How can I know when I have the Spirit of the Lord with me?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ^ | Aug 1978 | I Have a Question

[restornu]

How can I know when I have the Spirit of the Lord with me? I’m a college student having a lot of new experiences, and sometimes I can’t tell if I’m just feeling “good” or if my feelings are genuinely righteous.

Don Norton, English Department, Brigham Young University I’ve heard this question from dozens of young adults who are making all sorts of discoveries about themselves. Indeed it is a very important question. Since in this life “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Ne. 2:11; italics added), it must needs be that we learn to discern good from evil.

As I’ve discussed this question at firesides, in Sunday School and priesthood classes, and in religion courses, I find that students themselves are able to tell me how they feel when the Spirit of the Lord is with them. I don’t have to answer the question. They answer it for themselves.

Here’s the list of the kinds of things young people say they feel when the Spirit is with them, and what they feel when Satan tries to take over—making them unhappy, or tricking them with counterfeits. Do these feelings match your experience?

When you have the Spirit:

1. You feel happy, calm, and clear-minded.

2. You feel generous.

3. Nobody can offend you.

4. You wouldn’t mind everybody seeing what you’re doing.

5. You are eager to be with people and want to make them happy.

6. You are glad when others succeed.

7. You are glad to attend your meetings and participate in church activities.

8. You feel like praying.

9. You wish you could keep all the Lord’s commandments.

10. You feel in control—you don’t overeat or sleep too much; you don’t feel uncontrollably drawn to sensational entertainment, lose your temper, or feel uncontrollable passions or desires.

11. You think about the Savior often and lovingly; you want to know him better.

12. You feel confident and are glad to be alive.

When you don’t have the Spirit:

1. You feel unhappy, depressed, confused, and frustrated.

2. You feel possessive, self-centered, or resentful of demands made on you.

3. You are easily offended.

4. You become secretive and evasive.

5. You avoid people, especially members of your family; and you are critical of family members and Church authorities.

6. You envy or resent the successes of others.

7. You don’t want to go to church, go home teaching, or take the sacrament. You wish you had another church job or no job at all.

8. You don’t want to pray.

9. You find the commandments bothersome, restricting, or senseless.

10. You feel emotions and appetites so strongly that you fear you cannot control them—hate, jealousy, anger, lust, hunger, fatigue.

11. You hardly ever think of the Savior; he seems irrelevant to your life, or worse, part of a confusing system that seems to work against you.

12. You get discouraged easily and wonder if life is really worth it.

The mere fact that young people easily put this list together is a powerful reassurance that they do have the key to discernment. As Moroni put it: “The Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge that it is of God.

“But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one.” (Moro. 7:16–17.)

Let me add one word of caution. Feeling the power of Satan does not make you evil. Basically, a temptation is a struggle against his influence—which is both real and powerful. But the fact that you’re struggling does not mean that you are in his power or that the Spirit of God is not also striving with you. Evil consists, not of recognizing temptation, but of yielding to it. We must recognize temptation in this life. But we don’t need to invite it, linger with it, or savor it.

Satan is particularly good at counterfeiting holy things; for instance, in place of sacred love between a man and a woman, he offers popularity, physical attraction, or the social thrill of playing romantic games. You might try these tests of discernment on your feelings about love. Many young adults who think they are in love isolate themselves from their families, friends, and Church leaders. But real love, the kind that leads to eternal happiness, makes you glad to be around other people you love, because they share what you feel. Such love is godly love, not Satan’s counterfeit.

If you find Satan’s influence too much with you, then get help. Counsel with your parents or a Church leader; ask for a priesthood blessing; go to the Lord in fervent prayer for the clearness of mind and conscience that are signs of the Lord’s Spirit.

[Tennessee Nana]

I am thankful that the lord does not get pleasure should his children stumble trying to learn to walk in his shoes.
______________________________________________

Isnt it a good thing that the LORD Jesus Christ does not require us to “walk in His shoes”

or even try to..

which means fail..

