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So blessed am I No idea why But grateful in my prayers My heart is full And feels the pull Of someone list’ning there On bended knee I pray to see Who tends my every care? And while I sought The spirit wrought A sweet and loving air That by this glow He let me know Of me, He is aware He loves purely Very surely This child so full of tares Aeglyn Dec 2018
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Hi everyone, I have a serious question. My little brother past away about 2 months ago he was only 18 and is sorely missed. My wife and I are expecting our first son and have had some spiritual experiences concerning my brother. My question is: is it possible and doctrinally correct for premortal spirits(my unborn son) and postmortal spirits (my deceased brother) to visit each other? I want to know if anyone has any scriptural referrences or talks given by general authorities etc. I want to know if my son an my brother are together or not.
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I have grown up in the church, served a mission and married in the temple. When I was 12 my dad sexually abused me. Now I'm in my 40's and the past that I buried has come to light and I have had a tough year as I've been dealing with this. A year ago I started antidepressants. I have met with my bishop and have been seeing a counselor. Sometimes I have felt like I've improved but lately I'm struggling again. I continue attending church but my heart hasn't been in it. I feel like the medication takes away my ability to feel the spirit. It's hard to keep doing everything when you haven't felt the spirit in so long. I feel deserted by heavenly father. I am confused and am questioning the truthfulness of the gospel. I feel like I've lost my testimony but I don't want to continue on like this. What can I do?
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Hi everyone, I was hoping to get some advice from you all here. Long story short, I’m heading back to the U.S. to propose to my girlfriend. I am trying to think of some proposal ideas that have a personal touch as well as being kind of extravagant. So, if anyone can help with suggestions that would be great. I’ll be leaving about the 20/3 and will hopefully have an answer within the week. There is a chance she may not accept; although I have been praying about it for months and I feel the Spirit pushing me to go. So here I go ? M
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This is my first post. I created an account here just so I could ask this question: Is the mind spirit? I've been reading a lot of success books lately (7habits, etc) which have lead me to think about both the conscious and subconscious mind in particular. The information I'm learning regarding the mind has been very helpful in my life but I still don't know exactly WHAT the mind is. I feel I have a pretty good understanding of the body and spirit, but I am not sure whether or not the mind is physical or spiritual, or if it's possibly something separate?
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"15 ¶Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." (Matthew 7:15-18) There is much to be said regarding these verses. Ironically it is the false prophets that uses these verses to "prove" they are true prophets. But first, what is a prophet? Simply put, a prophet is one that receives revelation from God. Communication and direction may be received by anyone, inside or outside the church, but that is not the same as revelation. Revelation is a more pure form of communication. False prophets sincerely believe they are receiving revelations from God thus one cannot expect them to confess the errors of their ways. It is failing to be able to differentiate between God and the other sources of revelation (self or Satan) that leads one to being a false prophet. Interestingly it is pride that always plays a role with false prophets because they are unwilling to entertain the idea that their revelations are not from God - one that is prideful is not teachable. How do false prophets use that scripture to their advantage? By misinterpreting it. They substitute "works" for "fruits". Once they make the substitution then they'll point to their "good works" as proof that they are a true prophet. They aren't the only ones that make that incorrect substitution, though. How many times do members point to the Book of Mormon as a "fruit" of Joseph Smith? It is not a fruit but rather a work, and what a work it was to do the translation! But it is still a work, not a fruit. Nor is faithful home teaching and visiting teaching a fruit but rather a work. Just as it is incorrect for false prophets to substitute "works" for "fruits" so also is it incorrect for us members to make that same mistake. So then what is a "fruit" if it is not synonymous with "work"? It is the core attributes/characteristics of a person. It consists of those individual attributes that make up the "fruit of the Spirit": Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. It also includes the opposites: indifference, hate, miserable, contention, impatience, evil, doubtful, pride, and hot-headed. It is those core attributes that define our characteristics. Once we are attuned to observing those key attributes then false prophets are readily weeded out. Take President Monson, for example. Is he more of a loving man or one that is indifferent towards others or hates others? All who personally know him know that love best describes him. How about faith? Is he one that seems to live by faith or doubt? Those that know him know he is not a doubter but rather is faithful. We can go right down the list, comparing him to those attributes that make up the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and see that his being is in line with those of the