How to Obtain Answers to Prayers

Jesus told us the formula for obtaining answers to our prayers:

20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you (3 Ne. 18:20).

 So, if you want an answer to prayer, run it through this checklist:

1. Have I asked the Father for it in the name of Jesus Christ? 
2. Does it seem right that I have this blessing or answer to my prayer? Do I think it is right? More importantly, does Heavenly Father deem it right? 
3. Do I faithfully believe I will receive the answer or desired blessing? 

If you can check off those three criteria, it seems that, according to Jesus Christ Himself, you will receive an answer. 

A few things to keep in mind concerning this formula:

• With regard to criteria #1, asking in the name of Christ is more than just saying the words, "I ask this thing in the name of Jesus Christ." The Bible Dictionary clarifies:

We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when His words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart (Bible Dictionary - Prayer).

•  With regard to #2, we should pray for blessings and answers to prayer that are right. But who is defining the concept of "right." God of course. Whatever God wants is right. Therefore, our chances for receiving and answer to prayer go way up if we ask for things we know are right, things that God Himself has already told us are right. For example, God has made it clear that He wants us to share the Gospel with others through missionary work. Well then, I know that praying for courage and strength to invite and teach others the Gospel is right! There is a blessing we know will pass this criteria. There are countless other things God has said in scripture that we know are right.
• And for #3, believing I will receive is an active thing I think, where we get off our knees and then go and do all we can to secure the desired answer or blessing, trusting that God will provide, whether in the form of strength and energy and wisdom and power to obtain the answer, or perhaps in the form of literal "manna from heaven." 

3 Nephi 8

This chapter has given me one of those "don't let this be you" moments. The setting is the Americas. The people are the mostly depraved and wicked Nephite and Lamanite people. The time is the day of Christ's Crucifixion. It seems that all the earth mourned the loss of its Savior as we see this American continent, on the other side of the world, go through terrible storms and violent earthquakes, ravaging fires and whole cities breaking off and sinking into the ocean.

After all these great upheavals the land became quiet, but pitch black. No light was seen for three days. The dark was so thick and intense that no light could penetrate it, no fire could be lit. It was what the people said in these dark and dreary circumstances that impresses me:

23 And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.
24 And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla.
25 And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible.

The cries of the people or what get to me. They had reached the point of regret. There was no going back to fix things now. The time for repentance was, at least in one sense, past, meaning that they could not repent now and regain bring back their friends and family who had died, or get back to the life they had before. All that was over and now these who survived had a new opportunity to move forward make a new life of it.

The warning that sounds in my ears after reading this chapter is that I must not let this happen to me. I can learn from this people's mistakes. I can choose to repent early and often, and stay up to date with my repentance each day.

3 Nephi 5

We have the assurance of the author himself of the Book of Mormon that it is true:

18 And I know the record which I make to be a just and a true record;

I trust Mormon because I have read and personally received spiritual confirmation that the Book of Mormon is as much the Word of God as the Bible.

3 Nephi 5.

3 Nephi 4

In the post for 3 Nephi 3 I said how I would be wishing for a man like captain Moroni to head my armies in the face of the Gadianton robbers and their intimidating, numerous armies. Well, in this chapter we see that captain Gidgidoni turned out to be every bit as much an inspired and brilliant military leader as his legendary counterpart of the previous generation. It had been less than 100 years since the days of Moroni so I am sure that he was known and remembered, talked about and revered as a legend. Gidgidoni would surely go down in Nephite history in a similar way because of his spiritual soundness and his military genius.

The Nephite armies taught me something, or rather reminded me of an important principle when they saw the terrible armies coming to attack them:

7 And it came to pass that they did come up to battle; and it was in the sixth month; and behold, great and terrible was the day that they did come up to battle; and they were girded about after the manner of robbers; and they had a lamb-skin about their loins, and they were dyed in blood, and their heads were shorn, and they had head-plates upon them; and great and terrible was the appearance of the armies of Giddianhi, because of their armor, and because of their being dyed in blood.
8 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites, when they saw the appearance of the army of Giddianhi, had all fallen to the earth, and did lift their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.

