21 Days Closer To Christ:Day One- Come and See

In John 1:50 " Thou shalt see greater things than these" Come and see- this simple invitation summarized the Master's ministry. He was always an invitation. He asked His followers to come and then He showed them the blessings that followed. Today we are given the same invitation: Set aside your nets and come and see.
But will we leave behind our nets, which are so full other interests?
If we are to reach our full potential, we must create a place for the Savior in our lives. The sacrifice is worth it. Elder Jeffrey R Holland said " My desire today is for all of us...to have a more straightforward personal experience with the Savior's example. Sometimes we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important but not as important as personal experience. True discipleship and the strength that comes from experience firsthand the majesty of His touch." In a talk given by Elder L. Tom Perry where he talked about true discipleship and he said that True discipleship comes from an ongoing and continual process of drawing closer to our Savior Jesus Christ, so that we can be numbered among His disciples. Where our success is our we live ourlives, and what we need to take on is known as spiritual cleaning in ourselves and in our families and our homes. Our success, individually and as a Church, will largely be determined by how faithfully we focus on living the gospel in the home. Only as we see clearly the responsibilities of each individual and the role of families and homes can we properly understand that priesthood quorums and auxiliary organizations, even wards and stakes, exist primarily to help members live the gospel in the home. Then we can understand that people are more important than programs, and that Church programs should always support and never detract from gospel-centered family activities.The central purpose of our mortal probation is to prepare to meet God and inherit the blessings He has promised to His worthy children. The Savior set the pattern during His earthly ministry and encouraged those who followed Him to become His disciples. We need to learn to listen for that quiet invitation of the Master, the times when He invites you to come and see. Hopefully you will come and see the comfort and peace His spirit makes possible. Today try to listen for the quiet invitations from the Lord to come and see.

Born Again

Being born again is when your mind is illuminated by the Spirit. Then one can see the kingdom of God, one then has a change of heart. The second part is to get baptized: 1. Immersed in water 2. Immersed in the Spirit. The way is open for us when we receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. When you feel it stiring-burning within you, its working on you, you have to use spiritual toolds to enter into the Spiritual Realm. We came here to become like God. We have to go through the experiences in life. We came into the world to experience adversity which can in turn bless us. We need to be pursuing  what we nned to be learning. He gives us trials to us because He knows we can handle it, we will learn something about ourselves. We need to allow him to give us trials. So we can grown and learn. Its how when we handle a situation or trial we can be either stronger in the faith or we can be less faithful and bitter. "And as for the perils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me, as the envy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I was ordained from before the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it.  Judge ye for yourselves.  God knoweth all these things, whether it be good or bad.  But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in.  It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it." (Doctrine and Covenants 127:2) The gospel is a resource in event of pain, when it comes, rejoice you have a resource to deal with your pain. The Atonement pays for the fall of adam. 1. Physical death we will be resurrected, the Savior will unconditionally pays for it. Also with spiritual death where we will enter into God's presence-but for how long?(its condititional on our part) He does require our effort.

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

If we unclutter our lives a little bit and in sincerity and humility seek the pure and gentle Christ with our hearts, we will see Him, we will find him—on Christmas and throughout the year.
After the end of World War II, my family lived for a time in Zwickau, East Germany—that is where we found and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our congregation met in a small villa that had been converted into a meetinghouse, and there we joined with other members of the Church in worshipping the Savior and renewing our baptismal covenants.
One of the most striking things about our chapel was its beautiful stained-glass window depicting the Savior and the visit of our Heavenly Father and His Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith. As a young boy, I often looked up at this window and felt a special spirit. How I loved our quaint meetinghouse!
The special feeling in this building seemed to be enhanced during Christmastime. Somehow the smells were sweeter, the sounds were softer, the lights were more enchanting as they reflected off the stained-glass windows during those dark winter evenings. I will never forget this little villa because of the spirit I felt within its walls.

