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Love is a More Wonderful thing than Art
God’s eternity signifies an everlasting, endless time. God created humans to think, act, and to feel and to be in a relationship with other humans. God is in all things, transcendent, and above all things. God is the unity of all aspects of like, as he is unchangeable, eternal, and independent. The nature of God is manifests in our consciousness. God, or the One, stands in the same relation to the manifold produced by it as does our mind to its thoughts, feelings and decisions. Our consciousness pictures the Absolute One. God’s mercy illuminates human understanding and reveals thing about human nature through human reflection, research, and insight to lead us to greater knowledge of God. From a careful study of the Bible, the exegete can affirm with bold confidence that the human brain is a product of the creative work of God. As we grow older, we are more aware of mortality and better able to solve highly emotional problems. We may be seeing a larger group of people who can get along with a greater number of people. They are care more and are more compassionate about problems, and that will lead to a more stable World. The valiant among us keep moving forward in life because they know the Lord loves them, even when they do not know the meaning of all things. #RandolphHarris 1 of 13
God actually possess the perfection we ascribe to him and those coalesce in an unimaginable unity. The courageous cope successfully with severe and relentless trials, we applaud and celebrate their emerging strength and goodness. The very essence of religion is to adjust the mind and soul of human beings healing means, bringing the person into a right relationship with the physical, mental, and spiritual laws of God. It stands to reason that God’s magnificent creation required thinking, planning, artistry, and execution—all qualities that men and women share with their Creator. As God reveals more of himself apart from the creative order (general revelation) and into the redemptive order (special revelation), we find a person with personality, love, mercy, and grace—again, qualities that are share in limited quantities with the human race. Christianity acknowledges the existence of the supernatural, including a consciousness within us that is more than an epiphenomenon of the brain. The Bible’s statements regarding body, breath of life, soul, spirit, heart, and mind suggest a dualist ontology (or study of the being), that is, the view that human nature consists of two fundamental kinds of reality: physical (material or natural) and spiritual (supernatural). #RandolphHarris 2 of 13
God is wholly good and perfect. Christ’s statement about fearing the one who could put both soul and body in Hell suggests we should find a way out through which moral principles are correct. One ought not to disrupt the unity of the family. The Father in Heaven’s plan provided humans the right of choice, that though it exercises the humans might become strong and advance in learning, wisdom, and righteousness by conquering weaknesses and by resisting the temptations to do wrong. Now, the truth is that Satan lives! Indeed, some have seen his satanic majesty in spirit form. It may too late to fix some communities, but not to help those individuals and families willing to fix themselves. It is not too late, either, for some to become pioneer disciples in their families and locations, or for individuals to become local peacemakers in a World from which peace has been taken. Proverbs 2.2-5 reports: Make your ear attentive to wisdom and include your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and gold and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand fear of the Lord and find knowledge of God. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13
The most attractive solution to the problems of human existence, to the tragic sense of life, is the hope for eternal life expressed in human’s perennial human for immortality. This hunger has two dimensions—it refers either to the nondestruction of the soul or the merger of the soul with the universe or the totality of being. The hope for immortality is supported by the notion of God. The traditional arguments for the existence of God prove that the heart craves God. Everyone has heard of loyalty, most prize it, but few perceive it to be what it is in its true spirit. Loyalty is to heart of all the virtues, the central duty amongst all responsibilities. Loyalty is the central spirit of the moral and reasonable life of humans. Be loyal to the best that is in you. Be faithful and true to the covenants that are associated with the fellowship of God. We are children of God, honored to hold his divine authority, but we live in a World where there is evil. There is a constant power pulling us down, inviting us to partake of those things which are totally inconsistent with divine law which we hold. It is amazing how the father of lies that was cast out of Heaven always has the means and capacity to entice, invite and convince others to partake in his ways because they are not strong and alert. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13
As we are purifying our souls for everlasting life, we understand that every loss is a tragedy. The kingdom of the Lord needs you. Be worthy of it. Be loyal to your best selves. Never stoop nor bend to anything which would take from you the strength to abstain. Run from the tide of sleaze that would overcome you. Flee from the evils of the World. Be faithful and true to the covenants that are associated with God. You cannot wallow about in lasciviousness, cannot lie, cannot cheat, cannot take advantage of others in unrighteousness without denying that touch of divinity with which each of us came into this life. One learns a great deal about ethics as one matures. The relation between the practical and the eternal. The goal of the eternal is to win the heart. Conventional morality has been required in company with religion and also in company with exact science to endure the fire of criticism. If our moral standards themselves are questioned, the iron of doubt so some of us feel seems to enter our very hearts. The foundation of the moral life is a timely undertaking. In many ways, our traditional moral standards ought to be revised. We need a new Heaven and a new Earth. We do well to set out to seek for both, however hard or doubtful may be the quest. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13
Many of us believe in the eternal. We are in quest of the eternal. As to moral standards, in particular, we do not like that mere homesickness and spiritual estrangement, and that confusion of mind about moral ideals, which is nowadays too common. We can sometimes see in the World of opinion of sort of resurrection of the dead, a resurrection wherein what was indeed justly sown in dishonor is raised in honor, glorified, and perhaps incorruptible. Therefore, revision does not mean mere destruction. What we want is its glorified body and its immortal soul. Among spiritual gifts, we believe in the gift of healing. The gift extends to the healing of both the body and the spirit. The Spirit speaks peace to the soul. This spiritual solace comes by invoking spiritual gifts, which are claimed and manifested in many ways. The Lord has restored the temple work to the Earth. It is an important part of the work of salvation for both the living and the dead. Our temples provide a sanctuary where we may go and lay aside many of the stresses of the World. Our temples are places of peace and tranquility. In these hallowed sanctuaries God heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13
In loyalty, when loyalty is properly defined, is the fulfillment of the whole moral law. One can truthfully centre one’s entire moral World about a rational conception of loyalty. Justice, charity, industry, wisdom, spirituality, are all definable in terms of enlightened loyalty. This very way of viewing the moral World—this deliberate centralization of all the duties and of all the virtues about the one conception of rational loyalty is of great service as a means of clarifying and simplifying the tangled moral problems of our lives and of our age. The spirit of reverence will increase, mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. We will be counseled in greater love and wisdom. People will be more responsive and submissive to that counsel. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of God—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness. The willing and practical and thoroughgoing devotion to God, a person, and a cause means that we will express our devotion in some sustained and practical way, by acting steadily in the service of a mutual cause. We choose what we are loyal to, as a patriot to one’s country, when this devotion leads us to actually live and perhaps to die for our country. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13
Loyalty is never a mere emotion. Adoration and affection may go with loyalty, but can never alone constitute loyalty. Furthermore, the devotion of a loyal individual involves a sort of restraint or submission of our natural desire to our cause. Loyalty without self-control is impossible. The loyal person serves. We do not merely follow our own impulses, we look to our cause for guidance. This cause tells us what to do, and we do it. Our devotion, furthermore, is entire. The promises for those who keep the Word of Wisdom continue. Those who observe this law shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures. Each one of us is a living, breathing miracle—far too often we forget that. That is something we need to celebrate before God. When we pray for ourselves and others, we bring the mysterious power of God into their lives. Prayer also has psychological benefits, but it is not just a psychological exercise. Intercessory prayer is when we have a period of prayer where we do not stop. Some people will pray every day, for hours, over a period of months and years. It is far better than complaining after you have taken all the actions you can to correct a problem. Intercessory prayer changes things, circumstances, and people for the better. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13
We are asking God to work on our hearts and we thank God for our faith, humbleness, and whatever gifts we have that may bless other people. When we pray for others, our concern for them grows, our love for them grows. Prayer strengthens our relationships and connection to Jesus Christ and God. Moses won a battle because he was behind the scenes praying. And intercessory prayer is really hard work precisely because it is by nature behind the scenes work. People channel all their energy to behind delivered from a problem or situation and they spend hours praying night and day, which feeds the mind and keeps an individual balanced. The World is created for every person who loves. There is therefore this constant miracle of a new Heaven and a new Earth. Our prayers can not only change things for ourselves, but they can significantly improve the lives of others. Prayers move the heart and hands of God to take action on behalf. Through our prayers, others can receive most of the same benefits we receive when we pray from comfort, protection, freedom, healing, and more. It allows us to also stir up slumbering faith in others and causes miracles to happen and increases their relationship with God. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13
We cannot buy loyalty, we cannot buy devotion of hearts, minds, and souls. We have to earn these things. Whoever is loyal is devoted, is active, surrenders one’s private self-will, controls oneself, is in love with one’s cause, and believes in it. The loyal person is thus in a certain state of mind which has its own value for oneself. To live a loyal life, whatever be one’s cause, is to live in a way which is certainly free from many well-known sources of inner dissatisfaction. Thus, hesitancy is often corrected by loyalty; for the cause plainly tells the loyal individual what to do. Loyalty, again, tends to unify life, to give in centre, fixity, stability. When we spend time in prayer with God, he fills us with the gifts of Spirit, which include love, joy, peace, endurance, temperance, faith, gentleness, meekness, and goodness. As we receive more of God’s Spirit, others will see the Lord and his gifts reflected in our everyday lives. Our duty in life is simply our own will brought to our clear self-consciousness. That which we can rightly view for us as good is simply the object of our own deepest desire set plainly before our insight. For our own will and desires, once fully brought to self-consciousness, furnish the only valid reason for us to know what is good and right. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13