When fear gripped these people, their immediate instinct was to fall to the ground and plead with God for strength, for help, for deliverance. All men have fears, but those who face their fears have courage as well. These men cried to God for strength and courage, for comfort, and for success that they might win the day.

When I am faced with my own fears, I know what I must do. I have the privilege of asking for and receiving strength from the Lord to face my fears. May I not be a coward, but courageous every time I fear.

God did answer the prayers of the Nephites. He did strengthen them. They did win the day. They did defeat their enemies. And when they did they praised Him and thanked Him for His help:

30 And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection.
31 And it came to pass that they did break forth, all as one, in singing, and praising their God for the great thing which he had done for them, in preserving them from falling into the hands of their enemies.
32 Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry: Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God.
33 And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.

May I follow this pattern throughout my life of praying for strength in all of life's battles, and then returning thanks to God for answering my prayers.

 3 Nephi 4.

Under the glance of His all-seeing eye

Elder Christofferson's final words from his most recent conference address stuck out to me most:

Under the glance of His all-seeing eye, I stand myself as a witness that Jesus of Nazareth is the resurrected Redeemer, and I testify of all that follows from the fact of His Resurrection. May you receive the conviction and comfort of that same witness, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

It stands out in my mind as a reminder to me that God does see and know all. It is a reminder to me to follow the counsel of this verse of scripture:

30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

Jesus lives, and He is all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing. There is no thought that crosses my mind He is not aware of. There is no word that comes out of my mouth the He doesn't hear. There is no action I do that He does not witness. Every intention of my heart is fully visible to Him at all times.  So don't try to hide anything from Him because it won't work and it'll just make Him angry, and just think, say, and do good and you'll be fine!

3 Nephi 3

The Lord has warned us against those who call evil good, and good evil. Here is a an example of someone who did just that:

9 And behold, I am Giddianhi; and I am the governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be good; and they are of ancient date and they have been handed down unto us.

The specific activities of this secret society were to plunder, murder, and steal under under the guise of secrecy. The whole group of these people took an oath of secrecy and swore to protect one another and keep one another's secrets. There was nothing good about this society or the things they stood for or did. In fact, this society was as far from good as you could possibly get. It's author was Satan himself. It seems strange that the leader of such a society, knowing full well he was lying, would assert that it was good.

Receiving an epistle like that though would make me personally wish I had a guy like captain Moroni of old at the head of my armies:

11 And now it came to pass when Lachoneus received this epistle he was exceedingly astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people and avenging the wrongs of those that had received no wrong, save it were they had wronged themselves by dissenting away unto those wicked and abominable robbers.

Luckily for the Nephites, the man at the helm was Lachoneus, a man who feared the true and living God and not some two-bit hack robber. This is how he responded:

12 ...he did not hearken to the epistle of Giddianhi, the governor of the robbers, but he did cause that his people should cry unto the Lord for strength against the time that the robbers should come down against them.

The first thing he did was turn the people to pray for deliverance to the Lord God Almighty. He really was the only one who could save them at that point.

Governor Lachoneus also brings up another key point related to obtaining answers to our pleas for God's help:

15 Yea, he said unto them: As the Lord liveth, except ye repent of all your iniquities, and cry unto the Lord, ye will in nowise be delivered out of the hands of those Gadianton robbers.

God will help us only as we are clean before Him. The best practice seems to be to build up a long track record of honesty, integrity, obedience, and service to the Lord so that when we find ourselves in need of His assistance, we can easily feel justified in asking for it.

3 Nephi 2

Sometimes people just stop listening:

10 And it came to pass that the people did still remain in wickedness, notwithstanding the much preaching and prophesying which was sent among them; and thus passed away the tenth year also; and the eleventh year also passed away in iniquity.

 It's not good when people stop listening to the prophets. Bad things follow:

19 And thus ended the fifteenth year, and thus were the people in a state of many afflictions; and the sword of destruction did hang over them, insomuch that they were about to be smitten down by it, and this because of their iniquity.

Something to remember. Follow the prophet!

