I realized my anxiety is about religious standing before the Lord

[Guest]

I've been suffering from anxiety for only 3 years and I realized it started right after my psychosis episode where I thought I died and thought I was in Spirit Prison instead of Spirit Paradise, and since then have bottled anxiety feelings about my worthiness before God and mainly about where I will end up in the afterlife. If you say don't worry about it now, I've tried that already many times in the past 3 years and it only works for a short time. Basically if I had my calling and election made sure about my eternity I wouldn't have any anxiety, and wouldn't care about how or when I die because I'd be at so much peace with how my eternity will wind up with exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom. So my question is how do we know what path we're on at this very moment? How do we know that we've been forgiven of our sins from the Lord and are on the path to exaltation? That's another worry I have. The fact that there's mutliple kingdoms in heaven instead of just 1 heaven makes me nervous about making sure I get into the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom. We know of 5 levels of heaven: Telestial Kingdom, Terrestrial Kingdom, Level 1 CK, Level 2 CK, and Level 3 CK where is the only place where families can live forever and we can achieve exaltation.

All these multiple levels of heaven and not being sure where my current standing is causes a lot of stress and anxiety in my mind, especially after thinking of the mistakes I've made in my past, so how can I know or feel I'm on the right path? The path that leads to exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom and entrance into Spirit Paradise when I pass away from this life? This has been cause for 3 years of anxiety.

Edited December 5, 2016 by Zarahemla

[NeuroTypical]

Sorry to hear that, Zarahemla.  2015/16 saw me finally getting a grip on my worth and value. Not exactly the same hangup as you, but I'm willing to bet the anxiety was similar.  

Learning how to let go and trust in God was hard.  It was also very much worth it.  He really only does want your best, and the deal is sort of put together so any human's best leaves some of the boxes unchecked.  

[Jane_Doe]

Zarahemla: "So my question is how do we know what path we're on at this very moment?"

You ask Him and listen.

[Guest MormonGator]

Hope you find some peace bud. I know what it is like to be anxiety ridden and full of angst. I wasted too much of my life like that. 

Edited December 5, 2016 by MormonGator

[Guest]

52 minutes ago, Jane_Doe said:

Zarahemla: "So my question is how do we know what path we're on at this very moment?"

You ask Him and listen.

How do I listen? How do I hear the answer? I don't want vague primary answers I want specifics.

[Jane_Doe]

Zarahemla: "How do I listen? How do I hear the answer? I don't want vague primary answers I want specifics."

Ok, so let's get specific to you.  Zarahemla: how do YOU best listen?  What opens up YOUR ears to hear?

For me, it is a pen & paper: I listen best while writing, when my mind is a still conduit for the voice I'm listening to.  How about you?

[priesthoodpower]

Keep your temple recommend current and I think we all have a good shot at L3 CK, if not then at least L1 and work our way to L3. Thats my opinion.

[Guest]

Here is an interesting set of quotations about "Terrestrial" Mormons:

http://emp.byui.edu/marrottr/Degrees of Glory.htm

A temple recommend is a good starting point, as discussed in many conference talks.  Also, people who may be at risk, according to these quotes, may include those who only go to Church meetings or magnify their callings when it is convenient (which I would read to mean rarely or never), people who don't pay their tithing (which can prevent you from getting a temple recommend), people who criticize their leaders, and people who refuse to do any sort of missionary work whatsoever.

Are you weak in one of these areas?  Most people are.  I know I am weak on the fourth item in my little list - I have reacted to a decidedly anti-religious atmosphere at work by not telling my co-workers I am Mormon.  Maybe me and you and everyone else can take some time and ask ourselves how we can improve?  I think if we are making at least some effort to improve in these things, we will get to where we are trying to go.

Edited December 6, 2016 by DoctorLemon

[Guest MormonGator]

1 hour ago, Zarahemla said:

How do I listen? How do I hear the answer? I don't want vague primary answers I want specifics.

 I think you have to answer those questions yourself, to be honest. You can only find out so much from others. A lot of answers to the big questions come from within. 

Edited December 6, 2016 by MormonGator

[Guest]

Please take the time to watch/read these. I think the answer might lie in how you perceive/understand the Atonement. The ideas below changed everything for me. 

 

Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It? -Elder Devn Cornish

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Eowyn said:

Please take the time to watch/read these. I think the answer might lie in how you perceive/understand the Atonement. The ideas below changed everything for me. 

 

Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It? -Elder Devn Cornish

 

 

 

 

This makes me want to rewrite my above response!  As long as you are making honest efforts, a little each day, you will get to where you are going because you are moving forward even if it is at a slow pace.  It is when you stop trying and you spiritually stand still that you get into trouble... the fact you are concerned enough to feel anxious is a very good sign that you are moving forward!