God’s will is that in which, and in which alone, our wills can find rest and peace, and God’s will is the rule of life. If enlightened recognizes the divine will as right, God has made us for himself that our own wills are by nature inwardly restless until they rest in harmony with God’s will. Our restlessness, then, so long as we are out of this harmony, gives us the reason why we find it right, if we are enlightened to surrender our self-will. If you want to find out, then, what is right and what is good for you, bring your own will to self-consciousness. Your duty is what you yourself will to do in so far as you clearly discover who you are, and what your place in the World is. This is, indeed, a first principle of al ethical inquiry. This is the principle of the autonomy or self-direction of the rational will of each moral being. Many of us have the desire to escape from pain and to get pleasure. In accordance with the desire, means relief from tension; and that is usually accompanied with pleasure. On the other hand, a thwarted activity gives us pain. Of all that we might do to find solace, prayer is perhaps the most comforting. The very act of praying to God is satisfying to the soul. There is never a time when the spirit is too young or too old to approach God. All are in reach of pardoning mercy. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13
In the celestial glory, we are told that God will provide everyone with pleasure and healing and cure death and there will be no more pain. Faith and hope will replace heartache, disappointment, torment, anguish, and despair, and the Lord will give us strength that we will suffer no manner of afflictions. Find your happiness with one another. Give your family, friends, and companion the opportunities to grow in their own interests, to develop their own talents, and also experience their own sense of accomplishment. The only people I owe my loyalty to are those who never made me question theirs. Loyalty is essential to the most basic things that make life livable. Without loyalty, there can be no love. Without loyalty, there can be no family. Without loyalty, there can be no friendship. Without loyalty, there can be no commitment to community nor country. And without those things, there can be no society. To learn the will of God is one of the largest of your human undertakings. No outer authority can ever give you the true reason of your duty. We need God. Left to ourselves, we would never find a plan of life. By nature, many simply go on crying in a sort of chaotic self-will, according as the momentary play of desire determines. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13
May the joy of our fidelity to the highest and best within us be ours as we keep our love and our family, our society and our souls, as pure as they are meant to be. Cultivate and be where the Spirit of the Lord is. Make sure that includes your own home or apartment. You do not want to be left crying, “What was I thinking?” Be good people and ask God for guidance. Have a real hope and real intent that God will step in and act for the beneficial advancement of whatever you are praying about. Trust God to act, even if it is not in the manner or timing we seek. God wants us to ask, even urgently. We are casting our thanks and requests before God. Intercessory prayer opens our souls, gives us a healthy play to God’s sympathies, constrains him to feel that he is special and this this wide World and this great Universe were made by a great God, and everything will bend to his will, and all the creatures respect him. Thank you, Father, that you are looking at us with your grace, and that you have provided and protected us. Thank you that no matter what difficulties arise in our lives, our hope and trust is in you. Thank you that we have nothing to fear, when you are with us. Thank you, God, in Jesus name, Amen. May the rest of our lives be the best of our lives. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13
Souls Will Not be Saved by Brute Force
Each person has his or her own faith, and it is the true religion. Each individual has one’s own faith, and every person’s conscience is entitled to the same respect. Seed sown in faith day by day is the nightly harvest of the soul, and with the soul we work. With the soul, we see. We have in history durable testification that our seasons come in the souls of humans, as a planet that we have set in motion. No matter what happens in the World, or in our individual lives, there is a place we can turn for stability. We can look toward the future with hope, regardless of life’s and the World’s circumstances. These days, many people are seeing the value of God as their constant. The yearning of our souls, formed by God in a peculiar mould, for communion with those to whom it bears a resemblance. The World around us is ever-changing, but God does not change. The soul needs air; a wide sweep and frequent change of it. Morbid influences, in a thousand-fold variety, gather about hearths, and pollute the life of households. However, God is always there. He can be counted on. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And God can make himself known giving us peace of mind through him, setting our hearts securely at rest. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
Faith and revelation must rely upon the evidence of faith. Mystery does not designate what cannot be known by humans but, rather what is revealed only to the chosen few. Faith, the hallmark of Puritanism, is consequently of no avail without the confirmation of reason. Priestcraft introduced mysteries and then fostered them by ceremonies and discipline. To be in a real-life relationship with God is an extraordinary and beautiful daily reality. There is a cosmic companionship that we will not trade for the World. We are deeply known and loved by God. No matter what happens in this life, it is not the end of the World because this World is not the end. God has shown me love, security, forgiveness, support, comfort, acceptance, and a purpose for living. He is my strength, and I would not be here today if it were not for God. Who knows what the future holds? The church exists to save people’s souls, and it can fulfill this mission only by persuasion, by essentially nonviolent means. The state, on the other hand, exists to protect human rights—their lives, liberties, and estates—so that the use of force as an ultimate sanction is a necessary part of the state’s function, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and to secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and prosperity for the United States of America. The state has no concern with the salvation of human’s souls, just as the church has no concern with the use of force. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
The most fundamental reasons for the existence of the state is the preservation of human’s natural right to liberty, and the government is entitled to use force against an individual only when it is necessary to protect the rights on others. Liberty, freedom from external or foreign rule, is essential to existence. Liberty, individuality, and peace are of the highest ethical values; they are what made humans nobler to contemplate. Goodness is varied, but that does not mean that variety itself is good; a nation in which half the population is criminal would be more diversified than a wholly honest one, but it would not be a better nation. It is far better to be alone than in bad company. We should observe good faith and justice toward all and cultivate peace and harmony with all. The purpose of the human spirit is to merge itself in God by merging itself in other beings: human beings are not as valuable as an individual and are truly alive only as manifestations of the divine impersonal force, which is love. We must therefore renounce the personal life, in which we love ourselves alone and seek maximum enjoyment for ourselves, and learn to love all people. This does not mean to give up our personal being or space, but to be a conduit of the spirit of God and show compassion to others. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
We become immortal through merging our personalities into humanity as such. Our real or special self is immortal. All are free to choose, of course, and we would not have it otherwise. Unfortunately, however, when some choose slackness, they are choosing not only for themselves, but for the next generation and the next. Small equivocations in parents can produce large deviations in their children! If we are obedient, faithful, and earnest, the Lord helps us reflect our dedication and skill. We are ready to step over that threshold into a new dimension of spirituality and light. Looking forward to the future with a perfect brightness of hope to the plan God has in store for us. Our joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ and our place in his plan will draw people to us and change lives. We will lift and inspire a World so desperately in need of goodness. This new faith will build an even greater sense of purpose and contribution to society. We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and withstand the shocks of adversity, before it is entitled to the appellation. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
Many people have a new perspective in life know that they have a loving and eternal friend, God, a Heavenly Father, on their side. There is nothing that we cannot handle together with God. With God involved in our lives, we can rest easy. As we get to know God and listen to what he reports in the Bible, he brings about that peace of mind in our lives, because we know him. We see life from his vantage point, aware of his faithfulness and ability to take care of us. So, no matter what the future holds, we can place our hopes in God as our completeness. God is waiting to prove himself in our lives if we will turn to him and seek him. The physiological systems of humans and other living organisms require certain stable conditions—physical, chemical, psychological, and environmental—to survive. These systems also allow for the maintenance of these conditions even in the face of ever-changing circumstances; stability in living organisms is generally in a state of dynamic and adaptive equilibrium. Stability also provides basic information about the overall developmental course of a given in life. It is generally proven that it is meaningful to show substantial consistency across time. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
Psychological stability affects the environment: Interactants often adjust to match a consistent in another individual. Personality traits tend to be stable across time and can serve as examples of a develop-mentally stable individual. That is why God does not want us to engage in conflict with others and having faith in God stresses that we have free will and are able to control our own behavior even when others are going through great means to provoke us. Stability itself varies, and variation in stability depends on individual (some may be more stable than others). The age of the individual when stability assessed may not be in infancy, but stabilize in adulthood—people are thought to become increasingly consistent in relation to one another as they age. Why might stability fail? If not stable, there are two possible explanations: Either an individual is not stable, or the individual has not been assessed adequately. Barring measure imprecision, we attribute instability to genetic and biological as well as environmental and experiential forces. The timing of biological phenomena is partially driven by genetic factors and tends to happen within a specific period of the life course for most people in any particular population. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
