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Matsuri Takahashi’s Employer Decides it was Time for her to Die
Hard work and sacrifice have long been synonymous with Japan, and strong social expectations make people work hard to be successful. However, Matsuri Takahashi (age 24), a beautiful young lady, promising graduate of Japan’s top university, leapt to her death 25 December of 2015, leaving being a trail of letters relentlessly begging for help. She worked over 265 hours in October of 2015. That is a total of 13.25 hours a day, five days a week, for a month. Matsuri Takahashi’s death was labeled “Karoshi” or death by overwork. The government warned her employer, Dentsu, and others that some of their employees were in danger of dying from being worked to death. In one year, 191 people have died from being overworked. Dentsu was reported to have worked Matsuri Takahashi so hard at their advertisement firm because they wanted more revenue. Because Dentsu ignored government regulations, their offices were raided, and Dentsu’s President Tadashi Ishii took full responsibility and resigned as president at a board meeting in January of 2016. Tadashi Ishii reported that Dentsu and a company employee had been referred to prosecutors by the Japanese labor ministry’s, Tokyo labor bureau on suspicion of violating labor standards. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
Many people wondered why did Matsuri Takahashi just not quit her job? Well, employees often feel a debt of gratitude for being hired and are reluctant to quit even if conditions are bad. Others, especially new hires, feel they have to work longer hours than their colleagues to get promoted. A Tokyo court ruled that the advertising giant made staff work beyond legal limits, and could not forget the death of Matsuri Takahashi, especially because the company ignored warnings that the employees were in danger of dying, and had been asking for help, but were ignored. Dentsu was fined just 500,000 yen ($6,050). At the very least, it must be granted that the knowledge of death depends not only upon experience, but also upon a level of mental culture that makes it possible to interpret experience accurately. It is just tragic that this young lady thought that the only way she could escape was through sacrificing her life on Christmas day. She kept asking for help and clearly felt her life was in danger and was stressed out and decided to end it on her own terms. She probably sat up at night thinking about how much she wanted to live and what would happen if she killed herself and finally gave up her life. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
Death reminds us that there is a spirit in humans. As we viewed the remains of our young friend, Matsuri Takahashi, it was obvious that more than blood had left her body. The light of her spirit no longer animated in her facial expression, nor the twinkle in her eyes. The smile that would light up the room was gone. She had her life taken from her at a tender, young age. However, it is important to remember that Matsuri Takahashi was good young lady and very successful. Just as we are born to parents to greet us, we also have eternal families. There are caring family members to greet her spirit, and other spirits in Heaven, and they will assist her in the adjustment to a new life. While standing before the casket, we thought that the separation was not only a shock for her mother, friends, family, colleagues, but also for the community and the World as well. We are sure she wishes should could tell her mother once more how much she loves her. This is just a reminder that the purpose of life is to teach and show others the love of God. If you know someone is truly suffering and has no way out, one should try to help them solve the problems they are having, even if you have to talk to their boss or report the person who is terrorizing them to the proper authorities. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
Death, even if accidental, must be part of the plan. Perhaps Matsuri Takahashi gave her life to be a voice for those who are being abused and cannot get help. Developing faith in and coming to know one’s Creator is at the core of the plan. Having hope with regard to one’s eternal destiny and experiencing joy must also be part of life’s purpose. Death teaches that we do not experience a fullness of joy in mortality and that everlasting happiness can be achieved only with the assistance of God. God will help grieving parents and loved ones have faith in his plan, death’s void is softened just a little as we understand that our loved one’s have passed into Heaven and are no longer suffering in pain. This realization will help broken hearts and give peace. A divine prescription for this healing has been given by our Heavenly Father, which has eternally significant implications. Remember to plead to the Lord for mercy, strength, and forgiveness until one receives it through the Holy Ghost. You will be blessed with peace of conscience. The moment God put a dream in your heart, the moment the promise took foundation, know that God will bring your dreams to come true. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Just know that you will go beyond your barriers and become everything God created you to be, and you will have everything God intended for you to have. Ultimate forgiveness comes from the Lord to the repentant individual. He or she knows by the power of the Holy Ghost when forgiveness has come. God, our Father, your power brings us to birth, your providence guides our lives, and by your command we return to Heaven. Lord, those who die still live in your presence, their lives change, but do not end. I pray in hope for our families, relatives, friends, and for all the dead known to us. Those who have died may they rejoice in the Kingdom of God, where all our tears are wiped away. Unite us together again in one family, to sing your praise forever and ever. Wait on God, and he will work, but do not wait in spiritual sulks because you cannot see an inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our spiritual hysterics to wait on God? To wait is not to sit with folded hands, but to learn to do what we are told. God never made a promise that was too good to be true. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
Unit it Sleeps Enter Sandman
Say your prayers, little one and do not forget, my son, to include everyone. Something is wrong, shut the light. Heavy thoughts tonight and they are not of Snow White. We are living in a most interesting and remarkable age, when the Spirit of the Lord is being poured out on the face of the Earth abundantly; but it is also an age of permissiveness, when many people’s hearts are set upon Worldly treasures, pleasures, and affluence. The act of real assent achieves our intellectual orientation toward the domain of concrete existents and their values. It does so by furnishing a concrete image of the individual being under consideration and by establishing the relevance of that imaged reality to the inquirer’s own personal life. Real assent does not necessarily ensure action, but it does furnish a necessary condition for our practical responses by directing our mind toward the real existent, grasped in an image that can appeal to our passions and will. One of the great challenges facing us today is to develop sufficient wisdom, understanding, and inner strength so that we can live happily and successfully in our complex and difficult World and not be caught up in the delirious scramble for the material things and pleasures. Human’s relationship to God is not yet one of direct vision; hence we must engage in inference. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, one that has eternal life is rich. Since theistic inquiry concerns a real existent, it is not enough to employ formal inference, even though its resources must be used to analyze and test our arguments. A concrete personal mode of reasoning is also required in order to proportion our inquiry as fully as possible to the situation of human’s search after the truth about God. Our aim must be the complex one of attaining some definite and well-grounded propositions to which we can legitimately give our notional assent, and also of forming a concrete image of the personal, morally good, and providential God to whose reality we can then give our real assent and practical attachment. Many people probably need to change their priorities in life and seek after wisdom rather than after so many material things and pleasures. Seek out the best books, words of wisdom; seek education, even by study and also by faith, and also teach one another words of wisdom. We should learn the preexistent state, purpose of this life and a life hereafter. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
The scriptures promise we obtain wisdom, and the mysteries of God are unfolded to us as we seek God and study his words. Our aim must be the complex one of attaining some definite and well-grounded propositions to which we can legitimately give our notional assent, and also of forming a concrete image of the personal, morally good, and providential God to whose reality we can then give our real assent and practical attachment. It might be interesting to note that frequently, even when we seek after wisdom rather than riches, the Lord blesses us with wisdom and riches, as he did King Solomon. When this occurs, we have the great opportunity and responsibility to use our material wealth in the building up of the kingdom of God. We can realize a synthesis of intellectual acts bearing on the being of God. The meaning of human existence and history is important to our moral life. To reach the transcendent, personal God, it is important to be moral. It is here that we have the experience of conscience, of being under command to do and not to do, of being responsible to a just and caring person who transcends our human reality, but does so in a way that keeps him personally concerned about or conduct. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
Conscience as a commanding act disclose the full human situation of our responsibility toward the good God. One of the great needs today is increased love and solidarity within families. It is our responsibility to set an example in our own homes and as home teachers to encourage and motivate our families to do likewise. All of you who are holding family homes evenings can testify that there is greater love between the parents, and the children, and between the children. Let us continue to emphasize this inspired family home night program. Another concern is that majority groups are responsible to accept the underrepresented groups living within their area and to provide full fellowship and encouragement, if you feel comfortable, so that they can receive the blessings resulting from such activity. Three features of the living command of conscience, as the best way of achieving real as well as notional assent to God: its intentional character, its personal significance, and its practical ordination. The dictate of conscience by its very structure refers the conscientious human beyond oneself, pointing one toward the reality of the supreme lawgiver and judge of our moral actions. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
