True Millenials

This past Sunday we had the amazing opportunity to hear from President and Sister Nelson. I felt like it was a great way to start of 2016. I would like to go over some of their comments and remarks. These are not in any way a word for word of their talks. I tried to get the gist of their messages and will be throwing in my own comments and additional scriptures and quotes to help support for my understanding of these two great talks. I know that everyone’s background will or has affected how they have received these talks, I am no different. With my experiences as a Caucasian, male, age 25, recent college graduate, single, return missionary, priesthood holder, dealing with SGA, Church attending, Son of God, I will be plastering my biased opinions over this post. I hope that someone, at least one, can benefit from it.

Sister Wendy Nelson was the first to speak. (Can I just say that I love that they have their wives speak with them now. It provides such a great balance and I am sure that they help with ideas for their husband’s address that they have many ideas of their own for what the Young Adults of the Church need to hear, now they get to share their remarks.)

I love how people invite us to have the Holy Ghost be the one that teaches us. Sister Nelson was no different. The Holy Ghost is the real teacher. He can speak to each us personal and testify of the truthfulness of the things being spoken.

Most of her remarks talk about being our true selves, but coming to do that through desperation. There are a couple of definitions of desperation. Some deal with hopelessness and despair. Those are the first one that pops up, but the ones further down seem to be more appropriate. They talk about having an urgent need or desire. As we look at her comments on what we do when we are desperate, I want you to look at in the light of us having an urgent need or desire for these things.

She spoke of desperation for the Savior. The scriptures are full of examples of people who couldn’t do things for themselves. They wanted the help of the Savior. To be guided, helped, or healed.

She tells us that desperation can actually be a great motivator.

When we are desperate (When we have an urgent need or desire) to be guided by heaven, we work harder than ever to tune into heaven.

When we are desperate to be the people we were born to be our vision changes.

When we are desperate to be our true selves, we use technology righteously.

When we are desperate to be the true disciples of Jesus Christ we were born to be, we suddenly find the courage and determination to remove anything and everything from our lives that is unholy and impure.

Imagine the people we can be if these things could come to pass. How would we use our time and resources? What kind of people would we be? I think we would be closer to being who God wants us to be.

She then offers a 30 Day Challenge-

Daily kneel and thank your Heavenly Father for the scriptures. Tell Him the one question that you most need to have answered that day. Plead to have the Holy Ghost with you as you read. Then open your scriptures anywhere and read until you find the answer. Try it for thirty days and see what happens.

When we are desperate to grow into the people God needs us to be, we may realize that a burden is holding us back.

That burden may be spiritual pain which always accompanies bad choices and unrepented sin. The truth is that unrepented sin is a magnet for more sin. So if you need to repent, start now.

This isn’t the first time that we learn about sorrow may be a result of unrepented sin. I don’t think it has been spoken of much earlier in my life, but I have noticed it has come up in recent General Conferences.  But I know that just because we have sorrow or hard times or burdens in our lives it doesn’t automatically mean that we are unrepented sinners. Bad times come. Remember Job! Trails come to make us better. It is important to look back. Remember Lot’s wife! What is important is to be close to the Lord and be willing to change and repent if He asks for it. He knows us and knows what we need to do to become better. He will make that information know to us if we earnestly and honestly seek it.

There is a 100% promise that if we truly repent that the Savior will clean and heal us thoroughly.

Whether it is unrepented sin or troublesome weaknesses, there is one truth, we all need the Savior to become the people we were born to be.

I love when people testify of the need of a Savior. It is a truth that will never go away. We are all sinners. Other people may not think it of us, or we may not think it of others, but it is true. We all need Jesus!

When we are desperate for any gift of the Spirit that is when we will finally pray with all of our energy of heart for that gift.

Truth!

She then asks these interesting questions:

What if you learned that the Savior had already returned to this earth? That He, as part of His Second Coming, had already met with some of His true followers in several marvelous large gatherings

If you found out that the Savior was already on the earth, what would you desperately want to do today? And what would you be willing and ready to do tomorrow?

These are good questions to ponder and to realize what our priorities are.

I pray that you in this New Year will have moments of anguishing desperation that will propel you further along the path to become the man or woman you were born to be.

Your true self is spectacular! Never settle for less.

This is so true! God needs us to be us in order to bring His Kingdom down to our earth. Embrace your true selves, Sons and Daughters of God!

President Nelson is an inspired man. I know he is called of God to be President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

He starts of by saying “This New Year will surely be an eventful one”. I have felt the anticipation of the things of this year. Maybe not as much of other years, but this is another year the Lord has given us to grow closer to Him.

I bring you greetings and love from the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

I have heard similar comments when I spoke with High Counselors with love from the Stake Presidency. I have felt the love of these men and I hope you have too.

We are thankful for your devotion to the Lord and His restored gospel.

We are grateful for each time you stand up and speak for truth, especially when it is not popular.

I’m grateful when the Brethren recognize that we are trying.

It is about this time that he gets to the main theme of his talk:

Many people refer to you as Millennials.