Many of us grow and will continue to grow through steady efforts, as we quietly do our part. We may struggle with daily challenges, but we remain humble, patient, and long-suffering. Our hearts fill with joy when we are dedicated to our faith in God. Many of our hearts are full of gratitude and great joy. Change also rises because people engage in normative life tasks and roles, such as leaving home, establishing a family, and starting a career. The life span perspective in psychology specifics that human beings are open systems, and the plastic nature of psychological functioning ensures that people exhibit both stability and instability in many individuals throughout the life course. As we invest our time, talents, and means to build the kingdom of Heaven, our hearts are purified, our wisdom increases, celestial habits begin to form. Surely God is pouring his spirit in rich abundance upon his Earthly kingdom. We declare to the World that the Lord’s kingdom is by no means a closed community. The Lord invites all people to travel this perfecting pathway of divine truth. He promises joy and everlasting happiness as the reward. The entry fee: a broken heart, a contrite spirit, and a willingness to continue to purse Godly ways. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
God, we come to you with heavy hearts. You have felt our pain and suffering and only you know the hardships and pain that we feel. God, please take control and be the compass of our lives. Walk with us and become a major part of us as we are on this journey in life. Always be by our side as you have been, for we know that with you, your love and promises will bring salvation. We are able to face everyday life because of you, God, and will never falter in our trust for you. God, please shower us with your blessings so that we may be living examples of love and grace. Make us a conduit of your gospel so that other may see what a wonderful God you are. Bless those who have lost their way and lead them onto the path you have set for your children. We are human and we sin and we thank you, God, that you sent your love and understanding so that we may be forgiven with deep love. The Lord’s kingdom should be the prime focus of our lives. It seems reasonable to suggest that we each agreed to that in our premortal life. God’s kingdom is becoming perfected. As we invest our time and talents, our hearts are purified, our wisdom increases, and celestial traits start to manifest. The Holy Spirit prepares us to receive the presence of God. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
The Winchester Mystery House
TRUE STORY: The Winchester Mystery House is a location which holds a history of several different types of paranormal activity. https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
The Light had Dawned on His Soul
We are heirs to a very special heritage, with that comes a great responsibility. Love your family and your country. We must remember that science cannot always give us truth. For truth lies in the singular, uncontrollable, incomprehensible and fortuitous. We live, surrounded by an infinite multitude of mysteries. In deliverance for yourself, you must go before God in Heaven and repent at all times. God is ready to change your heart and mind and deliver you from suffering of any kind. Faith assumes contingency and makes freedom possible. Rationalists recognize an eternal structure of being, a system of necessary laws which antedates any possible cosmic lawgiver. The necessity of such laws requires obedience. What is nonnecessary, whether contingent or arbitrary, admits of free decision and creativity. It has been repudiated that all obedience to necessity in the sense of acceptance of necessary evil, injustice, and inhumanity. There are scales upon which human suffering weighs heavier than all the necessities of theoretical reasons; such are “Job’s balances.” When we seek deliverance from God, ultimately, we are seeking eternal life to escape this dreadful law which inseparably links death to birth. God is a rescuer, our loving kindness, fortress, stronghold, and path to eternal life. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
The two great movements of the soul are the desire of honor and the fear of shame. In human’s existence, thought has discovered something improper, a defect, a sickness, or sin, and has demanded that this be overcome at its root by a renunciation of existence. Love may express God’s pleasure that existence exists at all. God’s architecture of creation generates experiences in humankind. Lord, we want to be aligned with you, and be with as you intended. Let us know this constantly. Make a plea of self-deliverance and put your Father in Heaven in remembrance of his Word, so that we make be justified. As saints of God, we must not let the unclean spirits back in our lives. If unclean spirits came before in the battle of life and you become weak, they will enter back in, stronger than before. We must go before God in prayer for the spirit to be cast out. God is the one who can cast out Devils. We as saints must keep our body and spirit peaceful. We must keep the spirit that has come back under the Word of God at all time. When one is going through trials the spirits may surface at any time, the function is to limit and repress creativity, and we must keep it under submission until the unholy spirit is cast out of our realm. And it is important to never give up on God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost or yourself. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
In purity and love have we genius; the Gospel gives us beauty and holiness to the soul. Unless we can find some evidence for the existence of a moral power that will repay self-sacrifice and punish transgression, we will be unable to bring all our practical beliefs and methods into any coherent system. The mere fact that the existence of a power that rewards and punishes behavior is needed to make our practical beliefs coherent, is a necessary condition for some, but we do have free will. Many are called to serve not from human beings, it is a trust from God, and the service is not simply to perform a task. Every call is an opportunity and an obligation to watch over and strengthen the children of our Heavenly Father. Many people, including myself, believe that we will never see death while on this Earth because we have hope that the Savoir will return before we pass from this Earth into Heaven. The Savior’s work, after all, is to bring pass our immortality and eternal life (Moses 1.39). Who knows when this will happen, but it is great to have optimism that this could happen in our lifetimes on Earth. God called us to serve so that we could strengthen our own faith as well as theirs. He knows that by serving him we will come to know him. The Holy Ghost will tell you what to do when your own abilities and efforts are not enough. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
The Holy Ghost will prompt you to bear testimony with conviction. The Savior will let you feel the love he feels for those you serve. The call is an invitation to become like him. The repair of evil has two parts. God must appear to exist, and no longer be hidden. Then humankind must repair the evil conclusions about the nature of existence itself. God, please let all people see your glory, power, love, and abundance. May all know you are for what you are. We pray for others, for healing of attitudes and errors of thought. Let all humankind believe in you. At the core of evil, which humans can harbor within consciousness, is the conclusion: I am alone. The cure is to believe: We are with God. When the Holy Spirit comes, the aloneness ends. A person, before accepting the Holy Spirit, feels alone and so his or her thinking is of aloneness. Humankind has developed very elaborate dramas to act out of aloneness. God, we are with you in truth. Let us be with you in attitude also. The dramas of aloneness are mundane; evil is simple to understand. Evil lacks the light of truth. Evil is banal, commonplace, predictable, and boring. Evil loves itself and prefers its own company. Evil keeps itself for self, sharing nothing. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
Evil persons flatter themselves. Evil persons constantly feel under attack because they give self such a value that evil persons suspect others of trying to steal their value. An evil person becomes more evil when attacked. Evil has built-in limitations such that the best way to fight evil is to enjoy the goods of relationship. John 13.35 reports: By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. The more love and respect we have for each other, the less likely the enemy is to attack us. Moroni 8.17 reports: I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all people are alike unto me; wherefore, I love all people with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation. Stopping evil is not possible for humans. Avoiding evil is a better choice. Evil is a stage of development between birth and the donation of self to God’s purposes. Followers love others, including those who have not yet offered self and do not yet follow Jesus. Who can predict which persons will later join the Kingdom of Heaven? The best approach to evil may be to love them—or to treat them with benign indifference. Hating evil persons merely confirms their beliefs in aloneness. Matty 5.44 reports: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
Fighting a perceived evil carries a great peril to the combatant. Participants attempting to fight evil by being vigilantes, tend to resume ego-based, separateness-tainted thinking. Warriors against evil can begin self-congratulating about how much God will thank the warrior. Amendment XIV, Section 1 of the United States of America Constitution reports: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States of America and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any laws which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States of America; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. People need to be wary of the temptations, as evil is out like a wolf in cheap clothing, and continues to be subtle. Those who want to battle against evil, without using the appropriate means or authority, usually harbor an unconscious need to get attention. The cure is a spiritual cure and comes through efforts to offer love within all relationships. The absence of the soul is far more terrible in a living person than in a dead one. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
The pressures of daily life—the demands of our situations—sometimes mislead many to falsely confirm aloneness as a truth. God, you have caused us to have powerful urges to love ourselves, and yet you want us to love you and others, please show us the way. Spiritually, love has a lot to do with giving attention. Lord, we want to join with you, and be with you as you intended. Let us know this constantly. Let us embrace you with our hearts. Let this our heartfelt desire, to be with you, Lord. Let oneness with you become our sincere intention forever, Lord. 2 Corinthians 7.2 reports: Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds. God protect and shield us all. Manifestations reveal the enemy in his or her true form. When you pray to God, he will uncover the enemy; that is why Jesus said people are to always pray and to have faith. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
The enemy may learn their art at the hazard of our lives, and make experiments by our deaths. However, Psalm 37.1-6 reports: Do not fret because of evil people nor be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like dawn, the justice of your case like the noonday Sun. You better do a lot of praying is good counsel for all of the Lord’s servants, new or seasoned. It is what God’s wise servants do. They pray. Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, and may your will be done, as in Heaven, so in Earth. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. God placed trust in us. God is gracious and powerful and he works in our lives. Deliverance is a kind of spiritual rescue, rescuing us from judgment, from sin. God has delivered us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his dear beloved Son. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
