1 Nephi 17:45 states, "Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember to the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder."
I really loved reading this scripture verse and studying it further. As I was reading this I instantly thought of the relationship that we gain with the Holy Ghost. Have we heard his voice from time to time and yet were past feeling, that we too could not feel his words? Are we inviting the Holy Ghost to be with us throughout our day? President James E. Faust of the First Presidency compared a person's worthiness of receiving the Spirit to receiving a signal on a cell phone:
"Cellular phones are used for much of the communication in our time. Occasionally, however, we find dead spots where the signal coming to a cell phone fails. This can happen when the cell phone user is in a tunnel or a canyon or when there is other interference. So it is with divine communication. The still, small voice, though still and small, is very powerful. It 'whispereth through and pierceth all things' [D&C 85:6]....Perhaps something in our lives prevents us from hearing the message because we are 'past feeling' [1 Nephi 17:45]. We often put ourselves in spiritual dead spots-places and situations that block out divine messages. Some of these dead spots include anger, pornography, transgression, selfishness, and other situations that offend the Spirit" (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 67-68; or Ensign, May 2004, 67).
President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, described spiritual communication:
"The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear. It is described as a 'still small voice' [D&C 85:6]. And while we speak of 'listening' to the whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by saying, 'I had a feeling...' Revelation comes as words we feel more than hear. Nephi told his wayward brothers, who were visited by an angel, 'Ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.'[1 Nephi 17:45]" (In Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 77; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 60).
I think that it is important that we ask ourselves whether the way we are living is inviting the Holy Ghost to be with us. He is waiting for us if we will only seek after Him and live our lives in tune with the Spirit. We must focus on recognizing that "feeling" we gain when the Holy Ghost is present. Are we listening?
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Preparing for Marriage- Young Men
Young Men
"One study of young men suggested several reasons why so many are unwilling to marry early:
a) they can get sex without marriage
b) they fear that marriage will require too many changes and compromises
c) they face few social pressures to marry
d) they want to enjoy single life as long as they can
(Whitehead & Popenoe, 2002)
The young man is
untrue to his manhood who promises popularity, good times, security,
fun and even love, when all he can give is passion and its diabolical
fruits — guilt complexes, disgust, hatred, abhorrence, eventual
loathing, and possible pregnancy without legitimacy and honor.
Spencer W. Kimball, Spencer W. Kimball in Love vs. Lust
Men, are you putting yourself in this category? Women, are you allowing a man to put himself in this category?
Elder M. Russell Ballard said, "This
morning I want to speak primarily to the young men and young women of
the Church. I pray for the Spirit to help me inspire you young people to
want to live righteous lives.
Some
of you may not understand our Heavenly Father’s plan well enough to
appreciate how important living a morally clean life is if you want to
enjoy peace, happiness, and self-esteem. When you understand, the truths
of the gospel will give you the guidance you need to be worthy members
of the Church. When you accept the basic principles of the gospel and
commit to live them, you will have the spiritual insight that will help
you to be young men and women of purity, integrity, and faith."
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1993/04/keeping-covenants?lang=eng
Bibliography: Hawkins, A., Dollahite, D., & Draper, T. (2012). Successful marriages and families. Provo, Utah: BYU Studies and School of Family Life, Brigham Young University.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Preparing for Marriage- Hanging Out and Hooking Up
Hanging Out and Hooking Up
"One of the biggest changes in the current young adult culture is the disappearance of dating. Several studies have found that traditional dating, where the man asks the woman out on a date and pays for the evening together, is becoming rare. Only 50% of college women reported that they had been asked out on six or more dates, and a third said they had been asked on two or fewer dates (Glenn & Marquardt, 2001). Young women and men more often 'hang out' rather than go on planned dates. Young adults often report finding that even when they have been hanging out with someone over a period of time, they still do not know if they are a couple. Even though premarital sexual behavior has been shown to be a significant risk factor for future marital success (Heaton, 2002), single life in modern culture has become synonymous with sexual experimentation in non-committed relationships. One research team characterized today's dating and mating culture as "sex without strings, relationships without rings" (Whitehead & Popenoe, 2000)."
"According to the 2010 U.S. Census, nationwide the average marriage age is 26.1 for women and 28.2 for men, an increase of one year for women and two for men over the last ten years. Average marrying age has been rising for both men and women since the mid 1960s.
In the midst of this rise, Latter-day Saint church leaders have spoken about the need for single adults to return to traditional dating patterns and avoid simply “hanging out.” On May 1, 2005, Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke at a Church Educational System fireside about the differences between these two social interactions. He defined hanging out as “numbers of young men and numbers of young women joining together in some group activity.” Elder Oaks encouraged all young single adults to decrease hanging out in favor of traditional dating.
Six years later, the prophets are still encouraging a return to the traditional dating pattern. In the most recent general conference, President Thomas S. Monson, Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder Oaks all counseled young adults to make marriage a top priority."
http://www.ldsliving.com/story/64829-marriage-age-on-the-rise-lds-single-adults-still-hanging-out
"One of the biggest changes in the current young adult culture is the disappearance of dating. Several studies have found that traditional dating, where the man asks the woman out on a date and pays for the evening together, is becoming rare. Only 50% of college women reported that they had been asked out on six or more dates, and a third said they had been asked on two or fewer dates (Glenn & Marquardt, 2001). Young women and men more often 'hang out' rather than go on planned dates. Young adults often report finding that even when they have been hanging out with someone over a period of time, they still do not know if they are a couple. Even though premarital sexual behavior has been shown to be a significant risk factor for future marital success (Heaton, 2002), single life in modern culture has become synonymous with sexual experimentation in non-committed relationships. One research team characterized today's dating and mating culture as "sex without strings, relationships without rings" (Whitehead & Popenoe, 2000)."
"According to the 2010 U.S. Census, nationwide the average marriage age is 26.1 for women and 28.2 for men, an increase of one year for women and two for men over the last ten years. Average marrying age has been rising for both men and women since the mid 1960s.
In the midst of this rise, Latter-day Saint church leaders have spoken about the need for single adults to return to traditional dating patterns and avoid simply “hanging out.” On May 1, 2005, Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke at a Church Educational System fireside about the differences between these two social interactions. He defined hanging out as “numbers of young men and numbers of young women joining together in some group activity.” Elder Oaks encouraged all young single adults to decrease hanging out in favor of traditional dating.
Six years later, the prophets are still encouraging a return to the traditional dating pattern. In the most recent general conference, President Thomas S. Monson, Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder Oaks all counseled young adults to make marriage a top priority."
http://www.ldsliving.com/story/64829-marriage-age-on-the-rise-lds-single-adults-still-hanging-out
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