Edited December 6, 2016 by DoctorLemon

[Guest]

Thanks everyone. Kind of what im asking and feel free to give your personal opinion is how would you know that somethings been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. Like our temple ordinances being sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise has to happen to be legit.

[zil]

15 minutes ago, Zarahemla said:

how would you know that somethings been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise

IMO, you just would - like being in love - you can't describe it to someone who's never been there, but the first time it happens, you have no doubt what you're feeling.

NOTE: I expect the vast majority of us will be dead before we feel certain that we have received this sealing.  (That is, it will happen later, in the next life, not mortality.)

More important is to know that it will be, as long as you keep moving forward.

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, Zarahemla said:

Thanks everyone. Kind of what im asking and feel free to give your personal opinion is how would you know that somethings been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. Like our temple ordinances being sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise has to happen to be legit.

@Zarahemla,

I hope you understand that this ^^ is a different question than what you indicated in the OP.  I might have summed up the OP with "How can I obtain a Hope in Christ?"

While there is some relationship between the two, the answers are somewhat different.

[Jane_Doe]

37 minutes ago, Zarahemla said:

Thanks everyone. Kind of what im asking and feel free to give your personal opinion is how would you know that somethings been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. Like our temple ordinances being sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise has to happen to be legit.

You're going about this the wrong way.  Don't ask us our personal opinions-- go ask your Father.  If you do not know how to recnogize your Father's voice, then that study should take precedence above all else.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Jane_Doe said:

You're going about this the wrong way.  Don't ask us our personal opinions-- go ask your Father.  If you do not know how to recnogize your Father's voice, then that study should take precedence above all else.

Ya I think I need to better learn how I receive answers from Heavenly Father.

[Vort]

5 hours ago, Zarahemla said:

How do I listen? How do I hear the answer? I don't want vague primary answers I want specifics.

Here you go, straight from our most recent General Conference.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/am-i-good-enough-will-i-make-it?lang=eng

 

Edited December 6, 2016 by Vort

[askandanswer]

Elder Hollands talk from April 2016 General Conference is also helpful. Here is some of it but you should look at all of it.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/tomorrow-the-lord-will-do-wonders-among-you?lang=eng

 

First of all, if in the days ahead you not only see limitations in those around you but also find elements in your own life that don’t yet measure up to the messages you have heard this weekend, please don’t be cast down in spirit and don’t give up. The gospel, the Church, and these wonderful semiannual gatherings are intended to give hope and inspiration. They are not intended to discourage you. Only the adversary, the enemy of us all, would try to convince us that the ideals outlined in general conference are depressing and unrealistic, that people don’t really improve, that no one really progresses. And why does Lucifer give that speech? Because he knows hecan’t improve, he can’t progress, that worlds without end he will never have a bright tomorrow. He is a miserable man bound by eternal limitations, and he wants you to be miserable too. Well, don’t fall for that. With the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the strength of heaven to help us, we canimprove, and the great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying,even if we don’t always succeed.

When there was a controversy in the early Church regarding who was entitled to heaven’s blessings and who wasn’t, the Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Verily I say unto you, [the gifts of God] are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep … my commandments, and [for them] that seeketh so to do.”⁶ Boy, aren’t we all thankful for that added provision “and … seeketh so to do”! That has been a lifesaver because sometimes that is all we can offer! We take some solace in the fact that if God were to reward only the perfectly faithful, He wouldn’t have much of a distribution list.

Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. Call out like Alma, “O Jesus, … have mercy on me.”⁷ He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, and keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek.

“As you desire of me so it shall be done unto you,” the Lord has declared.

“… Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously. …

“… [Then] whatsoever you desire of me [in] righteousness, … you shall receive.”⁸

I love that doctrine! It says again and again that we are going to be blessed for our desire to do good, even as we actually strive to be so.

[Guest]

I'll have to rewatch all of the talks that were posted here tomorrow. Hopefully these will give me hope and answers. I think God communicates answers to me with positive feelings when I think about a subject, kind of like in my mind it feels like I know something is true in my heart.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I know this isn't what you were asking, but I'm going to share it anyway.  You need some therapy to help you sort this out.  

There's nothing wrong with therapy.  It doesn't mean you are weak, or flawed.  It simply means you need some help, and there's nothing wrong with that.  How do I know?  Because I'm in therapy...twice a week, actually.  Call me crazy if you want (I have, even though my therapist assures me it isn't true) but with therapy I can do the things I need to do.  I can be a mom, and wife, a full-time employee and on and on.  Without therapy, the anxiety, depression and PTSD begin to take over and it's hard to do everyday things.  Going to therapy is hard sometimes. To be honest, it takes courage, but it's so worth it.  I do it for my family...they deserve the best me I can give them.  Do what you need to do to be the best you that you can be.  

In your situation, an LDS therapist would be best.  Ask your Bishop if you need help finding one.  

