Luke 22:31 (JST) "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired you that he may sift the children of the kingdom as wheat."
When I first read this verse, I wondered what 'sifting the children of the kingdom as wheat' meant. Elder Dallin H. Oaks in his address in April of 2009, says it "means to make us common like all those around us."
Elder McConkie quotes the same verse and says, " In essence and thought content, Jesus is saying, 'Peter (my words: we could all insert our names here) Satan wants you in his harvest. He wants to harvest your soul and bring you into his garner, where he will have you to be his disciple"....
There are other scriptures that validate this, but the point is, the Adversary will continue relentlessly to try to overpower our testimony. Maybe that is by telling us that knowledge is enough and we do not need to change our behavior or put into practice our beliefs. Maybe he will use the persuasion of the world to try and convince us that what we once knew could not be so or doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter how he does it. We have to make a concerted effort on a daily basis to enrich our testimony. Otherwise, we may find ourselves in a place where Lucifer is successful in overpowering our testimony.
(Smiley during family prayers one night)
Number 7: Others are praying for us.
Luke 22:32
32 But I have aprayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art bconverted, cstrengthen thy brethren.
When we feel discouraged in our ability to strengthen our testimony, we need to remember that the Savior prays for us. He prayed for Peter. He has prayed for others. I have heard the prophets testify that they keep us in their prayers. Our posterity and our ancestors are probably praying for us and so our those around us who know we need their strength. We are not alone.
And when we are converted ourselves (testimony and conversion are different---but that is a different post altogether), we have a responsibility to help others become converted. That all begins with testimony
What kinds of things do you do to strengthen your testimony? Do you have an experience where you have been strengthened through prayer, yours or another person?
the difference between members in the celestial kingdom and the terrestrial kingdom is being valiant in their testimony.
ReplyDelete79 These are they who are not avaliant in the btestimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God. (section 76)
11 And they aovercame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their btestimony; and they loved not their lives unto the cdeath. (Revelation 12)- see JST
When I was a teenager there was a missionary serving in my ward. He was tall and very cute, but when he left I knew he'd be back in our ward. I just felt that impression, but told no one, but I was right- he came back. I've had other impressions too, or just known things that did really nothing for me- at least I think they did nothing for me. I just wonder why.
ReplyDeleteOne way to study the scriptures is to look for the qualities and attributes of the Godhead. Start with the 12 mentioned in Lectures on Faith, but then go from there. I've done that for a decade in many sets of scriptures and as I do so I finally and really started to believe what the Savior says, believe promises he's made to me because of his qualities and who he is and what he is capable of and what he has done for us.