Years later, I grieved when I learned that this much-loved chapel—the place that had cradled us in its arms during the first years of our Church membership—had been demolished to make room for a high-rise apartment building.
I would think that those who made the decision to take down the building had good intentions and did not know what this villa meant to our small flock. To them it probably looked like just another building. Had they been able to see it as a house of worship, a place of rejoicing and friendship, a sacred chapel—had they only seen the place the way I did as a young child, they might have made a different decision.
I like the novel Le petit prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It contains this keen observation: “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children to have to provide explanations over and over again.” Later in the story a wise fox explains another important truth to the little prince: “Here’s my secret. It is very simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”¹
Not being able to see the sacred either with the eyes or with the heart has been a fault of the human condition since the beginning. In the scriptures we read, “For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth . . . others set at naught and trample under their feet.”² Sometimes the most precious and sacred things are right in front of us, in plain sight, but we cannot or will not see them.
This may be especially true during the blessed and precious season of Christmas. This is a beautiful time of the year. Trees are draped with sparkling lights, the stores glitter with dazzling decorations, and the streets bustle with crowds of shoppers seeking gifts for those they love.

All of these spectacular displays and decorations that compete for our attention can be beautiful and uplifting, but if that’s all we see, then we’re missing something that’s in plain sight. Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we become so preoccupied with responsibilities, commitments, and the stress of our many tasks that we fail to see with our hearts that which is essential and most sacred.
Even many who lived during the time of the Savior’s mortal ministry could not see Him, though He walked among them in plain sight.

Why Couldn’t They See Him?
 
Jesus Christ was born in a stable surrounded by lowly animals. He was raised in a disparaged town on the fringes of civilization. He did not go through the pattern of worldly education. He was not trained in worldly schools of philosophy, art, or literature. Some who heard His teachings questioned the origins of His education, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?”³ and they said also, “Whence hath this man (his) wisdom? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren . . . and his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?”⁴
The sophisticated and the proud, those who placed their trust in worldly learning, could not see Him.
Jesus the Christ was not wealthy, nor did he hold a political office. He lived and taught among humble people in a nation that was in bondage to the Romans. Therefore He did not seem worthy of notice by the political leaders of the day. They were, after all, preoccupied with running the world. They were far too busy to pay attention to a humble preacher of righteousness. When Jesus stood before Pilate, the powerful Roman governor could see only a teacher who was the cause of a disturbance in his political jurisdiction.
The wealthy and the influential, those who were caught up in their busy affairs of commerce and government, could not see Him.
The scribes and Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day were looking for the Messiah. They had studied the scriptures and longed for the time of the coming of the One who would deliver Israel. They yearned to see His day. They prayed for His arrival.
But they were so steeped in their own traditions and so blinded by their own narrow interpretation of scripture that they could not see the humble man who walked among them.
Jesus did not come in the way they expected. He had not attended their religious schools. Worse, He did not agree with all of their teachings and, therefore, He could not be the One.
The self-righteous and unteachable, those whose hearts were closed to the Spirit, could not see Him.

But Who Saw Him?
Simeon, an elderly, devout, and just man, saw the Christ. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, Simeon knew through the power of the Holy Ghost that this was indeed the Christ, the Son of the Most High. And he took the baby in his arms and blessed Him.⁵
Humble fishermen and laborers saw Him. The ailing, the humble, and the distraught saw Him and recognized Him as the Salvation of Israel. But there were those among the rich and powerful who were teachable and therefore could see the Christ. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, saw Him,⁶ as did the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea⁷  and Zacchaeus the publican.⁸

Now, Can We See the Christ?
Sometimes when we read about people who could not see the Savior for who He was, we marvel at their blindness. But do we also let distractions obstruct our view of the Savior—during this Christmas season and throughout the year? Some are external distractions—the gifts we worry about, the decorations, or the clamorous advertising—but often it is what is inside us that blinds us from seeing the Christ.
Some may feel a certain level of intellectual aloofness that distances them from Christ. In an age when vast amounts of knowledge are at our fingertips, the familiar story of Jesus the Christ can get lost amid the flood of scientific advances, pressing news, or the latest popular movies or books.
Some are so caught up in the details of running their lives that they don’t make time for much else. They might pay lip service to the things of the Spirit, but their hearts are so focused on the world that they cannot see the Christ.

Some, like the Pharisees, seek for the Christ, but their hearts are so set upon their own theories, spiritual hobbies, and opinions that they fail to recognize Him. In spite of their good intentions, they miss the transforming revelations of the Holy Spirit and thereby miss the only way to receive a certain testimony of Jesus Christ.