We must set a course of righteousness and follow it. This is not purely abstract orienting of our mind but involves a concrete image of God as our concerned Father. Another advantage of the way of conscience is that the moral relationship in which it consists is personal in both poles of reference. Conscience engages us precisely as a personal self; hence it enables us to give a real assent to God as a morally concerned person. Finally, the acts of conscience relate us to the personal God in a concrete way that leads to moral and religious actions. Hence the approach to God from the conscience encourages us to assent to the truth about God not only notionally but really, not only in respect to our propositions but also in respect to the persona, provident reality of God himself as the practical goal of our knowledge and love. We must find time to share with others and provide examples of courage and integrity for many who sorely need that assistance. We are vitally interested in and proud of the examples and contributions of our faithful community. Let us magnify our real assent to God, as the Lord of conscience furnishes a frame of reference for wrestling with the ungodly, and discerning God’s providential presence. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
May we so live that we may be worthy of these blessings of wisdom, happiness, peace, and eternal life. A mind that is carefully formed upon the theistic implications of conscience interprets what it sees around it by this previous inward teaching, as the true key of that maze of vast complicated disorder; and thus it gains a more and more consistent and luminous vision of God from the most unpromising materials. Thus, conscience is a connecting principle between the creature and our Creator. We must secure first of all the inward principle of interpretation provided by the personal and moral relation of people to the Lord of conscience. The work of this principle is not to soften or gloss over the power of evil, but to bring in the other considerations concerning God and moral people that will enable us to understand and work with hope against physical and moral evil in our World. God lives and may we magnify him, and may we also sustain him in every way. Help us God to know our position in your kingdom, to declare your word over our lives, and become closer to you. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
God, help us to claim our heritage in you, and move beyond the notion that we soul be satisfied with what life throws at as, which is exactly what people are telling us to do when they say things like: these are the last days, or it is a sign of the times. God, help us therefore, not to settle for mediocrity, but always seek to raise the standard, for your desire is for us to move up higher. In the mighty name of God, we come against anything or anyone conspiring against our personal advancement. We declare that we are on the upward path, no weapon formed against us shall prosper. We can grasp the intentional structure of basic human meanings only through studying their various perspectives, forcing them to enter the battlefield of critical discussion, and sometimes embodying them in visible, powerful social institutions. Dear Heavenly Father, you have seen us labor. We have been faith over small things. Please help us to be faithful over large things. Expand our territory. Promote us to the next level of responsibility. Guide our steps and priorities. Increase our faith, as we wait on you to move obstacles out of our path. Lord, you have a plan and purpose for our lives that no person can alter. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
God, give us a vision that shows us the path that you want us to go, and please continue to speak to us in our dreams. Give us your clear direction and help us to be strong and confident as we perform our responsibilities. God, I thank you for increase. Thank you for your spiritual growth and material growth. Help us to give you the glory and honor in everything we do. Use us in a mighty way. God, have your way in our lives. Thank you for all that you have done in our lives and we are expecting to see blessings for us and our families for years to come. God, we thank you for the opportunity to honor you and give you the glory. God, you have promised to take the pain of our lives and turn it into blessings, to give us beauty for the hardships, and pay us back double for anything lost. We have made up our minds to endure until the end, knowing you restore health and give new opportunities and new relationships and new perspectives. Even though it is painful for a time, it is not the end. A full life is still in front of us. We believe you have more to come in our futures. God, you are going to make the rest of our lives the best of our lives. One the way to our victories, we will always face the weariness test. Thank you for the renewed strength. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
Build a Bridge to Our Lonely Hearts
Perhaps our life in a loving premortal World set up our yearning for true, lasting love here on Earth. When we enter, we can see the eye of our soul, above (or beyond) our minds, the light unchangeable. It is it is not the common light of day that is seen by the eye of every living thing of flesh and blood. What one will see is something quite, quite, different from any light we know on Earth. It shines above our minds. It is above us (or higher), because it is itself the Light that made us, and we were below (or lower) because we were made by it. All who know the truth of this Light, and all who know this Light know eternity. We want to be encircled in the arms of our Heavenly Father’s love and guidance, and so we put his will first and with a broken heart plead that God will pour streams of cleaning light into our souls. At first in may trickle in, but as we seek, ask, and obey, it will become abundant. This living light will begin to fill us, and shine with God’s love, and we will be able to share the contents of our soul with others who thirst for healing, hope, and belonging. As our souls become clean, our Earthly relationships begin to heal. Drawing near God will mean learning his truth through scriptures, and striving to do his will more completely. God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, can give us needed insight into relationships. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
When we quest for reality, we shall see the Light as God: The Light already shines in the darkness, in the night, and in the day, in our hearts and minds. God is Light. Those who have not seen this light, have not seen God: for God is light. If we hope to enter his kingdom, we cannot regard the commandments as if they were optional. If we are unkind, unclean dishonest, or cruel; if we are hypocritical and appear pious when in fact our hearts are wicked, we throw our hope of salvation to the four winds, unless we truly repent. Light is expressed as human love: the soul is seen as being ravished by perfect harmony. When the Lord comes as a consuming fire, his presence is understood in the power y which the soul is changed. The light illuminating the intellect comes through narrow apertures, and the soul is perceiving the infinite metaphysical reality of light. And what is charity in its true sense? It is the pure love of God which helps us to love others. God expects us to become as perfect as he is. The very object of our existence as children of God is to become like him. However, no unclean thing may enter his presence. Therefore, we must perfect ourselves, beginning here in mortality, keeping in mind that we cannot achieve perfection through imperfect means. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
When we give our hearts to God, we change our World—even the circumstances around us change. There has always been light in our spirits, and not with external eyes can one always see it. That is why God is so strict. That is why he cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. We must serve God with all of our hearts and do unto others as we would be done by as we travel to this journey of eternal life. The light which we possess is not located, but yet is more brilliant than the Sun, it is called the cloud of the living light. And when I look upon it, every sadness and pain vanishes from my memory, so that I am again as a simple person. We need to continually deepen our knowledge of and obedience to Heavenly Father. Ravishing away from the darkness, gives the light, as our relationship with God is eternal. How are we going to wholeheartedly accept his invitation to draw near to him and this enjoy the blessings he longs to give us in this life and in the next World to come? God has loved us with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness God has drawn us. It is important, with desire, to see others in their true light. For without light, we shall not be able to walk in the way of truth. The soul ought to go on with all zeal to the perfect light. We are on this Earth to grow, and the most important learning and growing will come from our covenant connection to Heavenly Father. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Gazing into an Angel’s eyes, there was a radiantly bright, so searing to the eyes it strikes upon. My hard feelings softened, my heart started to change, and my eyes needed must close before such piercing light. The light was encompassed us; in veil so luminous we were enwrapped that naught swathed in such a glory, could we see. Light we beheld which as a river flowed. There was a circle of yellow light at the center of the Celestial, the light of God’s glory, the lumen gloriae. The eternal light. There is a point that is sent forth so acute a light, that anyone who faced the force with which it blazed would have to shut their eyes, and any star that, seen from Earth, would seem to be the smallest, set beside that point. Around that point, a ring of fire wheeled. The Highest Light (or Light Supreme), we set our eyes on the Eternal Light so long that we spent all our sight on it! Whoever sees the Light is soon made such that it would be impossible for him or her to set that Light aside for other sight; because the good, the object of the will, is gathered in the Light; outside that Light, what there is perfect is defective. From our faithful relationship with God comes Godly knowledge, love, power, and capacity to serve. We are duty-bound to learn all that God has revealed about himself. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
