Drawing upon the power of heaven

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Bruce R McConkie “so that we may pull upon ourselves….. the very powers of Heaven”

“Why the Lord Ordained Prayer” The Ensign January 1975

Luke 18:1-8

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

8 .....Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Drawing on the Powers of Heaven

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RighteousDesire

Receive Assurance

Commitment / Overcome obstacles

Call upon the name of the

Lord

Ongoing commitment

To Live by faith

The Pattern

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What is a Righteous Desire?

Righteous Desire – Step One

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There are two types of Righteous desires.

1) One that does not require assistance or POWER from HEAVEN.

2) One that does require assistance or POWER from HEAVEN

Righteous Desire – Step One

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We do believe in setting goals. We live by goals. In athletics we always have a goal. When we go to school, have the goal of graduation and degrees. Our total existence is goal-oriented.We must have goals to make progress, encouraged by keeping records….as the swimmer or the jumper or the runner does……Progress is easier when it is timed, checked, and measured……Goals are good. Laboring with a distant aim sets the mind in a higher key and puts us at our best.Goals should always be made to a point that will make us reach and strain,

Spencer W. Kimball, Regional Representatives Seminar, April 3rd 1973

1) One that does not require Assistance or POWER from HEAVEN.

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It is most appropriate for (you) …… to quietly, and with determination, set some serious personal goals in which (you) …. Seek to improve by selecting certain things that (you) …. Will accomplish within a specified period of time. Even if (you) are headed in the right direction, if (you)… are… without momentum (you) …. Will have too little influence.

Spencer W. Kimball, “Boys Need Heroes Close by, The Ensign, May 1976

1) One that does not require Assistance or POWER from HEAVEN.

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Baptizing is a matter of attitude, desire and feeling. We want converts, and we never say to a missionary, “Don’t baptize unless.” We always say: “You can baptize; there are choice, wonderful people out there; and here is how you do it.” We give them an intelligent, affirmative approach; we instruct them in how to do it; and we motivate them. Then somehow or other the Lord does the rest, and they get people into the church. “If thou cans’t believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. (Mark 9:23)

2) One that does require assistance or POWER from the HEAVEN

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We have to ask the Lord for help; we have to seek converts; we have to desire baptisms; we have to know that we receive according to our desires, and if we desire to get such and such a thing, and have faith in the Lord, it is going to eventuate.

Bruce R. McConkie Mission Presidents Seminar, June 21, 1975


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We are not getting the results that we ought to get. We are not getting the number of baptisms that in my judgment the Lord expects us to get. To a degree, at least we are grinding our wheels without going forward ……Perhaps what is wrong is that we have not desired to bring souls into the kingdom. Perhaps we have not made our hearts to bring souls into the kingdom. Perhaps we have not made up our minds that we can and will bring people into the Church.Now, very frankly, whether we gain many converts or few depends in large measure upon our frame of mind.

Bruce R. McConkie Mission Presidents Seminar, June 21, 1975


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How do we choose a Righteous Desire?

D & C 8 : 1 – 2 , 10-11

1 Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge concerning……..

2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. 10 Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not. 11 Ask that you may know the mysteries of God,……….

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How do we Confirm Righteous Desires?

D & C 9 : 7-9

7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. 8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. 9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.

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Goal

•18 Baptisms

Current

•We have 7 so far in 2011

What we

need to do

•11 more BaptismsWard 2011 Baptism Goal

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What does the word assurance

mean?

Receiving an Assurance – Step Two

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Gaining

•Hebrews 11: 1

•Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen

An

•Joseph Smith Translation : Change the Word substance for the word ASSURANCE.

•Verse 1 now reads as follows: Now Faith is the ASSURANCE of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen

Assurance

•How does this change the meaning of the verse?

•How can this affect the way that we can use Faith as a means of Power?

Receiving an Assurance – Step Two

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What does the word Commitment mean?

What does the word Overcome mean?

Commitment / Overcome Obstacles –Step Three

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Assurance leads to Commitment / Overcome Obstacles - Step 3

Judges 7: 2-7

2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me

3 ……And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too amany;…………...7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

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Nephi Chapters 2 - 4

(2)16…….and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

(3)1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.

