All Things Shall Be Made Known.

The promised blessings that the Lord commits in releasing to His children during the Millennial days are individually remarkable.  When I study the chapters of scripture that describe this period of life, it sends my heart into a palpitating frenzy.  I yearn to be numbered among those who experience life at the Savior’s side, where enmity cannot be found, death, as we understand it, does not transpire, and where the only tears that spill from our eyes are produced from the euphoric beat of our heart.  The brilliance of such an existence is so contrastive from where we currently reside, that it may seem as though it is nothing but a beautifully woven fable, but it is not.  It is an assured and certain reality for those who encounter life with devoted loyalty to the Lord.  Perhaps, that is why I have my heart set upon it so firmly.  My solid trust in the words of my Father do not waiver, so I recognize that only time must pass away before the words which exist in the books I so cherish, become a current time reality. 

The grandeur of each blessing our Heavenly Father and Savior have covenanted to, create difficultly in identifying a favored one, but I believe my heart has dedicated itself to its dearest: the endowment of absolute knowledge and understanding.  Listen to the majesty that describes this gift:

Wherefore, the things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men.  There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed.  Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed; and Satan shall have power over the hearts of the children of men no more, for a long time… 2 Nephi 30:16-18

I have a soul that craves knowledge.  I have been aware of this appetite for as long as I can recall.  I have a deep love for learning, and an extensive devotion to study.  I appreciate the way it enables me to utilize pieces of my spirit that are in an undeveloped state.  When I examine a topic which was once unfamiliar, and find that it becomes elucidated, I can almost feel the enhancement of my being.  I appreciate the new insights I discover, and the way my discernment is sharpened.  I have always enjoyed applying this to temporal learning, but realized the intensity of my adoration when I implemented it in spiritual study.  I have become consumed in immersing my soul in the things of the gospel, allowing my mind to comprehend the messages my spirit conveys, and enabling my heart to absorb the light it discovers.  I have recognized the way it connects me, piece by piece, to who I was before I crossed the veil.  My hunger for understanding attaches me to the premortal daughter of God my heart remembers. 

Knowing that this is a portion of my composition, it is easily understood why this promised blessing would be dear to my heart.  However, as I have observed events that have emerged, especially in the short span of this past year, I find myself wondering if this blessing will not be correspondingly cherished, standing as one of the greatest for many of us. 

A Time of Testing

Lack of understanding has always seemed to be the spark which ignites the flames of opposition against things of the Lord.  Our mortal minds seek for logical pathways.  We want to know, we want to understand, we want to unravel the uncertainty before we follow.  This desire is not surprising.  This reaction is entwined with our gift of agency.  We seek for comprehension because our innate spirits want to use the agency we were endowed.  We want to ensure that we are making decisions, and engaging in commitments, that are true.  This is good, and our Heavenly Father thoroughly rejoices in our employment of this celestial blessing.  However, we must not forget the way our experience here on earth is defined, for it is continually described as a mortal probation, a time of testing. 

Distinguishing this as a testing period, suggests that we are here to demonstrate what we already know to be true.  This test is dissimilar to other assessments we may participate in within a temporal setting, for our earthly trial is covered by a veiled remembrance.  We were not sent to earth to be taught new truths.  This is not a primary step within our perpetual experience to teach us of Him, His existence, or of His plan before, during, or after this life, for we have already been instructed of these things.  We learned at His side, by His hand.  That is why it is just that we can come to this earth through the veil.  We knew the truth so perfectly, that it was ingrained into our very core, truly embedded into every inch of who we were and are.  It is fair that we do not recall all things at this time because we have been supplied with all we need to recognize the truth when it is revealed to us.

This is exact reason why the word restoration is utilized when describing the gospel.  Restoration signifies the return of something to its former condition.  The gospel and its certainties are not new understandings, they are returned truths.  No, this test is not to gain new knowledge and then to illustrate them, but instead to exemplify our ability in recognizing the truths we have previously been taught, and to walk by faith when the fullness of that precept has yet to be unveiled.  Indeed, we can define this earthly opportunity as the application portion of our celestial assessment. 

The word faith summarizes the difficulties of our test.  Our mortal desires seek to dispel this part of the trial because it is hard.  We find inconvenience in not having a perfect knowledge of all things, and when full understanding is not immediately delivered, we conclude that it is erroneous.  The world simply does not want to walk by faith, but instead seeks to be steered by logic.  The only complication with this is that rationality is created by the wisdom of man, and man holds such a restricted comprehension.  Their knowledge is created by what they can feel, see, and reason with.  Anything that requires loyalty without sight, obedience without extended explanation, and commitment which violates popular ideologies, is seen as fallacious.  The terrestrial mind necessitates palpable proof, with detailed blue prints, before dedicating their heart.   

Our memory must never leave behind the certainty that this experience was meant to be complex.  It was designed to stretch our souls to new horizons, reaching to the heights where our Father and Savior prevail.  The challenging circumstances, which most commonly blanket our lives, enable us to become more like them.  They empower us to obtain all that is essential to emulate Their abilities, echo Their capacities, and to have a paralleled mastery of comprehension with Them.  It is an inescapable pathway to attain perfection.  We labored intensely during our premortal existence to acquire a secured foundation of knowledge, one that would reinforce us throughout this mortal test.  We must exert as fiercely as we did then to perpetuate the innate understanding that currently resides within us. 