We are divinely designed to give love and be loved, and deepest love comes when we are on with God. The Living Light at which we gazed—for it is always what it was before…Eternal Light, you only dwell within yourself, and you know you; self-knowing, self-known, you love and smile upon yourself. Can you feel the depth of the love running through God’s preparations for our joy and growth? We need to know that Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation is that we obey the laws and ordinances of the gospel and gain eternal life and thus become as God is. This is the true and lasting happiness Heavenly Father offers us. There is no other true and lasting happiness. Our challenges can pull us off this course of happiness. We can lose our trusting connection to God if trials drive us to distraction instead of sending us to reflect upon the miracles of God. We must love, even when loving is most difficult. The light of our minds for learning al things is the same God himself by whole all things were made, and he sees humankind as one in the City of God: all humankind are citizens of God. He seeks to understand the experience. The Infinite reality is light, in the order of the Universe, which can be known behind the normal mind. In its oneness immortality and eternity can be found. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Simple love, honestly expressed gives hope and value to others. Beloved Father and Shepherd of our souls, we come to you today with gratitude in our hearts for the gift of family. We know you designed families to present a perfect picture for you and your work. However, so often, God, we are sorrowful people in shattered relationships. We pray that you heal our family bond. Please breathe your unity throughout each family. Where hatred reigns, let love prevail. Where anger rises, let peace endure. Where selfishness chokes, let sacrifice come forth. And where bitterness poisons, let the sweet balm of your Spirit whisper truth, light, and life. Lord, you know the deep needs of each family touched by this prayer. Some have relatives who do not know you. Some have family members who do not communicate with them anymore. Some have loved ones who have passed into Heaven, have afflictions, or have taken other paths into deceitfulness of sin. We ask for your grace to allow each one to stand strong amid these trials and ask for your compassion to flow in and through every unique situation. Protect us from harm, and knit the hearts of our families together even as you knit our own hearts more closely to you. Build a bridge to our lonely hearts, increase our discernment, confidence, and faith. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
God Loves Us Because of Who We Are
God waits for you to communicate with him. Our entire lives can be seen as a pilgrimage to the Kingdom of God. In the process towards illumination, the fear and obedience of God melts into a passionate interior love of God that is carried with it the hope that union with him might be grained through leading a righteous life. This interior knowledge is the Light of God, which lights the Heavens and the Earth; his light is like a niche wherein there is a lamp, a lamp encased in glass, the glass as it were a glistening star. We receiver the radiant light with the gaze of love, and become worthy for the doors of our heart to be opened by the workings of God’s divine attraction, descending from the unseen. Upon us is peace, the manifestation of the attributes of grace and of love, and the path we trod is that of concern for the well-being of others, as we fully contemplate that the World and the gracious assistance it receives will increase. The spirit, when returning to its proper World, has the need of the soul, for it cannot go on foot. When it came into this World, it inhaled the spirit. Were it not for passion, none would travel a path to God. When the soul becomes assured, it gains mastery over the two attributes of passion and anger. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
God loves humankind and all life on Earth so much. When passion desires to ascend, it become all love and affection; and when anger strives upward, it becomes all zeal and high aspiration. The soul turns to the Divine Presence with love and affection, and in its zeal and high aspiration refuses to stop at any station to pay attention to the Almighty Presence. When we were still in the World of spirits, the spirit was without these instruments (bodies), and was like the Angels, satisfied with its own station. It was content to perceive a single light and glow from the candle of the Majesty of Unity, we were appointed stations, and dared not to step beyond our own station because we would be burned. However, when the spirit became acquainted with Earth, the soul was born as the offspring of its union with the four elements, and from the soul was born. The divine grace attached itself to the soul as companion. The relationship of the heart to the body is like that of God’s Throne to the World. In the same way that the Throne is the place of manifestation for the repose of the attribute of compassion in the macrocosm, so too the heart is the place of manifestation for the repose of the attribute of spirituality in the microcosm. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
The heart is possessed of awareness and capable of progressing. When God Almighty’s sustaining grace reaches the world of bodies, it is through the attribute of compassion. May God’s compassion encompass the World for all creation benefits from the attribute of compassion, whether friend or stranger, animate or inanimate. Compassion is a divine attribute, but mercy is a human attribute. When some part of the grace of the attribute of compassion is dispatches to the World of bodies, the first body to receive it is the Throne, for it is the closet of all bodies to the World of Dominion. One of its faces is turned toward the World of Dominion, and it is by means of this that it receives God’s grace. It is also by way of the Throne that the grace is distributed, for the Throne is connected with all corporeal beings by a series of channels that conduct the sustaining grace of each class of being. This flow of grace is continuous and makes possible the survival and permanence of all beings; were the sustenance it provides to be interrupted for a single moment, nothing could remain in existence. This is the inner meaning of “Everything shall perish, but God’s face.” Since the Throne was fitted to receive the sustaining grace of the attribute of compassion, it was honored with the compassionate reposed on the Throne, although unaware of this high fortune. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
Similarly, one face of the human heart is turned to the World of spirituality, and the other face to the World of the bodily frame. It is for this reason that love is mysterious because the heart contains within itself two Worlds, corporeal and spiritual, and constantly turns from one to the other. Now, just think about that for a moment. Love is not just physical, but it is also divine, so that means each and every one of us has a soulmate. If we try to force a relationship, are only lustful, or just seeking stability, we could miss out on the love of our life, which could have mystical consequences. All sustaining grace received from the spirit is distributed by the heart; delicate veins connect it with each member and serve as channels for the grace of the spirit. Thus, all grace received by the heart is distributed by it in such a manner that each member receives a fitting share. Were the sustenance of that grace to be severed from the heart, even for an instant, the bodily frame would stop functioning and all life would cease. Likewise, if its sustenance were to be severed from a member on account of some obstacle in the veins that are the channels of grace, the member would be unable to move and would be paralyzed. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
It is thus clear that the relation of the heart to the microcosm is the same as that of the Throne to the macrocosm. The heart, however, has a property and nobility that the Throne does not possess, for the heart is aware of receiving the effusion of the grace of the spirit, whole the Throne has no such awareness. For the grace of the spirit reaches the heart in the form of attributes, and the attributes of the spirit bestow upon the heart life, knowledge, and intelligence, so that the heart is able to perceive grace. In like manner, the light of the Sun, which is also its attribute, may pour into a room. The room will then be illumined with the flowing light of the Sun, and light will appear in it, so that it acquires the attributes of the Sun with respect to luminosity. By contrast, the grace of the attribute of compassion comes to the Throne only as action and power, not as an attribute. The Throne is sustained thereby, and bestows upon all beings a trace of the action and power it has received, sustaining the, in turn. Life does not appear in them, however, nor does knowledge or gnosis, which are the attributes of God. Similarly, when the Sun pours down the attribute of luminosity on a mountain, the mountain acquires the attribute of luminosity. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
However, when the mountain in turn bestows this light upon the ruby and agate within the mine, through its own workings and effects, the ruby and agate do not acquire the Sun’s attribute of luminosity, and react instead to the workings of the Sun by acquiring the attributes of ruby and agate, respectively. Furthermore, when the heart is purified in accordance with the code of the Path, it has the capacity to become the place of repose of the attribute of compassion, in the same way that it is the place of repose of the attribute of spirituality. Indeed, when through nurturing, purification, and direction toward God it reaches perfection, it becomes the locus for the manifestation of all the attributes of divinity. God put something in you to give you an advantage—his favor, his blessing. There is something about you that makes you stand out, something that draws opportunity, something causes you to overcomes obstacles, to accomplish dreams. There are certain of God’s children who attain perfection of the heart after purifying and training their hearts through follow our gracious God Almighty of the First and the Last; and then the ocean of light of the attributes of beauty and splendor will exalt the God Almighty and will be made manifest to our hearts several times in the course of a single night and day. This is the support through God’s grace. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
What, now, is the heart; wherein lies its purification; how is it to be trained, and how to attain perfection? Know that the heart has an outer form, upon whom be peace, as flesh. There is also a spiritual heart, a heart that is derived from the light of love and not possessed by everyone. Thus, God said: “Truly therein is a reminder for him or her who is possessed of a heart.” That is, the one who has a heart enjoys familiarity with God. God did not affirm that everyone possesses a heart. The vein of the spirit was pierced with love’s lancet tip; a drop fell down, and they called it the heart. Love and affection, a heart full of passion. No pain is pleasure. Mystical experience then typically involves the intense and joyous realization of oneness with, or in, the divine, the sense that this divine One is comprehensive, all-embracing, in its being. The soul is longing for its return to God. However, it is also keenly appreciative of the beauties of nature. Farther God, we come into your presence so aware of our human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for us. We thank you that there is no human experience that we might walk through where your love cannot reach us. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
Teach us today to love more. Help us to rest in that love that asks nothing more than a simple trusting heart of an innocent. God is our Father. He loves us. He values us beyond measure. We are all unique. One of a kind, made of the eternal intelligence which gives us claim upon eternal life. Let there be no question in your mind about your value as an individual. The whole intent of the gospel plan is to provide an opportunity for each of us to reach our fullest potential, which is eternal progression and the possibility of Godliness. God’s love is infinite and it will endure forever. No one can make us feel inferior without our consent. God assures us that when we have virtuous thoughts, he will bless us with confidence, even the confidence to know who we really are. Remember the Worth of souls is great in the sight of God. May our hearts be filled with love. As we remove the distractions that pull us toward the World and exercise our agency to seek him, we open our hearts to a celestial force which draws us toward God. As the Savior lifts us to higher ground, we can see more clearly not only who we are but also that we are closer to him than we ever imagined. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