Sunday Talk

I've been assigned to address the congregation on the topic of Obtaining Answers to Prayers. I am to speak for 15 - 20 minutes. Here are a bunch of ideas buzzing around in my head right now:

Elder Hales' 10 axioms for life, one of which is the following:

Pursue your goals with all your heart, might, mind, and strength. You are doomed to failure if you pursue them in a vacillating manner.
So often we are tentative and don’t move forward with conviction. We feel our way along, as if we were afraid in the dark. It is so much better to turn on the light of faith and move ahead with energy and commitment.
If our course is wrong, we will quickly recognize it and make the necessary adjustments. But if we pursue a course tentatively and indecisively, it is difficult to know whether it is right or wrong in time to correct it.
The Lord said, “I would thou wert cold or hot” (Revelation 3:15).
We should decide now to make our decisions prayerfully and then move forward with faith, energy, and determination.

Nicole and I as a couple have tried adopt this axiom as our own. When faced with decisions about our goals, such as education, career, family, etc..., we have tried to go forward with energy and faith.

For example, I was studying business when I started having the desire to move into a more technical educational path of engineering. I was already well into my business degree and there was a lot of uncertainty about switching over. The desire continued to grow. We prayerfully considered the investment and eventually decided to go for it full steam ahead. That decision has lead us right here to Gainesville FL and UF for the next leg of our educational training.

Another example was our decision on when and how many children to have. Each time we made the decision to try for another child, it was preceded by many iterations of being on our knees together seeking counsel from the Lord, telling Him that we wanted to invite another soul into our family, and asking Him if that would be ok. We also took these desires and questions to the temple and tried to listen for the ratifying voice of the Spirit as we sat quietly together in the Celestial Room. After those temple trips we would discuss the feelings and impressions we had on the subject. Significantly, feelings and impressions and confirmations did come from those efforts to seek the Lord's will. We gained from those temple trips confidence that the Lord was pleased with, or at least not opposed to, our decision.

Last week's lesson on personal revelation in Teacher's quorum was helpful. Bro Tim Fogelman showed us a Bednar video on Patterns of light. Three different ways we receive revelation: as a flash of light as in flipping a light switch on; a gradual shift to full clarity as in the rising of the sun; walking through the fog in the light of day with just a few steps worth of visibility. As Nicole and I have made decisions about where to live, education, career, family and church, we have felt most often as if we are walking through a foggy path, where the answers to our questions are not straightforward or clear in any way. Thankfully the Lord seems to have provided just enough light, just enough revelation, just enough of the answer for us to move forward a few steps at a time. We have at times reflected on the following idea: What if the Lord had revealed everything to us all at once. Let's say on the day of our temple sealing the Lord gave us a vision and showed us that we would soon need to move across the country, that we would soon be expecting our first child, and that in five years we will have had 4 children, changed educational paths, and be pursuing and advanced degree in engineering. I think if the Lord would have revealed all that to us all at once we would have both turned and ran for the hills as fast as we could! So I appreciate that we walk through the fog and that we only see a few steps ahead at a time.

President Mark Allred, one of my stake presidents growing up in Utah, gave a talk one time about receiving personal revelation. Part of what he said has always stuck with me. His comments went right along with Elder Bednars patterns of light and Elder Hales' axiom. He taught us that the way he obtains answers to his prayers is that he carefully and prayerfully studies the alternatives out in his mind and then he comes to what he called an interim decision. In other words, he used all the knowledge and wisdom and judgement and logic and reason he could to come to his own decision about a matter, and then, the key step was to take that decision to the Lord in prayer and ask for confirmation if it was right.

Preface

As a preface to my remarks, note that there is an assumption made or a per-requisite required before we can hope to obtain answers to our prayers.

In the book of 3 Nephi, the Nephite governor Lachoneus received a rather disconcerting letter from the head of the Gadianton robbers who infested the land all around. This robber threatened the Nephites with total destruction unless they made a total and immediate surrender.

Luckily for the Nephites, the man at the helm was Lachoneus, a man who feared the true and living God and not some two-bit hack robber. This is how he responded:

12 ...he did not hearken to the epistle of Giddianhi, the governor of the robbers, but he did cause that his people should cry unto the Lord for strength against the time that the robbers should come down against them.

The first thing he did was turn the people to pray for deliverance to the Lord God Almighty. He really was the only one who could save them at that point.

Governor Lachoneus also brings up another key point related to obtaining answers to our pleas for God's help:

15 Yea, he said unto them: As the Lord liveth, except ye repent of all your iniquities, and cry unto the Lord, ye will in nowise be delivered out of the hands of those Gadianton robbers.

God will help us only as we are clean before Him. The best practice seems to be to build up a long track record of honesty, integrity, obedience, and service to the Lord so that when we find ourselves in need of His assistance, we can easily feel justified in asking for it.
So, my remarks on how to obtain answers to our prayers are based on the assumption that the one trying to obtain answers is clean and pure before the Lord; that all major sins and transgressions have been or are in the process of being repented of, and that, in spite of our weaknesses, we are striving to meet the Lord's high expectations of us. As the Lord stated:

10 I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

If we who seek answers are not clean and pure before the Lord, then the Lord has no obligation to bless us with answers, and we have no guarantee that we will ever find them.

3 Nephi 1

The people of God were waiting for the sign of Christ's birth, for that night which would not darken even though the sun would go down, so that there would be a day and a night and a day with no darkness. Meanwhile, the non-believers saw that the appointed time for the sign to be fulfilled was at hand:

5 But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.
6 And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.
7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.
8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.

It must have taken great strength and courage for these people to trust in the Lord and wait for Him to fulfill the sign of Christ's birth. What makes their courage even more amazing is this:

9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.

This test of faith required the believers to put their very lives on the line. That is what makes their faith so impressive to me. Their faith had to be stronger than their fear of death. They were facing the very real prospect of having to die for their belief in this sign. The temptation to defect, to denounce their faith and turn to the side of the non-believers in order to save their lives must have been overwhelming.

Placing myself in the shoes of one of the believers, how would I have reacted? Would I have kept the faith? Is my faith currently strong enough? Do I love the Lord enough to die for Him today?

Thankfully, the previous question is just theory. Gratefully I live in a different time with different challenges to my faith. However, discouragement and despair are just as toxic to my faith now as they were to those Christians back then. How will I react to discouragement in my life? When I have worked and sweated and sacrificed and yet it still seems that my faith has been spent in vain, will I give in to despair, or will I do as these faithful people did, watching steadfastly and keeping the faith?

In time I will answer that critical question myself. But I know Who to go to for strength and comfort during those times. God will see me through any trial if I ask Him for help. That's why every day I pray for just that amount of strength I will need to meet the challenges and opportunities of the day. I have noticed from my reading of the scriptures that the sincere prayer for strength is one that God always honors.

Helaman 16

It is very interesting to see how Satan works:

22 And many more things did the people imagine up in their hearts, which were foolish and vain; and they were much disturbed, for Satan did stir them up to do iniquity continually; yea, he did go about spreading rumors and contentions upon all the face of the land, that he might harden the hearts of the people against that which was good and against that which should come.

So next time I feel like I want to spread a rumor or start a fight, I would do well to remember that I am probably acting as the devils hands in doing his work. Spreading rumors can take the form of gossip, whether it is true or untrue. Spreading contention can happen on the sports field or in the stands, during my daily commute, at work or school, and even at home. Ah, the home. Yes, that is especially the place where Satan wants widespread rumors and contention. My home is of course the place to start. I can do the most good by seeing that gossip and contention are minimized and then hopefully eliminated altogether from my home.

Helaman 13

At this time in Nephite history, there was a stark contrast between the two peoples:

1 And now it came to pass in the eighty and sixth year, the Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea, in great wickedness, while the Lamanites did observe strictly to keep the commandments of God, according to the law of Moses.

Normally we see it the other way around, with the Nephites being the people who keep the commandments of God. But there is one phrase in there that seems to be characteristic of the Lamanite people: strict observance of the commandments of God. The Lamanites seem to go all-out either way: when they are wicked, they are depraved! And when they are righteous, they zealously serve God and keep His commandments. My goal would be to bring my discipleship up to a level that resembles that of the Lamanites in this time period.