Let Us See the Christ in Christmas
This is a season of rejoicing! A season of celebration! A wonderful time when we acknowledge that our Almighty God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world! To redeem us!
It is a season of charitable acts of kindness and brotherly love. It is a season of being more reflective about our own lives and about the many blessings that are ours. It is a season of forgiving and being forgiven.

But perhaps most of all, let it be a season of seeking the Lamb of God, the King of Glory, the Everlasting Light of the World, the Great Hope of Mankind, the Savior and Redeemer of our souls.
I promise that if we unclutter our lives a little bit and in sincerity and humility seek the pure and gentle Christ with our hearts, we will see Him, we will find Him—on Christmas and throughout the year.
Of this I testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.


We can choose this Christmas and every day to create a small part of the Christmas story in our own lives.
The story of Christmas is a story of love. We heard the story first before the world was created. Heavenly Father told us of His plan of happiness for all of us, His beloved children.
Out of love He would let us come down from His royal courts to live in a world where we would be free to choose to come home again to Him. He said that because of temptations and because it would be so hard for us always to choose the right, that we would need a Savior. We would all need power beyond our own to be rescued from death and from sin.
Jehovah, out of His great love for the Father and for us, volunteered to come down from His exalted place as the perfect Firstborn in the spirit world to face the trials we would face and to save us if we loved Him enough to keep the commandments He would give us. At the heart of those commandments, we were to love the Father and His son and all of God’s other children. Hearing that story so filled our hearts with love for the Father and His Son that we shouted for joy and worshipped them.
Many have told since of the glorious time in that story when the Christ child is born to rescue and lead us home. Of the inspired accounts, the ones we treasure most help us feel again the tender love and care of the Father, and of His Beloved Son, for all of us, and especially for the least of us.
That is one of the reasons we love Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus. Each time we hear it we can feel again the love of our Father for us and for all His children. Each detail of the story makes real for us the message of love.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, wraps her firstborn child tenderly and lays Him in a manger. God sends angels in glorious light to announce to humble shepherds that the long-promised Messiah is born. And Luke tells us that choirs of angels were sent to celebrate this greatest of gifts from a loving Heavenly Father to His children. The words of Luke seem almost to bring to our minds and hearts the memory of the sound of angelic music:
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
“And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”¹
The story of Christmas given to us by Luke creates feelings of peace and goodwill, just as the angel choir promised. Every inspired account of the birth of Jesus has that power.
The great prophet Isaiah wrote of the Christ child hundreds of years before He was born in a stable. He knew that Christ would be born to save us and to become the King of kings:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”²
Handel set Isaiah’s Christmas story to music, and those words sung by choirs have lifted hearts for generations. Some of us have sung them ourselves. Just this week members of my ward were invited to bring their music to sing along with a choir. Each time I have heard or sung Isaiah’s story of Christ, I have felt joy and peace. The promise of peace, which the Lord brought at His birth, come whenever we qualify to experience His love and cleansing power, which comes because of His Atonement. And every inspired story of Christmas brings a feeling of His love for us.
Heavenly Father out of His love sent angels and prophets to tell that story of Christmas even before Jesus was born. Moroni, in the Book of Mormon, tells us why God did that:
“For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.
“And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come…
“Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.”³
It is still the same after the coming of Christ: we lay hold upon every good thing through our faith in Him. True stories of Christmas always increase that faith in Him and in His mission. And with that faith our determination grows to join with Him to help in His loving mission of mercy and rescue.
It is wonderful to remember Him always but especially as we celebrate His birth. He came to bless children. He healed the sick. He invited all, even those who despised Him, to follow Him and so choose the way home to our Heavenly Father.
We can choose this Christmas and every day to create a small part of the Christmas story in our own lives. We can accept the invitation of living prophets to help those who are lost along the pathway, and have wandered, to come back to it. We can offer the gospel, which is the only way home, to all we meet along the way. We can lift up those who are tired and hungry and lonely, as the Savior did and now invites us to do with Him. As we do, they can feel how much the Savior loves them and wants to lead them on the way to the God He loves.
In the stories of Christ’s birth, we can see and feel who He was and who He is. That lightens our load along the way. And it will lead us to forget ourselves and to lighten the load for others. That can make every day feel like the best of our Christmases past.
We can feel again the Savior’s loving approval and His thanks. And those we help for Him may sense the helping hand the Master holds out to them, if only they will choose to take it.
I testify that the child born of Mary in Bethlehem was the divine and perfect Son of God. He loves us perfectly, as does our Father. Jehovah came as the Christ to open for us all the way to escape from sin and sorrow. I pray that we will choose that way and help all those we can to go home to God with us in love, in the name of Jesus the Christ, amen.


With the Spirit of Christ in our lives, we will have goodwill and love toward all mankind, not only during this season, but throughout the year as well.
My beloved brothers and sisters, how grateful I am to be here with you this evening. I, with you, have been inspired and edified by the messages of President Eyring and President Uchtdorf, as well as by the glorious music provided by the choir and the orchestra.
Truth is found in a phrase we sing in one of our hymns: “Time flies on wings of lightning.”¹ Another year has flown by, bringing us once again to the Christmas season.
Recently, as I’ve reminisced concerning past Christmases, I’ve realized that probably no other time of the year yields as many poignant memories as does Christmas. The Christmases we remember best generally have little to do with worldly goods, but a lot to do with families, with love, and with compassion and caring. This thought provides hope for those of us who fear that the simple meaning of the holiday is diluted by commercialism, or by opposition from those with differing religious views, or just by getting so caught up in the pressures of the season that we lose that special spirit we could otherwise experience.
For many people, “overdoing it” is especially common at this time of the year.  We may take on too much for the time and energy we have. Perhaps we don’t have enough money to spend for those things we feel we must purchase. Often our efforts at Christmastime result in feeling stressed out, wrung out, and worn out during a time when instead we should feel the simple joys of commemorating the birth of the Babe in Bethlehem.
Usually, however, the special spirit of the season somehow finds its way into our hearts and into our lives despite the difficulties and distractions which may occupy our time and energy.
Many years ago I read of an experience at Christmastime which took place when thousands of weary travelers were stranded in the congested Atlanta, Georgia, airport. An ice storm had seriously delayed air travel as these people were trying to get wherever they most wanted to be for Christmas—most likely home.
It happened in December of 1970.  As the midnight hour tolled, unhappy passengers clustered around ticket counters, conferring anxiously with agents whose cheerfulness had long since evaporated. They, too, wanted to be home. A few people managed to doze in uncomfortable seats. Others gathered at the newsstands to thumb silently through paperback books.
If there was a common bond among this diverse throng, it was loneliness—pervasive, inescapable, suffocating loneliness. But airport decorum required that each traveler maintain his invisible barrier against all the others. Better to be lonely than to be involved, which inevitably meant listening to the complaints of gloomy and disheartened fellow travelers.
The fact of the matter was that there were more passengers than there were available seats on any of the planes. When an occasional plane managed to break out, more travelers stayed behind than made it aboard. The words “Standby,” “Reservation confirmed,” and “First-class passenger” settled priorities and bespoke money, power, influence, foresight—or the lack thereof.
Gate 67 in Atlanta was a microcosm of the whole cavernous airport. Scarcely more than a glassed-in cubicle, it was jammed with travelers hoping to fly to New Orleans, Dallas, and points west. Except for the fortunate few traveling in pairs, there was little conversation at Gate 67. A salesman stared absently into space, as if resigned. A young mother cradled an infant in her arms, gently rocking in a vain effort to soothe the soft whimpering.
Then there was a man in a finely tailored grey flannel suit who somehow seemed impervious to the collective suffering. There was a certain indifference about his manner. He was absorbed in paperwork—figuring the year-end corporate profits, perhaps. A nerve-frayed traveler sitting nearby, observing this busy man, might have identified him as an Ebenezer Scrooge.
Suddenly, the relative silence was broken by a commotion. A young man in military uniform, no more than 19 years old, was in animated conversation with the desk agent. The boy held a low-priority ticket. He pleaded with the agent to help him get to New Orleans so that he could take the bus to the obscure Louisiana village he called home.
The agent wearily told him the prospects were poor for the next 24 hours, maybe longer. The boy grew frantic. Immediately after Christmas his unit was to be sent to Vietnam—where at that time war was raging—and if he didn’t make this flight, he might never again spend Christmas at home. Even the businessman looked up from his cryptic computations to show a guarded interest. The agent clearly was moved, even a bit embarrassed. But he could only offer sympathy—not hope. The boy stood at the departure desk, casting anxious looks around the crowded room as if seeking just one friendly face.
Finally the agent announced that the flight was ready for boarding. The travelers, who had been waiting long hours, heaved themselves up, gathered their belongings, and shuffled down the small corridor to the waiting aircraft: twenty, thirty, a hundred—until there were no more seats. The agent turned to the frantic young soldier and shrugged.
Inexplicably, the businessman had lingered behind. Now he stepped forward. “I have a confirmed ticket,” he quietly told the agent. “I’d like to give my seat to this young man.” The agent stared incredulously; then he motioned to the soldier. Unable to speak, tears streaming down his face, the boy in olive drab shook hands with the man in the gray flannel suit, who simply murmured, “Good luck. Have a fine Christmas. Good luck.”
As the plane door closed and the engines began their rising whine, the businessman turned away, clutching his briefcase, and trudged toward the all-night restaurant.
No more than a few among the thousands stranded there at the Atlanta airport witnessed the drama at Gate 67. But for those who did, the sullenness, the frustration, the hostility—all dissolved into a glow. That act of love and kindness between strangers had brought the spirit of Christmas into their hearts.
The lights of the departing plane blinked, starlike, as the craft moved off into the darkness. The infant slept silently now in the lap of the young mother.  Perhaps another flight would be leaving before many more hours. But those who witnessed the interchange were less impatient. The glow lingered, gently and pervasively, in that small glass and plastic stable at Gate 67.²
My brothers and sisters, finding the real joy of the season comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done or in the purchasing of obligatory gifts. Real joy comes as we show the love and compassion inspired by the Savior of the World, who said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ... ye have done it unto me.”³
At this joyous season, may personal discords be forgotten and animosities healed. May enjoyment of the season include remembrance of the needy and afflicted. May our forgiveness reach out to those who have wronged us, even as we hope to be forgiven. May goodness abound in our hearts and love prevail in our homes.
As we contemplate how we’re going to spend our money to buy gifts this holiday season, let us plan also for how we will spend our time in order to help bring the true spirit of Christmas into the lives of others.
The Savior gave freely to all, and His gifts were of value beyond measure. Throughout His ministry, He blessed the sick, restored sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear, and the halt and lame to walk. He gave cleanliness to the unclean. He restored breath to the lifeless. He gave hope to the despairing and bestowed light in the darkness.
He gave us His love, His service, and His life.
What is the spirit we feel at Christmastime? It is His spirit—the Spirit of Christ.