Knowledge-it is a gift

The greatest treasure I have discovered, and will forever more protect within this scripture, is the awareness that knowledge is a gift.  A divine blessing from our Heavenly Father.  It is such an exceptionally remarkable and uniquely precious bestowal, that it is given as one of the final rewards for abiding faithfully.  This realization is extraordinarily significant because it alters our perspective on the acquisition of enlightenment, and is contrastive to the way the world acknowledges this endowment.  For the carnal man believes that they are instantaneously entitled to an unabridged understanding.  They do not accept faith as a prerequisite to acquisition, and view obedience that is led by trust in the divine to be blind compliance.  As always, man’s way is not a replica of our Father’s methods.

Knowledge is not supplied if we are unworthy of it.  Revelation is provided bit by bit, as we are prepared to receive it.  If we demand understanding so that it may stand as a symbol of personalized verification of our doubts, it may never transpire.  We may find that commands or orders of ultimatums surrounding a possession of heightened comprehension may be withheld.  However, If we truly crave revealed understanding, are diligent in our efforts to have mysteries unfolded, and seek after wisdom with pure intent, guided by a virtuous heart-it will come.  A loving, tender Father desires to share His advanced illumination with His child.  Knowledge is conferred through acts of obedience, and in my experience, is poured upon us while dutifully endeavoring even, and especially, when our understanding meets a current boundary.  When we endure through these moments, our parameters will be extended, our knowledge becoming limitless. 

Now, this is not to say that the Lord disregards His children which struggle with faith.  He is always seeking for His lost sheep.  He is aside them continuously, matching every footstep.  Although they may misinterpret the symbols of His presence, He never retires.  I believe that He repeatedly delivers a divulgence of truth to these individuals, but because of a hardened core, His messages are obstructed.  The problem with many who seek understanding as a sign of proof is that as quickly as the illumination is delivered, it is dispelled because of a forbidding heart.  One cannot perceive the whisperings of the Father, given through the Holy Ghost, if their communication centers have become frigid, rent of spiritual vitality.  He seeks to provide the personalized enlightenment that is being requested, and desires to supply cornerstones to begin the construction of spiritual foundations, but finds that these divine transmissions reach untouched ears and vacant souls.  He simply cannot get through, nor does He force to be heard, for He fiercely defends our agency of choice.  Indeed, the receiver must permit the teachings of the Holy Ghost to obtain the witness of truth that they have determined they need before following after the Savior.   Regrettably, because of the pride which is suffocating their supernal sensitivity, many are unable to secure what they necessitate.

It Comes As a Whisper

Our Father-He is not a God of secrets.  Although our understanding is not complete within this earthly probation, it is not by reason of a reticent Lord who seeks to conceal or hide away truths for His security, nor to keep us under His command.  Rather, we are not ready at the current state for the awakening and return of the absolute collection of celestial truths.  However, as we prepare, we will reach arranged positions, and the Lord will deliver personal revelation so astounding our hearts will bulge from our middle.   Our knowledge banks will expand and will spill into our souls, filling us to our very brim. 

It is our duty to be alert and active in recognizing these dispatched insights.  Most regularly they will not arrive in over-elaborate displays.  Rarely, does the Lord work in such ways, for it is Satan that constantly seeks for a show to attract attentions.  Instead, more commonly, they will be recognized in quiet moments where the confusion is wiped from the mind, wisdom is manifest, and the beat of the heart becomes unrestrained.  For these discoveries are communicated by the Holy Ghost, and His voice is but a whisper.  But for those of us who have heard Him, we know that the whisper is anything but small, for it has the ability to light a fire within us which engulfs the soul.  We must not let these communications go unnoticed because we are too distracted and determined in observing a miracle.  One is being supplied, and it is extremely personalized, down to the smallest detail.  Our illumination will be intensely incredible, and will stand as phenomenal entries in our intimate memories, equal to recordings of visitations of angels within scriptural accounts. 

The Last Inning

Faith is being target in an immense way.  The world’s mumblings are becoming strong, and can, at times, seem overpowering.  Articles displaying ferocious antagonism towards our beliefs, posts eloquently spun to convince us of the falsity of our religion, and personal opinions which emphasize and linger on the lack of perfect understanding signifying it as a corrupted religion seem to be appearing at a rapid pace.  I am astonished to see how many emerge and whirl through social media feeds, and am severely saddened to witness many I cherish become subject to their persuasions.  There is no coincidence that fierce opposition is accelerating at the same speed as the hastening of the work of the Lord.  Satan realizes that this is the last inning, and he is employing all of his prepared techniques and carefully constructed strategies.  He is desperate, because he knows the outcome does not end in his favor.  As a plot of revenge he desires to seize as many of his righteous brothers and sisters as he possibly can, bounding them to his side to share his miserable fate. 