Every Step of the Way to Heaven is Heaven
Out of darkness is born the light. The courageous person fears things that we all struggle to endure, but faces them as one should. What we need, in order to live well, is a proper appreciation of the way in which such goods as friendship, courage, pleasure, virtue, honor, and wealth fit together as a whole. Practical wisdom cannot be acquired solely by learning general rules. We must also acquire, through practice, those deliberative, emotional, and social skills that enable us to put our general understanding of well-being into practice in ways that are suitable to each occasion. We are asking what the good for human beings is not simply because we want to have knowledge, but because we will be better able to achieve our good, if we develop a fuller understanding of what it is to flourish. Everyone will agree that the potential to live a better life, is our capacity to guide ourselves by using reason. If we use reason well, we live well as human being. Furthermore, if we use reason well, we live well over the course of a full life, that is what happiness consists in. Doing anything well requires virtue or excellence, and therefore living well consists in activities caused by the rational soul in accordance with virtue or excellence. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
There are many courageous leaders in our World today who are very courageous and in control of their emotions. Self-mastery requires self-determination and strength of character. It enhances our own gifts and talents in a remarkable way. It is the power of a noble being. Every human soul has the challenge of controlling his or her thoughts, appetites, speech, temper, and desires. Self-mastery cannot be bought by money or fame, it is the ultimate test of our character. It requires climbing out of the deep valleys of our lives and scaling our own Trump Tower. We learn great lessons from self-mastery. We learn to get up, to work when we should work, and to go to bed when we should go to bed. Achieving good character is a process of clearing away the obstacles that stand in the way of full efficacy of the soul. What the person of good character loves with right desire and thinks of as an end with right reason must first be perceived as beautiful. Hence, the virtuous person sees truly and judges rightly, since beautiful things appear as they truly are only to a person of good character. God determined to please us by benevolent actions; and when nothing interferes with the moral sense, we count benevolence a virtue. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
The soul is standardly thought and spoken of as the distinguishing mark of living things, as something that is the subject of emotional states and that is responsible for planning and practical thinking, and also as the bearer of such virtues as courage and justice. Spirits on the other hand are physically indivisible, can penetrate both other spirits and material objects, and can initiate motion. These properties it shares with God; along with God being eternal and infinite. Since spirits can penetrate both other spirits and material object, contracting and expanding like Newton’s aether, as the occasion makes necessary. Aether is the raw essence of the Universe and it permeates the innermost recesses of all matter. Thus, God, an individual mind, and a material object can all be present in the one place without losing their independence as substances. Spirit can be regarded as a sort of fourth dimension; a body which contains a spirit has a certain spissitude, or density of substances. Spirit exist at various levels and are the true cause of all activity. This is what is meant by demonstrating there is a God. Spiritual forces are at work in the World. We have the Greatest God of Heaven and Earth. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
There is pleasure to be reaped when we have a Holy Faith because he holds the pure light and those who understand are unwilling to turn from the Sun and its beauty in the delightful colours and how it perfectly lifts our minds. The Divine image supplies of with glorious wisdom and goodness of God, which is fairly drawn out and skillfully envisioned in excellence. This delights us because God has revitalized faith through the inner life, and this leads many people to understand that they are of the same substance as God. Every person is capable of becoming divine. God is beyond good. He makes people feel like that of an Angel. Through the darkness of their time, God provides them with gracious genius that sheds a soft radiance. There is a winning expression, a fund of good spirits. God responds not in words, but in the communication of love and sorrow in their souls. God is a bridge that is stretching from Heaven to Earth. It is a delightful connection to the soul and pleasing to us in prayer, which is made in the house of self-knowledge and knowledge God. The soul is united with God. We are granted union with God in response to constant or continual prayer. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
The Lord begins to give us his kingdom on Earth so that we may truly praise him and hallow his name. Those who prayer the Prayer of Quiet enter a state in which nothing distresses them and they are overwhelmed and absorbed by the joy and delight which they experience. It captivates the will and fills the soul and body with ineffable sweetness and delight. The Prayer of Quiet gives the soul an actual possession and elated fruition of the sovereign excellence. The will is completely captivated and absorbed in God. The soul is in a state where it does not seem to lack anything, it wishes to express love. Moreover, during the Prayer of Quiet, God may grant the soul the favor of a peace that can last for a lifetime. Those who experience this state are full of this joy without understanding the reason. In this state the will is absent because it is united with God. God implants himself in the interior of the soul in such a way that, when it returns to itself, it cannot possibly doubt that God has been in it and it has been in God. Be who God meant you to be. Although the duration may differ on the nature and the extent of the union, God penetrates all the turnings and windings of our hearts. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Every step of the way to Heaven is Heaven because of the hunger and desire for the soul’s salvation. We experience an epiphany of God’s love, where the sound of the exterior World is not necessary. As in human relations, the conversation of love needs no words and love may be felt through the mere presence of the beloved. This is also true in prayerful communication, no words may be needed. A response to divine love, felt in prayer or otherwise, may not be a rush of ecstasy, but the peace of loving acceptance, essentially a quiet epiphany. The soul is in the intuitive state of love because love follows the intellect, and the more it knows the more it can love. We taste life of eternal. So you see, the eye of the intellect has received supernatural light, infused by grace, and day by day this happiness grows as God flows into these souls, more and more as the hindrance to his entrance is consumed. Our love becomes infinite, and we wish much more to see the secret of the heart. The soul is in God and God in the soul, just as the fish in the sea and sea in the fish. This is a gentle and loving World, and our desire in this life is to see the honor of God. Self-mastery is the ultimate test of our character. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
The Winchester Mystery House
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God Holds Your Future in His Hands
Humans are born to be good to each other. For each of us, life is a journey. Heavenly Father designed it for us out of love. Your life as it is lived, your experiences, feelings, deeds, these are the embodiment of your ideal plan for your individual life. Each of us has unique experiences and characteristics, but our journey began in the same place before we were born into this World. However, many of us never expresses our plan of life perfectly because there is always more to do with our cause. The purpose may not be so much on self-understanding. Instead, perhaps, the true and ultimate focus is to know God and to establish a pleasing relationship with God. We can make choices every day and almost every hour that keep you walking in the light or moving away toward darkness. It is in our power to become virtuous, because assent is in our control; we decide how we act. Suffering, as unpleasant as it is, often has a bright side and that is compassion. Compassion is an emotional response when perceiving suffering and involves an authentic desire to help. Human suffering is often accompanied by beautiful acts of compassion by others wishing to relieve it. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
With each other is the path to living the good life. Compassion is a natural tendency since it is essential for human survival. Communities, which include the greatest number of the most sympathetic members, will flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring. Because babies are the most vulnerable offspring on the face of the Earth, it rearranged our social structures, building cooperative networks of caretaking, and it rearranged our nervous systems. Humans have become the super caregiving species, to the point where acts of care improve our physical health and lengthen our lives. One can see our natural connectivity and compassionate instincts in how our brains react to pain. When we are physically hurt, the anterior cingulate region of the brain is activated. It has also been discovered that when we see someone else suffering, that very same part of the cortex in our brain activates. Therefore, many of us have the same pain response to other people’s pain as we do to our own experiences of suffering. Remarkable tendencies toward kindness, play, generosity, reverence and self-sacrifice are vital to the classic tasks of evolution—survival, gene replication and smooth functioning groups. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
With situations like the shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada USA that happened 1 October 2017, which left 59 people dead and injured 515 individuals, that is a misrepresentation of the evolutionary study of human goodness. Humans are a social and caring species. For instance, there are organizations out there trying to see the 200 million children in Africa who are starving, get the food, shelter and medical care that they need, and that is just one of many examples that exemplifies that we have compassion for humans, and life in general. We are prone to feel emotions that promote altruism, compassion, gratitude, love, and happiness. It is our love that defines us today, and always will forever. These good emotions can be readily cultivated in familiar ways, bringing out the good in others and in oneself. When praying about compassion the left hemisphere of a brain, a region associated with happiness, becomes active and boosts the immune functions. When we praise the Lord, and thank him for our blessings and talk about what we are grateful for, this boosts happiness and social well-being and health. Experiences of reverence in nature or around morally inspiring society improves people’s sense of connection to others and sense of purpose. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
