This week was great! We have had quite the time talking to people this week.
Dallas Daze
So this week we had a pretty awesome pick me up that shows the Lord works in mysterious ways. We had a long week of rejection and it was like to another level. So we had our spirits lifted last night. We were walking around our complex for the last bit of the day, and his lady calls from her balcony, "Mormons!?" We turn around and are all, "Yeah!" We walk over and she's like Samuel the Lamanite status leaning over the railing talking to us from the balcony. She turned out to be quite drunk but was talking about the "Mormon bible" and she loves it. As well as talking about how we are doing the Lord's work and how happy she is to see young men out about God's work. She said we were "soldiers behind enemy lines." Hahaha but ya, it was cool to have a week of hardship and then find someone so happy to see us.
So this week we had much opposition to us and we have been baffled at what the deal is. But we have learned A TON. We have truly been blessed by personal revelation. My message this week was about questions. Many shy away from questions, many rely on the knowledge of others to explain things, many don't want to study and figure out stuff but would rather rely on the explanation and knowledge of others. This is good but will only take you so far. Eventually you will plateau and it will get real, it will get hard, and you will struggle. This is where you can truly access the wells of spiritual revelation. This week we have truly been battered, but it was a blessing in disguise because in our personal studies we have discovered things by the spirit that I couldn't not have a conviction of any other way. We learn of Nephi in 3 Nephi that had such power and spirit that his testimony could not be denied by any. "18 And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily."
Did Nephi come to this strength from relying on others for answers? By relying on the testimony and knowledge of those because he didn't think he could be there? That he wasn't as smart as they were? Of course not. No more comparisons to others, we are children of our heavenly fisher and have divinity in us all, I know that personal revelation can be found for us all, through our personal diligence in seeking wisdom and knowledge. I know this because I've experienced it this week. When you are faced with a question, backed into a corner, that is not readily available, has not been addressed in a general conference talk, has not been solved on LDS.org, with no access to google or any outside resource. You must face one thing, to give up, or turn to the source of all knowledge, our Heavenly Father. Let him know of this question. "8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.
9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."
And then seek the answer, turn to the scriptures. Things can be taught to you by the spirit as you study, it's a miracle of how it works. And I can testify of this, answers may come quick, they may come slow, or very slow. But hold to the faith. Start with the Book of Mormon. Find out its truth. Read it, pray about it, let it pierce your heart. Let it change you. It has power because they are the words of Christ. Have real intent, a broken heart and contrite spirit. And find out if that book is true. And after that, keep learning, keep growing. There is joy in the journey, not in the destination.
I testify Christ lives, he is the Savior of the world and I stand firmly in my shoes with a knowledge gained no other way than by study of the word of God and prayer, that this is Christ's true church . He appeared to Joseph Smith with our Heavenly Father. He restored the Priesthood here. And through it we may have eternal life to its greatest degree. I testify of this as one holding His authority to preach His gospel to all. And invite all to come unto him, to discover for yourself who he is to you. It's time to plant our own seeds and stop using the labors of another. We need our own foundation laid on Christ that we may not fall. The shafts in the whirlwind are here, let us build upon the Rock of our Salvation.
I'm Christ's name I bear my witness, amen.
Love
Elder Hiatt.
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