The Divine Incognito in the Incarnation
The will is the most immediate reality of consciousness. Altruism is a necessity, since isolation is impossible; moral choice is explained in terms of the attractive or repulsive power; and ethical conduct is defined in terms of social beneficence. It is not difficult to see that the character even of a well-behaved child is not the character we should wish to find in an adult. A child is absolutely egotistical; children feel their wants acutely, and strives remorselessly to satisfy them, especially against their competitors, other children, and first of all against their brothers and sisters. Eventually, altruistic impulses and morality will awake in the little egoist. Morality, of course, does not develop simultaneously in all its departments, and furthermore, the duration of the amoral period of all childhood differs in different individuals. This can be compared to the mediating presence and activity of God and explains how people undergo a religious mode of experiencing, and other choose not to. We have probably all had the opportunity to do a puzzle. Each small piece has its place in the final picture, even when we do not know where it fits at a given moment. The Lord knows where each piece belongs so that it all fits into the plan. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
All the commandments are of eternal importance in the context of the great plan of the great plan of happiness. As with our fellow humans, a venture of faith on our part may be necessary if we are going to establish any beneficial relationship. To respond as a person to another person involves showing a certain trustfulness and willingness to make a concession that a person is regarded as being correct or justified, as long as the contrary has not been proven, and thereby anticipate proof and verification based on our trust of that individual. In every advance from sense data to the perception of an ordered World or from the projection of a scientific hypothesis to its observational verification, as in every successful voyage of discovery or in the invention of some new kind of machinery, there must be not only an act theorizing or of insight, but also a sustained effort of will which carries the operation through to completion. It may be that God can or will disclose himself only to one who shows such an initial faith and is willing to venture in trust beyond what has been established by scientific proof or philosophical demonstration. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
It is possible that in order to gain the religious knowledge upon which our personal good depends, we must give rein to our passional desire to believe. Some day we will be in God’s presence forever if we know Christ, and we will see God in all of his greatness and glory. In Matthew 5.8, Jesus Christ reported: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Many of us have called our humble communities a World, and so we covet them; and yet there is among us but a half-awakened common consciousness, sprung from a common joy and grief, at burial, birth, or wedding; from a common hardship in destitution, scarcity of land, and meager wages; and, above all, from the sight of the veil that hangs between us and opportunity. All this caused us to think some thoughts together, may we experience the fullness of God. May we be given the strength to comprehend the love of Christ in its height and depth and length and breadth. This is remarkable: the fullness of God is the spiritual comprehension (experience) of the satiety of the love of Christ. Everything that God does make me believe in him. All the things that he says makes me feel this way: Look at the World and tell me what you see. If you ever need someone, you can count on me. The fancy World of Heaven, in your eyes, you are the cure to make me smile. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
Give yourself time and quietness in this Advent season and seek this experience. Pray to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. It is a blessing that we would know in our heart the outpouring of grace upon grace, and that the glory of God would shine into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the splendor of God in the face of Christ; that as people, we can be amazed that Christ can be so real to us. God will be the cure to make us smile. Everything that we eat is to believe in God. All that we want is for God to spread his love over us. Look at the sea, and tell me what you feel. If you ever need someone, you can always count on God. For decision that affect eternity, having a gospel perspective is essential. In a revelation given to Moses, we are told of our Heavenly Father’s declared intention: For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of human beings. God’s desire is to give everyone the opportunity to receive a fullness of joy. Our Heavenly Father created a great plan of happiness for all his children, a very special plan so that we can return to live with him. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
Heaven will be far greater than anything we presently know. In some ways, Heaven may be like our lives right now; we may even live in a World somewhat like our own—although one without sin nor decay. However, in other ways it will be far more glorious than anything we have ever experiences—and one reason is because we will be in the presence of God forever. Like the shepherds to whom the angels came on that first Christmas night, when we first glimpse Heaven, we will surely be overwhelmed by the glory of the Lord. Understanding this plan of happiness provides us with an eternal perspective and helps us to truly value the commandments, the ordinances, the covenants, and the trials and tribulations. The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. The word advent means coming. In this season, we focus on the coming of the Son of God into the World. And the spirit of our celebration should be joyful and happy. A very important connection has long been recognized between faith and what may be called the cognitive freedom of the human mind in its relation to God. And not merely in works, but also in faith, has God preserved the will of human beings free and under their own control. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
Faith is a sufficiently free act to be meritorious. God’s self-revelation in the Incarnation to a deliberately veiled from, so that no one could be compelled to find God in Jesus Christ, and yet so that all who were willing to find God there might do so. God is willing to appear openly to those who seek him with their hearts, he so regulates the knowledge of himself that he has given signs of himself, visible to those who seek him, and not to those who seek him not. God, having created human beings as personal, always acts toward them in ways which respect and preserve their personal freedom and responsibility. In the United States of America, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, to reinforce God’s desire for freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation provided that all enslaved humans in states still in active rebellion against the United States of America would be freed automatically on 1 January 1863. Complete abolition of slavery occurred with the congressional passage and ultimate ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. The divine presence is always mediated through the events and circumstances of a World which God has created to be a relatively independent sphere of interaction with his human creatures. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
Human’s personal autonomy is protected by the fact that one can become conscious of God’s activity toward him only by an uncompelled response of faith. Thus, people are not only free to obey or disobey God; they also have the prior and more fundamental freedom to be conscious of God or to refrain from being conscious of him. The human mind displays a natural tendency to interpret its experience religiously, but this tendency acts only as an inclination which can be resisted and inhibited. Humans thus cognitively free in relation to God. Faith is the correlate of freedom and is related to cognition as free will is to conation. This is a great truth. Understanding the plan will help people keep the commandments, make better decisions, and have the right motivation. Many of us have witnessed the devotion and faithfulness of Church members in different countries, some of which have political, social, or economic conflict. One common factor that is found in these faithful members is the perspective that they have of eternity. The eternal perspective of the gospel leads us to understand the place that we occupy in God’s plan, to accept difficulties and progress through them, to make decisions, and to center our lives on our divine potential. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
Perspective is the way we see things when we look at them from a certain distance, and it allows us to appreciate their true value. Moroni 8.18 and 26 reports: For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity. And the remission of sins brings gentleness, and humbleness of heart; and because of gentleness and humbleness of heart comes from the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filled with hope and perfect love, which endures by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God. It is extremely important that we do not make decisions of eternal value from the perspective of mortality. For decisions that affect eternity, having a gospel perspective is essential. Faith in the Heavenly Father’s plan gives us endurance even amid the wreckage of such proximate hopes. Hopes keeps us anxiously engaged in good causes even when these appear to be losing causes. Not having an eternal perspective, or losing it, can lead us to have an Earthly perspective as our personal standard and to make decisions that are not in harmony with the will of God. Look at life as a journey that expands from the premortal past to the eternal future, and focus on happiness. The rest of your life will be the best of your life. We are eternal beings and life goes on. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
Work in Us What is Pleasing in God’s Sight
Drawing near to God is what qualifies us for the eternal saving work of our High Priest. God’s gifts are precious beyond words, and we will sing of them forever. The most precious gifts lead to God himself. Ultimately, that is what all his gifts are for. The unique and absolute infinity of God is the attribute that best distinguishes him from creatures and constitutes his absolute perfection. Life and the World around us is a painted veil, an illusion through which we must penetrate to the reality behind (this reality being the one that remains when the many change and pass). We see life as if through a veil—the veil of our own prejudices, which are imposed by social institutions. Humans must transcend these prejudices in order to understand their love of fellow humans. Once the veil is removed, the World will be seen as a unity—both in the sense in which science may be said to be a unity (the truth about one field of study cohering with an illuminating the truth about another), and in the sense that a true understanding of our fellow people will give rise to virtuous behavior. This is what we have in mind when we speak of the indestructible order. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