Here is a phrase picked out of verse 6 that stands out to me:

6 ...nothing can save this people save it be repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.

This one phrase pretty well says it all, doesn't it? So all I need to do today then is: repent; build faith; repent; build faith; repent; build faith. Great, that makes prioritizing my day quite easy!

Remember that scripture that says that Christ grew in favor with God and man? And that other scripture that says all things work together for the good of those who love God? Contrast those ideas with this:

8 Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites, except they repent I will take away my word from them, and I will withdraw my Spirit from them, and I will suffer them no longer, and I will turn the hearts of their brethren against them.

It works both ways. If we fail to love God things will stop eventually working out for our good and we will not gain favor with others as easily. I like to think of this phenomena in terms of other people's impressions of you. Have you ever wondered why sometimes you meet people at work or school or church or in the community and they just seem to get a good first impression of you and just seem to generally like you and your relationships begin and stay positive? I think if we are keeping the commandments the Lord helps that sort of thing happen, and that ability to positively connect with people brings great blessings at work, at church, at home, at school, and in the community.

Here's a great indication that you live in a really bad society:

26  ...if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.
27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet.
28 Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.

Helaman 13.

Numbers 25

Get this straight in your head: God hates whoredom! He hates sexual immorality, and He hates when we His children worship false gods.

Numbers 25.

Helaman 12

This chapter starts out by painting a grim picture of the "natural-man" state of humanity. In the absence of the influence and blessings of our God, our hearts are weak, and our character is in serious question:

1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men...
4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!
5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!
6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.

Satan, the father of falseness, and unsteadiness, the father of foolishness and vainness and all manner of iniquity, will teach us all his ways unless we first hearken to the ways of the Lord.

Notwithstanding the grim picture at first, the author follows up with a soothing message of repentance and forgiveness, reminding us that it is within the grasp of all of us to work out our own salvation:

23 Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved.

Helaman 12.

Helaman 11

Because of his faithfulness, Helaman held great sway with the Lord. Anything Helaman asked, the Lord granted. That is how much the Lord trusted him. That's what this chapter seems to say to me. The relationship Helaman had with God, and the power that was granted to him to bless the Lord's children are impressive.

Helaman 11.

Helaman 10

Nephi had many qualities that the Lord was very pleased with and for which the Lord blessed him greatly:

4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

One that particularly impresses me is that Lord notes that Nephi had not feared the people. He sought the Lord's will in spite of whatever fears he had and in spite of the negative reaction of the people.

Helaman 9

I  find it peculiar that

8 And now behold, the people knew nothing concerning the multitude who had gathered together at the garden of Nephi; therefore they said among themselves: These men are they who have murdered the judge, and God has smitten them that they could not flee from us.

these men invoke the name of God to explain what happened to the five men passed out on the floor. I find it odd because these people had totally forsaken God and surely knew nothing of His will or His ways. And yet they still spoke as though they knew His purposes.

I find a similar thread of behavior nowadays in our society with everybody, whether believers or not, using God's name in vain in their exclamations and profanities.

It is interesting how different people interpreted the events depicted in this chapter:

39 And there were some of the Nephites who believed on the words of Nephi; and there were some also, who believed because of the testimony of the five, for they had been converted while they were in prison.
40 And now there were some among the people, who said that Nephi was a prophet.
41 And there were others who said: Behold, he is a god, for except he was a god he could not know of all things. For behold, he has told us the thoughts of our hearts, and also has told us things; and even he has brought unto our knowledge the true murderer of our chief judge.

Some people seem to always invent something to explain away the truth.

Helaman 8

"Except ye repent:" a phrase from verse 8 and a repeated phrase in all of Nephi's preaching. This impresses me because the Nephites had done so much wickedness. In the first place they once embraced, then forsook the true Church and faith of God and altogether turned from their righteousness to the grossest wickedness. Mercifully however, Nephi here assures the people that God's hand was stretched out still if they would turn away from their wickedness and back to Him. This illustrates God's mercy in a powerful way I think. 

