Finrock

Part of having faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ is believing that it can heal you but, often neglected, is also the belief that it can sustain you and compensate for the weaknesses, trials, and suffering that may still endure through-out your life. For me the switch was recognizing that all of the hurt in my life has been swallowed up in the atonement. The atonement has completely covered those things. Part of my journey also required me recognizing that I can take my burdens, my sins, and place them on the shoulders of the Savior while I find time to heal. This means that healing isn't always immediate. It also means that getting rid of the things in my life that are contributing to my suffering is a process. God allows us to work on one thing at a time. I don't know if I am describing it right but when I allowed God to take my burdens from me it freed me to be able to tackle the issues that were and are plaguing my life. For me this means healing from the wounds inflicted by others and healing from the wounds I've inflicted upon myself because of my sins. I now know that I can do all things if I continue in faith in Christ. I am not filled with charity. I don't have perfect faith in the atonement. I don't have all things figured out. I don't have all of the answers to the struggles in my life. What I do have is an abiding faith and hope in the atonement. I know it is real. I have tasted a portion of it. I don't worry any more that I have "issues". I know that in time they will work out for my good. Again, I'm not immune from being hurt and having struggles, I just know because God has made it known to me by the power of His spirit, that everything is in order and God is in control. All things will work out for my good. I love this part of the gospel. I love Jesus Christ. I love His atonement. -Finrock

Hi Vort. I hope you're doing well! :) Consider the following: Then, later in Jeremiah the narrative seems to continue... There is a physician in Gilead. He is Jesus Christ and the balm is His atoning sacrifice. Until we exercise complete faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ we will in vain use many medicines and not be cured. The atonement of Jesus Christ can completely and utterly heal both mental and physical illnesses. There is no way for mankind to compensate "for having one's capacity to love...permanently diminished" except through the atonement of Jesus Christ. This power is real and it can heal us completely and if not in this life, His atonement will sustain us and compensate for our weakness if we exercise faith in Him. Lastly, we can say what we want, but in the end if we are filled with charity we will have no fear. We will not judge. We will look to heal, to uplift, to help. Sins and weaknesses never diminish the value of a person. Each is a precious child of God. If I am hurt in any way because I am acting in love for the benefit of another, then my being "hurt" is a blessing. -Finrock

Something else to consider. This is a portion of the account given by Wilford Woodruff of healings done by Joseph Smith and others 22 July 1839: -Finrock

Good Afternoon gem2477. I hope you're having a good day! :) The path to heaven is strait and narrow. Prophets do not create truth. They reveal truth and they are bound by it. The only question or concern that is really relevant is: Are we doing things the way Heavenly Father wants us to? Progressivism, public relations, people's opinions, and what not really don't matter in the end if it doesn't conform with how truth and reality actually is and what the Father has decreed. -Finrock

Good afternoon Traveler. I hope you've been well! :) We become one with God when we are filled with His Spirit. We become filled with His Spirit when we keep His commandments because we receive a remission of our sins through obedience. We must continually submit to the will of the Father. We don't have to wait until death to become one with the Godhead. -Finrock

Good Afternoon Wingnut! I hope you've been well. :) Not necessarily. I'm committed to my wife no matter what. I will not abandon her in her times of trouble, no matter how big, serious, and catastrophic that trouble/sin/issue may be. That doesn't mean that I am immune from being hurt by her only that I will not surrender, ever. If my wife chooses to leave then that will be her choice, of course. -Finrock

Hi andypg. I hope you're doing well! :) Take this for what it's worth: -Finrock

Good Morning Quin. I hope you are well today! :) We must perceive the world very differently. Having material wealth and being comfortable is not a valid measure of goodness or righteousness. Love of God and of all men is the measure of goodness. The false modern definition of "love" doesn't apply. Our society talks a lot about tolerance, love, etc. but it is all empty. The "tolerance" in our society is a tolerance of wickedness and the "love" in our society is a love of worldly things and pleasures. As a nation God is far from our hearts. We have eliminated Him from virtually every aspect of public life all the while thinking that this is some sort of virtue. We pat ourselves in the back for being progressive and so much more sophisticated and enlightened than ages past. It is a delusion. It is literally madness. -Finrock

Good Morning Wingnut. I hope you're doing well! :) That Obamacare is a bundle of satanic principles is barely hyperbole. -Finrock