7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

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Nephi Chapters 2 - 4

15 But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.

(4)……and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth,....

6 And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.

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Joseph Smith History

24 However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a avision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when

he made his defense before King Agrippa....,

others said he was bmad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the cpersecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto

death, yet he knew, ....

and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.

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Joseph Smith History

25 So it was with me ....

and though I was bhated and cpersecuted for saying that I had

seen a vision, yet it was true; .....

I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.

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What does it mean to call

upon the Name of the

Lord?

Call upon the Name of the Lord

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Call upon the Name of the Lord – Step four

Ether 2: 13-15

13 .....and they dwelt in tents, and dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years.

14 And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.

15 And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were with him. And the Lord said unto him: I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man.....

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How do we call upon the name of the Lord

You have to obey

•Learn the Eternal Laws, that are required to live ,to receive the requested blessing!

•D&C 130: 20-21•20 There is a law,

irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

•21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Eternal Laws

•D & C 82: 10

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

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How do we call upon the name of the Lord

You have to

•1) The lord allows the person seeking the blessing to be tested and tried

•2) Once the person humbles himself and proves his faith by perseverance and sustained faithfulness, the righteous desires are granted

Become

•Your trial of Faith serves four functions.

•1) It determines if a goal you are seeking is truly a desire?

•2) It lets you learn if you are really dedicated to the Lord

Sanctified

•3) It is a means of purging you so that you become clean; and pure, and spotless – literally free from the blood and sins of the world

•4) It HUMBLES YOU AND BRINGS YOU TO THE REALZATION THAT YOU CANNOT RELY ON THE ARM OF THE FLESH.

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D & C 101: 4-5

4 Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son. 5 For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.

3rd Nephi 24:3

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.


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D & C 58:2-4

2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.


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Be specific in your prayers!

Specific

Prayers

•1) General Prayers receive General Answers.

•2) Specific Prayers receive Specific Answers.

•3) Specific Answers Allow you to Exercise Faith In your Desire, because you have an Assurance of the Direction you need to follow.

Receive

•Plead your Case before the Lord!

•1Read HELAMAN CHAPTER 11: 9-16!

Specific

Answers

•Alma 37: 37•37 Counsel with

the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

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Use the LAW OF THE FAST

Isaiah 58 : 3-14 3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4 …..ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

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Use the LAW OF THE FAST

Isaiah 58 : 3-14 8 ¶Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, ……. 9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

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Helaman 3:3535 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

Mark 9: 28-2928 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting


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What does it mean To Live By Faith?

Ongoing CommitmentTo Live By Faith

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1) A clear understanding of faith as a principle of power.2) A realization that the powers of heaven are governed by our individual faith.3) Live Righteously.4) Prayerfully select righteous goals (desires).5) Specify your goals (desires) in writing.6) Specify when your goals (desires) will be attained.7) Plead your case before the lord. Telling Him what effort or sacrifice you are willing to make to achieve your goal (desire) with the lords help.8) Consistently think about your goal (desire).9) Use all of your willpower to think positively about your potential to achieve your goal (desire) with the Lords help.10) Consistently remind yourself that the added power and strength from God that is at your disposal is based on your individual faith.11) Remember the Lord is anxious to grant your righteous desires if you will but qualify yourself.

Ongoing Commitment To Live By Faith

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12) Make specific goal (desire) a matter of constant prayer.13) Pray the Lord will enhance your ability to exercise faith as a principle of

power.14) When you face a situation that causes you to doubt your ability to

achieve your goal (desire), learn to offer a mental prayer to request the Lords help. Then exercise faith that he will help you, remembering that if you lack faith you deny the opportunity to assist you.

15) Repeatedly reflect on the promise made by the Savior: “ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7: 7.)

16) Recognize at the outset that your faith most likely will be tried.17) Make certain you do your part in your effort to achieve righteous goals

(desires).

Ongoing Commitment To Live By Faith

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How can I help teach my presidency how to use faith?

How can we (Group) help reach the Ward’s goal of 18 Baptisms

this year?How can the Bishopric help you

achieve your Goals?Report Back with your

preliminary thoughts by Sunday the 25th of September 2011. (in

writing)

What is expected from you

Spiritual

Drawing upon the power of heaven