences.  So why is it that we struggle so much to be OBEDIENT?!
     I have constantly struggled with this, being a mortal imperfect being and all.  Everyday it is a struggle to be obedient when it comes to following the Commandments.  Not because I don't know any better, not because I am a bad person, ( at least i dont think I am) but it just seems like the more I try to be OBEDIENT to the Commandments the harder it gets.  But as i think about it, how can I expect for my kids to be OBEDIENT and keep the commandments if I myself am not a good example.

Today I read the first 5 chapters of The B.O.M.  and even though i have read it over and over again today i chose to really study and think about what it taught....OBEDIENCE-----FAITH-------TRUST!  These are the 3 things I was able to learn about.  We must be OBEDIENT, keep the commandments, do what is right and we will be saved, blessed and happy.  Easy enough,( i think).  Have Faith...this is def. easier, all my life i was taught to have Faith in the Lord.  My parents (mostly my wonderful mom) always taught us to trust and have faith.  Everything will be alright....just like a famous saying(in Spanish  "todo tiene remedio,...menos la muerte"  in English "everything has a solution...except death"  which is true ( I think)  there is a solution for everything,....if u take the time to really find it.  I know in my heart that Heavenly Father is always there with me.  No matter what, he loves and will always take care of me.  Unfortunately I (like many of us) forget.  and think that  he forgot us too.  TRUST....this one I like.  I trust Heavenly  Father, I know he wants me to be happy, i know he loves me and I trust him completely.

"Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire"----Joseph Smith
     I have been in this situation so many times, but I have learned that if I listen and do what Heavenly Father requires of me, things will be alright.

Sometimes life is hard, but then again, if it was easy then we wouldn't have any purpose in life.  I am so grateful for challenges that i have faced and I am ready for the ones ahead....I know that it will all be worth it.

Faith

1 Now ^afaith is the ^bsubstance of things ^choped for, the^devidence of things not seen... Hebrews 11:1
 The substance for things hoped for, all my life I have grown up listening to people talk about "Faith".  The older I got the more I understood what it meant.  What is Faith to me?!  Well like the scripture states, it is Hope.  To me Faith means many things, it means to believe, Hope and to truly know with all my heart that what I believe is TRUE.  My Faith in Heavenly Father is all that.  I have Faith in the Lord, not because my parents told me or because that is what I was told in church.  But I have Faith because I have learned to have a relationship with my Savior and Lord.  I have asked for and received personal revelation giving me the certainty that what I believe is true.  Through Prayer, Obedience and the scriptures I have been able to have Faith.  
     In Alma 32:21 it states......" And now as I said concerning faith—^afaith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye ^bhope for things which are ^cnot seen, which are true." I do not have a perfect understanding of the Gospel or even life itself.  But I do have Faith in that the Lord loves me and has a plan for me.  I trust him and know that he will guide me, and protect me on my Journey.  Faith is not something we can get from one day to another.  Faith is not instantly developed....rather Faith is slowly "cultivated"...Just like it Alma says in chapter 30:40-43....."But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with^apatience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree ^bspringing up unto everlasting life.

 42 And because of your ^adiligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the ^bfruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. 43 Then, my brethren, ye shall ^areap the ^brewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth ^cfruit unto you.   We must nourish our faith, and we can do this by studying the scriptures, attending our church meetings, our obedience, attending the Temple, listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost...Just like we would take care of a plant, by watering it and making sure it gets sunlight so that it grows strong, we must too take care of our Faith.  Make sure it is rooted to a strong foundation.  Once we have Faith we must continue on the right path, by living a righteous life, by always knowing that our Lord is with us and will always take care of us.  

   In my experiences I have learned that the stronger your Faith the easier it is to fall and maybe doubt.  The adversary is out to make us doubt, to make us loose faith.  And the stronger our faith is the harder he tries.  That is why i think it is so important to constantly nourish our faith.  without it then there is no hope,  No hope for eternal life, for our eternal families ...no hope for our happiness and return to Heavenly Father.  And if so then why are we here?....What a dark place would it be if we had no Faith,  No hope for anything better...I am grateful for all of the trials that I have gone through, it is because of my Faith that I am still here, and have been able to over come them.  I have been blessed with many things.  And I know that it is because of my Faith.

True faith brings miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his Saints. By faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually is able to dwell in God’s presence. A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity (Moro. 10:22).  As a member of the Church I have learned the importance of Faith, it is a vital part of life.  Without it we have nothing.  I am truly blessed to be able to know that Heavenly Father loves me, and has a wonderful plan laid out for me.  I am not perfect, and I have a long way to go but I know that I can one day live with him again.  Day by day My Faith grows and so does my Testimony.  

Just like president Robert D. Hales stated in one of his talks; ..."We cannot find Enos-like faith without our own wrestle before God in prayer. I testify that the reward is worth the effort. Remember the pattern: (1) hear the word of God, spoken and written by His servants; (2) let that word sink deep into your heart; (3) hunger in your soul for righteousness; (4) obediently follow gospel laws, ordinances, and covenants; and (5) raise your voice in mighty prayer and supplication, asking in faith to know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I promise that if you do these things sincerely and unceasingly, the words Christ spoke to His disciples will be fulfilled in your life: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” ²⁹

     When the challenges of mortality come, and they come for all of us, it may seem hard to have faith and hard to believe. At these times only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement can bring us peace, hope, and understanding. Only faith that He suffered for our sakes will give us the strength to endure to the end. When we gain this faith, we experience a mighty change of heart, and like Enos, we become stronger and begin to feel a desire for the welfare of our brothers and sisters. We pray for them, that they too will be lifted and strengthened through faith on the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you. http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/2.22?lang=eng

… Let every man be faithful and very diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and cultivate the desire to do good to those around him; and if, in reflecting on the past, we find we have not acted strictly in accordance with the dictates of our consciences and duty, let us make ourselves right before God and man, that we may be prepared for every event that may transpire. Let the work of building temples and houses of worship go on; let [us] continue to educate [our] children and bring them up in the fear of the Lord, and let the Gospel still be carried to the nations afar. …Pres. Lorenzo Snow

“Place a cucumber in a barrel of vinegar and there is but little effect produced upon it the first hour, nor in the first 12 hours. Examine it and you will find that the effect produced is merely upon the rind, for it requires a longer time to pickle it. A person’s being baptized into this church has an effect upon him, but not the effect to pickle him immediately. It does not establish the law of right and of duty in him during the first 12 or 24 hours; he must remain in the church, like the cucumber in the vinegar, until he becomes saturated with the right spirit.”³

Have Faith

Heavenly Father is always there, all we have to do is trust in him!

Waiting on the Road to Damascus

New Begining!

So on Saturday My mother sat us(My sister,Brother, and MOI) down and gave us one of her famous "Talks"!  I have to admit that when She first began I was kinda not listening.  Just because I knew what she was getting at.  My mom has always been able to know what we need to hear.  She always knows how to get to us, whether we want to or not.  So we sat there and listened to her and off we went to do our own things. I have to admit, the rest of the night all I kept thinking was how she was right.
     All my life I have been taught to love Heavenly Father, I grew up in the Church.  Being a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been a challenge.  But I have to admit that when I have been constant, and have lived according to the standards and beliefs, and when I have followed the commandments.....I have been the Happiest.  There have been many times when I have drifted away, and although I didn't forget about what I was taught, I chose to (as my mother put it) turn my back on our Savior.  
   That phrase kept repeating in my head all night.  She was right.  I hadn't thought about it that way.  But she was right, (As usual).  So the next day I got ready and attended Church, still thinking about what my mom had said.  As I sat there in Sacrament meeting, listening to the presidency give their talks, all I could do was think and feel that I needed to change.  As each of them Spoke I felt more and more inclined to make a change.  Finally as I heard President Mitchell Speak, I could no longer hold back.  I was so overwhelmed by his words.  As if they were meant for me....My tears began to flow, and I was overcome with that familiar feeling.  I knew Heavenly Father was there with me, and He knew that I needed him.  For a while now I had refused to listen.  I was not 100% dedicated to being the person He wants me to be.  I had "turned my back to him".....It was amazing and such a great comfort to feel His love.  A feeling that I forgotten, a feeling that I missed so much.  At that moment I decided that I would change.  That I would no longer continue on the path that I was.
   I know it will be a long Journey, but I am willing to take my chances.  I know I will face many challenges, and many many obstacles, but It is so worth it.  I know my Heavenly Father will be there to guide me and get me through this journey.  It is important for me to do this.  Not only for me, but for y Wonderful family!  I love My kids and My amazing Husband.  And I will do everything in my power to be an Example for them.

I really like this Video!  Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

Rejoice in Christ: Thought For the Day Lorenzo Snow

Rejoice in Christ: Thought For the Day Lorenzo Snow

"Every man has got to learn to stand upon his own knowledge; he cannot depend upon his neighbor; every man must be independent; he must depend upon his God for himself entirely. It depends upon himself to see if he will stem the tide of trouble and overcome the impediments that are strewn in the pathway of life to prevent his progress. A man can get information by the operations of the Holy Spirit, and he approaches to God and increases in his faith in proportion as he is diligent."  Deseret News, Apr. 11, 1888, 200