How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming; but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.⁴

With the pure love of Christ, let us walk in His footsteps as we approach the season celebrating His birth. As we do so, let us remember that He still lives and continues to be the Light of the World, who promised, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”⁵
To each of you, my brothers and sisters, I extend my love and blessing.  May you have a wonderful Christmas. May there be love and kindness and peace within your hearts and homes. May even those whose hearts are heavy rise with the healing which comes alone from Him who comforts and assures.
With the Spirit of Christ in our lives, we will have goodwill and love toward all mankind, not only during this season, but throughout the year as well. 
May this be our experience and our blessing, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, amen.

Ask, Seek, Knock

My beloved brethren and sisters, I am very grateful for each of you. I am thankful too for the miracle of modern communication that allows this conference to reach millions of people throughout the world.
Today’s technology also allows us to use wireless telephones to exchange information rapidly. Recently Wendy and I were on assignment on another continent when we learned that a new baby had arrived in our family. We received the good news minutes after that birth had occurred half a world away.
Even more amazing than modern technology is our opportunity to access information directly from heaven, without hardware, software, or monthly service fees. It is one of the most marvelous gifts the Lord has offered to mortals. It is His generous invitation to “ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”1
This timeless offer to provide personal revelation is extended to all of His children. It almost sounds too good to be true. But it is true! I have received and responded to that heavenly help. And I have learned that I always need to be ready to receive it.
Years ago, while immersed in the task of preparing a talk for general conference, I was aroused from a sound sleep with an idea impressed strongly upon my mind. Immediately I reached for pencil and paper near my bed and wrote as rapidly as I could. I went back to sleep, knowing I had captured that great impression. The next morning I looked at that piece of paper and found, much to my dismay, that my writing was totally illegible! I still keep pencil and paper at my bedside, but I write more carefully now.
To access information from heaven, one must first have a firm faith and a deep desire. One needs to “ask with a sincere heart [and] real intent, having faith in [Jesus] Christ.”2 “Real intent” means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given.
The next requirement is to study the matter diligently. This concept was taught to leaders of this restored Church when they were first learning how to gain personal revelation. The Lord instructed them, “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.”3
Part of being prepared is to know and obey the relevant teachings of the Lord. Some of His timeless truths are applicable generally, such as the commandments not to steal, not to kill, and not to bear false witness. Other teachings or commandments are also general, such as those regarding the Sabbath, the sacrament, baptism, and confirmation.
Some revelations have been given for unique circumstances, such as Noah’s building of the ark or the necessity for prophets like Moses, Lehi, and Brigham to lead their followers in arduous travel. God’s long-established pattern of teaching His children through prophets assures us that He will bless each prophet and that He will bless those who heed prophetic counsel.
A desire to follow the prophet requires much effort because the natural man knows very little of God and even less of His prophet. Paul wrote that “the natural man [receives] not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”4 The change from being a natural man to a devoted disciple is a mighty one.5
Another prophet taught that “the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”6
Recently I observed such a mighty change in a man whom I first met about 10 years ago. He had come to a stake conference at which his son was sustained as a member of the new stake presidency. This father was not a member of the Church. After his son had been set apart, I put my arms around this father and praised him for having such a wonderful son. Then I boldly declared: “The day will come when you will want to have this son sealed to you and your wife in a holy temple. And when that day comes, I would be honored to perform that sealing for you.”
During the subsequent decade, I did not see this man. Six weeks ago he and his wife came to my office. He greeted me warmly and recounted how startled he was with my earlier invitation. He didn’t do much about it until later, when his hearing began to fail. Then he awakened to the realization that his body was changing and that his time on earth was indeed limited. In due course he ultimately lost his hearing. At the same time, he became converted and joined the Church.
During our visit he summarized his total transformation: “I had to lose my hearing before I could heed the great importance of your message. Then I realized how much I wanted my loved ones to be sealed to me. I am now worthy and prepared. Will you please perform that sealing?”7 This I did with a deep sense of gratitude to God.
After such a conversion takes place, even further spiritual refinement can come. Personal revelation can be honed to become spiritual discernment. To discern means to sift, to separate, or to distinguish.8 The gift of spiritual discernment is a supernal gift.9 It allows members of the Church to see things not visible and to feel things not tangible.
Bishops are entitled to that gift as they face the task of seeking out the poor and caring for the needy. With that gift, sisters may view trends in the world and detect those that, however popular, are shallow or even dangerous. Members can discern between schemes that are flashy and fleeting and those refinements that are uplifting and enduring.
Discernment was implicit in important instructions President John Taylor gave long ago.10 He taught stake presidents, bishops, and others: “It is the right of those holding [these positions] to obtain the word of God with regard to the duties of their presidencies that they may more effectually carry out His holy purposes. None of the callings or positions in the priesthood are intended for the personal benefits, emoluments and fame of those who hold them, but are expressly given to fulfil the purposes of our Heavenly Father and build up the Kingdom of God upon the earth. … We … seek to understand the will of God, and then carry it out; and see that it is carried out by those over whom we have the charge.”11
For each of you to receive revelation unique to your own needs and responsibilities, certain guidelines prevail. The Lord asks you to develop “faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God.” Then with your firm “faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, [and] diligence,” you may ask, and you will receive; you may knock, and it will be opened unto you.12
Revelation from God is always compatible with His eternal law. It never contradicts His doctrine. It is facilitated by proper reverence for Deity. The Master gave this instruction:
“I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.
“Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory.
“… To them will I reveal all mysteries [and] my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.”13
Revelation need not all come at once. It may be incremental. “Saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more.”14 Patience and perseverance are part of our eternal progression.
Prophets have described what they felt while receiving revelation. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery reported that “the veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened.”15 President Joseph F. Smith wrote, “As I pondered over these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me.”16
Every Latter-day Saint may merit personal revelation. The invitation to ask, seek, and knock for divine direction exists because God lives and Jesus is the living Christ. It exists because this is His living Church.17 And we are blessed today because President Thomas S. Monson is His living prophet. That we may hearken to and heed his prophetic counsel is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Celestial Therapy