Compassion may have ensured our survival because of its tremendous benefits for both physical and mental health and overall well-being. Laughing and playing in the face of trauma gives an individual perspective upon life’s inevitable difficulties, and improves resilience and adjustment. Connecting with others in a meaningful way helps us enjoy better mental and physical health and speeds up recover from injuries and other ailments, and it may even lengthen our life spans. The reason a compassionate lifestyle leads to greater psychological well-being may be explained by the fact that the act of giving appears to be as pleasurable, if not more so, as the act of receiving. Inflammation is at the root of cancer and other diseases and is generally high in people who live under a lot of stress. We might expect that inflammation would be lower for people with higher levels of happiness. People who are happy because they live a life of purpose or meaning (eudemonic happiness) have low levels of inflammation. A happy life helps to act as a barrier against stress and compassion may boost our well-being because it broadens our perspective beyond ourselves. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Every child of Heavenly Father born in the World is given at birth, as a free gift, the Light of Christ. You have felt that. It is the sense of what is right and what is wrong and what is true and what is false. That has been with us since our journey in life began. We were given the right to have the Holy Ghost as our companion. The Holy Ghost is a powerful source of light to recognize truth, to follow and love the Lord Jesus Christ, and to find our way back to God. This kind of religion and science gives many hope for the future. Our culture may shift from a consumption-based, materialist culture to one that privileges God and the social joys. Executives are learning the wisdom around the country of emotional intelligence, respect, and building trust. Heavenly Father, please grant us the peace of mind and calm our troubled hearts. Help our souls to find peace and balance in our lives. Give us the strength and clarity of mind to find our purpose and walk the path you have laid out for us. We trust your Love God, and know that you will heal this stress. Just as the Sun rises each day against the dark of night, please bring us clarity with the light of God. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
Miraculous and Blessed Manifestations of God
I once told someone I know God’s first and last name. She asked me what is it? I said his first name is God, and his last name is Almighty. She disagreed with me, but I realize not everyone will always share the perspectives we have about life and that is fine. It is necessary to be as certain about things as we can be in our own Worlds. Our expectations and assumptions—whether generous or hopeful, pitiless or woebegone—constantly bend and even wrap the World we see. Uncertainty is a lack of information about an event and is characterized as an aversive state that people are motivated to reduce. Uncertainty during an emotion event makes unpleasant events more unpleasant. We have all been there at one time or another, stuck in uncertainty. It is an uncomfortable place to be, and can leave an individual feeling out of control, hopeless, and helpless. Humans love a sense of order and predictability, chaos and the random nature of life can be very scary. By gaining information, organisms learn to predict and control their environment, conferring an adaptive advantage. Consequently, uncertainty is generally viewed as an aversive state that organisms are motivated to reduce. The state of curiosity, for example, in which people desire more information about something in their environment, is viewed as a negative drive state that produces pleasure only when it is satisfied. The more people that understand an event—what it is, why it occurred, how it fits into their self-concepts—the more quickly they adapt to it. #RandolpHarris 1 of 9
Thus, anything that impedes understanding, including uncertainty about the nature of the event, will prolong affective reactions to the event. Researchers typically induce uncertainty by depriving people of information. There are well-documented associations between job insecurity and health issues. The University College London looked at the effects of changes in job security in more than 3,300 civil servants. There were three groups of participants (those who lost job security during this period, those who gained it, and those for whom employment prospects remained uncertain), and found that of the three groups the worst health problems were reported by the participants whose work status remained uncertain. Sadly, even those whose jobs became secure still reported lingering problems two years later, particularly psychiatric disturbances such as low moods. This is not surprising, psychologist have noted that individuals are more likely to suffer lasting psychological disturbances—in particular, low self-esteem and depression when formed to live with aversive events they feel they cannot control. All the of the health problems were not mental either. Some people got sick, suffered severe headaches, bone fractures, loss of appetite, hair falling out, insomnia, bruises, chronic fatigue syndrome, digestive issues, inflammation, bruises, felt more pain that they had in the past, and a few of them even passed away because they lost their purpose to live and/or the stress was too great to endure. Some even attempted suicide, which is not surprising. During the Great Depression 1929-1941, 324,000 Americans committed suicide. At that time, the population was only 123,000,000 people in America. When a person is uncertain how they will care for themselves or support their household, their families also suffer because they love the individual and see how hard the stress is on them and it impacts the lives of others who care. The stress was also detrimental to relationships. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
When you are living with uncertainty and feel like some of your power in life has been taken from your hands, how do you cope? How do you manage to live in that ambiguous place without falling apart or dissolving into stress or worry? Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that humans do not comprehend all things which the Lord can comprehend. Try to be good and follow protocols so one can make sure that one has done everything in one’s power to prevent an adverse reaction from happening. Later on, if the matter is not addressed in a reasonable or timely manner, also pray about a good resolution every day, for hours, and thank God for the blessings that have been provided. It helps to reduce a great deal of stress. You do not have to experience the sorrow caused by sin, the pain caused by others’ actions, or the painful realities of morality alone. Authentic faith is not about easy answers. Rather, it is about finding the courage and wisdom to live with uncertainty. Faith can help turn uncertainties into blessings. In fact, uncertainty can ultimately sustain and make our faith even stronger. Sometimes we compartmentalize. We pray about one thing and worry about something else. We seem to limit the ability of the Lord to help us in every aspect of our lives. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
God has overwhelming love for human beings, and we need to receive this love. There is a sense of an infinite loving kindness in the World, and we can tune into this more as we develop our faith. The original creations of the Heavenly Father constitute a truly wonder-filled World. Our greatest advocate is Jesus Christ. He is like our lawyer and is correcting barriers in our lives and creating opportunities as we pray and thank him. Faith is the assurance which people have of the existence of things which they have not seen, and the principle of action in all intelligent beings. As the key to our salvation, our individual faith, then becomes of absolute importance to us. Faith is the realization that the Lord can help us with all things. We are living in a time in which we shall see things both wonderful and awful. When we find ourselves in stressful circumstances, we should still be cheerful. If our attitude towards life depends upon the praise of people, the level of interest rates, the outcome of a particular election or athletic contest—we are too much at the mercy of humans and circumstances. Nor should our gratitude for the gift of mortal life depend on appearances. Jesus calls on us to have a deliberate trust in God’s unfolding purposes, not only for all humankind, but for us individually. And we are to be of good cheer in the unfolding process. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both to coping and to comprehending, and he will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. God is the absolute maximum or infinite being, in the sense that he has the fullness of perfection. There is nothing outside of God to oppose him or to limit him. He is the all. God is the infinite being, all opposition is reconciled in perfect unity. Creatures add nothing to divine reality; they are simply limited and partial appearances of it. As a face reproduces itself more or less perfectly in a number of mirrors, so God reflects himself in various ways in his creatures. In this case, however, there are no mirrors. God transcends the Universe, but is also immanent in it, as a face is present in mirrored images. Each creature is also present in every other, as each image exists in every other. The love of God is the reason for joy. This love of God is precisely what the first Christians did feel. God is love and love is meaningless except between persons. Almighty God, we bless you for our lives, we give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace we receive. We thank you for your faithfulness. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
Where there is great love there are always miracles. A miracle is merely some event which astounds the speaker, with perhaps some presumption that others will or should react to it in the same way. The wonder is that a miracle will consist in an overriding of the order of nature. A miracle is something which would never have happened had nature, as it were, been left to its own devices. A miracle can be worked only by God or by his specially deputed agents. Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul, and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives. Please guide our paths through life and make our enemies be at peace with us. Let your peace reign in our families, at our places of work, businesses and everything we lay our hands on. Please let your Angels of peace go ahead of us when we go out and stay by our side when we return. Please build systems of miracles in our lives that are larger than truth. Produce miraculous events in our lives. Heavenly Father, open our hearts wide to receive the love of God. As we receive God’s love as universal supply, may all our affairs be healed. We realize and accept the healing power of the Universe as love, and allow the healing power of love to penetrate our lives. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