It is the function of coupling poetry and religion to provide humans with a coherent view of the World that will help them to understand both themselves and their fellow beings, and to provide it in a form that will kindle the imagination as well as the intellect. There is a natural order in the Universe, which science and philosophy reveal; there is also a moral order, which humans themselves must impose. When Christ became our servant as a ransom, he took away the curse of the law and the threat of punishment for all who believe. However, to what end? That we might enjoy sin with impunity? No. That we might enjoy God for eternity! Forgiveness is precious because it brings us home to God. Why does anyone want to be forgiven? If the answer is just for psychological relief, or just for escape from Hell, or just to have more physical pleasure, then God is not honored. The selfish picture of human nature cannot be the whole story, for if selfishness were the only natural feeling, there would be no society. The rise of a nation, the pressing forward of a social class, means a bitter struggle, a hard and soul-sickening battle with the World such as few of the more favored classes know or appreciate. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
What is more, since the existence of a social feeling is sufficient to account for the origin of society, appeals to the religious sanctions for society are necessarily subsequent to the actual foundation of society and are therefore of secondary importance. Romans 15.9 reports: The aim of Christ’s serving us is the glorifying of God for his mercy. However, if we exploit God’s mercy as a ticket to enjoy sin—or even just to enjoy innocent things—God gets no glory from that. God gets glory for showing his mercy when his mercy frees us to see him as the best gift of his love —as the most enjoyable person in the Universe. It is good for us that Christ came on behalf of the truth of God, because his coming this way shows that God is true first and foremost to himself; and he confirms the promises of God, and that the promises are promises of love; and he shows that the essence of the love he promised is himself. Virtue is the pursuit of the public interest. There is no real love of virtue without the knowledge of a good public. We are disposed to act virtuously by our affection for God. Virtue is called the moral sense. Moral sense is like a sense of harmony in music and a sense of proportion in architect and art. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
The voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the Earth, that all that are willing to listen will hear, and the day will come that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his children, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; for they have strayed from their ordinances, and have broken God’s everlasting covenant. People who knowingly and willfully do wrong seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every one of them walks in their own way, and after the image of their own God, whose image is in the likeness of the World. If you seek him, God will waken your heart to your deep need for mercy as a sinner! And then ravish your heart with a great Savior, Jesus Christ. And then release your tongue to praise him and your hands to make his mercy shine in yours. A Vietnam Veteran called Roger Harris just knew that he was going to die and would never make it home from the war. And his mother told him that he would make it back alive, but he did not believe her. In fact, many of the veterans thought they would never see America again. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Roger Harris considered himself a sinner and saw many young men who had never had an adult relationship, were honest, Christian, and did not swear get killed right before his face. However, the day came for Roger Harris and his team to come back to America, and as they were getting ready to board the helicopter, an attack broke out and it he just knew he would never make it home and that he attracted the calamity because he was supposed to die and so many good people lived and died, but he made it back to America safely and was able to tell his story. Perhaps Roger Harris made it come because someone loved him and kept him in their prayers and God knew he had more to learn about the miracles of God. And maybe the other guys passed away because they were pure and God wanted them to come home to Heaven because they learned all they needed to know and their mission was complete. Furthermore, it is possible other good people also stayed alive so they could testify and share the gospel of God with others and help to save their souls. God has a purpose for all of us and he employees our talents and abilities for different reasons. Therefore, release your faith and praise God and use your hands to make his mercy shine in yours. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
God is benevolent and his love reinforce the affection. Also, virtuosity is an inherent part of human nature. God is really good. This morning I was asleep and I was awakened a few days ago by the fire alarm in the high-rise building going off. Usually, when the crews test the alarm, they tell us on the loud speak, but they started the test first, and in a low voice told of they were testing the alarm. I was going to stay in bed even if it was a real alarm because usually there is never a fire. The has only been once serious fire since I lived here. So, Sunday morning, I was laying in bed and my mother called and I did not answer the phone because I was not in a great mood. Then about an hour later, the fire alarm went off again, and I stayed in bed, and was not going to get up. However, my neighbor screamed from outside to tell me to get out of the building, it was a real fire. If my mother’s call had not woken me, I might have slept through the fire alarm, and who knows what would have happened. The fire department got here and put the fire out and there was no significant damage. As you see, God is always looking out for us, and even if you do not feel like talking, always answer the phone when your parents call. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
God owns and controls all things. And there is nothing that he would not give you. God has the power to provide redemption, restoration for past losses, and liberation from future enemies, forgiveness and freedom, pardon and power, healing the past and sealing the future. There is a revelation from God the Father, opening the eyes of the heart so that it cries out, like a person who stumbles onto an incredible treasure. Oh, I totally forgot to tell you. I have been experiencing a lot of hardships in life, so I cut certain people out of my life, stop swearing, gave up mature movies, I am celibate and have been, do not smoke, nor do drugs, and I do not drink. The purpose is so that I may have the favor of God. Maybe this will cause Satan to flee from my life completely. Now, may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom by glory forever and ever. Amen. One of the things pleasing in God’s sight is that his people keep on drawing near to him forever and ever. And so, he is working in us this very thing. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
God Still Remains the Most Original and Beautiful Expression
No suicides permitted here, and no smoking in the parlour. It is easy for us to lose ourselves in details in endeavoring to grasp and comprehend the real condition of a mass of human beings. We often forget that each unit in the mass is a throbbing human soul. To be a person is to have a status and worth that is unlike that of any other kind of being: it is a purpose or goal desired for its own sake with dignity. And the only response that is appropriate to such a being is respect. Respect (that is, moral recognition respect) is the acknowledgement in attitude and conduct of the dignity of persons as ends in themselves. Respect for such beings is not only appropriate to such a being, but also morally required: the status and worth of persons is such that they must always be respected. Because we are all too often inclined not to respect persons, not to value them as they ought to be valued, one formulation of the categorical imperative, which is the supreme principle of morality, commands that our actions express due respect for the worth of persons: Acts in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or the person of any other, as something that is valued and important. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in Heaven and on Earth, believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that humans do not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that you must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask insincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that you do them. Our fundamental moral obligation, then, is to respect persons; morally right actions are thus those that express respect for persons because they are worthy of life and love, while morally wrong actions are those that express disrespect or contempt for persons by not valuing them as being worthy of life and love. As ideas of reason, God, freedom, and immortality are endless tasks for human activity. Alma 37.16 reports: if you keep the commandments of God, and do with these things which are sacred according to that which the Lord does command you (for you must appeal unto the Lord for all things whatsoever you must do with them) behold, no power of Earth or Hell can take them from you, for God is powerful to the fulfilling of his words. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
In affirming the existence of God, the subject also affirms its own being, the innermost character of its own existing. The affirmation of God within human existence that constitutes the human subject cannot be a merely transitory relationship and that immorality is therefore the logical extension of the interior objectivity. Humans are allowed to maintain both their freedom and the efficacy of grace. Given the fact of God’s foreknowledge, although God knows infallible what an individual will do, such an infallible knowledge in no way determines the will of the will of the individual. The term person means a being whose rational nature already marks them out as being worthy of dignity and an object of respect. God wishes all people to be saved and he extends his grace to all. The value or worth of a person is, as of all other things, one’s price—that is to say, so much would be given for the use of one’s power—and therefore is not absolute, but a thing dependent on the need and judgment of another. However, the Spirit enlightens and gives understanding of the eternal purpose of life. A human being regarded as a person that is, as subject of morally practical reason, is exalted above all price as being worthy of love and life and possesses a dignity by which one exacts respect for oneself from all others beings in the World. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
God foresees that some will cooperate with his grace and faith continues to have many supporters. Our great responsibility is to see that each is remembered and nourished by the good word of God, that each has opportunity for growth and expression and training in the work and ways of the Lord. It is our divine mission to assist in being to pass the immortality and eternal life of human beings. We must hunger and thirst after righteousness before we can be filled. We need to cultivate spiritual strength within ourselves before we can ever hope to engender it in others. Simply knowing about God and Jesus Christ is not enough, we must have personal, spiritual experiences to anchor us. These come through seeking them in the same intense, single-minded way that a starving person seeks food. The gaining of a strong and secure testimony is the privilege and opportunity of every individual member of the Church. Service in behalf of other, study, and prayer lead to faith in this work and then to knowledge of its truth. This has always been a personal pursuit, as it must always be in the future. I am happy about the future because that is where I live. We must fortify ourselves before we can ever hope to offer spiritual nourishment to others. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Dignity is in comparable worth: it cannot be compared with, exchanged for, nor replaced by any other value, whereas the very purpose of a price is to establish comparative value. And dignity is absolute or objective worth, which means that it is a value that everyone has compelling reason to acknowledge, regardless of their antecedent desires, interest, or affections. We must always treat people as they are the supremely valuable beings that they are. We could not get along in life if we could not make use of the talents, abilities, service, and labor of other people. What we must not do is to treat persons as they are a commodity for our exploitation and personal pleasure, as if the only value they have is what derives from their usefulness to us. We must respect others and regard them as absolutely, unconditionally, and incomparably valuable and we must acknowledge in a practical way that their dignity imposes absolute constraints on our treatment of them. While creation is primarily an act of the divine will, so that things exist and are good because God wills them, creation is also a rational act based on the divine intellect. Our ultimate end consists in love of, rather than in knowledge of, God, for it is the will and not the intellect that is the superior power in a human. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