I think it is significant also that Nephi's words did in fact touch the hearts of some of the people. The word of God was powerful enough to sway the minds of even some individuals whose lives were totally out of harmony with the teachings of the Church. 

Always keep hope alive as long as you have breath to testify. Never underestimate the power of your testimony. Remember that the Spirit of god is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. But the Spirit doesn't cut flesh like a sword, it pierces the deepest confines of the soul, even to the very heart. The power of the Holy Ghost can pierce any barrier. 

Numbers 23

Ya, this dude Balak just doesn't get it. He seems like he wants to just keep "rolling the dice", hoping that one of these times, this "God of Jacob" will change His mind. He clearly doesn't understand the word and will of God in the least. He thinks he's at a casino playing the slots. In reality he is trifling with the God of the universe who is angry with him and his people for their sins, and who has reserved the land they are currently on for another people.

As for Balaam, what he is doing is not wise or good. He is a willing participant in the games king Balak is playing. His heart is not fully right before the Lord it seems. That's not to say that my heart is pure. I know there is much double-mindedness to be rooted out of my heart and there is great change that still needs to occur so that I may fully give my heart to the Lord.

Numbers 23.

Helaman 7

More contrast between the wicked and the rigtheous:

22 ...wo shall come unto you except ye shall repent. For if ye will not repent, behold, this great city, and also all those great cities which are round about, which are in the land of our possession, shall be taken away that ye shall have no place in them; for behold, the Lord will not grant unto you strength, as he has hitherto done, to withstand against your enemies.
23 For behold, thus saith the Lord: I will not show unto the wicked of my strength, to one more than the other, save it be unto those who repent of their sins, and hearken unto my words. Now therefore, I would that ye should behold, my brethren, that it shall be better for the Lamanites than for you except ye shall repent.
24 For behold, they are more righteous than you, for they have not sinned against that great knowledge which ye have received; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them; yea, he will lengthen out their days and increase their seed, even when thou shalt be utterly destroyed except thou shalt repent.

Each day I pray for strength for me and my loved ones, that we may accomplish our daily work.I must remember that if I am wicked, God will cease granting me strength. I will become as weak as any other man who operates without the blessings of strength God can grant. The danger in that can be seen in the Nephite wars, where the Nephites were vastly outnumbered by an innumerable foe, and yet, with the strength of the Lord they conquered their enemies. Without the Lord's help, it was a simple numbers game. It was man for man, technology for technology, armor for armor, strategy for strategy. There was no way the Nephites could win.

It is the same with me. The enemy of my soul, the devil, has 10,000 legions of devils ready to descend upon me, waiting for a weakness to be exposed, searching for a breach, looking for that favorite sin to exploit. I need the strength of the Lord every day or my life is vain and all is lost. I must repent of my sins and do whatever I need to do to qualify for God's blessings.

Have you ever wished for more time? More hours in the day? What an interesting promise the Lord gives when He says he will lengthen out the days of the righteous.

Helaman 7.

Numbers 22

This is a very interesting chapter. I think it illustrates very skillfully a lesson in double-mindedness. Balaam seems to have been a man whose heart was torn between two masters. He certainly knew the right words to say, but it is clear that his heart lusted for the things the king of Balak was offering him. For example, after Balak sent the second wave of princes to entice Balaam to help, and after the word of the Lord had been received in a very definite and final way, namely:

12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

To the second set of princes, Balaam truly did say the right thing:

18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.

But it seems that he didn't really mean what he said and that in his heart he was yearning so bad to go and get the riches and honor promised him. This is evidenced by the fact that he let the king's emissaries stay the night again and hoped to see if the Lord might amend His word:

19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more.

Shouldn't there simply not have been another night attending the princes? Shouldn't Balaam have dismissed them quoting the previous word of the Lord? Shouldn't he have not questioned the Lord further in this matter as he already had an answer in the negative?

