As I knelt to pray, the only thing I could do was to pour out all my worries to God and try to find confirmation that the road I was about to take was the road He wanted me to take. I had asked this many times before, and the answer had always been the same-that indeed it was the right thing for me. But I was not too sure. This time, I wanted assurance. However, He gave me something else that I needed: courage. The Holy Ghost whispered to me, “You’ll be fine.” Oddly enough, I truly felt that I would be fine.

Looking back at that short moment of struggle, the Holy Ghost’s reassurance gave me a strong push in the direction I knew He wanted me to go. There will be times in our lives when we will go through changes, be stripped of everything familiar or be thrown far from our comfort zones because it is necessary. In all our pursuits, tough as they may seem, if we keep the Holy Ghost as our companion, we will truly be fine.

RECEIVING PERSONAL REVELATION

When I was first introduced to the idea of going to study in China, I dismissed it immediately. I did not even entertain the idea. The little knowledge I had about China told me to steer away and choose another path. I thought, “China? Facebook, Youtube and Google are blocked there. Why on earth would I go to such a place?” However, my mother counseled me to ask the Lord if it was still a good opportunity for me.

Day by day, I prayed and patiently waited for an answer. I asked again and again, “Heavenly Father, should I go? What should I do for me to know if this is really the right decision or not?” It took me a whole month to receive an answer. It was during General Conference, last October. Particularly when Elder Neil L. Andersen’s spoke about President Nelson’s quick response to prophetic counsel:

“President Spencer W. Kimball challenged all present to lengthen their stride in taking the gospel to the entire world. Among the countries President Kimball specifically mentioned was China, declaring, ‘We should be of service to the Chinese. We should learn their language. We should pray for them and help them.’”

I thought it was a funny coincidence, but I knew it was the Lord giving me an answer. Elder Nelson’s talk wasn’t even about this solely, but I felt as if the words were spoken specifically for me to hear. It was a personal revelation, from Him, through the Holy Ghost.

President Russell M. Nelson could not have described what it means to receive personal revelation better, “Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen!… As you repeat this process you will “grow into the principle of revelation.”

THE HOLY GHOST IN ALL OUR PURSUITS

Personal revelation comes in many forms, but it will always come because we have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I was taught by this experience of mine, that in everything that I do-in all my pursuits- the Holy Ghost should always be present. Then will we be guided spiritually no matter what we do, no matter where we are in the world.

Of course, even after receiving a clear answer, I still worried about not being able to go to Church every Sunday. There were still things that I was afraid of, unfamiliar with and anxious about. However, a month after I arrived, I was able to find a local Mormon congregation in a country where the LDS church is not
established yet.

Truly, “the Lord will assist us in all our righteous pursuits, through the revelations of the Holy Ghost,” as President Nelson said. President Nelson continues to encourage us to “to stretch beyond [our] current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation” and if we do so, we will be given the “knowledge and understanding [we] seek.” 

The post From Home to China: Keeping the Holy Ghost in All My Pursuits appeared first on morefaith.ph.

Their journey to the promised land could be likened to our journey back to our heavenly home, and the ship to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our journey does not include actual waves of the sea, but waves of challenges and trials that test us to our core. Some are the result of unwise choices, some are consequences of disobedience, some are the result of others’ actions, and sometimes they are simply a part of the experience of life.

When those trials and challenges strike, are we going to stay on the ship of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we going to stay committed to the covenants we made at baptism? Are we going to continue holding to our faith as we face the trials of this life? If we choose to exercise faith in the Lord and trust that the ship of the gospel will eventually help us reach the promised land we have so longed for, we will be protected from the harsh waves of temptation and spiritual chaos just as Noah, Nephi, and the brother of Jared, were protected on their ships from the unforgiving waters of the sea.

The gospel of Jesus Christ provides protection from false traditions, beliefs, and concepts. It teaches us truths about our divine identity, the individual identities of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, the Plan of Salvation, the necessity of the Fall of Adam, the need for physical death, and many other precious things. It provides comfort and understanding in times of confusion. It helps us to know God better and draws us closer to Him.

If we ever find ourselves thinking of jumping off the ship to escape the terrible storms of life, we need to recognize that the storms are harder to deal with outside the ship. Without the gospel of Jesus Christ, the light that guides us on our journey, the Holy Ghost, will slowly fade and mists of confusion will gradually cloud our understanding and decisions. Outside the ship, we can more easily be swallowed up by the waves of trials.

Staying on the ship doesn’t mean our lives will be easy. Nephi faced many trials while on their ship. He was bound by his elder brothers and almost thrown into the sea. We will still be tested in this life, but staying on the ship will help us see through a spiritual lens the lessons that God is trying to teach us. May we always have the firm resolve to hold to our faith and stay on the ship of the gospel no matter the storms that come into our lives.

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All of us have at one time or another experienced wrong choices, the loss of a loved one, rejection or even betrayal.  As part of our mortal state we are subject to pain, sickness, happiness, anger and sadness, but even through the darkest times of our lives there’s still hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Whatever circumstances we have had in our lives they serve as learning experiences, chances for improvement and even inspiration to help us believe that there’s more to life. Sometimes we hold back or can’t get over our past, and as a result, live in fear and discouragement. If we stay on this path we lose chances to be happy, to trust again, to work hard, to dream and even to change.

This is when the adversary attempts to take advantage of our weakness. We must be careful for he will make us believe that we are hopeless, alone and have no way out.

There is a story of a young man who, together with his fiancé, had a tragic accident just a week before their wedding. The accident caused the death of the love of his life. The day that he learned of her death, he felt he had died too. Dreams were shattered and hope turned into emptiness.  There was no time that he didn’t blame himself to what happened. He never had a day that he wasn’t sorry and felt like weeping.

After a year, he received a call from the parents of his fiancé. They encouraged him to go on with his life. They told him to give himself a chance to be happy, open a new chapter, and start over again. They gave him words of hope, and courage to overcome the fear and anger that he felt. His family had prayed for him to have the strength to overcome his feelings of loneliness and to have faith in God again.

As humans we are often afraid of change that might be difficult or heart breaking. But the Lord has His own purposes. It is not easy and would be even harder without our understanding and faith in the Savior’s Atonement. Our testimony and understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring us light and direction even during the darkest hours of our life.

Let’s keep holding on to His great promises. It is for our own good and it is just for a short moment. I pray that this young man would be able to find his way back to our Father in Heaven as he learns to submit to the will of the Lord even as a little child.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell has shared, “In the geometry of restored theology, hope has a greater circumference than faith. If faith increases, the perimeter of hope stretches correspondingly… Hope is realistic anticipation taking the form of determination-a determination not merely to survive but to ‘endure well’ to the end.” Hope keeps us anxiously engaged. He continued, “A genuine hope is urgently needed in order to be more loving… more merciful even when misunderstood or misinterpreted, more holy… more courteous and patient… and more full of heartfelt hope, even when other men’s hearts fail them. Whatever our particular furrow, we are to “plow in hope” without looking back or letting yesterday hold tomorrow hostage.”

May we pray fervently each day to make a decision to press forward with faith having a perfect brightness of hope.  May we take the challenge of our living prophet Thomas S. Monson to look to the lighthouse of the Lord. For “the lighthouse of the Lord sends forth signals readily recognized and never failing.”

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