It can be extremely difficult to sustain faith and to extinguish doubts with such a collision of opposition being thrust towards us.  However, we can be buoyed and strengthened by the clarity that our Father delivers about these events, for He speaks about them specifically.  Many scriptures, particularly in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, explain that Satan will target the gospel and seek to make us question the Lord’s ways and plans because of our currently limited comprehension.  They clearly state how intense it will become in these last days.  They very ones in which we currently reside.  It is a clever attack that Satan is utilizing, for lack of understanding can produce feelings of vulnerability, and vulnerabilities can make us susceptible to his snares.

We cannot allow our doubts to trump our confidences, but instead should permit our convictions to dwindle our uncertainties.  These carefully placed scriptures can increase our fortitude and deepen our commitment to our faith, for they are perfectly provided that we need never worry, fear, nor become startled by what emerges around us.  They also assist us in recognizing how flawlessly the Lord knows Satan’s tactics, and how strongly He protects His righteous children.  What strength His words provide as we receive heightened discernment, which rescue us from Satan’s most advanced deceptions.  Nothing is new, nor surprising, to our Lord.  His love and devoted shield of defense have the ability to invigorate our hearts, and reinforce our tenacity to stand as a light within a darkened sphere.  As we feast upon His words and as we authorize the Holy Ghost to teach and guide us, our righteous desires will be entrusted unto us.  This knowledge will have the power to melt the forces of objection and block the ever-chattering sources which attempt to shatter our hope. 

We must accept that there will be sections of understanding where we will be required to walk by faith.  These portions of comprehension may be veiled even up to our last breath.  These areas may seem to defy logic, but always have a divine purpose.  We cannot meet these current unknowns with anger, frustration, or insecurity.  We must remember that these are the precisely placed portions of our test which we must overcome to receive exaltation.  If we are steadfast and sustain with unequaled devotion, in time, all knowledge will be conferred and our understanding will be entirely restored.  Our focus must be placed on being worthy of such a incredible blessing, instead of stopping our progression until we have acquired every last fact.  For if we insist on standing still until all has been reinstated, we may find that our grip is weakened upon the rod of iron, and we become captive to the vast darkness which steals souls.    

Keep Your Eyes Fixed

Do not be unfaithful to your heart, cleaving to things which only currently produce logical clarifications.  Our souls, which hold divine restorations of understanding, were made to bear and master sacred comprehensions, not mundane interpretations.  Do not accept a pathway which limits our ability to receive revelation and halts the delivery of blessed enlightenment.  Stay true to your beliefs even, and especially, when they are being targeted or victimized.  Satan desires to have us believe that we follow the Savior in a sightless manner, and utilizes others around us to magnify his voice until it reverberates in our ears.  However, we can powerfully declare that although the world may be unperceptive to divine manifestations, we are not.  The unveiling of our spirit has begun, and we cannot deny the witness of truth which has attended the many glorious revelations which have been endowed to us.  We delight and are dedicated to them. 

Allow your heart to be a source of light, one where His voice is frequent, clear, and intelligible.  Go to Him with your doubts, not to man who builds fabricated factualities and defines them as infinite actualities.  No matter how eloquently twisted words may be, if they detach us, or urge us to be removed from Christ, they are not words worth absorbing.  Defeat discouragement on your knees.  Conquer fright by searching His reassuring words which grant simplifications to expanding confusion.  Triumph over Satan by diminishing his presence and depleting his voice, and superseding him with anything, and everything, that encourages and sustains the Spirit.  Stay strong in your convictions and remember the moments that awakened your soul, for these are your personal communications, spoken from your Father, which constructed your foundation.  When you are backed up to the wall of faith, conserve your loyalty and confirm your devotion, it will allow you to climb it.  And above all, labor continuously and ache virtuously after the immeasurably perfected gift of knowledge.  Exerted efforts will grant you a lack of unutilized time, which will liberate you from aimless activities which rob you of divine development.  Instead of being swallowed by the careless expressions of worldly “understanding”, keep your eyes, and ears, fixed upon the Millennial moments, the ones where all things shall be made known.

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Search the Scriptures.

As the Jewish leaders formed around Christ accusing Him of blasphemy and hastily seeking for a way to condemn their Savior, the one they would not accept, He spoke words which spark my soul:

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. John 5:39

Why would He direct these vehement men to the scriptures?  These individuals held leadership positions within the church, and frequently related to scripture doctrine when oppressing and harassing the Savior, as well as others around them that they deemed unworthy of compassion.  Based on their spoken knowledge, these individuals demonstrated that they had experience within the scriptures, so why would the Lord instruct them back to these holy works?

Part of the Savior’s declaration was that these books would bear witness of His actuality, and would assist them in accepting Him as the Messiah who had come to save them from their sins.  Anyone who has read the scriptures can relate truth to that, for they are evidence of Him.  But do we recognize how precisely detailed the scriptures were, and are, in identifying Christ as the Savior of the world?  For they confirm, and verify, that He is, and was, who He claimed to be, even down to His very name.

In second Nephi the first emergence of the full name of the Savior appears in the Book of Mormon as the words, Jesus Christ, are utilized.  Nephi is teaching his people and speaks of the Messiah that the prophets have promised will come.  He distinctly states that this Messiah will bear the name of Jesus Christ.  Nephi quoted these words hundreds of years prior to the Jewish leaders even coming to earth.  Six hundred years before Christ was born, Nephi was aware of His name.  He knew that it would be Jesus Christ that would come to save us all. 

So, where did Nephi receive this information?  We know from our understanding of Nephi and his history that his teachings came from the brass plates.  We know that these plates held the prophetic teachings of the Old Testament, and can be supported by the matching documentation of Isaiah which exists within the chapters of second Nephi.  These exact doctrines were the identical writings that the Jewish leaders had access to.  We can determine that if Nephi could locate the Savior’s name within the scriptures, then the Jewish leaders, who utilized matching works to Nephi, could have known the same thing. 

These leaders of the Jews knew, or should have known, that Jesus was the Messiah because He bore the accurate name.  Furthermore, Nephi knew the exact amount of years until the Savior would be born, and again obtained this information from the writings of the prophets.  Once more, they could, and should, have connected that He was the Redeemer because He was born during the correct year.  And we cannot fail to mention that He satisfied all other prophecies that recognize Him as the Messiah.

Is that not incredible? 

I recently connected this understanding and have been pondering over it ceaselessly.  I have thought of the different scenarios that it offers, and have sought to understand the approach that the leaders took.  What I have established has completely heightened my dedication to the scriptures, and has intensified my yearning to have a personalized understanding of the wonder that these sacred books hold.  All that I have determined can be outlined utilizing two words: search and believe. 

Search

This word was given by the Savior Himself when He requested the Jewish leaders to turn to their books of scripture.  Why did He choose to use the word search?  Why did He not decide to utilize phrases such as: Read the scriptures, or perhaps, Turn to the scriptures?  Because scriptures are books of learning, and to acquire a knowledge of what they hold, we must search them. 

Many Jewish leaders were following worldly patterns that had corrupted divine processes and procedures.  Traditions that were carried down from their earthly father’s became inherited and preferred over directions that were delivered from their Heavenly Patriarch.  Many of these resulted in acquisition of worldly treasures, as well as esteemed positions in society.  They frequently acted with self-righteous behaviors and judged others with a sanctimonious eye.  These attributes and characteristics are not present in the scriptures, for they build us to be more like Christ, and He possesses none of these qualities.  When we really search the scriptures, they link to our souls and become apart of us.  They help construct who and what we are. 

It should be considered that the leaders honestly did not know that Christ was who He claimed to be because they were not familiar with the indications released by prophets of old, who gave recognizable identifiers to help them know the Messiah when He came.  This could be because they were reading the scriptures, but not searching them.  Maybe, they were browsing them, but not releasing the effort to obtain interpretation.  Perhaps, we believe that the plain words of the Savior’s name could not be missed if they had read, but there are many simple things that exists within the scriptures that we overlook and do not discern in our own lives.  Searching the scriptures magnifies even the most noncomplex stories and words, allowing us to discover an expounding that we had not understood prior. 

The scriptures must be approached with studious techniques.  These words have been delivered from a heavenly sphere to explain things we don’t comprehend because of veiled memory, or because it is knowledge we have not yet gained, not even in a our premortal existence.  They add light to our darkened sphere.  We can easily relate this to a temporal example.   Just as in any other area of secular study, to become competent, proficient, or masterful, we have to apply ourselves.  We cannot simply pick up a medical book, scan through it, and then be prepared to administer an important medical procedure.  It takes time, study, focus, and application to be ready to assume such a position.  Knowledge is established with experience and exertion.

The scriptures can be difficult to understand.  In some books there are language barriers.  Imagery is frequently utilized.  Many prophecies have dual nature, meaning that they speak of circumstances which were present during the time of writing, but are also pertinent to our day.  Parables are given frequently by the Savior.  These stories have to be reflected upon to grasp the significance of the message that the Lord is releasing.  Commonly, scriptures are intensified each time they are searched, with supplementary comprehension being given during each study session.  We begin to find that scriptures have the capability to blossom.  They start as simple words and evolve into masterpieces of unveiled recognition.  The best part about that, we flourish along with them. 

We might ask, Why must the scriptures be provided in such a complex manner if they hold such important information?  Why cannot they not be more comprehensible?  The first answer would be a natural one.  The prophets are of ancient generations, clearly with continuation of time our words have not sustained congruity.  However, my favorite determination is that it is due to our Father offering us an opportunity to have the mysteries of His kingdom illuminated through our efforts, by employing our divinity.  We are His heavenly children with potential that matches a celestial realm.  We have the capability to comprehend the meaning and messages that rest within the scriptures, because within us god-like abilities exist.  However, engaging this part of our spirit always necessitate exertion, sometimes with patient laborious efforts.  But we must always recall that we have been designed after a divine pattern, and our capacity will repeatedly astonish us.

Our Father, our Savior, they trust in us.  They have faith in our abilities and show confidence in our potentialities.  What love this demonstrates!  I feel so full of gratitude for a Father that believes in me in such a way that He enables me to gain a comprehension of His kingdom, of His methods, of His path, of His requirements by way of study, instead of providing it for me in a fashion that would deny me the opportunity of individual development.  I crave to be like Him, and He, so tenderly and lovingly, provides me a way to do so.  I will forever love Him for it. 

