Im going to talk about some very serious things in this email, pornography, because we are at war. We are at war and we must win. And the way we will win is by physically and spiritually drinking the milk.
We have spiritual wounds. And the only way we can heal spiritual wounds is by the power of the atonement.
There are two types of Sorrow.
- Sorrow of the World
- Sorrow of God
Sorrow of the world is the feelings of deep depresion, the feelings of hopelessness, the feelings that we are filthy, and the feelings that someone else is at fault. These feelings are evil and cyclical. We cannot blame ourselves or others, because the pain with be a negative cycle. We must blame the feelings of pain and sorrow themselves.
Sorrow of God is a pep talk. Its the feelings that we CAN and WILL get better. God doesnt want us to be miserable, he wants us to OVERCOME.
Satan wants us to feel bad, and he wants our loved ones to make us feel bad as well, so often times, they try to help, but we just end up feeling worse. And they feel worse, and we feel MORE worse! And this is the most vicious cycle, and absolutely not of God. God does not want us to be bogged down by our pain. And we do not want our loved ones to be bogged down by pain.
I am VERY guilt of this. When people make me sad, I let them know, and it always makes them feel worse! And then I feel worse! How lame is that. That is SATAN´s plan! So before we tear things up, before we fight, we must realize how we are about to make someone feel. And if we have already written it, we must take a serious consideration to determine if it will make the other person feel Sorrow of the World, or Sorrow of God--and a desire to get better! We want to get better! We´re on the same team! Stop fighting each other, and start fighting the source. We can do it!
In this article, we are told that our Children are fighting a great war, but we must not forget that Children are not the only ones affected by spiritual wounds.
Stats:
Some studies show that close to one hundred percent of today's teenagers will be exposed to pornography by the time they graduate from high school, and most of those exposures occur on the Internet while the child is doing homework. As of 2008, an estimated 9 out of 10 young men and nearly one-third of young women reported using pornography. The average age of exposure and addiction are the same: 11 years old. We hope that these numbers drop with the influence of the gospel, but research shows that Latter-day Saints "are no different when it comes to prevalence or magnitude of sexual addictions." Unfortunately, the question seems to be no longer if our children will be exposed to pornography but when—and how they will cope. Indeed, we can expect many of our youth to be wounded in this battle. But that doesn't mean they will perish.
Do not let pornography let you feel like filth. IT is the filth and you can overcome it.
"Filters are useful tools," said Linda S. Reeves, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, "but the greatest filter in the world, the only one that will ultimately work, is the personal internal filter that comes from a deep and abiding testimony of our Heavenly Father's love and our Savior's atoning sacrifice for each one of us."
We must impress the importance of gaining this testimony. It will defeat all evil.
We cannot fight for them, and we cannot give them a filter. But we can promise them the blessings that this filter will bring. It will bring clarity of mind. It will bring you together, and you will no longer feel like you are living a double life.
We will never be able to misuse our physical body without also injuring our spirit, and that kind of injury always leaves spiritual scars.
Im Addicted, now what?
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, "No matter what addictive cycle one is caught in, there is always hope" because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
At their root, "all addictions are maladaptive coping strategies," says Mark Butler. People who have not learned how to deal with guilt, shame, sorrow, or pain will often turn to addictive behaviors to numb their negative emotions.
The following questions may help you evaluate your own coping strategies: When you are stressed, tired, or in despair, do you isolate yourself? Do you rely on entertainment to escape your problems instead of addressing them? Do you demonstrate that the healthiest way to solve problems is to rely on Heavenly Father, the Savior, and your relationships with others?
We must learn to recognize the signs of spiritual wounds such as grief, guilt, and pain so they can turn their pain into learning experiences. Emotional pain is not bad. Alma the Younger describes the pains of his sins as "exquisite" and "bitter" (Alma 36:21); Peter "wept bitterly" after he denied the Savior (Luke 22:62).
You can learn to relate to pain not as a horrible emotion to be avoided but as a teacher that can lead to incredible growth. Alma, Peter, and Zeezrom all used the pains of their sins to spur them to repentance, and they became devoted ambassadors of the gospel. Your example and guidance can help you learn to value repentance over addiction.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, taught: "There is an important difference between the sorrow for sin that leads to repentance and the sorrow that leads to despair.
"The Apostle Paul taught that 'godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation … but the sorrow of the world worketh death' [2 Corinthians 7:10]. Godly sorrow inspires change and hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Worldly sorrow pulls us down, extinguishes hope, and persuades us to give in to further temptation. …
"True repentance is about transformation, not torture or torment. Yes, heartfelt regret and true remorse for disobedience are often painful and very important steps in the sacred process of repentance. But when guilt leads to self-loathing or prevents us from rising up again, it is impeding rather than promoting our repentance."
You will be able to persevere through their spiritual wounds when they have the vision of and hope for a virtuous life. This vision is built through fervent prayer and sincere scripture study on a daily basis. I call this, drinking the milk.
There is a parable in the bible that says we must drink the milk before we can handle the heavier stuff. We must start where we can, but we must do it daily. We must have daily nourishment. This is how we will heal our Spiritual Wounds. If we cannot handle the tough stuff of life, we must concentrate on the milk.
I love you all, and I promise you the blessing of the Gospel is overcoming your demons.
And one of the best ways to overcome is to see the love in others!
"Forgiveness should go hand in hand with love. … Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals."
--------------------------------------
Put LDS.org in your Bookmarks bar ^^ click on it and read when you feel tempted. The talks on valentines day were all about LOVE and it was GREAT.
Attached is a photo I found in a Family Home Evening book. If you identify with the things on the left, immerse yourself with the gospel, talk to your bishop, he will help you transform your sorrow, and get to the BLESSINGS ON THE LEFT.
I LOVE YOU ALL MORE AND MORE EACH AND EVERY DAY
IT JUST KEEPS GROWING, and I KNOW that you can feel of this love too!
LOVE, ELDER AMANN
Also, here´s a picture of an older couple getting married in the church, and a reminder that LOVE IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE.