Rather having done it all and proclaimed “IT IS FINISHED”

there is nothing left for us to do to be born agai9n..

The LORD Jesus Christ is God, always has been..

and His plan of Salvation is a complete one and a free gift to us the sinners...

He is thorough in everything He does..

Sinless He was made sin for us ..Our sins were laid upon Him on the Cross..

Nobody could ever fill His shoes..

and He does not expect us too..

The Cross event is over and done with..

and since the LORD Jesus Christ is God, He was the only One who could ever take our place on the Cross..

The innocent Lamb of God shed His Blood on the Cross and died there for us to save us..

it was a work of Redemption..

His precious Blood covered every sin ever committed..

Every sin I committed...

Every sin you committed..

Every sin Joey Smith committed ..

Every sin Brigham Young committed..

Every sin Tom Monson ever committed

Every sin Hitler ever committed...

Yes Hitler could have been saved if he wanted to be..

The LORD Jesus Christ died for him too...

The Blood of Jesus covered every sin that Hitler ever committed..

We will never know if Hitler repented right at the end and was born again...

If he was saved then he went to Heaven..

if not then he went to Hell and there’s no getting out of there...

You have to make your decision while you are still alive...

But just as the thief on the cross next to the Cross of Jesus didn’t have any time to serve Jesus after he was saved, neither would Hitler have had any time to do anything...

There is no need for “good works”

“good works” don’t save us..

There is no “walking in His shoes..

There is Salvation, a free gift..

What the LORD Jesus Christ did for us is a like a Christmas present ...

we just need to accept Him...

and not leave Him unopened there under the tree..

[tired&retired]

My apologies to anyone I have offended by abbreviating their screen name. I in no way meant it in an offensive way. I don’t mind at all, no matter what you call me, it really doesn’t matter. My identity does not come from what others think or call me, but from my relationship with God. If I cared what you called me, then I am full of myself and have very little room for God.

I see these same type legalistic arguments in determining the correct name for God. Many people think that the word or pronunciation must be exact. It really doesn’t matter as words and sounds are just metaphors for our thoughts. Our thoughts are what is really important. God knows your thoughts, irregardless or what language you use or whether your grammar or punctuation is correct. It really doesn’t matter!

Remember what Jesus said about some who cast out demons in His name, yet He does not know them. Their words were correct but their thoughts were misplaced. They thought the power was in the words, not in the thought of Jesus while they were doing the work. the same is true of the Pharisees prayers which were only words falling on deaf ears.

I’m going to rattle a few people with this next comment. Please don’t be offended, but think about it, search the scriptures, and pray on it.

Just as Jesus is a part of God, so are all of you. You are the good seeds planted in the wheat field with the tares described in Matthew 13:

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom.

All you need to do is allow your soul to grow, just as Jesus did, and you will realize this.

Genesis 1:
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Or, look at what Jesus said to the Pharisees:
John 10:
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

Why else would Jesus tell us to call God “Father?”
Does a Father have offspring that are not like Himself?
Matthew 23:9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

Or.. Be like your Father
Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

God is in you and you are in God
John 14: 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

If you really Love Jesus, become like Him, emulate Him,follow His teachings and be His servant by allowing Our Father to work through us. You too will do even greater things than Jesus did, because He went to the Father and He and Our Father is within us.

Just my humble opinion.

[Tennessee Nana]

My apologies to anyone I have offended by abbreviating their screen name
_________________________________

When you have the Spirit:

3. Nobody can offend you.

[Tennessee Nana]

My apologies to anyone I have offended by abbreviating their screen name
_________________________________

According to the Mormons:

“When you have the Spirit:

3. Nobody can offend you.

When you don’t have the Spirit:

3. You are easily offended.”

[Tennessee Nana]

My apologies to anyone I have offended by abbreviating their screen name
_________________________________

According to the Mormons:

“When you have the Spirit:

3. Nobody can offend you.

When you don’t have the Spirit:

3. You are easily offended.”

[Elsie]

...sometimes I can’t tell if I’m just feeling “good” or if my feelings are genuinely righteous.