Our Father does not conduct Himself, nor exhibit His love by controlling methods.  He has provided us with all we need to endure every single circumstance, hardship, or experience that we will encounter in this life.  He has supplied us with forewarning of future events, and has informed us of promised blessings.   He has provided a way for us to hear His voice and to understand His words in an unmistakable way, but He will never force us to partake or listen to His counsel.  He continually encourages, but never coerces, and always permits our agency.  He has utilized His prophets to document, protect, and preserve His words for us individually.  He has specific words in there that He knows you will need to hear during starry or starless moments of life.  He has left them to be a source of light, of direction, and of joy which cannot dim no matter how dark the world becomes.  But it is up to us to decide to partake of that brilliance. 

When we search the scriptures our hearts will come alive.  As we pray prior, during, and after, the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion.  He will take small verses and make them mountains of revelation for us.  We will discover clarity to a confused world that mixes and complicates the beauty of mortal life.  We will find peace and comfort as we realize promises that will be ours as we righteously endure.  These assurances make even the most dire of tribulation endurable.  Our vision becomes better aligned with a celestial perspective, and our temporal viewpoints begin to obscure.  We find that worldly logic always falls short, and that divine communication produces perpetual truth. 

The scriptures prepare us.  They provide instruction and produce insight regarding what is to come, and grant enlightenment that we may never be surprised, nor caught off guard, but instead will be able to recognize the events as fulfillment of prophecy.  They teach us what is required to gain blessings, how to discern good from evil, and how to secure characteristics that escort us towards a perfected state.

But over all, the scriptures introduce us to our Savior.  They teach us what His name is, who He is, how He lived and lives.  They tell us of His love, and of the sacrifices He willing gave that we may have entrance home again.  Searching the scriptures allows us to acquire an everlasting recognition and eternal bond with our Savior.  When we create this connection during this mortal probation, our identification of Him will be uncomplicated when He returns to us, or when we go home to Him.  We will not question if He is truly the Messiah, our Redeemer, our Savior, because our introduction happened long ago.  Instead, we will have the ability to realize His presence, without delay, and hasten to Him, ever rejoicing that the One in whom we have longed for, is at our side.  We will simply be with Him, the One we love, not wondering, nor determining, if He is truth.

Search the scriptures, don’t read them.  Study them, don’t browse.  Make them your source of guidance.  Allow them to be where you turn when questions arise.  Where you go when things seem obscure and uncertain.  Where you fall when life’s burdens are oppressive.  Where you come to find your Savior.  Where you begin your ceaseless attachment to Him.  For within the scriptures we find Him, and within Him, we discover us.

Believe

My first thought when considering this situation with the Jewish leaders was that they did know that Christ was the Messiah, but rejected Him because they disliked what He required, simply because He didn’t match what they pictured Him to be.  During the time of Christ, the Jews were intensely persecuted by the Romans.  They may have believed that the Messiah would enter like a raging solider to bring restitution of their freedom and peace.  When Christ emerged as one who was meek, humble, and forgiving, their hopes of a Messiah who carried a destroying sword of victory were dashed.  They could not, and would not, accept Him because He did not coordinate with their self-produced description of who and what He was.  Perhaps, these individuals searched the scriptures but did not believe in them, or did not believe that the fulfillment of them was heaven sent.

Satan despises that we have such a wealth of sublime knowledge at our fingertips.  He recognizes that even small involvements with the scriptures lessen his power, and intensify our ability to discern his workings.  When we empower ourselves by engaging in searching the scriptures, his next objective is to encourage uncertainties and doubts.  He seeks to have us distrust the words of the prophets, and to compare their words with mortal history or with societal acceptances.  He wants us to create our own version of Christ.  Many times this definition abandons virtuous behaviors and moral characteristics, and instead decides upon a Christ that is forgiving of all, one who overlooks sin, and one who supplies mercy without justice, covering wickedness with His grace.  Essentially, he seeks for us to believe in a Christ that is more compatible with worldly practices, leading us to a place where we basically worship Satan, not the Savior.

Believe in the descriptions of Christ that explain who He is within the scriptures.  Be knowledgeable regarding the stories of His life, His ministry, His teachings.  Recognize what He requires, and how He defines righteousness.  Understand what He promises to us, and what we pledge to Him as we seek towards eternal life.  As we come to know Christ better by way of scripture study we will never be startled at who He is when we meet again, because He became familiar to us through a perfected illustration long ago.

Perhaps, we shy away from the scriptures because what they contain make us uncomfortable.  Scriptures will embrace correction, and we will not find congruous application in all areas, because we are in an imperfect state.  They may produce uneasy feelings about our current choices, situations, or decisions.  We may not like that they hold strict counsel and speak of severe consequence to sinful living.  We cannot flinch from truth because it makes us aware of our areas in need of improvement, for this is one of their exact purposes, to diminish the gray, and the black, that Satan produces to conceal the light.  We should allow the words of the prophets to revitalize our commitment to what is right.  We should permit them to carry us to the Savior’s feet, seeking after the healing that is found within His Atonement.  After all, they are given to lead us to Him.  We must believe in the words of the scriptures, incorporating them into our lives in a way that refines and transforms who we are.  We have to permit them to teach us, to develop us. 