Spirit. Yes, he is a true prophet. Just the same we can take others and compare them. Take Charles Russell, founder of a popular religion. Followers willingly admit that he was one that liked to debate and argue. How does that fit with the comparison of "peace" vs "contention"? One of such character also lacks love - how does that compare with "love" vs "indifference/hate"? Once the fruits are examined it becomes clear that he was not of God. A false prophet usually does not know that they are a false prophet. They honestly believe they are a true prophet. The deception is either from Satan or from themselves, or both. That's how Snuffer got his start - by relying on his own understanding and wisdom through studies, but then Satan was able to get a foothold by appearing as an angel of light. Snuffer truly believes that which he espouses and apparently makes good arguments since many seem to be taken in by it. If one that personally knows Denver will examine the fruits then it will be guaranteed to reveal that he is a false prophet. How am I so sure? Because he does not have the Holy Spirit with him - those that do will reflect the attributes that make up the fruit of the Spirit. But because he did not know the Spirit he did not know when he was straying away. When Satan provided a false manifestation he failed to compare ALL the attributes in the fruit of the Spirit to prove that it was the Spirit, and that fatal neglect led him to excommunication along with many others. And the followers are making the same mistake of failing to consider that ALL the attributes must be present otherwise it is not the fruit of the Spirit and, hence, is not the Spirit. In a nutshell all one is doing to detect a true or false prophet is to look for whether the Spirit is with them. That is observed by how well they match the attributes that makes up the fruit of the Spirit. That doesn't just apply to proclaimed prophets but rather to all people, whether member or nonmember. Righteousness is not based on what one does but rather how close they come to matching the Spirit, which is the same as measuring up to the stature of Jesus Christ. That seems to be a touchy subject especially for those that don't have the Spirit but think they do. They immediately retort that it is a judgment. But is that what the scripture says? Does the scripture say "ye shall judge them by their fruits"? No, it says "ye shall know them by their fruits". There's no judging because it is simply known just as it is known whether a person is black or white without having to judge. Stating a fact is not a judgment just like stating the race of a person is not a judgment. Any angry person does not have the Spirit with them - there's no judging but rather it is self evident and simply known. A contentious person does not have the Spirit with them and it is not judging to make that observance. "the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center." (1 Nephi 16:2) Failing to recognize the Spirit is a first step in becoming a false prophet. Thinking the Spirit is felt in different ways is a failure to recognize the Spirit because the Spirit only has one fruit and only feels one way. If one adds Satan's counterfeits, normal human emotions, and/or only part of the characteristics of the then there will be the appearance that the Spirit feels different ways but in reality that the person does not know how to distinguish between the Spirit from other sources. And, just the same, their fruits will reveal that they are failing to know the Spirit. A common characteristic of those that fail to know the Spirit is anger, impatience, pride, and/or contention. It is very easily remedied by simply becoming humble, turning to God, and seeking the Spirit's guidance.
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I was left really off-balance when a relative left the church some time ago. The reason why this one made such a big impact on me is that in many ways I was just like her. There were some questions about the faith. There were questions about what the Spirit felt like. We had many of the same weaknesses. There were aspects, traits, and histories that were similar in both our backgrounds. And our personalities were very similar. She spent the last six months of "enduring" going to the temple almost every day it was open. Praying. Sometimes she'd do multiple sessions in a day. She said she had gained a testimony long ago. But then she had lost it in recent years. Maybe she found it was too hard. Maybe she lost sight. I don't know. But she's pretty much gone. I've spent the last few months now wondering what changed. I wondered why it didn't happen to me. I wondered why I'm still strong and she went off the deep end. (I really mean she purposefully took a flying leap off the deep end.) We were so similar in many ways. Why did I not make the same leap? Some differences that give me hope are: #1: I love my wife with a tenderness and a depth that I can never express to her in words. She (the relative) didn't ever feel that passion for her husband. My love for my wife has kept me from doing many things that would take me down the wrong path. But the interesting thing was that she said she decided to marry him because she was sure he could take her to the Celestial Kingdom. And on his side, she was right. He's about -- actually strike that. He IS the most stalwart man I've ever met. And this recent trial almost broke him. They are now divorced. #2: I generally went to the right people for advice and counsel and a shoulder to cry on. She went to the wrong kind of people. #3: I have learned an awful lot more in doctrine, reasoning, and understanding of the Lord and His ways. She was pretty much a newbie. I wonder if this is enough. In a sense it is good for me to ponder this. It makes me more vigilant. But it is disconcerting at the same time.
