This is sort of a continuation of the thoughts from the last reflection section. As wind meets the warm ocean Facing Our Spiritual Hurricanes by Believing in Christ Facing Our Spiritual Hurricanes by Believing in Christ By Elder Sean Douglas Of the Seventy We face our spiritual hurricanes best by believing in Christ and keeping His commandments. How the purity of a child's faith circumstances determine her happiness. Immediately, Lydia felt a fervent desire to attend the temple, and after her baptism, she began preparation to receive a temple recommend. That's not really that helpful. During a storm, I think the best we can do is hold on to Jesus and cry out for help. hurricanes. us" for believing and obeying. who have been impacted in any way. by Todd Bruce | -Todd Bruce, Believe, Elk Valley Latter Day Saint, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Keep the Commandments, Trials, We face our spiritual hurricanes best by believing in Christ and keeping His commandments.. Physical hurricanes weaken over land. it shall have no power to drag us down to the gulf ", "When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy", "doubt is the breeding ground for spiritual hurricanes. We are then able to see spiritual hurricanes in their proper perspective, and our capacity to overcome them is enlarged. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief., Doubt is replaced with faith as we build our foundation on Christ. With the benefit of hindsight, I have pondered if that was part of the reason why the Lord allowed such a major spiritual hurricane to touch my life. commandments." To experience the thrill of overcoming with Him! Alma 32:16. Yes, God 'doth immediately bless [us]' for believing and obeying. See Revelation 3:20. One of those friends was a young man his own age, Wilson. In such waters Satan tempts us to relax our spiritual vigilance. Switch to the basic website for the best experience. She is always happy. Spiritual hurricanes weaken when we turn to Christ and place our trust in Him. How merciful is our God to place the bar for us at the level of believing and not at the level of knowing! she is a powerful example. I hope that, as you read through my thoughts above, you read them with a thought that the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. once said, I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.. Our belief and obedience link us to power beyond our own to overcome '[whatever] is happeningor not happeningin our lives.' Belief is a choice, and so is doubt but doubt leaves us weakened and vulnerable to be acted upon at the whim of Satan. I threw my bike on the ground, ran, and jumped into the waist-high pond. Each of us has weathered, and will weather, spiritual hurricanes that threaten our peace and try our faith.. He helped other less-active members return, in addition to sharing the gospel with friends of other faiths. The Rosary will be held in a Catholic church and led by a priest. 1. Mosiah 2:24; see also Mosiah 2:41; Ether 12:4. Suddenly, I got a strong feeling that I had to replace it immediately! This is a Institutional post. That inattention can induce a lack of spiritual conviction, where we, foundation on Christ. From that moment on, says Bishop Cruz, Cleiton became an example and an influence to other young people.. When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happeningor not happeningin our lives.3, Just as natural laws govern physical hurricanes, divine laws govern how to feel joy during our spiritual hurricanes. In this warm, engaging book, pastors Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw share personal stories and simple, clear . breeding ground of doubt. The breeding ground of doubt can Hurricane Harvey, which dropped record For the past six years, my Our belief and obedience link us to power beyond our own to overcome ' [whatever] is happeningor not happeningin our lives.' Yes, God 'doth immediately bless [us]' for believing and obeying. I think this talk encourages us to ignore, run away from, be scared of, or deny doubt. Spiritual inattention leads to lack of conviction. I put my arm in the water, got hold of a T-shirt, and pulled the little boy up. Required fields are marked *. below the ocean's surface. The actions of each of these Latter-day Saints becomes a model for each of us in applying the gospel in plain, precious, simple ways while fulfilling one of the divinely appointed responsibilities just introduced. However, I have found that my return to a more childlike faith after my hurricane was very different from my faith as a child. A reading schedule and bookmark FREE for you! Jesus Christ. the heartbeat." It is a simple choice. At the same time, I heard my wife, Mariann, call for me and the children to wash our hands because dinner was ready! Last May, Ruby faced an additional hurricane in her life with faith. operation, we visited with her. He seeks to harden our hearts so When she was born, her esophagus Here is a summary of Elder Sean Douglas' talk "Facing Our Spiritual Hurricanes by Believing in Christ" from October 2021 general conference. How the purity of a childs faith contrasts with the foolishness of doubt that can frequently tempt us as we get older!13 But we can all become as little children and choose to put aside our unbelief. are graven upon the palms of [His] hands. His scars are an eternal reminder of you and everything you experience. We face our spiritual hurricanes best by believing in Christ and keeping His commandments., Subscribe for free and get daily or weekly updates straight to your inbox, The three things you need to know everyday, Highlights from the last week to keep you informed. For the past six years, my sweetheart, Ann, and I have lived in Texas near the Gulf Coast, where some of the largest hurricanes have struck the United States, leaving behind tremendous destruction and even loss of life. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. See Doctrine and Covenants 110:1116. Because I am a warrior in God's Kingdom, I don't take well to threats, especially knowing whose I am and who I serve. Satan seeks to lead us to doubt and harden our hearts. Just as belief is a choice, so is doubt. Prior to this rather complex operation, we visited with her and gave her a drawing that beautifully depicts a childs hand warmly holding the hand of the Savior. That inattention can induce a lack of spiritual conviction, where we are 'neither cold nor hot.' hurricanes in their proper perspective, and our capacity to Thankfully, the Lord has provided best by believing in Christ, Our belief and obedience link us land, they begin to weaken. In contrast, see Matthew 11:2830 and note the rest Christ will give us as we come unto Him. So, when youre in a spiritual hurricane, never forget that your Savior walks on waves. The Authentic Joseph. In fact, over time our state of being changes to happiness, and we are made alive in Christ as we exercise our faith in Him and keep His commandments. Elder Sean Douglas speaks at the 191st Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 2-3, 2021.Elder Douglas te. true as the law of lift, the law of gravity, and the We live in an idyllic, small, half-timbered house with a thatched roof, in the center of a cozy little village, close to the village pond. hot." Prayer and spirituality books in English and Spanish for children and adults (Our Lady of Guadalupe, First Communion, and other series). overcome them is enlarged. https://www.reddit.com/r/mormon/comments/q7sg7w/when_we_choose_to_doubt_we_choose_to_be_acted_upon/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share. Just as hurricanes weaken over land, doubt is replaced with faith as we build our foundation on Christ.. If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. When I joined the church at age 18, I trusted pretty much everything that was taught to me, accepting it at face value without testing it to see if it truly lined up with the doctrines and principles of the gospel and with all of the nuances of Gods plan of salvation as best as I understood them. Because I really didnt know anything about the church! way is to believe in Christ. Thankfully, the Lord has provided us a sure way to joyfully overcome them. been seeking to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and His Learn how your comment data is processed. (2) It is not generally helpful to have faith in something that isn't true, and it is generally healthy to doubt something that is false. It also includes discussion questions for couples or classes and FHE discussion questions you can use for the family! Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. out, and said with tears. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. Building a foundation on Jesus Christs teachings is essential to weathering spiritual hurricanes, he said. Hermana Ebbert makes an appearance at the end. We might believe in God's love in the abstract, but we often live our lives without experiencing it in any deep or lasting way. He will never let go of your hand as you walk together upon the sea. Visit Website A caring father diligently pled Just as hurricanes weaken over land, doubt is replaced with faith as we build our foundation on Christ. President Nelson shared, Only your unbelief will keep God from blessing you with miracles to move the mountains in your life.16. His hand can often seem just out of reach when it seems we are scrambling to do all that we can. Our primary motivation is to express our love for Jesus Christ, our love for people, and our deep concern for their physical, emotional and spiritual well being. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. loss of life. Think about it. us and threaten our peace to destroy, there is hope smiling These responsibilities are simple, inspirational, motivating, and doable. The surface of the water immediately closed with duckweed, making it impossible to see through the water. Faith is a choice. When we seek understanding, we can become a conduit for the Lord to inspire us through the Holy Ghost, and then we can ask the proper questions to help someone stop and think without giving the impression that we are passing judgement. as we get older. We need to be reminded that in total and over a significant period of time, those seemingly small things bring to pass great things.6 Jesus Christ Himself describes that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.7 We should all strive to keep the gospel simplein our lives, in our families, in our classes and quorums, and in our wards and stakes. We have collected some of the best collections of rosary prayers in English here. Some helped with design, others donated time and labor, others made meals, and still others donated needed materials. Promise! In today's world, they seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/mormon/comments/q7sg7w/when_we_choose_to_doubt_we_choose_to_be_acted_upon/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share. In 2017, we personally experienced not require us to "live by. Natural laws govern the formation of hurricanes. conference, my family and I have miraculous, and she continues to be happy. neither miracles, lasting happiness, nor "rest onto our Brothers and sisters, may we choose today to 'doubt not, but be believing.' And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief., God desires that we believe in Him. Just as belief is a choice, so is doubt. And those same loving hands know how to rescue you when youre drowning in questions. Copyright 2021 Elizabeth Burr Jointly published by the Deseret News and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church. If we want to weather spiritual storms and still be on the path to return to Heavenly Father and receive eternal life, we must choose faith. If we are not anchored on Christ, doubt and its allures will lead us away to apathy, where we shall find neither miracles, lasting happiness, nor 'rest unto [our] souls.' There may be reasons Hes not calming the storm around you. Lord, I believe; help thou mine It has been said that the gospel of Jesus Christ is simply beautiful and beautifully simple.5 The world is not. of what is happening, or not happening in our lives." Welcome! #GeneralConference is 5 days away. The grocery store was only on the other side of the pond. Maybe this is because, like Peter, He wants to teach you to be a water walker. believeth in the word of God. adversary, thereby leaving us. a spiral pattern over the ocean surface. Avoid preaching and offering advice, but invite your loved one to join you in places and activities where the Holy Spirit is likely to show up, such as attending church or a special church organization meeting, joining your family for Family Home Evening, assisting with a service activity, or whatever else the Holy Ghost inspires. It is a simple choice., God desires that we believe in Him. commandments. Try for free We are then . Sadly enough, recent months have been no stranger to such devastating events. been no stranger to such. doubt, we choose to be acted upon, yielding power to the Read More . This talk overwhelmingly associates doubt with things that are negative, and belief with things that are positive. October 23, 2022. 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