The scriptures are remarkable blessings.  Within the pages of the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, we can discover a light that will radiate throughout our entire existence.  These books truly testify of our Savior.  He desires for us to know of Him, which is why He has provided them for us.  He wants us to have knowledge of who He is, how He loves us, and to provide assurance that He will return.  He seeks for us to cleave unto Him, as desperately as He cleaves unto us.  May we do more than read these hallowed words, but search them that they may be a source of revelation and illumination.  An origin for our testimonies, the birthplace of our heartfelt conversion.  May we believe in the words of the prophets, these inspired vessels of the Lord, that we may never be deceived, nor confused, and that we will ever be looking for the events that bring Him back to us.   

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Ask Thee a Sign.

The scriptures are filled with examples of individuals who have sought after signs.  I have utilized these stories regularly in my life to provide reinforcement to the weakened portions which exist within me.  As I have pondered on these various accounts, two specific situations have provided great enlightenment regarding cries for manifestations of truth.

The first is a compilation of chapters regarding the Pharisees who placed continuous targets on Christ to prove that He was the Savior.  These stories fill the pages of the New Testament.  The Pharisees were consumed with receiving validation that Christ was actually who He claimed to be.  They taunted, harassed, and pestered Him with questions, which had been designed to deceive Jesus.  Time and time again, they were convinced that He could not provide a sign, and labeled him a blasphemer and by their societal power, nailed His perfect hands to the cross, ending His mortal existence.  As He hung in agony, they sat below His feet, seeking to dispel the heaviness, which I do not doubt, burdened even their rigid hearts.  Justifying their actions, they asserted that if He truly was the Christ, He could have utilized His power to bring Himself down from the cross.  Again, they lacked a sign that He was the promised Messiah, and that defended their decisions and actions.  Indeed, these men concluded that because there was a void of discernable indications matching their prayers, Christ could not be recognized for who He declared Himself to be.

The second is the story of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  A miraculous account of a young boy, only fourteen years of age, who desperately cried unto the Lord for a sign.  He was surviving in a world were mass confusion regarding religion was rampant.  New beliefs were emerging continuously, each one promising to be the true church of God.  However, Joseph could never feel settled.  When I think of this boy, in these circumstances, my heart is overwhelmed.  He sought for truth among a perplexing world, but his innate spirit, which resided within his heart, could never let him rest with what he discovered.  He was conflicted, in the most complex of ways.  Seeking for a sign of what he should do, Joseph asked of God.  Joseph received an answer in a miraculous way. He was given individualized guidance and solidified evidence with the visitation of the Father and of the Son. 

So, what is the difference between these two events?  Why did Heavenly Father not send a remarkable sign to the Pharisees when they sought to know if Jesus was actually the Christ, but allowed a phenomenal experience to occur to a young boy who was hunting after the true church of God?  There are a multitude of reasons, but maybe the greatest lies within the intentions of the heart. 

Wicked intentions filled the hearts of the Pharisees.  Their objective was not to discover if Christ was the Savior, but to prove that He was not.  They were obsessed with revealing Christ as a fraud, and it was built around desperation.  They fiercely wanted to refute Christ because He simply wasn’t what they wanted Him to be.  They held to their manmade philosophies, which had been created through the generations, and cherished them more than God.  Most importantly, to follow the Lord they had to sacrifice in ways they were unwilling to. 

Joseph’s heart was filled with pure intentions.  He was humble and contrite.  He desired to know of truth, and had no motives to prove or disprove anything.   To locate an answer, Joseph turned to the words God had provided to hear His voice, the scriptures.  There he found a response, and he followed the revelation received, and asked of God.  He was diligent, he arrived in a teachable state, and he sought after God’s will.

Now, these are not the only explanations relating to these contrastive events, nor I am declaring that if we ask of the Lord with a heart equal to Joseph that He will appear before us.  However, these stories can provide immense insight relating to the acquisition of our own revelations when we seek after confirmation. 

Testimonies Require Exertion

To know of Christ, to obtain a testimony, to have a witness of truth, we must labor.  If we are waiting for a testimony to be delivered to us on a golden platter, we will be sadly disappointed.  No.  Testimonies are results of exertion.  We are required to place forward spiritual effort to receive personal revelations.  A testimony is not a blessing which is endowed, but instead, a gift that is presented as we endeavor to secure our spiritual foundations.   How much more do we learn, how much more do we understand, how much more do we appreciate when we have worked to gain something?  There is no comparison.  What we toil to achieve, we treasure differently.

I distinctly recall sitting in the audience of the General Women’s Meeting a few years ago.  As I listened to the words of testimony that left these incredible women’s mouths and felt the magnitude of the Spirit, I craved to have understanding and conviction such as them.  I remember thinking: I wish I could have a testimony and interpret the gospel in the same manner as these women.  Immediately, the Holy Ghost assured me: You can.  Seek after such a testimony, and you will find it.  That experience forged me on a different path, one that I am still traveling today.  As I learn more, and as my testimony strengthens, my desires intensify.  My soul hungers for the truth, and as insight is gained, I yearn for more. 

