How to change desire/thoughts?

[tubaloth]

I'll throw this out there. I was trying to figure if our desire can change while on this earth? Now there is physical desire, but I think its bigger than that. We have a desire to help others. Sometimes we just don't.

I guess this is the natural Man?

The scripture like "as a Man thinkth so is he". The desires comes from our thoughts. So can my thoughts actually change? Can the way I think actually change? I have a hard time believing that. You can learn to watch your thoughts, or understand how your thinking works. (which does lead to different actions). But can or does the thought process ever actually change? I guess as we are suppose to have the "Mind of Christ", can I ever fully (while on this earth) have the same thought process as Christ has?

Just me thinking!

[RipplecutBuddha]

A possibly related example is one of my friends who served his mission in Brazil. He struggled to learn the language, but as he did so he noticed himself praying more comfortably in the language. Most interesting was when he realized he was dreaming in portugese.

In fact, on the flight home, the stewardess asked him three times if he wanted a drink of water. It took her that many times before my friend realized she was speaking English.

The way we think can be changed, but it requires focus and determination. Once again, the Lord is not asking us to do something impossible. We may not see from this end how it can be done, but once we accomplish what God asks of us, we can more easily see how it happened. The important factor to keep in mind is how directly involved God wants to be through it all. Study the example of Nephi and the brass plates.

[applepansy]

A couple of years ago there was an article in Newsweek about a study that was done. It showed unequivocally that changing our thoughts changes the chemistry in the brain. It also showed that positive thoughts created the chemicals that are associated with good mood and the opposite negative thoughts created the chemicals associated with depression even to the point of clinical depression.

So... I don't see why out thoughts can't change our desires. It just makes sense that they can.

I believe our spirits are really in the drivers seat, both physically and spiritually.

[Connie]

Thoughts

Think About What You Are Thinking About - Ensign Apr. 2009

Think on Christ - Ensign Mar. 1989

Mind over Matter - New Era Jan. 1989

Desire

Some book recommendations:

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

Unlocking the Powers of Faith by Garth Allred

Drawing on the Powers of Heaven by Grant Von Harrison

[Backroads]

Yoga.

I'm serious.

A huge part of yoga is focusing and even altering your thoughts.

[spamlds]

A positive attitude is the best tool for refocusing your thoughts about anything. Begin each day with a moment of giving thanks for the littlest things--a comfy bed, the sunshine in the window, the hot water in the shower, a tasty bowl of cereal, clean clothes to put on. It sounds silly, but it sets the tone for the rest of the day. When temptation comes, just redirect to things you're thankful for. If you are burdened with depressing thoughts, nothing dispels darkness faster than being grateful for the little things. It takes time, but it does work. You can re-train your mind toward positive things and you'll find greater motivation to act on promptings or simply doing your duties. I don't remember the exact quote, but Brigham Young said that if you fall on your knees every morning and thank the Almighty for your blessings with all your heart, you will not fail to enter the Celestial Kingdom. I think there's something to that.

[Seminarysnoozer]

I've always interpreted and tried to make sense of that issue by separating things that come from the spirit versus things that come from the body. We are dual beings, meaning body and spirit together. The desires of the heart are things that come from the spirit being, thoughts are mostly from the body and brain wiring. If there is a breakdown of the veil then I suppose that some thoughts can be from the spirit. What you do with those carnal mind thoughts, though, is what expresses one's desire.

That is one of the purposes of this life, to show our true natures. Our choices and how we are valiant or not on those choices expresses our true desires. The thoughts from the mind can be how the choice is presented, and it might be presented over and over again as a test of endurance. Living a chaste life is what helps keep those thoughts manageable but if left alone the thoughts become more and more carnal and then an enemy to God.

So, more specifically, in my opinion thoughts can only be managed to a certain point, our job is to keep evil thoughts from having much of a presence on the stage of our mind. And desires, one's true nature, is mostly unchangeable, but it may be obscured under carnal thoughts (the body) until there is a change of heart or a focus on spiritual influences over carnal. The more spiritual control, the more one's true nature comes out.

[Obolus]

The most important thing to realize about desires is that they are developed. Once developed, they cannot be shut down directly. They can only be directly repressed, which leads to further slavery. Thus the only way to disable them is to develop alternative desires that render them displaced. In this indirect way, unwanted desires can be marginalized out of existence by the power of Christ's atonement.

It is definitely possible to develop different desires because the body works by the law of the harvest (as indicated in Alma 32). What is sewn shall be reaped.

