When we Struggle...

 

Where Sin Causes Chaos, Christ Brings Peace

By Chakell Wardleigh Herbert

Church Magazines

We all make mistakes. But when we struggle with sins or habits that we can’t seem to overcome, no matter how hard we try to change, it’s easy to feel a sense of disarray. With the spiritual side of us pulling toward heaven and the mortal side tugging us toward the world, it can feel like a constant internal tug-of-war.

Whether we struggle with things like gossip, anger, unrighteous judgment, engaging with too much media, pornography use, or anything else, the adversary is quick to fan flames of shame, hopelessness, and ultimately, spiritual chaos.

Fortunately for us, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know how to handle chaos...

If He could bring order to the universe, imagine what can happen when you turn to His Son for healing and redeeming power each day. When you feel like you’re burdened by your struggles and the darkness of the world, reaching for Christ’s light is the first step toward peace and divine organization...

Whatever you might struggle with, when you turn to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for help, They can always restore what is in shambles, free you from the chaos of sins and temptations, and beautify your life.

They’ve done it time and time again.

Promising in the Abrahamic Covenant

 

Seeking Christ and Covenants: Nephi’s Keys to Reading the Old Testament

By David R. Seely

Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University

As we read the Old Testament, we can look for indications of the Lord upholding the promises made in the Abrahamic covenant. The three most prominent blessings are land, which symbolizes an inheritance in Heavenly Father’s kingdom; posterity, which is a promise of eternal increase; and blessings of the gospel and the priesthood, “which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11).

Being Grateful in our Circumstances

 Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has perfectly described what I experienced: “When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Grateful in Any Circumstances,” Liahona, May 2014, 75.

Peace and Joy, Not Grief, Dominated My Heart. Why?

By Carma Lee Call Ellingson

Only God Can Condemn His Chosen Servants

 

Faithfulness and Prophets—Past and Present

By Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt

Of the Seventy

In the April 2019 general conference, President Eyring quoted this teaching of President George Q. Cannon (1827–1901), First Counselor in the First Presidency: “God has chosen His servants. He claims it as His prerogative to condemn them, if they need condemnation. He has not given it to us individually to censure and condemn them. No man, however strong he may be in the faith, however high in the Priesthood, can speak evil of the Lord’s anointed and find fault with God’s authority on the earth without incurring His displeasure. The Holy Spirit will withdraw himself from such a man, and he will go into darkness. This being the case, do you not see how important it is that we should be careful?”...

Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, ed. Jerreld L. Newquist (1974), 1:278; see also Henry B. Eyring, “The Power of Sustaining Faith,” Liahona, May 2019, 59.

Another key principle is to avoid exceeding our authority or assuming roles we don’t have. These mindsets deceive us into thinking too highly of our own opinions, which naturally occurs when we think too lowly of the teachings of prophets and apostles. Condemning prophets and apostles, including those of the past, obviously exceeds our authority, as the Lord reserves this ability to Himself. I am fully confident that our all-knowing, loving, and merciful Savior has addressed or will address and eagerly forgive any mistakes or imperfections of the past, as we hope He will do for us in the present....

What we may perceive as imperfections in their words or actions may, in fact, reflect imperfection in our perception or mortal understanding. Remembering that the Lord’s ways are higher than our ways and that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (see Isaiah 55:8–9) allows us to avoid judging prophets, including those of the past. This humble attitude enables us to give heed to the words of living prophets “in all patience and faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:5; see also 1:28).

Harder to Discern Truth

 

Safety in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ

By Sister J. Anette Dennis

First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

There are great blessings in having modern-day prophets. President Hugh B. Brown (1883–1975), a former counselor in the First Presidency, told of a discussion he had with a member of the British House of Commons who had previously been a judge. This man said he thought God had not spoken to people on earth since the first century, and President Brown responded by explaining to him about Joseph Smith and the Restoration.

“The judge sat and listened intently,” President Brown recalled. “He asked some very pointed and searching questions, and at the end of the interview he said, ‘Mr. Brown, I wonder if your people appreciate the import of your message. Do you? … If what you have told me is true, it is the greatest message that has come to earth since the angels announced the birth of Christ.’”...

It is getting much harder to discern what is truth in our world today. There are so many voices coming from so many directions—Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, podcasts, cable news, and on and on. And now with artificial intelligence, or AI, on the scene, it is even harder to discern what is true and what is not—or even what is real! Deceitful deep-fake videos can make it appear that someone has said or done something that they haven’t. It is going to be extremely hard to discern truth from falsehood in years to come.

Lucifer Rebelled

 

Partakers of the Divine Nature

(2 Peter 1:4)

By Elder David A. Bednar

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Lucifer did not present a plan that was voted down by a majority of the participants in the premortal council. He is not a sympathetic figure who lost an election. He rebelled! Pride, arrogance, and selfishness motivated his revolt against the Father’s plan.