Overdependence on Ourselves

 

Ladder of Faith

By Elder Larry S. Kacher

Of the Seventy

Conference May 2022

Accepting His will in place of our own is key to finding joy no matter our circumstances....

An overdependence on ourselves can impede our ability to access the powers of heaven...

Unbelief blocks our ability to see miracles, whereas a mindset of faith in the Savior unlocks the powers of heaven.

Depressed?

"When you're depressed you're thinking about yourself too much."

Learn From the Wise Men

There is much we can learn from the Wise Men. Like them, we should study the scriptures and know the signs to watch for as we all prepare the earth for the Savior’s Second Coming. Then, as we search and ponder the scriptures, we will more fully desire to seek the Lord every day of our lives and, as a gift to Him, give up our selfishness, pride, and rebelliousness. When personal revelation comes to alter the plans we have made, we can obey, having faith and trust that God knows what is best for us. And ultimately, through lives of true discipleship, we must fall down and worship the Savior in humility and love.

Elder Patrick Kearon

• PG 33 ENSIGNDECEMBER 2011
• COME, LET US ADORE HIM

When Our Baby Didn't Come...

It’s easy to culture loneliness or self-pity as you would bacteria in an isolated dish, becoming bitter toward those who have relationships you long for, but Elder Wirthlin pointed out that “those who live abundant lives … fill their hearts with love.”

Mindy Anne Leavitt, Life More Abundant, Ensign, Dec 2014, 14-15.

Truly Converted

"The Lord taught us that when we are truly converted to His gospel, our hearts will be turned from selfish concerns and turned toward service to lift others as they move upward to eternal life. To obtain that conversion, we can pray and work in faith to become the new creature made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

"We can start by praying for the faith to repent of selfishness and for the gift of caring for others more than ourselves. We can pray for the power to lay aside pride and envy."

President Henry B. Eyring, "Testimony and Conversion," Ensign, Feb 2015, 4-5.

Refusing to Have Children

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) said, “It is an act of extreme selfishness for a married couple to refuse to have children when they are able to do so.”

Spencer W. Kimball, “Fortify Your Homes against Evil,” Ensign, May 1979, 6.