[Seminarysnoozer]

The most important thing to realize about desires is that they are developed.

It is definitely possible to develop different desires because the body works by the law of the harvest (as indicated in Alma 32). What is sewn shall be reaped.

I still think this is vague and needs to be separated into 'desires of the heart' and 'carnal desires' or some other terminology. Otherwise, you would be saying that souls that die at childbirth have no desires? Or those that live with a body that doesn't allow them to be themselves like trisomy 18 etc. I think they still have desires, in fact, pure desires not corrupted by carnal desires.

The carnal desires are developed and have to be overcome by many to let our 'true nature' be revealed. It is those that let the carnal desires or nature obscure their spiritual self that get lost in the mist. I think true nature desires can be sewn but they get chocked out by the carnal desires and therefore can't be reaped. One's true nature is already sewn.

[Dove]

Hi, Tubaloth;

I was healed of an addiction some years ago. It was a beautiful thing~ I had smoked for some years and had never been able to fully stop or permanently stop. Until I started going back to church. After I went to church for awhile I really wanted to stop smoking. So I got a powerful blessing from my bishop at the time. I stopped smoking almost immediately. I stopped for several years.

I have a profound testimony of the power of the priesthood changing not only my heart but my body in being able to quit smoking. I believe that when I want to change with all my heart/sincerely want to change and I utilize the atonement through faith and the power of the priesthood that change does happen. I believe the only true way to change ourselves is through the power of the atonement and nothing else really. It may seem like we are doing it; but, I believe that even the power given us to do the hard work is a gift of God.

[Obolus]

I still think this is vague and needs to be separated into 'desires of the heart' and 'carnal desires' or some other terminology.

Perhaps you are right. But for the purposes of Tubaloth's question, even righteous desires can be marginalized into irrelevancy in one's life. So I'm not sure a distinction needs to be made.

Otherwise, you would be saying that souls that die at childbirth have no desires? Or those that live with a body that doesn't allow them to be themselves like trisomy 18 etc. I think they still have desires, in fact, pure desires not corrupted by carnal desires.

I think you are right that all spirits have desires. But after passing through the veil of forgetfulness, time and experience are required to realize those desires in mortality. Else the forgetfulness element of the veil is just a myth. An infant in the cases you cited does pass through birth, pain and death, all of which provide a level of experience. But the righteous desires they may have had in the pre-existence have to be remembered for them to "have" them.

Then again, there are accounts all the time of the veil being thin for youngsters. So you may be right. My main point concerns desires that keep us in thrall to sin. No one, for instance, is born with the desire to have sex that humiliates/annihilates the self or the other. Yet this desire is prevalent in subcultures that participate in BDSM. Hence, such desires are developed and fed as acquired appetites.

[shine7]

I go to God in prayer when I need help changing my thoughts. He has the power, I do the asking.

[Seminarysnoozer]

Perhaps you are right. But for the purposes of Tubaloth's question, even righteous desires can be marginalized into irrelevancy in one's life. So I'm not sure a distinction needs to be made.

I think you are right that all spirits have desires. But after passing through the veil of forgetfulness, time and experience are required to realize those desires in mortality. Else the forgetfulness element of the veil is just a myth. An infant in the cases you cited does pass through birth, pain and death, all of which provide a level of experience. But the righteous desires they may have had in the pre-existence have to be remembered for them to "have" them.

Then again, there are accounts all the time of the veil being thin for youngsters. So you may be right. My main point concerns desires that keep us in thrall to sin. No one, for instance, is born with the desire to have sex that humiliates/annihilates the self or the other. Yet this desire is prevalent in subcultures that participate in BDSM. Hence, such desires are developed and fed as acquired appetites.

I think we agree, it is just how you said we have to develop new desires. I don't think we do, I think they are there in our spirit self, suppressed by carnal desires which rule in this world. It is a matter of overcoming the carnal so that the spiritual can rule not that we have to develop new spiritual desires. They are old and familiar desires, we all chose to keep our first estate, that was a powerful statement about how righteous anyone here on earth is, at least in their spiritual non-veil state. We developed to maturity in the pre-mortal life.

Carnal desires are new and can be developed. Maybe that is how we tell the difference, that may be the 'burning' familiarity we feel with spiritual truths, that we knew them before and they are still there, just have to be uncovered.

[shine7]

I like what Seminarysnoozer said.

Just for input here.........about our first estate: my daughter's

patriarchal blessing says that she finished her first estate perfectly.......