To
me, everyone has two parts. Everyone has an imperfect body made of
flesh (including mind), and a perfect spirit that makes them who they
are. Everyone has these two parts, and its so important to remember
that YOU have a spirit that is perfect. It is beautiful and of God.
But because we have bodies, we are subject to the things of this world.
We are imperfect. But please know that all the evil that you put up
with is not of you. Your spirit is perfect.
When I say I want you to change your life, I already know you want peace with your neighbors, and you want to be happy. You want these things. Everyone does! Because we all have perfect spirits, who just want to be happy. When I say I want you to change your life, I mean that I want you to bring out that perfect spirit.
I want you to be able to fulfill who you really are, who you know you
are, and know you want to be. AND IT IS POSSIBLE. In order to change
your life, you need to overcome this body and the demons that you are
fighting. You need to nourish your spirit so it can be more powerful
than your body. Think of it as a balance scale with two parts. Your
body/pains of this world are by far the stronger part, but by nourishing
your spirit you can overcome the things your struggle with!
How can we overcome our bodies? -> Self-Control
I once read a talk that said "True love is motivated by Self-Control"
I
know this is true. Self-Control means when our spirit is stronger than
our bodies. It is through self control that we can be set free. We
can emancipate ourselves. Now be careful. Self-Control is not keeping
yourself from looking at harmful things on the Internet. Self-control is not keeping yourself from
smoking when you've got a pack hidden in your sock drawer. Self-control
is not keeping yourself from screaming at someone when you've got
contention bundled up inside. Self-Control is not
losing weight until you feel better. You may win some battles this way against
your body, but Satan will win the majority. Self-Control is being happy with
who you are, with all your heart.
Self-Control is being free from the impulses that control you. And the answer is not by fighting the thing directly. We have to go above our demons, directly to our spirit.
How can we have Self-Control? -> The Constant Companionship of the Holy Ghost.
The
Holy Ghost is that magic feeling we have that fills our whole hearts
when we give service to others. It is the feeling mothers have after
they have just given birth. It is the feeling of undeniable love that
makes you want to help other people all the time. The Holy Ghost is the
fuel that burns my spirit, and he is a wonderful friend to our
spirirts. Mormons believe that we can have this feeling in every
moment. We can have this same feeling that we feel during really
powerful testimony meetings in every moment. This is what "Constant Companionship" means, and at Baptism we receive the promise, the covenant of
the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. This magic feeling. But
I know for a fact that very few people, mormons especially, feel this
way all the time. And this is because our bodies are stronger than our
spirits.
Some
of the most beautiful words I've seen written on the Holy Ghost are from
James Faust. Please read the whole talk for SO MUCH more insight than I
can give you on how to obtain spiritual strength:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/04/the-gift-of- the-holy-ghost-a-sure-compass? lang=eng>
The Book of Mormon, the Bible, and other scriptures, along with the guidance of modern prophets, provide true standards of conduct. In addition, the gift of the Holy Ghost is available as a sure guide, as the voice of conscience, and as a moral compass. This guiding compass is personal to each of us. It is unerring. It is unfailing. However, we must listen to it in order to steer clear of the shoals which will cause our lives to sink into unhappiness and self-doubt.
I believe the Spirit of the Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world. It can be more mind-expanding and can make us have a better sense of well-being than any chemical or other earthly substance. It will calm nerves; it will breathe peace to our souls. This Comforter can be with us as we seek to improve. It can function as a source of revelation to warn us of impending danger and also help keep us from making mistakes. It can enhance our natural senses so that we can see more clearly, hear more keenly, and remember what we should remember. It is a way of maximizing our happiness.
The Spirit—the Holy Ghost—will help us work out our insecurities. For instance, it can help us learn to forgive. There comes a time when people must move on, seeking greater things rather than being consumed by the memory of some hurt or injustice. Dwelling constantly on past injuries is, by its nature, limiting to the Spirit. It does not promote peace.
I
know. I KNOW. FOR A FACT. That those words are true. The Spirit has
been burning inside me and I´m so happy. So at peace. I´ve never felt
this way before in my life.
But PLEASE do not take my word for it. You CAN KNOW!! But you have to nourish your spirit.
You will be most successful in controlling your life as you constantly nourish your spirit. Avoiding food for prolonged periods, followed by excessively large meals, will not maintain physical health. Likewise, feeding your spirit sporadically, even in large proportions, will not yield the same result as constantly, daily nourishing your spirit.