insights from a talk given at Women's Conference that really has inspired me:
When we are weary, worried, in despair, restless, lonely, misunderstood, indecisive, overlooked, overweight, overwhelmed, overwrought, underappreciated, underemployed, or undernourished our first question should be "Where is the temple?"   "As the forces around us increase in intensity, whatever spiritual strength was once sufficient will not be enough" -Elder Eyering. Its time to arise and benefit from the privileges of the temple. Its time for each of us to make sure we are engaged in what could be called "Celestial Therapy"

Celestial Therapy offered to everyone exclusively in the House of the Lord
There is only one aristocracy that God recognizes" George Albert Smith said " and that is the aristocracy of righteousness" No one is turned away who is willing to comply with the Lord's rules for admission. The Lord is the master healer. He knows everything about us and everything about this earth, this galaxy, this universe ....and beyond. The glory of God is intelligence. The more laws we know, and more important, the more laws we live, the more joy and peace we experience. in Doctrine and Covenants 109:22 the Lord tells us four blessings that come with being faithful in keeping the temple covenants: that as we leave His house we will leave with
1. Armed with His power
2.  With His name upon us
3. With His glory round about us
4. With His angels having charge over us
Through temple experiences each of us can access the Lord's power and other blessings of the priesthood.

The Lord's Alter And Symbols Are Part of Celestial Therapy 
 The Lord can alter whatever we are willing to put on His alter. Celestial therapy also heals with the help of temple symbols. As we wrap our minds and hearts around the mighty symbols of the temple, we ask the Lord these questions
What does this symbol mean for me now?
What message is the Lord trying to give me through that symbol?
Do I understand the symbol the way I should?
Do I feel about the temple that way I should?
Temple symbols allow us to consider that there are many ways to interpret something. For every problem in life, there is power and knowledge in the temple to help us.
There are three ways that Celestial Therapy heals our hearts and homes:
1. It free's us
2. It reveals to us things we have never before considered about ourselves and others
3. It comforts us

Celestial Therapy Heals Us As It Free's Us
Celestial therapy can free us and save us time and energy by turning many "hot issues" of the world into "non issues" for us. Here is a example: Take one "hot" issue of the world and then immerse it in temple truths. what is the result. Most often, a non issue; at the very least, an abundance of eternal clarity that reduces prolonged debate to a post it note sized comment.
Celestial therapy can also free us and our ancestors . We are freer when we leave the temple than when we entered. Freer to do what the Lord requires of us and to discern good from evil. Freer to fill the measure of our creation and experience joy. Freer to solve our problems and freer to give our will to the Lord. We are also freer to put aside telestial relationship behaviors that shrink our spirits and grieve the Spirit.

Celestial Therapy Can Heal Us Through What Is Revealed To Us
Celestial Therapy can give us new insights into ourselves and others, sometimes clarifying what we should do in difficult situations. The Lord generally manifests to us those things we are seeking just as soon as he perceives us ready. At times we get more than we requested

Celestial Therapy Can Heal Us By Comforting Us 
 Celestial Therapy can indeed heal us as it frees, reveals, and comforts, Inside the temple, the Lord's altar and symbols are part of Celestial Therapy. when we depart from the temple, Celestial Therapy continues as we leave with the Lord's power and name upon us with his glory and angels round about us. Through the Savior's atoning sacrifice we come to know Him, not just know about him. And we come to love him above everyone and everything else. When we want to live closer to the Lord we ever have, closer to him than to anyone else, he brings us closer to everyone else. We experience through temple worship an anchoring and a direction in all our relationships.