Blog #111 January 25, 2026
2 Nephi 11:75 And they sell themselves for nought; for, for the reward of their pride, and their foolishness, they shall reap destruction;
Mistakes of ignorance can be forgiven, but even the world recognizes that when we allow our pride to mean more than our stated purpose we are living a lie that will bring about our destruction. Those who are convicted of a purpose, and claim that purpose before God and the world must act for that purpose or it becomes an abomination unto itself. This is true whether the efforts are caused by an active choice or a careless lack of thought.
Luke 6:43-45
6:43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit;
6:44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good. And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil; for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
How we act tells the world what we want them to know of the purpose we claim. How we react to the challenges and trials of the world reveals the truth of what we believe and what are truly the desires within our heart.
Psalms 37:3-5
37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Look to this passage and consider that when we say before the world God is our Father we must trust in the Lord, delight in the Lord, and commit totally to His ways, and His truth. If we fail to understand this first basic concept, all that we imagine to know about the Lord and His Kingdom will be corrupted by that which we give up on and call unattainable. When that happens our testimony of the Father we offer the world will be a lie that will bring death and destruction to us and to all that join us in that lie.
As we grow in God, expect temptations to arise followed quickly by the confusion of doubt. Test and try every spirit we meet. Keep yourself close to God through prayer and study. Testify boldly in deeds as well as words of the joy and righteousness offered by the Father. Learn that the wisdom of God blesses us the same way the latter rains bless the farmer. Because of them, we have a bountiful harvest in God. As we begin to perceive and appreciate all that the Kingdom can be, our hearts will be opened to all we can do to be God's helpmeet in our labor together. The path will become clear before us and even in the darkest times, God’s wisdom will light the way.
Proverbs16:20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good; and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.
Our trust in God in all things will open for us a path to discernment. We must accept the fact that we are weak and He is strong, and we must learn to lean on Him. We must accept the fact that only in God through His Spirit can we find the strength and direction we need to complete our labors for His purpose. When we humble ourselves to this concept, we will find that which will sustain us through all our labors. When we are blind, He will see for us. When we fear, He will be there to assure us. When we fall, He will be there to pick us up. Open your hearts to this fact and you will discover the true strength of humility. He knows. We don’t, but He is always able to teach those who choose to listen. In this, we yield to the fellowship God seeks. Humility then becomes joy and we find a true delight in serving God and His ways.
Isaiah 52:11-13
52:11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.
52:12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.
When allow ourselves to delight in service to God we gain not only clarity of purpose, but also an understanding of all we need to do to attain that purpose. This is the work of the Spirit within our life. From God we will receive instruction. It can come from scripture, from fellowship within the Church, and from direct revelation, but that which makes it viable instruction is the conformation that will come from the Spirit within. It will present itself as a seed, which the Spirit will cause to swell within our hearts.
Alma 16:153-155
16:153 Now if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts
16:154 And when you feel those swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves, It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding; yea, and it beginneth to be delicious to me.
16:155 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.
Understand that our growth in the Lord is a process. As we allow that process to continue, we gain hope, faith, and the assurance that God is with us. We gain proof and
vigor that will cause us to willingly and knowingly reach out to the world to offer them God and His purpose.
Alma 16:156-158
16:156 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then ye must needs say, that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow.
16:157 And now behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith, for ye will say, I know that this is a good seed, for behold, it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.
16:158 And now behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness; therefore, if a seed groweth, it is good, but if it groweth not, behold, it is not good; therefore it is cast away.
It is the way of God. First, we seek and then, we receive. Each time we do so our faith is strengthened. Our faith soon becomes the tool that allows us access to unending knowledge, but even if our faith is absolute; it remains only a part of the process. The wisdom of God is built into a man a piece at a time so that knowledge given will become an understanding that prepares us for the knowledge yet to come. By committing ourselves to God and this process, we grow.
2 Nephi 12:36-38
12:36 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little:
12:37 And blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom;
12:38 For unto him that receiveth, I will give more: and from them that shall say, We have enough, shall be taken away even that which they have.
Although God designed this process, it will not work by His efforts alone. We must choose to be involved in every aspect of our learning, or we will falter in our understandings and we will cease to grow. In all that God created: the very moment growth ceases death begins.If we choose to interrupt this process of learning and growth, we choose to go forward outside of the design of God, and depend on our own knowledge instead of His. When we choose to risk the integrity of God’s system and God’s design the results will no longer be those of God. They will instead be the efforts of man, and they will fall short of the goal we seek.
2 Nephi 12:39 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
By turning away from this process of instruction we do unthinkable damage. At the very least, we deny the leadership of God before the world of man. We revoke the testimony that God is our loving Father and the Shepherd of all who seek His Kingdom. At that point, the lie only grows. Ultimately, we lay a foundation for the lies of the adversary and threaten the veracity of the covenant we made. Our labor both before and forever after becomes no more than flights of fancy or promises we will never be able to keep. We give credence to the traditions of man and uphold the ways of the world in the same way the ancients venerated the idols of old. It is vital that we recognize and cling to our humility before the Lord. Humility to God and the ways of God is essential to the process that will bring God’s will to fruition, and the holy purpose we serve to fulfillment.
Mosiah 1:119-123
1:119 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been, from the fall of Adam, and will be, for ever and ever;
1:120 But if he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint, through the atonement of Christ, the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
God seeks to prepare His people for the labor they have chosen to do. He seeks for them to immerse themselves in mindsets and processes that they need to succeed. He wants us to be a part of His own labor to fulfill the purpose that defines Him.
DC 10:1a-2c
10:1a A great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. 10:1b Behold, I am God, and give heed to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; 10:1c therefore, give heed unto my word.
10:2a Behold, the field is white already to harvest, therefore, whoso desireth to reap, let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God;
10:2b yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God;
10:2c therefore, if you will ask of me, you shall receive; if you will knock, it shall be opened unto you.
A new life opens before us and it requires defining. We face a need for new values, and a way for us to discern, that which is important and that which is useless. If we seek to answer our questions with our knowledge and our wisdom, we will fail. We must open our lives to God through the Holy Spirit. We must gain knowledge in a way that was unimaginable before. God is preparing us for the battles we face because the world does not want lose us to Him. We will be tempted and tried in ways that will baffle and confuse us and we will be saved in ways that will amaze us. The dynamics of what God has prepared us for can be stated in a few words we need to remember, believe, and utilize.
Luke 11:10-11
11:10 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
11:11 For every one who asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened
Our labor of preparation leads us to a seemingly simple solution and it is simple if we but allow God to work freely within our lives. When we trust in the Lord, delight in the Lord, and commit ourselves to the Lord we can find the desires of our hearts and the path to them. We must believe in God’s faith in us. We must realize that if we had as much faith in God as He does in us, the Kingdom would have been here long ago. We must be able to live in the belief that God’s promises to us are truth. We must be prepared to offer Him that same assurance. Only our doubt separates us from the glory that can be. If we but allow Him to prepare us for all we seek to endure:
We will ask, and we will receive.
We will seek, and we will find.
We will knock at the door, and it will open.
This is the Kingdom we seek to share, if we but believe. FRED
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