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Previously, I'd heard speakers in Gen. Conf. say that we shouldn't be too concerned about the public speaking talent of the speakers at sacrament meeting, or the teaching ability of teachers in Sunday School. It is up to us to bring our own portion of the Spirit to the meetings and seek out the Lord. Ok. I see that point. Though I think that's kinda tough sometimes. At my stake conference, the area seventy said the primary concern that the apostles have is that we need to make all our meetings at church and at home more spiritual. This coupled with all the talks and discussion that ensued seemed to indicate that there is a widespread problem with people simply not feeling the Spirit anymore. (My interpretation). ************************* Traveler asked if "evil is increasing in the world". Vort posed the question "by what criteria?" I really appreciated that discussion. Traveler's final response (post #43 on that thread) gave some valuable insight. And for the most part, I agreed with him. But it was deemed impossible to measure. I'd submit that if the apostles are concerned that the saints are having the Spirit withdraw from them in a widespread manner, then this is a good criterion to measure if evil is increasing in the world. Thoughts?
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I've been working on an article generally intended for non-LDS but subtly intended for LDS. The title is currently, How God Speaks to Mormons. I would like your take on experiences, stories and the like that describe the revelatory experience. Please let me know. If you would like to see a draft copy of what I have so far, I will post it.
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I am almost embarrassed to admit that, after over 40 years in Pentecost, over 20 as a minister, I had never come across the insight I heard yesterday--on Mother's Day. My church had a guest speaker--a Presbyterian minister, who happened to be Pentecostal (okay--that was important in our church). He pointed out Mary was in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. Scripture says they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spake in tongues. So, if this infilling of the Spirit is good enough for the Mother of God, is it not something we should pursue? So, how does this play out in LDS spirituality? Do folk speak of experiences with the Spirit. I know that "led by the Spirit" is a common refrain. Seeking confirmation from the Spirit is as well. What of being filled? And, what would be the result of such an experience? In Protestantism there are a few ideas about this. The main two are that the infilling of the Spirit is for power--to be witnesses. The other, is that its power for holiness (sanctification). A few even believe there are distinct experiences for each. If nothing else, I'm reminded of Jesus promise that if we seek righteousness we will be filled. Further, if we seek gifts from the Father, he'll not give us bad ones.
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I am studying D&C 84 and presently find myself associated with verse 46. "And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit." "[T]he Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world," is in reference to the Light of Christ (according to every General Authority quotation and reference I can find). The second half of the verse refers to the idea of following the quiet promptings of the Light of Christ - as an individual does so, that individual is given a greater portion of the Spirit. This is evident in several quotations but, for example: “The Light of Christ will lead the honest soul to ‘hearkeneth to the voice’ to find the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost.” (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2003 General Conference) or “Not only does this verse [verse 46] provide a further witness that we all have access to this source of divine direction, it also emphasizes the need for us to hearken, or listen and respond, to the promptings we receive….These intimations, sometimes referred to as conscience but more accurately defined as the Light of Christ, not only help us in deciding what is right and what is wrong, they will, if followed, lead us to the source of that light which emanates from the presence of the Father and the Son.” (Elder Kenneth Johnson, October 2002 General Conference) Thus the meaning of this verse becomes clear. So, here is my question: What does it mean, when we read in verse 46, that "the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth"? That phrase "through the world" doesn't seem to fit and I can't determine a meaning for it in context of the rest of the verse. What are your thoughts?