It's ALWAYA about FEELINGS with MORMONs!

[Elsie]

3. Nobody can offend you.

Oooops!

[Elsie]

4. You become secretive and evasive.

You got a TR, Resty??

[Elsie]

I just did

[Elsie]

Looks like we are getting our first Swiss Cheese thread of the year!

And, dadgum it!, I’m OFFENDED by it!

[Elsie]

 

 

http://www.mrm.org/heaven-and-hell#Hell

 

 Apostle and popular church educator John Widtsoe wrote:

"Now, it may be contended that a judgment, with some degree of salvation for all, encourages the sinner to pursue his dark ways. Not so. However generous the judgment, it is measured by our works. Our punishment will be the heavy regret that we might have received a greater reward, a higher kingdom, had our lives conformed more nearly to truth. Such remorse may yield keener pain than physical torture." (Understandable Religion, p. 89)

While Widtsoe is careful not to call a heavenly kingdom "hell", he is nonetheless certain that there will be a keen regret for lost opportunities:

"Humanity will be grouped according to their works in three main divisions: Celestial (like the sun), Telestial (like the moon), Terrestrial (like the earth). Within each group there will be many gradations and divisions, until from the lowest to the highest in all groups there will be a series of gradually ascending glories. There can be no talk of a hell, except for the few 'sons of Perdition,' but undoubtedly the regret for lost opportunities will be keen among those in the lower degrees of glory." (Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p. 226)

Joseph Fielding Smith, on the other hand, considers the tormenting regret experienced in the bottom two heavenly kingdoms and concludes "in that sense it will be hell":

"This earth will become a celestial kingdom when it is sanctified. Those who enter the terrestrial kingdom will have to go to some other sphere which will be prepared for them. Those who enter the telestial kingdom, likewise will have to go to some earth which is prepared for them, and there will be another place which is hell where the devil and those who are punished to go with him will dwell. Of course, those who enter the telestial kingdom, and those who enter the terrestrial kingdom will have the eternal punishment which will come to them in knowing that they might, if they had kept the commandments of the Lord, have returned to his presence as his sons and his daughters. This will be a torment to them, and in that sense it will be hell." (Answers to Gospel Questions, v. 2, p. 210)

This line of thinking is interesting in light of Joseph Smith's following teaching:

"A man is his own tormenter and his own condemner. Hence the saying, They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone" (TPJS, p. 357)

The entry in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism on "Damnation" essentially explains that the bottom two kingdoms of heaven are kingdoms of damnation:

"Just as there are varying degrees and types of salvation, coupled with eternal progression in some areas (D&C 76:96-98; 131:1-4), so are there varying degrees and types of damnation. In LDS doctrine, to be damned means to be stopped, blocked, or limited in one's progress. Individuals are damned whenever they are prevented from reaching their full potential as children of God. Damnation is falling short of what one might have enjoyed if one had received and been faithful to the whole law of the gospel. In this sense, all who do not achieve the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom are damned, even though they are saved in some degree of glory."

---

http://www.mrm.org/heaven-and-hell#Hell

[Elsie]

How can I know when I have the Spirit of the Lord with me?, Uh...

Just who really CARES; if they are a MORMON???

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The REAL thing to worry about is......

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In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet”, for our salvation depends on them.

1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.
5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
6. The prophet does not have to say “Thus Saith the Lord,” to give us scripture.
7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
8. The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.
11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.
14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.

I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord’s anointed—the living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency.

Ezra Taft Benson

(Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at Brigham Young University)     http://www.lds.org/liahona/1981/06/fourteen-fundamentals-in-following-the-prophet?lang=eng

[Religion Moderator]

She said she didn’t mind but I do because the word means sluggish. It is derogatory. Do not use it again.

[Tennessee Nana]

You too ???

It seems there’s a lot of that going around

[Tennessee Nana]

Resty means sluggish ???

[Religion Moderator]

Yes.