At
baptism, Mormons are promised the constant companionship of the Holy
Ghost. And if we do not utilize this, frankly, as I've come to realize,
there is no point to any of it. The reason we pray, read scriptures,
go to church, is to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. The constant burning feeling inside your chest.
I
testify that I did not have this companionship for a long time. It is
delicate and needs to be taken care of. But when we have it, its is single-handedly the greatest feeling of love ever felt. AND
WE WERE ALL PROMISED THIS WHEN WE WERE BAPTIZED. WE ALREADY HAVE THIS
PROMISE. But we HAVE to pray for it, and search for it. And if you
weren't baptized, you STILL have felt this same spirit, and if you
contact your missionaries, they will help you feel it IN EVERY MOMENT
through the spirit.
Pray
to God and ask to feel the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
And then look for it. Do your part. Do not do anything that will chase
away the spirit. I have felt his constant companionship almost for a
week straight, and in the few moments when I didn't feel it, it was
because I didn't take care of it.
Self-Control is giving up the things in this world that we like, that please our bodies, for what we love.
And when you feel the spirit as I have felt, nothing is worth it.
Nothing is worth sacrificing this feeling. I love fast, loud music, but
it is not worth it. I had a lot of other things that I thought I
liked, that my body was keeping, but they aren't worth it. GIVE IT UP. You cannot dance with Satan and expect to win. You must go above him, to a higher power.
Throw
away the things you like that keep you from what you love. Delete what
needs to be deleted. I promise if you pray to have the spirit, you will
understand and have the power to do what needs to be done.
Satan
will have you believe you are too dirty, too sinful to feel the Spirit. This is a lie. Pray to Heavenly Father and ask Him to feel
it.
-------------------
You
do not have to go on a mission to "change your life" and bring out the
good. But you absolutely cannot do it without strengthening your
spirit.
If
you have ever had the tiniest shred of desire to serve a mission, or if
you absolutely feel you cannot build daily habits of kneeling prayer
twice a day, and scripture reading, on your own, GO ON A MISSION. Boys
can serve until 25 years old and girls can serve until 39 years old.
It does not matter if you do not feel ready. The Lord will help you
every step. It is the greatest way to have the constant companionship.
To give it all up just to have that Spirit. I am giving it all up,
just to have the companionship, and I promise, it's worth it.
And
if you can't do that, contact your local missionaries and spend a day
with them. Maybe with a friend. I promise it will change your life.
Tell them you want the Constant Companionship of the Holy Ghost. And
don´t let any one tell you that you can´t feel that burning in every
moment.
Bob
Marley has a song where he sings "Emancipate yourselves from inter
slavery, None but ourselves can free our minds." But he fails to mention
how we can be free...But I leave you my testimony that we can be free
if we have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. But we have to
do it ourselves.
For
those of you who still haven't read the talk from the 2017 Liahona I've
been telling you to read, Here's the most important part:
You can change anything you want to change and you can do it very fast. It is another Satanic falsehood to believe that it takes years and years and eons of eternity to repent. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say “I’ll change”—and mean it. Of course there will be problems to work out and restitutions to make. You may well spend—indeed, you had better spend—the rest of your life proving your repentance by its permanence. But change, growth, renewal, and repentance can come for you as instantaneously as it did for Alma and the Sons of Mosiah.
Do not misunderstand. Repentance is not easy or painless or convenient. It can be a bitter cup from hell. But only Satan would have you think that a necessary and required acknowledgement of sin is more distasteful than permanent residence in it. Only he would say, “You can’t change. You won’t change. It’s too long and too hard to change. Give up. Give in. Don’t repent. You are just the way you are.” That, my friends, is a lie born of desperation. Don’t fall for it.
https://www.lds.org/liahona/20
I
leave you with my love, my testimony that YOU ARE DIVINE. YOU HAVE A
PERFECT SPIRIT AND I LOVE YOU AND YOUR PERFECT SPIRIT. But please
nourish it. It will set you free. It will change your life.
------------------------
Here are some pictures of the sunrise this morning, easily the most beautiful
sunrise I've ever seen. The sky was on fire; pictures don't do it
justice.
MY SOUL IS ON FIRE WITH THE HOLY GHOST, WORDS DON'T DO THIS JUSTICE.
LOVE, ÉLDER AMANN
SET YOURSELF FREE, AND SMILE, YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE