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I know this could go under the missionary thread, but this is a bit more than just a mission problem as this type of dilemma has popped up in other areas of my life as well. So since I've received my patriarchal blessing I've pretty much felt like one of my purposes in life was to serve a mission (originally this was hesitantly accepted because of my own reasons I didn't really prefer the idea of serving a mission) So I've always been planning on going when I was 21 and then the missionary age change came about and I was immersed in the new sea of eligible sisters. I was happy, but anxious because I didn't feel prepared/ready, but I thought I should put in my papers in February. Well, in December I kind of mulled over it briefly and I just kind of got a good feeling about trying to put in my papers as soon as possible. So I pressed forward and despite everything being crazy and doubts over how soon I'd actually be able to get medical appts. etc, everything fell perfectly into place. Without twisting anybody's arm I was able to get medical/church appts all finished within a week and a half of starting them and my papers submitted. So let's jump forward. I've received my mission call. Yay, right? It arrived it on Thursday but I wasn't able to actually go home and open it until Saturday. During all of that time, I wasn't really emotional/anxious. My coworkers and roommates were actually giving me funny looks and comments and I actually had to try to pretend to be really excited and dying from waiting for it, but in all honesty, I didn't really feel anything. So Saturday came, my roommates were there, my family was there, I was there, I finally got to hold my envelope and open it. I opened it and immediately once I started reading it I suppose the Spirit hit me because I shook a little bit almost like I was going to cry. I read it and finished and everyone congratulated me and was so excited. I was in a good mood, but I wasn't overly excited, I told everyone it seemed surreal to me, and I suppose it was true. But over the course of the day and through to today, I just kind of feel empty. I don't really feel excited or happy, not that I really feel negative emotions either, I'm not really anxious or stressed or unhappy. I feel like the only thing that is making me feel unhappy or sad right now is my lack of happiness or warm fuzzies and excitement. I've tried to make myself happy over it. Logically, it seems like it should be a wonderful mission, I've found my mission president's blog and they seem great and fun. Everyone and their dog has either been there or known people who are there currently and says it's awesome. If it was anyone else I would be congratulating them and would be happy for them, but I feel such a disconnect, like that's not where I'm going. Like my real mission call still has yet to come. My mom says that she was so excited and she's so glad that I was so excited because she knew beforehand that I was a tad concerned about where I might go, but she knew when I read my call that I felt so relieved and I am so happy. But I'm not. When having to announce it in church or having people congratulate me and ask me where I'm going (which is nice, I so love and appreciate their support) I just feel kind of numb or almost embarrassed and sick of talking about it and I don't know why. So what's going on? Logically, there's not much to stress over, no real financial worries and the timing is great and everything seems great and to fall into place. I'm happy to be taking Mission Prep and to be studying Preach My Gospel and talking to other people about their missions. So why now that I've received my call am I not excited or even mildly happy about it? P.S.: I'm pretty sure this isn't from Satan (he has much more potent methods [depression, anxiety, etc.] that he can use to get me that I have been experiencing off and on and he can sometimes use these feelings of sadness/unhappiness as fuel, but otherwise I'm pretty sure this specifically isn't him)
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For the last month I haven't been able to take the sacrament. I've done some confessing to the Bishop and have to wait to be able to take it again. Does this mean that I am unable to have the Spirit of the Lord with me until I can righteously partake of the sacrament again? Does the Holy Ghost leave and completely forsake someone while they can't take the sacrament? Am I unable to hear it's prompting's until I can take the sacrament again?
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Before I start I want to state that I am an active, temple holding, member with a "strong" testimony of the gospel. With that said, one principle that has been hard for me in life is prayer. SO EASY!...in principle. But what I can't get are answers. So here's the problem. We're taught that if we need guidance we should work it out in our minds and then ask God if it (what we reasoned out for ourselves) is correct. If it is, we'll feel good about it and if not, a stupor of thought. Well the problem is that it just seems like that's basic human psychology. Of course we feel good or peaceful about a problem after we've worked through it and made a decision! because the confustion is gone! So whenever I try this excersice, I already feel good BEFORE I pray (Because I've reached a decision) and so recieve a "yes" answer. And anytime I simply can't decide, I have a stupor of thought (Because I'm still confused and haven't made a decion). Problem is, I don't believe that I'm just that smart. I can't possibly always work things out and arrive at the right or best choice. And if I simply don't know? well, I've never had an experience where pray in and of itself has shed light on the matter (not to discount the possibility of receiving blessing because of prayer. I've definitely been blessed with things I've asked for). So the question for those of you who do receive revelation through prayer, how does it work for you? How does your experience differ from mine? Thanks, Eman
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If you a person goes inactive, engages in unclean behavior (i.e. drinking, engaging in premarital sex, questioning God) but decided to come back to the Church and repent, would they be able to get the Gift of the Holy Ghost Back? That is, if they were already baptized and received the Gift once before, but the Spirit left them because of their decisions, could the Spirit come back and remain with them once more? Just curious because I was inactive for about a year and am now just going back to Church. I felt the Spirit when I was studying and it struck me to think about if I could ever have it stay with me always. That is of course as long as I keep the Lord's Commandments.