If we are obedient to the Savior’s commands, we will focus our attention on the spiritual growth and development of those for whom we are responsible. We must away our interest to others. It is important to have an enthusiastic and dynamic love for our Heavenly Father’s children. He asks us to see the spiritual hunger around us and to respond by willingly sharing our abundance. No power on Earth can accomplish as much as one righteous man or woman or boy or girl. The home and family have vital roles in cultivating and developing personal faith and testimony. The family is the basic unit of society; the best place for individuals to build faith and strong testimonies is in righteous homes filled with love. Love for our Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ is greatly enhanced when the gospel is taught and lived in the home. True principles of eternal life are embedded in the hearts and souls of young and antiquated alike when scriptures are read and discussed, when prayers are offered morning and night, and where reverence for God and obedience to him are modeled in everyday conduct. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Human intellect has a direct, intuitive knowledge of the singular material object, no merely indirect knowledge of it gained by reflecting upon the material image. You should understand that these things are not without a shadow. There is no home for the soul where dwells a shadow of untruth. Alma 37.21 & 22 reports: The mysteries and the works of darkness, and their secret works, or the secret works of people who have been destroyed, may be made manifest upon this people; all their murders, and robbings, and their plunderings, and all their wickedness and abominations, may be made manifest unto this people; and that you preserve in the face of these intruders. For behold, the Lord saw that his people began to work in darkness, work secret murders and abominations; therefore the Lord said, if they did not repent they should be destroyed from off the face of the Earth. The characteristics of religious life are an environment and expression of the higher life, they are of deep interest to the children of God, both socially and psychologically. The relationship with God still remains the most original and beautiful expression of human life and longing born on Earth. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Out Upon the Deep Over Seventy Thousand Fathoms of Water
The torment and torture was so painful that even the innocent would confess. A human being must care for one’s soul more than anything else. We all make mistakes. It is then in our nature to feel guilt and humiliation and suffering, which we alone cannot cure. That is when the healing power of the Atonement will help. Many people care more for wealth, reputation, and their bodies while neglecting their souls. We must give our first and greatest care to the improvement of our soul. The care for the soul means to become a thoroughly ethical human being. The soul exists prior to its life in the body, and it is immortal. Therefore, we must make ourselves good and wise as possible. Wealth does not bring about human excellence nor virtue, but virtue makes wealth and everything else good for human beings. Of the many illnesses of the intellect humans must cure themselves of, the most pressing are in ethics. Matthew 16.26 reports: What does it profit a person to gain the whole World, but lose one’s soul? The soul is 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. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
All of us sometime, and some of us much of the time, suffer remorse of conscience from things we did wrong or things left undone. That feeling of guilt is to the spirit what pain is to the physical body. However, guilt can be harder to bear than physical pain. Physical pain is nature’s warning system that signals something needs to be changed, or cleansed, or treated, perhaps even removed by surgery. Guilt, the pain of our conscience, cannot be healed the same way. If one is burden with depressing feelings of guilt or disappointment, of failure or shame, there is a cure. The intent is not to hurt one’s tender feelings, but to help one and help those you love. The prophet Alma reports: I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. Racked means to be tortured. A harrow is a frame with spikes through it. When pulled across the ground, it rips and tears into the soil. The soul is not only responsible for mental or psychological functions like thought, perception and desire, and is the bearer of moral qualities, but in some way or other accounts for all the vital function that any living organism performs. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
Faith then must clearly be a trusting and confident attitude toward God. Faith is belief in revealed truth. Not only is the soul immortal, but it also contemplates truths after its separation from the body at the time of death. The disembodied souls enjoy lives of thought and intelligence. It is natural for the soul either to be altogether indissoluble, or nearly so, but in any case, the souls is less subject to dissolution and destruction than the body. The soul is like intelligible being on the grounds that it is not visible and, in general, not perceptible, and it shares it natural function with the divine, namely to rule and lead the body in one case, mortals in the other. Religion supports people’s need to feel personal control over events in their lives and reduces stress over events that are out of our control or that simply do not meet our expectations. However, it is not only belief in personal control that helps protect people against feelings of randomness, disorder, and chaos, but also the belief that the World is under the control of God. Thus, a belief in a controlling God may be interchangeable with a sense of personal control and helps one deal with events that are genuinely beyond our control. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Ultimately the object of faith is God himself, who is not, however, known by the human mind in his divine simplicity, but only discursively and by means of propositions. These revealed truths are authoritatively presented in the creeds. Thus, to have faith means to believe the articles of faith. We believe in God, the Eternal Faith, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. People will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression. Through the Atonement of Christ, he paid the price to make up for the fall of man, and all humankind may be saved, by ordinances of the Gospel. We are to have faith in the Lord first, Jesus Christ second, practice repentance. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We claim the privilege of worshiping the Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all humans the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. It is important to be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and to do good to all people. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. Alma 37.7 reports: And the Lord God does work by means to being about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord does confound the wise and bring about the salvation of many souls. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Suppose there was no cure, no way to ease spiritual pain or to erase the agony of guilt. Presume each mistake, each sin, was added to the others with the racking, the harrowing up, the torment going on forever. Too many of us needlessly carry burdens of guilt and shame. For some reason, we think the Atonement of Christ applies only at the end of mortal life to redemption from the Fall, from spiritual death. It is much more than that. It is an ever-present power to call upon in everyday life. When we are racked or harrowed up or tormented by guilt or burdened with grief, Jesus Christ can heal us. The gospel plan is the great plan of happiness. Happiness is what I found yesterday when I saw my father and he told me that I was blessed. It was nice to see him, he was wearing a nice suit, and it good spirits. And what a joy, and what marvelous light I did behold. My soul was filed with joy as exceeding as my pain. Under the influence of divine grace, to certain external evidence, it was a miracle. A supernatural virtue, by which was guided and assisted by divine grace, and it what true what God revealed because the authority of God can neither deceive nor be deceived. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Faith is an act of the intellect assenting to divine truth at the command of the will moved by the grace of God. That is to say, whereas in knowledge the intellect is moved to assent by the object itself, known either directly or by demonstrative reasoning, in faith the intellect is moved to assent through an act of choice, whereby it turns voluntarily to one side faith the other. When we have faith, it is a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit. There is a permanent relationship between faith and the Word, which is why 85 percent of people in the World believe in God. I can testify that if you have an undying faith in something, something good, if you believe hard enough, long enough, and keep praying to God it will come true. The important thing to remember, we magnify what we focus on, so let us magnify God in our lives. The objective uncertainty of the religious realm, can be entered only by a leap of faith. It is a tremendous risk involved, like being out upon the deep, over seventy thousand fathoms of water. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
One must decide to believe or to disbelieve; and regarding the decision as a wager, it is prudent to decide to believe. One will then gain eternal life and felicity if God indeed exits, which he does. Whereas if one decided not to believe, one will gain nothing and may forfeit eternal life. Alma: 37.12 and 14 reports: They are preserved for a wise purpose, which purpose is known unto God; for he does counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his path are straight, and his course is one eternal round. And now remember, my son, that God has entrusted you with these things, which are scared, which he has kept sacred, and also which he will keep and preserve for a wise purpose in him, that he may show forth is power unto future generations. Physical pain requires treatment and a change in lifestyle. So, it is with spiritual pain. There must be repentance and discipline, most of which is self-discipline. Religion has survived for over 100,000 years and the findings are getting strong. It is hard to then build the case that religion is a pathology. Go through each day of your life and find something that you are thankful for. Acknowledge and give thanks for all the abundance your life has brought you. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
The Winchester Mystery House
Stories about The Winchester Mystery House being haunted are different than most because there is evidence that is difficult to ignore. These are not myths and fables, but events and individuals whose existence can be proven. https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Where is My God in Shinning Amour?
I call upon the Gods above, the ones of benevolence and of love, come down to me from above, come to this place and come to me from time and space. No one is to blame for suffering an evil he or she cannot avoid. Some people are under spiritual attacks and have been for years and spend hours praying for God to deliver them. Life can be hard when you have no one to turn to for comfort, but the good thing is God is always there. If you begin to see that everything you have counted on, may be taken away, it becomes much harder to take for granted. In the battle of life, the adversary takes enormous numbers of prisoners, and many who know of no way to escape and are pressed into his service. Every soul confined to a concentration camp of sin and guilt has a key to the gate. The adversary cannot hold them if they know how to use it. The key is labeled Repentance. The twin principles of repentance and forgiveness exceed in strength the awesome power of adversary. Having a grateful attitude is essential when going through spiritual warfare. It is precisely under crisis conditions when we have the most to gain by a grateful perspective on life. I am tired, in pain, and would like nothing more than to rest and not have my daily life feel like it is a job of which I cannot seem to take a day off and rest. However, in the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize and heal and bring hope. Being thankful for life can help us cope with hard times. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
It is a great challenge to raise a family in the darkening mists of our moral environment. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity. No one feels good about losing a job, home, or when good healthy has taken a devastating hit on his or her retirement portfolio. However, trials and suffering can actually refine and deepen gratefulness if we allow them to show us not to take things for granted. Our national holiday of being thankful, Thanksgiving, was born and grew out of hard times. The first Thanksgiving took place after nearly half the pilgrims died from a rough Winter year. We have been entrusted with the most sacred gift God can give us, which is life. We should be full of love and joyful about waking up every day. In times of uncertainty, though, people realize how powerless they are to control their own destiny. God grant that we will come to our sense and protect our moral environment from this mist of darkness which deepens day by day. The fate of all humanity hangs precariously in the balance. And may we have the protection of God who is our father and our Savior, and may we merit the love and blessings of his Son, our Redeemer, in whose name, even the name of Jesus Christ, I bear witness, amen. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
The great work we will do will be within the walls of our houses. No other success can compensate for the failure in the house. Nevertheless, with great conviction, many of us believe that one day the wicked influences will be overruled. The eternal sealings of faithful and divine promises made to us will save us, and our posterity. Sooner or later, we will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after us and invading our lives with blessings. However, people who are knowingly involved in evil and refuse to repent and find great joy in making others suffer will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins. Consciously cultivating an attitude of gratitude builds up a sort of psychological immune system that can be a source of support when we go through hardships. Even the wicked, if their path leads them to our loving Heavenly Father’s heart and home, the painful experiences will not be in vain. Pray for the careless and disobedient; hold on to them with your faith. And for those who are living right, but experiencing undue hardships, trust on and you will see the salvation of God. There is scientific evidence that grateful people are more resilient to stress, whether minor everyday hassles or major personal upheavals. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
The contrast between suffering and redemption serves that the evil idea has been more destructive of happiness, no philosophy has produced more sorrow, more heartbreak and mischief; no idea has done more to destroy the family than the idea that we are not the offspring of God, only advanced animals, compelled to yield to every carnal urge. No greater ideal has been revealed than the supernal truth that we are the children of God, and we differ, by virtue of our creation, from all other living things. Romans 8.14-17 reports: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to children of God. The Spirit testifies within our spirit that we are God’s children. Now, if we are God children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory. Gratitude maximizes happiness in multiple ways, and one reason is that it helps us reframe memories of unpleasant emotional impact. We look for beneficial consequences in negative events. We may look at how a stressful event has shaped who we are today and has prompted us to reevaluate what is really important in life. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Processing a life experience through faith in God does not mean denying negativity. It means realizing the power we have to transform an obstacle into an opportunity. Reframing a loss into potential gain, recasting negativity into a channel of optimism. 2 Thessalonians 1.3-4 reports: We are bound to thank God always for our family and friends that our faith grows exceedingly and the charity of every one of us toward each other will be around us. So that we ourselves glory in us in the churches of God for our patience and faith in all our persecutions and tribulations that we endure. The spirit of God testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. When we cry out to God, the Spirit of God somehow comes alongside us with our spirit, and gives us assurance that we are truly God’s family. This testimony appears to be an inner witness in the heart, a sense that yes, God really loves us. We know we trust God. We have his promises. We see our lives changing and growing. All these pieces of evidence lead our spirit, our hearts, to have a measure of confidence that we really are his. God’s immediate presence and love comes to us when we increase of faith and gratitude in life. We find ourselves deeply assured that we love life and we love ourselves. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
While we pass laws to reduce pollution of Earth, any proposal to protect the moral and spiritual environment is shouted down and marched against as infringing upon liberty, agency, freedom, the right to choose. Interesting how one virtue, when given exaggerated or fanatical emphasis, can be used to batter down another, with freedom, a virtue, invoked to protect vice. Those determined to transgress see any regulation of their life-style as interfering with their agency and seek to have their actions condoned by making them legal. The adversary is jealous toward all who have the power to beget life. He cannot beget life; he is impotent. He and those who followed him were cast out and forfeited the right to a mortal body. His angels even begged to inhabit the bodies of swine. And the revelations tell us that Satan seek that all people might be miserable like himself. The rapid, sweeping deterioration of values is characterized by a preoccupation—even an obsession—with the procreative act. It is never too late to enter into the Kingdom of God through the promises of God. Your Earthly inheritance awaits. At this point, you should know who you are and who God predestined you to be. Others may have become very successful without acknowledging the fact that the Lord allowed them to obtain wealth. Refocus and use your God-given talents under the direction of our loving, Heavenly Father. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Now, if we are children of God, then we have an incredible future. With limited knowledge, we know we must be faithful and diligent in carrying forward our duty to be good children of God and to obey the laws of the land. Remarkable and miraculous things happen when we do so. God works in us and through our circumstances so that we will be conformed and he implants Christ’s nature in us. We become more grateful in our character and attitudes. We are able to talk to God and relate to him as a loving Father, and our Heavenly Father loves us deeply. 1 John 3.1 reports: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. He understands us and has compassion on us as his children. As his children, God promises to take care of our needs. Many of the benefits of that inheritance await us in the future. This inheritance includes the new Heaven and Earth, our glorified and resurrected bodies, and residence in God’s coming kingdom. “I have learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave person is not the one who does not feel afraid, but one who conquers that fear,” says Nelson Mandela. As long as God is with us, we will never be alone. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
All of this is a Free Gift to Every Living Soul
The Lord’s eternal purpose is to bring pass the immortality and eternal life of humans. The truth is always incredible, because the blind eyes of humanity can see only half-truths except be great effort. It is a hard thing to live haunted by the ghost of an untrue dream; to see the wide vision of empire fade into real ashes and dirt; to feel the pang of the conquered, and yet know that with the bad that fell on one day, something was vanquished that deserved to live, something killed that in justice had not dared to die; to know that with the right that triumphed, something of wrong, something sordid and mean, something less than the broadest and best. All this is bitter hard, and several people have found in its excuse for sulking, and brooding, and listless waiting. Many theories have been propounded through centuries, but none has been entirely satisfactory. We humans are limited in time and space, our perception and intellect are subject to error, our point of view limits what we can apprehend and understand. Therefore, no statement wears its truth like a badge; its truth can be determined only by what follows from it in the course of experience. The natural World we perceive through our senses (see, hear, touch) reveals only a fallen, shadow, incomplete versions of this ideal truth. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
Truth is relative to the evidence and to the purpose of the investigator; no degree of verification will ever establish the absolute truth of a statement. Truth is personal and particular, dynamic and progression, not eternal or absolute, but the best solution found so far for any problem. That which thwarts or defeats the purpose of an inquiry we call false; that which furthers it we call true. Truth is that manipulation of objects which turns out upon trial to be useful, primarily for any human end, but ultimately for that perfect harmony of our whole life which forms our final aspiration. God created an ordered natural World. God also created human’s ability to use reason. Therefore, God created the human intellect and will, thus, celebrating and developing human freedom, intellect and will would promote God’s will. However, the World is still a fallen version of God’s eternal truths. All truths work for us in some way and there is no useless knowledge. However, lies are deliberately untrue but may be useful, as in propaganda. There is a shocking lack of self-respect by so many individual, as is evidenced by their manners and engulfing waves of permissiveness which seem to be moving over the World like a flush flood. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
We see among us so many who seem to be forsaking standards of decency or an understanding of the meaning of time-honored words which, since the beginning of time, have had real meaning to our forebears; words that have made for strength or character and righteousness and harmony and unity and peace in the World. There are eternal words which, if understood and taught and practiced, would being salvation to every man, woman, boy, and girl who does now live or has ever lives or will yet live in the World. Happiness is the quiet, joyous assent that accompanies our actions when we carry out for its own sake some activity springing from our talents. This kind of activity is to be evaluated as ethically worthwhile behavior. The joy in such activity resembles the joy of a child at play, and should be regarded generally as the criterion for emotional and intellectual youthfulness. This youthfulness is not tied to physical age. Anyone who has found the activity proper to oneself, and has thus experienced this quiet, joyous happiness, has realized the highest attainable ethical goal and will keep one’s youthfulness throughout one’s entire life. Acting out of a sense of duty is ethically valuable only is a quiet satisfaction accompanies the action. Moral value attaches only to vital action; the sign of life is youthfulness, but we are young only when we act from joy. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
