CHANGE.

Change. 

Change is necessary – it’s just a part of this life.

Most people would say they want change in their lives. They want circumstances to change, people to change, the world to change… And it seems it rarely occurs to us that instead we sometimes need to change.

The truth is, we probably have a lot more to do with change happening than we actually accept to realize. We can’t keep doing things the way we have always done them and hope or expect to get a different result.

Many times, I have tried and tried to make things in my life change and didn't get much of anywhere. I would read my scriptures and try. I would go to church and hear a great message and try. After trying so hard and feeling exhausted all the time, I felt as if I was getting no where. I just felt like giving up altogether. I soon came to realize what the problem actually was. I was “trying” in my own strength, and not relying on the help and strength that I needed from God. Not only the help and strength I needed from Him, but His will and calling for my life and not my own. I was the one trying to make things work out when He already had it all planned and set right in place for me all along. 

Change Your Life

I’ve discovered that things in your life will change when you first change your mind. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world…but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and the perfect will of God…” 

When we change our minds and put God first with all the things in our life, everything seems to fall right into place.

How do we renew our mind? With God's word. It is full of life and has power to change us. When I read my scriptures, I feel comforted, at peace, happy, joyful, and have found many answers to my prayers from is pages. We shouldn't just read it just to read it though. We should be studying and meditating on His words daily and trying our best to apply it in our lives.

I am so thankful to God for the knowledge that I have. I can tell you that it didn't happen overnight though. Today I am continuing to learn and years from now I will still be learning. I love that! Gods word is always alive and so powerful (Hebrews 4:12)

Meditating

Part of studying is meditating – rolling something over and over in your mind or pondering it. If you know how to worry (which I know how to do alot), then you know how to meditate. It’s usually not hard to meditate on a problem all day long, if you let yourself. 

We don’t really know how messed up our thinking is until we study God’s Word and realize what we should be thinking. His words are like a mirror – it shows us the way we should be and the way we are. 

What have you been thinking about lately? Take a moment to stop and think about what you have been thinking about and then try and refocus your mind to start thinking about what you should be thinking about.

You can change. Everything is subject to change except God Himself.

We have to stop wasting our time and energy by saying and thinking, “My life is never going to change. My finances are never going to change. My marriage and children will never change…etc.”

Start speaking and thinking about what Gods words says: “All things are possible with God. And I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!” 

Try to think about good things so there’s no room for any of the bad things. 

Be hopeful, be trusting, be prayerful, be diligent, and most importantly... be thankful.

I want God to change me. I want Him to use me to change anything in the world that He wants to use me for. I believe that He can change anything – me, my circumstances, my family, my marriage, my finances – there’s nothing He cannot change. I know change won’t be easy at times, but I’m committed to be where He want me to be at all times. 

I know that He can also and wants to do the same thing for you too. Look to Him.

PRAYERS FOR OKLAHOMA

Dear Oklahoma.....

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your communities.

There are no words to express the level of profound

sadness I feel for you and all the families who have been affected.

I hope that you will find comfort, hope, strength and peace as love is sent your way.

I pray that God will be with you and bless you and your communities during this difficult time. 

Love always,

 

Psalm 57:1

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.

Psalm 61:1-4

Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,
And a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

DAY 4: FAVORITE QUOTE

Let's talk about love.......

What is the first and greatest commandment?  

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. -Matthew 22:37-38

Because love is the greatest commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk.

Why is love the greatest commandment??

Heavenly Father’s love for His children is the core message of the plan of happiness, which plan is made active through the Atonement of Jesus Christ—the greatest expression of love the world has ever known. 

How clearly the Savior spoke when He said that every other commandment hangs upon the principle of love.  If we do not neglect the great laws—if we truly learn to love our Heavenly Father and our fellowman with all our heart, soul, and mind—all else will fall into place.

The divine love of God turns ordinary acts into extraordinary service. Divine love is the motive that transports simple words into sacred scripture. Divine love is the factor that transforms reluctant compliance with God’s commandments into blessed dedication and consecration.

Love is the guiding light that illuminates the disciple’s path and fills our daily walk with life, meaning, and wonder.

Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship.

Love is the way of the disciple.

When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden.

God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become.

We are created in the image of our heavenly parents; we are God’s spirit children. Therefore, we have a vast capacity for love—it is part of our spiritual heritage. What and how we love not only defines us as individuals; it also defines us as a church. Love is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ.

Since the beginning of time, love has been the source of both the highest bliss and the heaviest burdens. At the heart of misery from the days of Adam until today, you will find the love of wrong things. And at the heart of joy, you will find the love of good things.

And the greatest of all good things is God.

Our Father in Heaven has given us, His children, much more than any mortal mind can comprehend. Under His direction the Great Jehovah created this wondrous world we live in. Our Heavenly Father watches over us, fills our hearts with breathtaking joy, brightens our darkest hours with blessed peace, distills upon our minds precious truths, shepherds us through times of distress, rejoices when we rejoice, and answers our righteous petitions.

He offers to His children the promise of a glorious and infinite existence and has provided a way for us to progress in knowledge and glory until we receive a fullness of joy. He has promised us all that He has.

If all that is not enough reason to love our Heavenly Father, perhaps we can learn from the words of the Apostle John, who said, “We love him, because he first loved us.” 

**Words from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf**

I know He lives. I know He loves us. I know we can feel His love here and now. I know His voice is one of perfect mildness which penetrates to our very center. I know He smiles and is filled with compassion and love. I know He is full of gentleness, kindness, mercy, and desire to help. I love Him with all my heart and soul. I testify that when we are ready, His pure love instantly moves across time and space, reaches down, and pulls us up from the depths of any tumultuous sea of darkness, sin, sorrow, death, or despair we may find ourselves in and brings us into the light and life and love of eternity. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.