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Is it possible to have a "live" body without a spirit? Such as what happens when someone is on life support and there is a general feeling that the person has already passed and so it is time to stop life support. Is it possible that there could be an alive body without the spirit present? Yes, we would call it "dead" in terms of the body without the spirit is dead. (James 2:26) But the tissue is alive, artificially alive just like there can exist faith (momentarily) without works. Or does it mean by definition that when the body is alive, even if it is in a very primitive way, such as heart rate, blood pressure and brain waves are present but no purposeful activity or interaction observed that the spirit has to be there? This was of course apply to the other end of life which is if the zygote is alive, the spirit is there? And also when God formed man before breathing in life, the body was "dead" or live tissue? It could also apply to recent threads pertaining to the flood and what is deemed "dead." (i.e. - the spirits were taken from all those animals left on land during the flood and yet the body remains, ready for the next generation.) Or, do we take that in a strict sense, with any hint of life there has to be a spirit present for that individual.
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I've always had a hard time understanding this scripture. D&C 88:15 "15 And the spirit and the body are the soul of man." and yet the Gospel Topics definition on the LDS website of soul is; "in scripture, the term soul is used as a synonym for spirit to describe a person in four different phases of his or her eternal existence." Like in Abraham 3:23; "And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born." So, D&C 88:15 is kind of like saying 1 + 1 = 1. And then in Alma 40:23 it says; "The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame." Well, if the soul is the spirit plus the body, how is that going to be restored to another body? So, in this case it seems that the "soul" is just referring to the spirit alone. I guess the question is why do we use the term "soul" at all, when in reality what is meant is spirit? Isn't "spirit" good enough? Or is there some added significance to the term "soul"? And D&C 88:15 makes it seem like "soul" is something more than the spirit alone. My feeling is that the word "soul" is used to describe the full faculties of an individual depending on what circumstance or period of life they are in. In the pre-existence the "soul" would be synonymous to "spirit" as there is no body. In this life, the "soul" is the combination of the effects from the spirit and the body. In the spirit world it is again by itself so the spirit once again equals the soul. And then once we receive a glorified body it goes back to being a spirit plus a body equals a "soul." And then we have scriptures like Abraham 5:7; " 7 And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took his spirit (that is, the man’s spirit), and put it into him; and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." that make it sound like "soul" is not an appropriate term for a pre-existence person because it is not a "living soul" until it is added to the body. So, does that mean the "soul" is dead in the pre-existence? These are confusing and interchangeable terms. What makes the term "soul" any different than "spirit"? What is the value of using the term "soul" over "spirit" or vice versa?
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I've been studying Preach my Gospel and i came to the Recognizing the spirit section and that has been extremely good for me because thats what im trying to learn. anyway then i came to relying on the spirit, and i realized how hard that is or can be even without realizing it or thinking that you are. i think in the world today we hold ourselves back so much with so many people and put up a wall or sheild so to speak against things that we sometimes ourselves dont even see it. and i've come to realize i've even had that in my relationship with Our Savior, i looked up the word Rely in the Dictionary and i came up with: Depend on with full trust of confidence, to be Dependent on. i realized that i haven't been doing that and at the times the spirit tries to talk to me I'm the one blocking that communication, the Lord isn't its not a punishment or anything, its just me putting up an invisible barrier that i didn't know i was building. so i've came up with a goal, i realize i rely on my friends, on my family, as i should the spirit, when a member of my family says they will pick me up at a certain time. i depend on that i rely on that. an example as simple as that. we know that person is coming to pick us up, we have confidence they're coming. it should be that real, that easy and simple relying on the spirt. : ) i dunno i just kind of realized this for myself and it is a tough goal to work on for me, but i'll accomplish it through prayer and opening my heart and trust a little wider than i knew i could :) what are your thoughts of Relying on the Spirit?
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