Story, report, article, and revelation after revelation reveals just how corrupt the President of the United States and his administration are and just how corrupt most politicians in the United States are. We have revelation after revelation of a federal government that is blatantly trampling upon the rights of Americans. I cannot remember nor do I know of an administration that is more corrupt and more anti-liberty than this administration is. Under this administration there is blatant corruption and disregard for liberty that is seen in some of the scariest government agencies, including, but not limited to: 1. NSA - Spying on Americans 2. State Department - Benghazi cover up 3. IRS - Suppression of free speech rights and the right to organize 4. Obamacare - A bundle of Satanic principles 5. Labor Department - Falsifying jobs report to help Obama win election 6. And many more... Yet, despite all of these clear examples and indicators of a culture of corruption and anti-liberty amongst the president and his closest supporters, it seems that so many people just keep making excuses for him and keep insisting that the "King" does in fact have his clothes on. What happened to principle over party? Not only that, I can't tell you how many times I keep hearing this excuse: "Well, the Republicans did it too!" I mean, who cares!? Wrong is wrong. For someone like me it is exceedingly difficult to understand how people can be so blind or seemingly so apathetic to being lied to and manipulated by their president and leaders. How can so many people not see that they are losing their country and their freedoms? -Finrock EDIT: Please excuse spelling and grammar.

Good Morning Traveler. I hope you are well! :) I appreciate this comment. I had not considered this thought in exactly this fashion before. If the scriptures are to be believed then the closer to God one becomes, the more suffering they will endure for the sake of Christ. It is a refining and saving process. We can know we are on the right path when we are suffering for Christ's sake. I like how you pointed out that when the righteous are suffering because of the wickedness of others, they are only emulating the Savior. -Finrock

I want to clarify that not at any point have I said God caused me to be sexually abused. I'm saying that God knew what would happen, He sent me down anyways, and He allowed the abuse to happen. Other's meant it for evil but God meant it for good. He kept His promise. My suffering has turned out for my good. There is a purpose to our suffering and that purpose is good. We can realize this if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ. -Finrock

Good afternoon Feta. It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope you are well today! :) It seems insane but it isn't. The opposite is true; it is absolutely sane. It is liberating. Do you think God didn't know what would happen to me or in fact what would happen to any person who comes to earth? What if I agreed to come down to the conditions that I came down to? If God didn't want me to have the experiences I have had He would not have placed me where He placed me. This is true for all people. I don't say this to boast but I see my experiences as an advantage. But the fact that my experiences are an advantage is only true because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. So, if I'm insane then I'm in good company and I'm happy to be here : Further... In the temple we learn that Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and introduced suffering, trials, and death specifically because they realized that it was better for us to suffer through trials so that we could know the good from the evil. It is the only way to exaltation and eternal life. God wanted Adam and Eve to partake. There is no other way to heaven. We must walk through the valley of death. -Finrock

Good Evening classylady. I hope you're well! :) Thank you but don't let your heart hurt. My message is that because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, because He went beneath all things, my suffering has turned out for my good. God meant it for my good and that is what it has been. God kept His promise. I am testifying of that. This life is a test. All things are in order and God is in control. As a sacrifice God said that we must bring a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We can expect to have experiences in life that will break our heart and then it is up to us to choose whether we will have a contrite spirit. God wants us to turn to Him. When we step out of this world, if even in our minds eye, and try to view things from an eternal perspective, our experiences are but training tools. Our suffering and trials, if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, will refine us. This is what we want! When we see our trials and suffering for what they truly are and when we see ourselves for who we truly are and what we are really doing here on this earth, then we can have joy in our suffering. This is a promise God gives us. It is a true promise. -Finrock

I thank God with all of my heart that he sent me to a home where I was sexually abused by my mom and grandma. God could have stopped my suffering. I was 6 years old. I was not sinful. My suffering has been a blessing. No man, no woman, no earthly thing could heal me. My heart was broken and when it was I turned to God. I prayed with all the energy of my soul for relief, and He came and relieved me by the power of His spirit. I thank God for allowing me to experience what I experienced because it is what has allowed me to know God as I do. Now that I see my suffering through the eyesof faith I can hardly call it suffering. That is the point. Suffering is a blessing and God wants to bless us. We need to develope the skill to see suffering for what it is. It is a matter of faith. It is a shift in how you view life and your circumstances. -Finrock

Good evening Anddenex. I hope you are well! :) You're welcome. That's the thing. If we compare our suffering with other people then we seem to see a difference. However, we must compare our suffering with that of the Savior. In comparison, our suffering in mortality is meager, no matter the suffering. We must look to the Savior. When we realize that our suffering has been overcome by the Savior then we can have joy in our suffering. Our trials will be but opportunities for us to grow. They won't seem to us as burdens. They will be light. We won't count them as suffering, but rather as blessings. When we are in the midst of our worst suffering we are in the midst of working out our greatest blessings if we can but see it with an eye of faith and endure well. God has promised He will overcome our burdens for us if we put our trust in Him. He will make the burden seem light to us. This isn't figurative. It is real. He makes our suffering come out for our good. He means them for our good. It is all meant to save us. He is working to shape us and make us perfect. This life is the time for this to happen and we have the experiences we have so that we can learn to have faith; a faith which leads to knowledge. -Finrock

After Jesus is betrayed Peter rises up and chops off the ear of the servant of the high priest who was part of the group to arrest Jesus. In response to this: Simple question. What is the cup that the Father has given the Son? What would happen if Jesus did not drink the cup given by His Father? This is the cup that Jesus did drink. This is the cup that the Father has given Him It was the Father's will that Jesus suffered. In my view, there is no denying this. The Father means for us to suffer. He wants us to suffer in mortality because our suffering in mortality is really just a lesson on faith. When seen through the eyes of faith, suffering is but a blessing. This is so because Jesus Christ suffered and went beneath all things. Seen from an eternal view our suffering in mortality is but a type and a shadow of the suffering endured by Christ. And yet, if we endure our meager trials and sufferings in faith, as Jesus suffered all things in perfect faith, then through the Atonement of Jesus Christ our small sacrifice will be made great, even as great as the Son's. -Finrock

The Garden of Eden, on Earth? -Finrock

Truth is God wants us to know all truth. In every case when a truth isn't received it is because an individual would not receive it. Our Standard works are THE standard. Already I fail at living the laws and principles given in our Standard works with exactness. We have enough canon to save us while at the same time we have enough canon not to d a m n us. As we begin to LIVE the gospel of Jesus Christ we will be added upon. Our knowledge and at the same time our personally accountability to our knowledge increases. God has given us what we need to get on the path of salvation. As we accept and live His law we will grow from grace to grace. Each of us accountable to what we know and possess in our hearts. -Finrock

Hi Just_A_Guy. Hope you're having a good day! :) If it is true that people are being ordained Elders primarily on account of their age as opposed to being ordaining on account of demonstrated worthiness and spiritual maturity, then this is almost setting the person up for failure. I think there is a subtle assumption that is made in general that says simply having the priesthood makes one ready or worthy. I guess there seems to be a prevailing attitude in many, many instances that takes the Priesthood for granted. The vetting process should occur before a young man is ever ordained an Elder. This should not be an "automatic" advancement due to age. -Finrock

It's speculation to those who have a problem believing it. There is a certain faction of Mormons who for one reason or another are still influenced by traditional Christianity and so they balk at the idea of being equal with God. When you say you don't "see any official passages of [our] scripture that say this", I am not exactly sure I know what this identifies. However, there are scriptures that define what God's work is and how He obtains glory. There are scriptures that tells us straight out that we will be gods. There are scriptures that define Eternal Life. There are no scriptures that explicitely say, "When you are a God you will create worlds". God's Work and Glory Heirs and Joint-Heirs We Can Receive Fullness We Shall Be Gods Eternal Life Is God's Life -Finrock

The purpose of life is to perpetuate life forever. God's plan is all about an eternal increase. In naturalistic terms, the continuation of the species forever. If God's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man and if we are to be one with the Father and the Son and heirs and joint-heirs with Christ, then there is no other answer except that we will continue the work of the Father of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Whatever work He does, we will do. If the Father creates universes, then we will be doing the same. If He creates worlds, then we will be doing the same. If we are to be Gods, then we will be doing the work of Gods. -Finrock

That isn't so. How did you gain your belief, whatever it is, in the first place? Let's take away the veneer, so to speak. Some man or woman told you something that they believe in. However you accepted it and for whatever reasons, you have accepted what you accept. But, it did not originate from you. You heard it from someone else and they heard it from another. You are accepting or rejecting another's witness as to what reality is, whether it's things you accept as scripture or things you don't, unless you have your own experiences with the Divine, which are not passed down to you in the least. So, now, I offer you my testimony that there is a Heavenly Mother. The Holy Spirit has confirmed this to my spirit which exist inside my mortal body. I received a witness because I sought after the truth of it after hearing the thought from another person. The thought was planted in to my mind. I didn't reject the thought. When I was ready the Holy Spirit confirmed that this was indeed truth as I had supposed that it was. This isn't essential knowledge at the moment, however, the Holy Scriptures that we have do not deny it even if they do not expressly teach it. You can outright accept, test, or reject my testimony just as you would do with any other witness you receive from a mortal. I hope that no matter what you do, in the end you will seek your own witness of truth from the Holy Spirit and then accept that witness given to you by the Holy Ghost. Is that not the greatest reason we have for accepting truth? -Finrock

Good Afternoon skippy740. I hope you are doing well! :) I am providing a witness to the reality of Heavenly Mother. Either I speak falsehoods or I speak truth. No matter which man testifies of truth, they are only a man. All truth comes from the Spirit. Any man or woman who utters the words of the Spirit are uttering truth. It is up to the individual to accept or to test my witness or not. If my witness doesn't do anything for anyone, so be it. If it does, wonderful. I hope they will get their own witness from the only source that matters...The Spirit! -Finrock

Your contention is circular. Of course if you don't see a reason you don't have a reason. But, that is not to mean there isn't a reason. I just gave you a reason. The Spirit. The Spirit is the source of scripture. -Finrock