We must consider if there would be any purpose to this earthly dispensation if our testimonies were supplied in an immediate manner.  No.  The objective of life would be void.  If testimonies were provided from our Father in such a way, we could have remained at home, receiving a fullness of knowledge and understanding within the bounds of heaven.   However, what we would have lacked would be our experience, and our own opportunity to become competent in the principles of the gospel.  We know from the example of our Savior, that experience is essential in achieving perfection.  We must work, with sincerity of heart, to acquire a testimony.  We absolutely have to experience life to learn.  It allows us to build upon concepts.  It provides an opportunity for us to utilize our supernal abilities to become worthy of entrance into a celestial sphere.  How grateful I am for a Father who trusts me, and permits me to absorb, memorize, master, and experience life, that I may become as He is.  What wondrous love is this!

We live in an instantaneous world.  We have become comfortable, and are fond, of expeditious results.  We must leave this approach with the world, and never advance with such a mindset regarding our spiritual advancement.  Perhaps, we have asked, we have looked, or we have sought after an indication of truth in a particular area of the gospel, or maybe in determining if the church is true at all.   After our specified timetable has expired we may exclaim: I searched!  I did not receive an answer.  I cannot believe what has not been confirmed to me.  We cannot, and should not, expect answers to arrive on our agenda.  The Lord’s ways are not our ways, they are perfected.  Our Heavenly Father, and Savior, Jesus Christ, build a testimony, they do not deliver one.    

This quote from Dieter F. Uchtdorf summarizes this reality flawlessly:

The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.

The key word in that entire quote: diligent.  We have to be diligent and persistent in finding our testimonies.  We must apply ourselves, and be willing to sacrifice, especially worldly pleasures and desires, in order to obtain.  This means immersing ourselves in spiritual things.  How can the Spirit ever witness truth to us if we exist in an environment where He cannot be heard, or where He cannot reside.  Indeed, our exclamations regarding the absence of an answer are correct!  We have not received an answer, because we have not provided a passageway in which it can be delivered.  When you read of people, or speak to people, who have had a true conversion to the gospel, it has been accomplished by surrendering distractions, and placing their full heart into the hands of the Lord.  This means pouring out your heart in prayer, studying, not reading, but studying the scriptures, and refusing to participate in any activity or engagement that strangles the presence of the Spirit.  If you truly want a testimony, your actions must witness the pure intentions of your heart. 

There is no greater way to receive answers than through the scriptures.  I have such a burning testimony of this!  Prayers, upon prayers, upon prayers have been answered for me through scripture study.  This is where I hear my Father’s voice as clear and tangibly as if we were speaking face to face.  My testimony of this truth is so overwhelming I can hardly contain myself from shouting it aloud.  The Lord has provided His words, left them, secured them, protected them, through all of these ages, that we may have evidently personalized answers to our heartfelt cries.  It is good to read His words, but most importantly, we must study and ponder His words.  If we merely skim the pages, or read our scriptures in a ritualistic manner to fulfill our responsibility, we will miss the answers that exist within the pages we review.  Submerge yourself in the blessing of scripture study.  I promise, you will find answers there.

Are We Seeking to Disprove?

There are similarities that exist today regarding the way the Pharisees sought for a sign, and the way we may search after own convictions.  If we are constantly seeking to disprove, we will never find truth, only verifications of what we are hoping.  For anything we find that complements and coordinates with our comforts, will become our confirmation of truth.  We must be careful, Satan has the power of deception, and is a frequent user of methods of deceit.

The interesting thing about the Pharisees is that the Lord delivered a multitude of signs demonstrating His power as the Savior.  He healed lepers, He gave vision to the sightless, the crippled walked by way of His restorative hand.  The Pharisees were not blind to these events.  They saw the miraculous healings that took place, and were constantly made aware of all other miracles that Christ provided.  However, they did not see them for what they were, the response to their requests for manifestation. 

Perhaps, they did not interpret these signs because they were too distracted in proving that He was an impostor.  They did not want Christ to be the Messiah, because He restricted them.  Following after Jesus necessitates sacrifice.  These individuals held esteemed political positions, were wealthy, and experienced comforts of life.  Accepting Jesus as the Christ would require them to let go of worldly possessions, titles, and accepted philosophies.  These things stood as their idols, what they cherished above God.  They would do anything to sustain them, including rejecting the One that came to atone for their sins. 

Christ will never be what we imagine Him to be.  He will be more.  When we find Him, we will discover matchless mercy, but it will also be coupled with requirements of work, sacrifice, and abandonment of worldly trends and treasures.  He is worth it.  Forsake all for Him. 

Can we liken this to ourselves in our quest for truth?  Are we not receiving confirmation because we simply don’t want it to be true?  Do we not want the responsibility of following the commandments?  Do the sacrifices we must make to acquire truth rid us of our mindless comforts, or adored hobbies?  Do we feel enticed by the world and wish to experience the “happiness” that it displays by engaging or accepting things that the gospel prohibits?  If our intentions are made up of these things, we will assuredly, never find truth.  It does not mean that signs are not being provided, but instead, we are turning a blind eye because we are hoping the answer is no.

