ON FOLLOWING THE PROPHETS

So I went through my last conference Ensign to see how many talks I have read since May and out of 30, excluding the priesthood and young women sessions, I have read 10. Pathetic!!!  October conference is upon us so let's hope I do better this time around.  It's interesting to note that with a few talks, I have written in red pen 'prayer' and 'sacrament' next to their titles.  Obviously the message that was meant for me to get out of last conference was that I need to pray more and pay heed to the quality of my sacrament observance.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks in his talk "Followers of Christ" stresses that the Saviour instituted the sacrament to assist us in remembering that his teachings were not meant to be theoretical and that 'following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places". It's a new way of looking at the sacrament for me.  I will think on that next Sunday when I take that bread and water.  It should strengthen my commitment to do better next week than what I have done this week.

My two favourite talks from  last conference were:  Elder David A. Bednar's talk entitled "We Believe in Being Chaste" and "Lord I Believe" by Jeffrey R. Holland.

Elder Bednar says that 'our relationships with other people, our capacity to recognise and act in accordance with truth and our ability to obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are amplified through our physical bodies".  What I loved most of wonderful things he said about this subject is that we should consider sin as a spiritual wound that causes guilt.  He says:
"Guilt is to our spirit what pain is to our body - a warning of danger and a protection from additional damage."  It reminded me of someone in our family who is wracked by guilt because of the sexually immoral life he is living.  I agree with Elder Bednar, you cannot commit sin and not have your spirit damaged.  The good news is that there is a healing salve for the spiritual scars we inflict upon ourselves through disobedience to the law of chastity.  That salve is the atonement of Jesus Christ which is available to us through our repentance.  Elder Bednar makes us understand that it is all worth while when he says:
"I can think of no blessings to be more fervently desired than those promised to the pure and the virtuous.  Jesus spoke of specific rewards for different virtues but reserved the greatest, so it seems to me, for the pure in heart, 'for they', said he, 'shall see God'."

One thing from Elder Holland's talk I think is the most significant:
"The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue - it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know". 
Sometimes we feel that we need to have the kind of faith that moves mountains and we get discouraged because we feel it is beyond us.  I am a true believer in the power that comes from being positive through thought and word.  Both thoughts and words have energy which can increase our power in developing and exerting faith.  Alma declares: "Even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe" (Alma 32:27).  If you have the desire to believe in whatever you need faith for, start from the bottom, start by saying positive words and thinking positive thoughts until your faith is so strong that it will bring about the results that you want.  I need to listen to my own advice.....I'm in bad need of doing this right now regarding my professional life.

Gotta go.  I have 20 more articles to read before the next conference Ensign comes out!