Miracles come as we yield to the enticings of the Spirit, put off the natural humans, and are filled with the love of God. We accept the healing power of love in our lives and know that as love, God is our limitless and abundant supply made manifest. We feel the outpouring of God’s love in our bodies and mind. Bless us with the faith to always believe, to affirm the Supreme Power of Your miracles, be they physical, financial, or spiritual in nature. Grant us the aptitude to instantly perceive the source of all supernatural occurrences, so only your excellence shall be glorified. Lord, we are praying for only what you can do. We are praying for a miracle. The source from which it will come is from you, great God. We trust you to send us a sign. Teach us, dear Lord, to know your wonder and splendor. And, if you are willing, we are waiting, ready to receive our miracles today. We ask that you come against negative influences, spiritual attacks, and bondages. We believe you have the miraculous power and strength to conquer the darkest enemy, break the strongest barrier, and silence the greater deceiver. God, you are worthy, glorious, almighty in power and we claim victory today in your name. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
Miracles are not differing from nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature. Send us a miracle which will create faith. God, help us to remember the reason we began. Help us to see the purpose behind your place. Please provide the necessary grace. Keep us set upon your face, to find strength for the next step, to discover faith to keep increasing and to believe that miracles are possible today and in all circumstances. Send your mightiest warriors to fight this battle for us. God, to you, the darkness shines as bright as day. Shine your light upon us, free us, give us peace, and snatch us back from the enemy’s grip. Impossible situation can become possible miracles. Seeing, hearing, and feeling are miracles, and each part of us is a miracle. We believe in a God of miracles. We can all bear witness to miracles. We know children who pray for help to find a lost item and find it. We know of young people who gather the courage to stand as a witness of God and feel his sustaining power. We know friends who pay their tithing with the last of their money and then, through miracles, find themselves able to pay their tuition or their rent or somehow obtain food for their family. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
In this beautiful time of year, we remember that restorations and renewals are gifts from God. There are multitudes of little miracles every day: a collapsed lung heals, and then, despite the odds, continues to function properly. God of miracles loves his children and desires to bless them. Our family also has faced the passing into Heaven of loved one, serious illness, the trial of divorce, and children and adults who are choosing another path. We do not always under the reason behind the tests that come with morality. However, our faith has grown, and perhaps yours has too, as we have watched loved ones, friends, and people we know only by reputation endure with faith in the Lord the most severe trials. They, too, know the God of miracles and witness in their extremity that whatever the future holds for the, the Lord knows them and loves them and is blessing them. We are all sealed to God and to each other forever, and are willing to submit our wills to God’s. God can heal us of our sins, and he can and will bless us, his children, in our daily lives. God lives and loves. God is a God of miracles. Among the signs of the evidences of God’s work in the World, which are the manifestations of his power which we are unable to explain, but we know they are divine acts and special blessings. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
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God Almighty is Just and Gracious
A Godlike power is that of doing the right thing. Any person that has seen the Heavens opened knows that there are three personages in the Heavens who hold the keys of power, and one presides over all. God quiets all other sensations, or rather absorbs them all in the love of Him. God’s psychology differs from the of human’s psychology because human beings cannot understand the things of God. This is because God is a Spirit, and only those who are born again and have the Holy Spirit in them can understand God. God’s wisdom is a mystery, even considered a hidden insight, because it was ordained before the World came into glory. Freedom still faces a difficulty as it is to be reconciled with the mechanism of nature in a being that belongs to the World of sense, a difficulty which, even after all the foregoing has been consented to, nonetheless threatens freedom with its utter demise. However, in this danger, one circumstance nonetheless also gives us hope for an outcome still favorable to affirming freedom, we make war that we may live in peace. Nevertheless, a vision of our Heavenly Father’s incredible promised blessing must be the central focus before our eyes every day. Human intuition is to do good and to be good, and as we follow the Holy Spirit, our moral authority and influence will grow. Some are drawn by love, others are drive by terrors, to their Divine refuge. #RandolphHarris 1 of 11
We are to bring into the World a certain virtue, a divine gift that makes us adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy, and refinement in relationships and in cultures. God graces our lives so naturally that we are scarcely aware of it. These lovely people radiate a moral authority, born of goodness, that influences all around us. Many of us are able to sacrifice a number of pleasures and possessions for our higher priorities, seemingly without a second thought. The ability of community members and those in positions of authority to perform feats of tremendous love and compassion is superhuman. The demands on many of you are tremendous and it is impressive that several of you attend to these duties with a beautiful serenity, a sense of being about God’s work. As with the Savior, qualities of great love, understanding, honesty, truth, and compassions has ennobled you by blessing, allowing you to be love personified. We have been remarkably blessed by the moral influence of several of you, who go out of your way to provide charity to your fellow human beings. It is amazing to see you all work so tirelessly to be accepting of others and establish the kingdom of God on Earth, which will make the community a better place for all parents to raise their children. As spirit children of God, in existence prior to morality, we desired a destiny of eternal life, but had progressed as far as we could without a mortal experience in a physical body, so we came to Earth. #RandolphHarris 2 of 11
The confidence expressed in many of your abilities and potential, will inspire others to reach high—higher than some would have without your encouragement. And your influence will continue to be felt and reflected in the lives of your descendants and countless others for many generations to come. While some human beings, even with the same upbringing that is simultaneously profitable for others, nevertheless show from childhood such early villainy and increase it so continuously into their years of adulthood, they are considered to be born villains and entirely incapable of improvement as far as their way of thinking is concerned; yet they are just as much tried for their doing and refraining, just as much reprimanded as guilty of their crimes and indeed they (the children) themselves find these reprimands [just] as well-based, as [would be the case] if regardless of the hopeless natural constitution of their minds which is attributed to them they remained just as responsible as any other human being. This could not occur if we did not presuppose that whatever arises from one’s power of choice (as every deliberately performed action does) has as its basis a free causality, which from the early youth expresses its character in its appearance (the actions). Heavenly Father presided over the Creation of this World, where, deprived of our memory of what preceded our mortal birth, we could prove our willingness to keep his commandments and experience and grow through the other challenges in mortal life. #RandolphHarris 3 of 11
The reality of the existence of both God and the Devil is conclusively established by the scriptures and by human experience. The devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against God, saying, “Give me thine honor, which is my power;” and also a third part of the hosts of Heaven turned away from God because of their agency. These actions, because of the uniformity of conduct, make recognizable a natural connection; this connection, however, does not render the malicious constitution of the will necessary, but is rather the consequence of the voluntarily assumed and immutable evil principles, which only make the will all the more reprehensible and deserving of punishment. Satan was an angel of God and the most beautiful, he wanted to take control of God’s creation and save all souls by making them slaves and forcing them to obey him. Satan will come upon you like a chief at night looking to devour all the strawberry soda. That angel of God, Satan, who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son, was thrust own from the presence of God and the Son. The contention in Heaven was—Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved; and the Devil said he could save them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favor of Jesus Christ. The Heavenly Father’s plan anticipated and provided ways to overcome all of those barriers. #RandolphHarris 4 of 11
Because Satan rebelled against God and sought to destroy the agency of humans, he was cast down to Earth, and Satan became the Devil, and the father of all lies, to deceive and blind humans with his fake news and distorted information, and to lead them captive at his will. Satan was in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve before the Fall of Man. Not only so, but he continued to tempt them and their children after they have been driven from the Garden. When Adam and Eve received the gospel, they rejoiced in it, “Blessed the name of God,” and made all things known unto their sons and their daughters. And Satan came among them saying, “I am also a son of God.” He commanded them “Believe it not.” And they believed it not, and they loved Satan more than God, and people began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish. Satan is evil: totally and always. He ever seeks to defeat the gospel plan and destroy the souls of humans. He persuades no person to do good, no, not one; neither do Satan’s Angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. Satan seeks to darken the minds of people and then offers them falsehood and deception in the guise of truth. Knowing the purpose of God’s great plan, we now consider the respective roles of the three members of the Godhead in that plan. #RandolphHarris 5 of 11