[Guest MormonGator]

4 hours ago, LiterateParakeet said:

I know this isn't what you were asking, but I'm going to share it anyway.  You need some therapy to help you sort this out.  

There's nothing wrong with therapy.  It doesn't mean you are weak, or flawed.  It simply means you need some help, and there's nothing wrong with that.  How do I know?  Because I'm in therapy...twice a week, actually.  Call me crazy if you want (I have, even though my therapist assures me it isn't true) but with therapy I can do the things I need to do.  I can be a mom, and wife, a full-time employee and on and on.  Without therapy, the anxiety, depression and PTSD begin to take over and it's hard to do everyday things.  Going to therapy is hard sometimes. To be honest, it takes courage, but it's so worth it.  I do it for my family...they deserve the best me I can give them.  Do what you need to do to be the best you that you can be.  

In your situation, an LDS therapist would be best.  Ask your Bishop if you need help finding one.  

Beautifully said. Amen. 

[Traveler]

4 hours ago, LiterateParakeet said:

I know this isn't what you were asking, but I'm going to share it anyway.  You need some therapy to help you sort this out.  

There's nothing wrong with therapy.  It doesn't mean you are weak, or flawed.  It simply means you need some help, and there's nothing wrong with that.  How do I know?  Because I'm in therapy...twice a week, actually.  Call me crazy if you want (I have, even though my therapist assures me it isn't true) but with therapy I can do the things I need to do.  I can be a mom, and wife, a full-time employee and on and on.  Without therapy, the anxiety, depression and PTSD begin to take over and it's hard to do everyday things.  Going to therapy is hard sometimes. To be honest, it takes courage, but it's so worth it.  I do it for my family...they deserve the best me I can give them.  Do what you need to do to be the best you that you can be.  

In your situation, an LDS therapist would be best.  Ask your Bishop if you need help finding one.  

 

I would like to address your thought about therapy and perhaps expand on it – because I believe the concept to be paramount in personal development.  The single most important element in exceptionally high performance levels (genus) is the presents of a mentor.   In essence a mentor is someone that teaches, one on one, a novice the “ropes” and “trick of the trade”.  I see no difference between a mentor and therapists with a possible exception that we may make the possible distinction of paying a therapists.  But I see this as semantics – it is not uncommon in sports for high achievers to pay for personal trainers and coaches – which is a form of getting mentored or therapy.

Studies are inclusive in determining if intelligence is a result of being mentored or if being open to and seeking to be mentored is the result of being intelligent.   I am of the mind that the two – intelligence and being mentored are factors that enhance each other.

Concerning seeking out a mentor – I would advise something taught to me by my father.  If one intends to learn or achieve anything it is paramount that they seek out the BEST mentor of the discipline that they can.  At a minimum seek out an expert and someone successful at that discipline.  Do not try to learn math from someone that is incapable of doing or is a failure at math.  This may seem obvious but in truth most seek guidance from their friends and acquaintances regardless of their friends discipline and abilities.  This is, to my understanding, the single most critical reason why people perform poorly or fail in achieving excellence.

 

The Traveler

[Guest]

21 hours ago, Zarahemla said:

All these multiple levels of heaven and not being sure where my current standing is causes a lot of stress and anxiety in my mind, especially after thinking of the mistakes I've made in my past, so how can I know or feel I'm on the right path? The path that leads to exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom and entrance into Spirit Paradise when I pass away from this life? This has been cause for 3 years of anxiety.

I'm having trouble understanding this line of thinking.  Please explain.

I don't see how having multiple levels of heaven would be somehow worse than either the bipolar heaven or hell model or the oblivion of atheist models.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Carborendum said:

I'm having trouble understanding this line of thinking.  Please explain.

I don't see how having multiple levels of heaven would be somehow worse than either the bipolar heaven or hell model or the oblivion of atheist models.

If it's just either heaven or hell I have a 50% shot of making the best. If There's Outer Darkness, and the Telestial, Terrestrial, and 3 levels of Celestial Kingdom I only have a 1 in 6 chance of making the best. The percentages go way down and it takes a lot more effort completing all the tasks necessary.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Zarahemla

[Traveler]

15 minutes ago, Zarahemla said:

If it's just either heaven or hell I have a 50% shot of making the best. If There's Outer Darkness, and the Telestial, Terrestrial, and 3 levels of Celestial Kingdom I only have a 1 in 6 chance of making the best. The percentages go way down and it takes a lot more effort completing all the tasks necessary.

 

It is my impression that not only are you way overthinking the final judgment and the next life but that your thinking is skewed and off track.  Rather I suggest that you use the parable of the Prodigal Son and think of the judgment in terms of you coming to your senses and returning to your Father.  G-d is not going to be critical of your errors but rather rejoicefull of you coming to your senses and desiring to return regardless of the consequences.   I honestly believe it is Satan that strives to create the fear and anxiety to return to G-d.

 

The Traveler