[restornu]

I am do glad you got that off you chest as I have stated man makes mistakes and two wrongs don’t make a right do they!:)

[tired&retired]

Per Online Dictionary:

Rest´y
1. Disposed to rest; indisposed to exertion; sluggish; also, restive.
Where the master is too resty or too rich to say his own prayers.

I think my screen name “Tired&Retired” would mean almost the same thing!!!

[Colofornian]

LOL

[restornu]

Thank you thank you TN for your New Years Gift this explains so much.

For years I struggled trying understand where many of you were coming from now I know after reading this list in FR Post #141 no matter what the FR anti Mormons do they are forgiven who bothers with little things like the Ten Commandments they are only there to annoy those who are trying to honor them, The Lord's New Covenants has no bearings. As I read TN understanding you need not do anything but stay out of trouble but if you do, Oh well, you are still saved

___________

I am thankful that the lord does not get pleasure should his children stumble trying to learn to walk in his shoes.

Isnt it a good thing that the LORD Jesus Christ does not require us to “walk in His shoes”

or even try to..

which means fail..

Rather having done it all and proclaimed “IT IS FINISHED”

there is nothing left for us to do to be born agai9n..

The LORD Jesus Christ is God, always has been..

and His plan of Salvation is a complete one and a free gift to us the sinners...

He is thorough in everything He does..

Sinless He was made sin for us ..Our sins were laid upon Him on the Cross..

Nobody could ever fill His shoes..

and He does not expect us too..

The Cross event is over and done with..

and since the LORD Jesus Christ is God, He was the only One who could ever take our place on the Cross..

The innocent Lamb of God shed His Blood on the Cross and died there for us to save us..

it was a work of Redemption..

His precious Blood covered every sin ever committed..

Every sin I committed...

Every sin you committed..

Every sin Joey Smith committed .. Every sin Brigham Young committed.. Every sin Tom Monson ever committed Every sin Hitler ever committed... Yes Hitler could have been saved if he wanted to be..

The LORD Jesus Christ died for him too... The Blood of Jesus covered every sin that Hitler ever committed.. We will never know if Hitler repented right at the end and was born again... If he was saved then he went to Heaven.. if not then he went to Hell and there’s no getting out of there... You have to make your decision while you are still alive... But just as the thief on the cross next to the Cross of Jesus didn’t have any time to serve Jesus after he was saved, neither would Hitler have had any time to do anything...

There is no need for “good works”

“good works” don’t save us..

There is no “walking in His shoes..

There is Salvation, a free gift..

What the LORD Jesus Christ did for us is a like a Christmas present ... we just need to accept Him... and not leave Him unopened there under the tree..

*************

OM this is not Doctrine of Jesus Christ even mainstream religions knows better, so much has been edited out of the scriptures.

SEARCH AND READ YOUR SCRIPTURES!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who enables us to over come our natural man ways through his atonement but we too must do our part by keeping our end of the Lord's New Covenant

Hebrews 8:8
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

Doctrine and Covenants 132:27
27 The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God; and he that abideth not this law can in nowise enter into my glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord.

There is a Green Hill Far Away

Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Music reverence
"Come, Follow Me"

Come, Follow Me

Lyrics
"Come, follow me," the Savior said.
Then let us in this footsteps tread,
For thus alone can we be one
With God's own loved, begotten Son.

"Come, follow me," a simple phrase,
Yet truth's sublime, efullgent rays
Are in these simple words combined
To urge, inspire the human mind.

Is it enough alone to know
That we must follow him below,
While trav'ling thru this vale of tears?
No, this extends to holier spheres.

Not only shall we emulate
His course while in this earthly state,
But when we're freed from present cares,
If with our Lord we would be heirs.

We must the onward path pursue
As wider fields expand to view,
And follow him unceasingly,
Whate'er our lot or sphere may be.

For thrones, dominions, kingdoms, pow'rs,
And glory great and bliss are ours,
If we, throughout eternity,
Obey his words, "Come, follow me."

Text: John Nicholson, 1839-1909