Satan will seize upon you by some power which entirely will overcome you, and will have such an astonishing influence over you to bind your tongue so you cannot speak. Thick darkness will gather around you, and it will seem to you for a time as if you are doomed to sudden destruction. Thus, there came about the repression of the unconscious hostility through projection, and the formation of the ceremonial in which fear of punishment of demons finds expression. The projection of their own evil impulses upon demons is only a part of what has become the World system. If Satan is not checked, he will bring this generation to destruction. The kingdom of the Devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs to be stirred up unto repentance, or the Devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish. He shall put rage in the hearts of children and adults, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, and thus the Devil cheats their souls, and leads them away carefully down to Hell. However, they do not know Satan is the Devil because he tells them he is not a devil, but he is good. Yet, they have become so corrupt that they cannot see what he is leading them to do and the hate and lies that he puts in their heart is ungodly because they are lost souls. In the ultimate and final sense of the word, there is only one true living God. #RandolphHarris 6 of 11
However, do not become worried, the Spirit of Christ and the power of his priesthood are ample shields to the power of Satan. We know that there is available to each of us the gift of the Holy Ghost—the power of revelation which embraces the gift of discernment by which we may unerringly detect the Devil and the counterfeits he is so successfully foisting upon this gullible generation. Our course is clear and certain. It is to strictly obey the commandments of the Lord, as they are recorded in the scriptures and as they are being given by the living prophets. God lives. Through my own experiences I have come to know of his Spirit and his power. I know that Satan also lives. I have detected his spirit and felt of his power. Nevertheless, Satan will be bound and have no place in the hearts of the children nor adults. Sometimes when you are faced with difficult situations, you can question your faith. Yet, it is important to remember that the power of God is working on your behalf, even when you cannot see it. When you learn to trust, despite your circumstances, you will see that your faith is still intact—you just have to hold on. God the Father is the Father of our spirits. We are his children. He loves us, and all the he does is for our eternal benefit. He is the author of the plan of salvation, and it is by his power that his plan achieves its purpose for the ultimate glory of his children. Make the choice to believe. #RandolphHarris 7 of 11
No individual will rest satisfied with a conquest that fails to secure the conscious acknowledgement of other people. Here, there is a struggle for both power and recognition. In this struggle, some will take greater risks than their competitors; those who risk the least will become the salves or bondsmen of those who face death by risking their lives. In order to preserve one’s life, the slave submits to the master, who regards the slave as nothing but a means to one’s own design. The slave is forced to work, whereas the master can enjoy leisure in the knowledge that the slave is reshaping the natural World to provide the products of his or her labour for the master to consume. Thus, the master’s leisure protects him from experience of the negativity of nature, whereas the slave, in struggling with nature’s recalcitrance, learns its secrets and put mind into it. The master, in consuming, destroys; the slave, in working, creates. However, the master’s consumption depends upon the slave’s labour passes into things that have a permanent existence. The slave’s work in transforming the natural World is a consequence of his or her fear of the master, who can kill that individual. However, because we have the truth about the Godhead and our relationship to them, we have the ultimate road map of our journey through mortality. This supernal sacrifice is called the central act of all human history. God will resurrect us through Christ’s Atonement for our sins. #RandolphHarris 8 of 11
Death is overcome by the works of civilization. The person who will risk his or her life and becomes the first master breaks the bonds of nature and starts the process that will incorporate mind into it. The individual has to find his or her place in the natural World and in society, but in religion one gains consciousness of the Absolute Being. This first approached in the primitive religions of nature, in which people worshipped trees, streams, or animals. Next to come those forms of religion in which the Absolute Being is approached through such works of art as temples and statues. This type of religion reached a high level in ancient Greece, but when God was represented in human form, he came to be regarded as merely human and was lost sight of in the tragic heroes of Greek drama. As the religious element was discarded from tragedy, it gave way to comedy, in which the contingencies of human life were paraded and criticized, and God was completely ignored in favor of human self-knowledge. The individual self is the negative force through and in which the gods disappear. This skeptical and sophisticated humanism is succeeded by Christianity, in which God is revealed to humans in Christ. The Holy Ghost helps us discern between truth and falsehood, guides us in our major decisions, and helps us through the challenges of mortality. #RandolphHarris 9 of 11
In Christianity, the human and the divine are no longer sundered, and God is seen to be present in the World. It is a spiritual revelation in the attempt to uncover the often-commonplace ideas of the early Christians and to gain knowledge of the mere externality and particularity of Jesus. In serial orders, the varieties of experience are at once character of the general evolution of the higher intellectual life. Thus, no religious experience, not even that of Christianity, can bring absolute knowledge. Christianity’s goal is to avoid regarding the Absolute Being as apart from the World, is inseparable from our modern souls. The events of the Gospels are, so to speak, pictured or represented movies, television shows, and legends of God. It allows us to recollect of the Absolute Mind and its graveyard, the actuality, truth and certainty of its throne, without which it would be forever alone and devoid of life. The incarnation of the Absolute Mind is manifested every time you pray and read the scriptures. Apart from the history of human beings, God would be alone and lifeless (das lebolse Einsame). It would seem, indeed, that without the historical development of humans and their freedom, there would be no God. Because we have the truth about the Godhead and our relationship to them, the purpose of life, and the nature of our eternal destiny, we have the ultimate road map and assurance of our journey through mortality. #RandolphHarris 10 of 11
Prayer is the key that unlocks the door to God. Give God some one-on-one time. Have faith in what you are praying about, and believe it will happen. Pray for your family, your community, and for the World’s well-being. I thank God for the opportunity to come before his saving throne of grace. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to him, in Jesus’s name. The Lord is the Light of my life and the strength of my salvation; of whom shall I be afraid? As I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, I am saved from my enemies. I will fear not because the Lord is with me; I will not be dismayed, for the Lord is my God; he will strengthen me, he will help me, he will uphold me with his righteous hands. Thank you, Father in Heaven for being my refuge and castle; my God in whom I trust. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your hand of protection on my life. God is with us to rescue us and save us; he will save us from the hands of the wicked and redeem us from the grasps of the cruel. The gates of Hell will not prevail against me and my family. We shall not die, but live to declare the glory of God. When enemies come like a flush flood, with their fake news and distorted information, the Spirit of the Lord will lift us up a standard against them. Thank you for watching over us, God. We need to know God’s laws and live them. We need to receive his saving ordinances because only by doing so will we obtain true, eternal happiness. From the depths of my soul and in all humility, I testify of the great gift which is our Father’s path to peace and happiness both here and in the World to come. And, if you see Johnny Football Hero in the hallway, tell him he played a good game and you liked his article in the newspaper. #RandolphHarris 11 of 11
I Saw this Miracle of Comfort
Quality is not an act, it is a habit. One of the most familiar traits of our time is the tendency to revise tradition, to reconsider the foundations of old beliefs, and sometimes mercilessly to destroy what once seemed indispensable. This disposition, as we all know, is especially prominent in the realms of social theory and of religious belief. We are constantly faced with difficult choices. These problems are not new, but they are intensified. We are subjected to temptations that are attractive and appealing. We represent the future of this World, and the adversary of truth would like to injure us, would like to destroy our faith, would like to lead us down paths that are beguiling and interesting, but deadly. However, we believe in being true. How very important it is to be true to ourselves. Some have lived and died and never knew the value of this World because they never knew God. We recognize our greatest problem is our rapid growth. Our population increase in numbers is phenomenal, for the population has doubled in the past few years. We are obsessed first to see that all people obtain eternal life. Our precious relationships with families, friends, the Lord and his restored Church are among things that matter most in life. Because these relationships are so important, they should be cherished, protected, and nurtured. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Now, it all ages of civilized life there have been people who have won in some form a consciousness of loyalty, and who have held to such a consciousness through life. Such people may or may not have been right in their choice of cause, but at least they have exemplified through their loyalty one feature of a rational more life. They know what it is to have unity of purpose. And again, the loyal have known what it is to be free from moral doubts and scruples. Their cause has been their conscience. It has told them what to do. They have listened and obeyed, not because of what they took to be blind convention, not because of a fear of external authority, not even because of what seemed to themselves any purely private and personal intuition, but because, when they have looked first outwards at their cause, and then inwards at themselves, they have found themselves worthless in their own eyes, except when viewed as active, as confidently devoted, as willing instruments of their cause. Their cause has forbidden them to doubt; it has said: “You are mine, you cannot do otherwise.” And then they have said to the cause: “I am, event of my own will, thine. I have no will except they will. Take me, use me, control me, and even thereby fulfill me and exalt me.” Our patriots, soldiers, law enforcement, and many parents and teachers are devoted to the speech above. They realize that loyalty tends to unify life, to give it centre, fixity, and stability. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion. People loyal in this sense have surely existed in the World, and, as you all know, the loyal still exist amongst us. And I beg you not to object, at this point, that such devoted people have often been loyal to be very concerned with the challenges we must face in this life, as they are extremely personal in nature. The nature of the challenges we face in this life are not nearly so important as what we choose to do about them. When we have the courage and faith to live up to the best we know, we fulfill the purpose for which we came to this Earth, and we provide an incentive for others to do the same. In the medieval World, the underlying assumption is that human’s self-fulfillment is discovered in the love of God and the rest of the divine creation. God has contrived the afterlife that only if we obey the fundamental moral rule will we in the long run, that is, in the eternal run, secure our own happiness. It is clear that we could find no good reason to be moral if God did not exist, but God’s function in bringing the gulf between self-interest and morality is veiled in conventional theological terms. A spirit eternal penetrates through Earth, Sky, and Ocean, mounts to the Moon’s lucid orb, and Stars in countless abundance; one soul all matter invigorates, gives life to the system, over each particular member diffuses alertness; the burdens faithful servants in God must carry in life are made lighter by the Atonement of Jesus. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Happiness is a waking dream. The burden of sin can be taken away, but the trials of mortal life for good people can still be heavy. This is why you have a feeling to want to help a person struggling to move forward under a load of grief and difficulty. You promised that you would help the Lord make their burdens light and be comforted. You were given the power to help lighten those loads when you received the gift of the Holy Ghost. We have seen miracles time and time again. It is nice to feel in people’s voices and see in their eyes that the Holy Ghost is within them. In words of simple testimony, people speak of what happened and how they felt, and it is clear that the Holy Ghost has already given them the peace that comes with hope of eternal life. The Comforter had come, bringing hope, courage, and increasing strength for all of us. That is why the Lord included in our charge to comfort others, and the command to be his witnesses at all times and places. We may be strengthened. However, the burden of grief may not disappear, but we are made able to bear the sorrow. Our faith will increase and our strength will continue to grow as we ask for it and life for it. For all that we know, our redeemer lives, and he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
The energy of the mind is the essence of life. Most people have a feeling of unity with their fellow humans and a natural want to live in harmony with others. It is often overshadowed by selfish emotions, but those who do possess it know that they would be worse off if they did not possess it. The reason for this conviction is that the best prospect of realizing such happiness as is attainable is a willingness to sacrifice the prospect of one’s own present and immediate happiness to an ascetic devotion to altruism and benevolence. We beg you Lord, to help and defend us. Deliver the oppressed. Pity the insignificant. Raise the fallen. Show yourself to the needy and heal the sick. It is also important to bring back those of your people who have gone astray. God, we pray that you feed the hungry and left up the weak. May every nation come to know that you alone are God, that Jesus is your son, and that we are your people. God, please provide us with public good, promoting of peace, harmony, and order in society. Give us the independent power of sympathy and of sense love. It is the witness of the Spirit that gives us the strength to endure. God, thank you for allowing us to see the joy that comes to the faithful after passing faithfully through their trials. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power teaching. Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. Departure will weaken the superficial feeling but deepen our friendship like wind blowing out candle light, but making the fire lighter. We meet when are strangers, but depart when we are familiar with each other. Time goes by slowly, but your eyes are in my heart forever, they are as pure as crystal, and light as the moon, as deep as abyss and as white as snow. There will be violent storms and waves in the sea of life. We row with resolution and wisdom, brave the winds and waves, sailing for the ideal tomorrow. The voyage of life is very long and we do not know where we meet again. Your generous smile impresses me most and I never forget it. Now, I gaze at your eyes and you are so quiet that there is only hope for the future. I complain you do not cherish our friendship, while you say I am too sentimental of departure—we have no choice and the departure time is a sad autumn. We must recognize the power of mind, definitely, specifically, concretely and consciously speak from our objective minds. Love cannot be afraid, it is fearless and strong, and is mighty in its works. It can accomplish all things through the inner light of that faith in God. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Inspire us to Work Together in Perfect Love
My first wish is to see this plague of humankind, war, banished from the Earth. Faith is a source of authority upon which beliefs can rest. The basis for a person’s faith usually is understood to come from the authority of revelation. Revelation is either direct, through some kind of direct infusion, or indirect, usually from the testimony of another. Each of us has problems that we cannot solve and weaknesses that we cannot conquer without reaching out through prayer to a higher source of strength. Access to our Creator through our Savior is surely one of the greatest privileges and blessings of our lives. No Earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. The ultimate purpose of Christian education is to bring glory to God. The more immediate purpose of Christian education is the reconciliation of the World to our Heavenly Father. 2 Peter 1.3 reports: God’s divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. In addition to a natural knowledge of God, there is a supernatural knowledge revealed by Christ and received through faith. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
When an individual has faith, one does not care what the odds are, or who the opponent is; we expect to win. Ranking or standing is something that is an explanation of what has already happened, not as a declaration of what is to be. One does not have to let the opinions of others define us because when we have faith, we believe we will write our own script. When God placed humans on the Earth, prayer became the lifeline between humankind and God. If we keep faith, keep trust, and keep a good attitude, if we are grateful, we will see God open up new doors. Having faith is one of the highest activities of ordinary mental powers; many have assigned possessing faith in God to a special faculty of the soul. Some describe it intellectually as an insight or intuition; others testify faith is a volitional character calling in a confrontation or encounter. Our source of strength is God in Heaven of whom we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. As we pray, we should think of our Father in Heaven as possessing all knowledge, understanding, love, and compassion. We become aware of God as eternal through the contingency of finite things and as holy through the demands of the moral law. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
Even the divinity of Christ is experienced, in the first place, through the meditation on his human life and on the impact which it made on his disciples. There is also an immediate, purely spiritual experience that is called mystical. God is transcendent as well as immanent, and a union of love and will in which the distinction between the Creator and the human is permanently retained. Take the gift God has entrusted to you, and use it in the service of Christ and your fellow humans. God will make it glow and shine like the stars in Heaven. 1 Ne. 7.12 reports: The Lord is able to do all things for people if they exercise faith in him. Our prayers truly become the song of the heart and a prayer, not only reaching God, but touching the hearts of others as well. We should pray with all our heart and soul. Sometimes my heart hungers for God and I pray all day long. Prayers vary in their intensity. Even the Savior prayed more earnestly in his hour of agony. Some prayers are simple expressions of appreciation and requests for continuation of blessings on our loved ones and us. However, in times of great personal hurt or need, more may be required than mere asking. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
Blessings sought through prayer sometimes require work, effort, and diligence on our part. When we humble ourselves, this brings us more in tune with God and his holy purposes. We are privileged to pray daily for the small and great concerns of our lives. In our houses over our households, morning, midday, and evening, we should pray against the power of our enemies and the Devil; to cry unto God to pour out our souls in secret and the wilderness. When we are not crying directly unto God, we should let our hearts be drawn out in prayer unto him continually. God, thank you so much for bringing us all here together today. Thank you for the wonderful blessing of family. Thank you for the similarities we have and the differences we enjoy. Thank you for the wisdom of age and the energy of youth. Thank you for the way you watch over us as individuals and the way you release your love into us as a unit. Come bless our time together. Grant that we may fully comprehend and faithfully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family so that we may be untied with them one day in their Heavenly glory. God, you create balance both night and day. Show us how to support and encourage one another. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Inspire us to work together to become a picture full of your perfect love. Think about the moments in the day when your family naturally comes together and consider taking a minute to pray at these times. God promises power through faith. Lord Jesus, we come to you today and thank you for the privilege of praying for others. Please cleanse our hearts and show us if there is any unconfessed sin in our own lives and how we can recover and repent from them. Lift up those in our lives, and help us influence others for good. Deepen our love for you and for the people around us. Guard us from hypocrisy or from giving in to temptations that could harm the cause of Christ. Raise up leaders who will serve you faithfully, God. Turn the hearts of parents toward their children, and families toward you. Help us to exemplify your values, and make us bold in your faith. Strengthen our families. May our love for you help us to love and forgive others and make a difference in our World. God, give us your mind, and surround us with Godly counselors who exercise integrity and work for justice, morality, and freedom. Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
Randolph Harris II International Institute 