Running After Signs

Persistently running after signs, leaves God behind.  We become caught up in logically confirming God’s existence, and search the world for proof.  We will never find truth when we seek among society.  We must remember, this is a telestial sphere, He reigns in a celestial kingdom.  It must be stated that the gospel will not always appear rational or sensible with a temporal outlook.  But isn’t that what is so great about it?  If it was parallel with worldly ideologies and principles, it would lose all divinity.  At first glance, it will not seem natural to our mortal minds.  However, with my experience, as your testimony enhances, it becomes apparent how perfectly correct it is, and the world’s definitions begin to defy logic.  Opinions of man cannot replace the outlines, objectives, and promises of our Father.  Stay with God.  Do not forge ahead seeking for more enlightenment than He is willing to provide at the present moment, nor lose faith because we do not understand everything within this instant.    

Do we require miraculous events to occur in our lives before we are willing to accept the gospel, or to take the steps towards obtainment of testimony? This is a dangerous.  Astounding visitations and manifestations rarely occur.  This does not indicate that we hold a lesser importance to our Heavenly Father, for didn’t Christ say that blessed are those who believe without seeing?  If we are waiting for an angel to arrive, a voice to sound through the night, or a shock to be sent from the heavens, we may be lodged there, permanently, throughout our mortal existence.  The most tragic thing about this mentality, signs are being continually provided, in equivalently miraculous ways. 

Signs Are Being Delivered

Frequent signs are released from our Father, which have been constructed for us individually.  However, they will hardly arrive in an ostentatious fashion.  If we are requesting or awaiting such a display, we will be dissatisfied.  The Lord seldom, if ever, works in this way.  Our signs may not perfectly correspond to our expectations of appearance, but our Heavenly Father, and our Savior, do release evidence of their existence and actuality, as well as answers to our prayers.  Our responsibility is to be spiritually in tune to recognize them.  We must pray for discernment, that our eyes may be opened, and that our hearts by be tender to these exceptional moments of confirmation. 

Living a life of gratitude is an exceptional way to best identify our indications sent from above.  When we approach life with a thankful heart, we more easily recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives, for He truly provides us with miracles.  Do not overlook these blessings.  If you struggle seeing how He assists you, write down your day, you will find them.  Follow the example of Henry B. Eyring and detail the Lord’s hand in your life, every single day.  You will be amazed at the protection, magnification, and strength that He has provided to you, so intensely that your heart will swell from your very chest. 

Failure to notice our individual wonders delivered from our Father, is driven by pride.  Pride is the destroyer of a grateful heart.  When we forget to acknowledge the Lord in our lives, we begin to believe that we attain and acquire things or experiences because of our own talent or abilities.  Indeed, we forget that behind all our strength is our Father.  Pride is the quickest mode of entry for Satan, and is a gateway for all other types of sin.  It is the greatest of all evils.  We must fiercely avoid it.  Nothing is accomplished, achieved, or obtained without the Lord. 

If you are constantly searching after wondrous events before you allow your heart to convert, you will be left seeking.  If you require gospel truths to match worldly perspectives and reason, you will find yourself on a path that is not divinely constructed.  Satan does have the power to counterfeit the things of God, and he leads many away by doing so.  Although our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, do not need to prove their existence to us, for they already live, they provide indications and customized answers to our prayers because their love is endless.  We should not require evidences to demonstrate faith.  However, we must not forget that our Father understands our hearts individually.  He knows that we need to hear His voice and that we need manifestations of truth to solidify our testimonies. 

Ask Thee a Sign

Many within the church, and outside of the church, struggle with faith because they feel like having a testimony means never asking questions.  Perhaps, they view it as being required to follow with blind obedience.  This is not the case, actually it is far from it.  Just as all knowledge is not instantly delivered, the Lord does not require us to immediately recognize and acknowledge all aspects of the gospel.  He sent us here to learn, and He is omnipotent.  He understands that learning involves questions.  He is not instructing us to never ask, but only that when questions arise in our hearts that we allow Him to answer them.  That we fall at His feet to receive insight, and not seek it in the world.  This is truth, for He utilized Isaiah to speak His will concerning this:

Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God…the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Isaiah 7:11,14 

We should not fear approaching our Father with questions, concerns, or current uncertainties.  That is where He wants us to come when we feel unsure.  To Him.  After all, He is our Father.  Our loving, attentive, affectionate Father.  He wants to answer our questions.  He wants us to grow and develop.  He wants us to become like Him, because He aches for us to be back home.   But we must remember that confirmation comes in His own ways, and in His own time, and that it may not be identical, nor as astounding, as experiences that exist within scriptural accounts.  However, it will be so superbly personalized it will entirely overwhelm our souls.  Above all, we must never lose the remembrance that recognition will not be gained without our eager and energetic exertion, nor with impure intentions.  After all, our manifestations, they depend on our heart.  

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