Frankly I am less interested in what the experts say about you than in what the Lord has told me about you.

A True Millennials- A man or woman whom God trusted enough to send to the earth during the most compelling dispensation in the history of the world. The live now to prepare the world and her people for the Second Coming of the Savior and His Millennial reign.

He then gives four suggestions for what to do to become True Millennials:

1. Learn who you really are!

Learn for yourself. You are an elect son or daughter of God. You are created in His image. You were instructed before this life on how to deal with anything you may encounter in this life.

If you ask with real intent the Spirit will make known to you what you should do. Record those impressions and review them often.

You will get a glimpse of how Heavenly Father sees you and what he expects you to do.

This is something that I am still working on. There are times I feel like I know who I am and what I am supposed to do, then there are times where I don’t. It’s a lifelong process, but one God is willing to let us do. I am grateful for the opportunity to come to know Him and myself every day. He does love us.

2. Expect and prepare to accomplish the impossible!

Abrahamic tests did not stop with Abraham.

Opening the countries of Eastern Europe for the preaching of the Gospel.

The Lord is able to do His own work. You will be asked to take on challenging assignments and become an instrument in the Lords hands, and He will enable you to accomplish the impossible.

How will you accomplish the impossible? By strengthening you testimony of the Savior. By deepening you understanding of the gospel. And by your relentless seeking of truth.

There will be days where you will be discouraged, so pray for courage not to give up.

We are going to be asked to do hard things, but I know God knows we can do it with His help. He is willing to give His help if we ask for it. But even if we don’t seek His help, I think the assignments are still going to come.

3. Learn how to access the powers of heaven.

Some of you are struggling to know what to do with your life. Some of you at this moment may wonder if you have been forgiven of your sins. And most of you are wondering who and where you eternal companion is… and those who aren’t should be.

My dad got a huge kick out of this last part, mostly at my expense. Sometimes I get mixed signals from the leadership of the Church. I know that we are supposed t be getting married. When I first got home from my mission it was more severe. Now it seems to be “In God’s timing” and then maybe by the time I hit 30/ 31 it will become “God willing”. I know that I am supposed to be looking for this/ forward to it, but sometimes I just am not in the mood. Sometimes I don’t think I can start worrying on getting to know someone else at that level when I don’t feel like I know who I am myself.

Some of you may not know how to receive answers. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are willing to share with you through the power of the Holy Ghost, but you need to find out how to qualify for those answers.

Begin by spending more time in holy places. I invite you to make your apartment, your dorm, your home or your room a holy place where you can safely retreat from the dark distractions of the world.

There are so many ways we can do this, with how we keep our place, cleanliness, etc. But also the art work and entertainment we have in our places affect the spirit of the place and whether or not the Spirit can reside there. We should have a temple like spirit in our residences. We will be blessed for it.

Pray to know what to add or delete from your life so the Spirit can be with you in abundance.

The Savior will not hesitate to let us know if we are sincere in our quest for this gift.

Serve with love.

This is something that I need to work on. I sometimes, or most of the time, serve out of a sense of duty, which isn’t bad, but it is not the best motivator.

Spend time, much more time, where the Spirit abounds.

I promise that as you give the Lord a generous portion of your time He will multiply the remainder.

Change in the handbook. Filled with compassion for all especially the children we struggle to understand the will of the Lord. We met repeatedly in the temple in fasting and prayer. The mind and will of the Lord was revealed to the prophet. Revelation from the Lord to His servants is a sacred process.

This talk only reiterated that these changes were guided by the hand of God through His Living Prophet. I still don’t understand everything, but my faith and testimony in these men and the process of revelation is strong enough to move forward with faith.

You have as much access to the mind and will of the Lord about your own life as we Apostles do for the Church. He requires the same things when you seek for answers in your own life. You do not need to guess if you are where you need to be or doing the right thing. You can know through the Holy Ghost.

Amen!

4. Follow the Prophet!

Learn Mandarin challenge by President Kimball.

I love the personal stories that He shares in his talks. This one was good too. I didn’t know that he was General Sunday School President.

Blessings come when you follow the prophet.

The Lord has said in our day, “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” (D&C 1:38)

Listen with the intent to obey.

Priscilla Shirer has said, “When [God] speaks, you need to know that He doesn’t just speak to be heard, He always speak to be understood.”

The prophet will never lead us astray.

The servants of Satan are embedded in society, so be careful whose council you follow.

You were born to be true Millennials.

Probably the most special moment of this devotion was President Nelson Apostolic blessing that he extended to everyone.

As an Apostle of the Lord I bless you as if I had my hands on each of your heads that you may have the ability to become the true millennial you were born to be. I bless you to have the desire and ability to learn your true identity and purpose. That you will expect and prepare to do impossible things. That you will be undaunted in you quest to access the powers of heaven to help you solve your problems and answer your questions. And I bless you to follow the prophets with exactness to feel peace in your heart as you do so. I bless you to know and feel how much the Lord loves you and how much confidence He has in you.

God Bless! Until Next Time!