I think it is important to note that even though the Lord eventually gave His consent for Balaam to go, it angered Him. I think it is the anger that you know something is not good for your child, and you know that good will come of it, and yet you consent because the child persistently nags.

As mankind is particularly susceptible to double-mindedness, and as I am myself very susceptible, I should take this lesson and learn to be more wise than Balaam. Don't be foolish! Don't suppose that you can serve God and Mammon. You have to be either cold or hot, because if you are luke warm God will spew you out of His indignant mouth.

Helaman 6

I want to be

1 And it came to pass that when the sixty and second year of the reign of the judges had ended, all these things had happened and the Lamanites had become, the more part of them, a righteous people, insomuch that their righteousness did exceed that of the Nephites, because of their firmness and their steadiness in the faith.

firm and steady in the faith as this group of Lamanites. What does it mean to be firm and steady in the faith? It means to be consistent, unwavering, and diligent.

Even when other members of the Church (the Nephites) had lost their faith, become hardened and impenitent and grossly wicked, these members of the Church thrived in righteousness:

3 Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, yea, because of the church of God, which had been established among them. And they did fellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy.

Our children can thrive in righteousness and our family can even when there are bad examples all around us. We just have to push through it, keep the faith, buckle our seat belts and hold firmly onto our principles.

Contrast:

35 And thus we see that the Spirit of the Lord began to withdraw from the Nephites, because of the wickedness and the hardness of their hearts.
36 And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words.

What a great quality to have: an easiness and a willingness to believe in the word of God. To not have the spirit of skepticism but to have a believing heart, one that seems to instinctively know and seek the truth.

The state of the people at the end of this chapter:

40 And thus we see that they were in an awful state, and ripening for an everlasting destruction.

Helaman 6.

Helaman 5

Nephi called himself on a mission!

1 And it came to pass that in this same year, behold, Nephi delivered up the judgment-seat to a man whose name was Cezoram.
4 And it came to pass that Nephi had become weary because of their iniquity; and he yielded up the judgment-seat, and took it upon him to preach the word of God all the remainder of his days, and his brother Lehi also, all the remainder of his days;

He tied up his earthly affairs and went to work for God for the rest of his life. It impresses me greatly that this man of prestige and stature in the Nephite world would come down off his judgement seat and give it all up to go around door to door getting rejected because of the word of God. That type of condescension I think reflects that of the Savior when He came down from heaven as God of the universe to do the very same.

Missionary success like what Nephi and Lehi experienced hadn't been seen for a long time, since the days of Ammon and the sons of Mosiah:

19 Therefore they did speak unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites, to the convincing them, insomuch that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites who were in the land of Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance, and were convinced of the wickedness of the traditions of their fathers.

The following is an incredible description of the manner in which the Holy Ghost speaks to us:

28 And it came to pass that they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them.
29 And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto you to declare good tidings.
30 And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul—
31 And notwithstanding the mildness of the voice, behold the earth shook exceedingly, and the walls of the prison trembled again, as if it were about to tumble to the earth; and behold the cloud of darkness, which had overshadowed them, did not disperse—
32 And behold the voice came again, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and seek no more to destroy my servants. And it came to pass that the earth shook again, and the walls trembled.
33 And also again the third time the voice came, and did speak unto them marvelous words which cannot be uttered by man; and the walls did tremble again, and the earth shook as if it were about to divide asunder.

 The Holy Ghost, the voice of God, has the power to speak directly to our hearts and souls.

And again, here is more:

45 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.
46 And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying:
47 Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.
48 And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them.

The Spirit of God has great power to touch the hearts of God's children.

Let's not forget the reason this group of 300 people came to the prison for:

22 And after they had been cast into prison many days without food, behold, they went forth into the prison to take them that they might slay them.

And now, when they left the prison just a short time later:

50 And it came to pass that they did go forth, and did minister unto the people, declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen, insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received.

Seriously!? Is this not incredible? These people came with murderous intent! But they left full of the Spirit of God and missionary zeal. Truly God works in mysterious ways. Truly He preserves His chosen servants according to His will and pleasure. May I qualify for His divine protection through my faithfulness.

Helaman 5.