When the quiet, inner joyous assent accompanies our action, we fulfill the requirements of the highest principles of ethical value. This inner consciousness that each one of us has of oneself as will is primitive and irreducible. Virtue and chastity, honesty, morality, faith, character are all great qualities which have built great men and women and point the way by which one may find happiness in the living World of today and eternal joy in the World to come. These are the qualities which are the anchors to our lives, in spite of the trials, the tragedies, the pestilences, and the cruelties of war which bring in their wake appalling destruction, hunger, and bloodshed. The will reveals itself immediately to everyone as the in-itself of one’s own phenomenal being and the awareness we have of ourselves as will is quite different from the awareness we have of ourselves as body. To those who fail to heed the warnings of those who are striving to teach these principles and choose to go in the opposite course, they will eventually find themselves in the pitiable state which you are witnessing so often among us. Human nature as manifested an astonishing prescience. We customarily think of ourselves as being essentially free and rational agents, whereas in fact the principal sources and springs of our conduct consist in deep-lying tendencies and drives of whose character we are often wholly unaware. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
Consciousness is the mere surface of our mind, of which, as of the Earth, we do not know the inside, but only the crust, and in consequence we often put entirely false constructions upon the behavior in which these basic impulses are expressed. The ignorance we display, the rationalizations which in all innocence we provide, may themselves have a motive, although not one we are aware of. Thus, the will prevents the rise to consciousness of thoughts and desires that, if known, would arouse feelings of humiliation, embarrassment, or shame. Another example of the same process is to be found in instances of memory failure. It is not a mere accident that we do not remember certain things, since there may be powerful inducement for us not to do so; events and experiences can be completely suppressed, becoming for us as if they had never taken place, simply because unconsciously we feel them to be unendurable. And in extreme cases this can lead to a form of insanity, with fantasies and delusions replacing what has thus been extruded from consciousness. It seems it may result from the failure of the individual to have self-respect. Every person stamps one’s value on oneself. The price we challenge for ourselves is given us by others. We are made great or little by our own will. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
It may be claimed that it is only in virtue of our knowledge of what is it to act in accordance with consciously formed choices that the explanation of certain actions in terms of secret or concealed determinations of the will becomes intelligible. When one does not have that love for oneself, other consequences can be expected to follow. Some people cease to love life. Or if they marry, they find that they have lost their love for their spouse, and children—no love of home or respect for the country in which one lives, and eventually these individuals have lost their love of God. Rebellion in land, disorder and the lack of love in the family, children disobedient to parents, loss of contact with God, all because that person has lost respect for oneself. The rowdiness, the incorrigibility is more often than not a bid for a kind of attention or popularity that physical and mental endowments do not invite. So the unruly people are often but a reflection of an individual who is seek, by superficial adornment or by abnormal conduct (in a strange way), to supply that indefinable quality they may think is charm—a clumsy attempt to draw attention by conduct which certainly reflect that inward frustration because of the lack of understanding of their true identity as human beings. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
However, having been spirits and now having bodies, we are among those who passed that first test and were given the privilege of coming to Earth as mortal individuals. If we had not passed that test, we would not be were with mortal bodies, but would have been denied this privilege and would have followed Satan or Lucifer, as he came to be known, as did thirty three percent of the spirits created in that premortal existence who were deprived of the privilege of having mortal bodies, These are now among us, but only in their spiritual forms, to make a further attempt to thwart the plan of salvation by which all who would obey would have the great glory of returning to God our Father who gave us life. Every person who is called to do an important work in the kingdom of God, is called to that work and foreordained to that work before the World was. You are all the sons and daughter of God. Your spirits were created and lived as organized intelligences before the World was, and are blessed to have a physical body because of your obedience to certain commandments in that premortal state. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
You are now born into a family to which you have come, into the nations through which you have come, as a reward for the kind of lives you lived before you came here. Regardless of how rich or whatever, it is a blessing to be in human form. There are spirits who wish they could have a chance to have a mortal body. We are here because of the faithfulness of each of those who lived before this World was created. The goal directed course of living processes arise out of the meaningful arrangement of these systems, and their structure and behavior are explained by strictly causal natural laws, making unnecessary the assumption of immaterial vital forces. However, some have a pessimistic view of the future development of culture. It is feared that people will become part of a machines, a socialized humanoid—organized for common work down to the last detail, but, as in the early ages, without a history. “Do you know that the temple of God dwells in you? If anyone defile the temple of God, one shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which your temple is,” reports (1 Cor. 3.16-17). It is important to help people to moral regeneration, if possible, to restore one’s self-respect. God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
God is a Pervasive Principle of Goodness
Good habits formed at youth make all the difference. All acts and all thoughts are irreducibly the products of individual human beings and therefore inescapably associated with the needs, desires, and purposes of humans. Such terms are reality and truth denote nothing complete and absolute; rather, they are intertwined with human intentions and deeds. Effective creativity of the human mind in organizing the Universe of human experience is in making or remaking reality. Humans make their truth along with their other values, beauty and goodness. Our axioms are never God-given but are human-made; they are not a priori verities but postulates, or working hypotheses, whose truth grows or diminishes within our experience. The logic we employ in gathering knowledge is dynamic and functional rather than eternally fixed. Our data are not the given, but the taken. Human being’s activity is focal both to epistemology and to metaphysics, and there is genuine novelty in our growing universe and no theoretical limit to human’s freedom. The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Reality is a seamless logical unity, not a mere disjointed plurality; that in the Absolute all separateness vanishes; that nothing finite, nothing that changes, is ever quite real, not even human personality; and there is something makeshift, transitory, and unsatisfactory about the bits of matter we see, the individual acts we perform, and the private thoughts we think. That is all that exists for us. An independent or absolute reality that does not enter into our experience, or explain our knowledge, is irrelevant to us. Reality for us is piecemeal, incomplete, and plastic. It is idle to ask “What is real?” Rather, the only question we can answer is “What can I know as real?” Everyone’s situation is different, and the details of each life are unique. Nevertheless, we can make life sweeter, more joyful, even more glorious by being grateful. Spiritual gifts are powerful blessings. They increase our capacity as we develop them by drawing on the storehouse of Heaven. Our Heavenly Father did not put us on Earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously. It may seem paradoxical, but that is why recognizing answers to prayer can sometimes be very difficult. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
The reality revealed by our actual active procedures of knowing is not rigid but malleable, not completed but evolving. Because it responds, at least to some extent, to our working and probing, it must somehow be not unrelated to our needs and purposes. The process of knowing is never one of bringing the mind into relation with a fundamentally alien reality, but always one of improving and extending an already existing system which we know. What we call real is that which, for our own reasons, we evaluate as important. It is the result of the kind of selection by which we reduce the chaos about us to order. Some face life with only their own experience and capacity to help them. Others seek, through prayer, divine inspiration to know what to do. When required, they qualify for power beyond their own capacity to do it. Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege. It is based upon unchanging principles. When we receive help from our Father in Heaven, it is in response to faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency. We are here on Earth to gain experience we can obtain in no other way. We are given the opportunity to grow, to develop, and to gain spiritual maturity. To do that, we must learn to apply truth. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
How we face challenges and resolve difficult problems is crucially important to our happiness. Stress, culture, and community maintains that the primary motivation of human beings is to build, protect, and foster their resource reservoirs in order to protect the self and it social attachments. The more stress you are under, the more important it is to balance this by moving the body. Move the energy and do not let things stagnate. Stagnation can cause illness and pain. Identify the source of stress in your life and work to eliminate them by changing how you perceive things. So much worry comes from our imagination because we are always thinking of what might happen. The imagination and its ideas mediate between perception and will. As opposed to the conceptions of the understanding, which are finite, the ideas of imagination are both finite and infinite. An idea’s relation to its object is finite, but the activity of the imagination in this relation is infinite. The function of the will is to idealize the imagination’s ideas. The contradiction thus engendered gives rise to impulse, defined as the desire to restore destroyed identity. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
For us to grow, we need to do what we feel is right. In time, God will answer. God will not fail us. Through impulse, there is constant realization of ideals, but the ideas of the imagination are constantly striven after and never attained. The brain and body are completely pliable. One can shape one’s brain through one’s thoughts and actions. Once we recognize that the only thing we can count on is change and that change is inevitable, one can begin to let go of how we think things should be. One can then let go of the tension that comes from that way of thinking. The distinction between will and intelligence thus is relative, not absolute. From a higher point of view, they are identical. In intelligence, the I that acts and the I that knows are one. The acting I is an object for itself, while the know I merely perceives other objects. In action, there is no transition from the World of mind, for the subject has become an object to itself. Any change in the outer World is received as a perception, but every action causes such a change; therefore, action is perception. Self-determination is the primary condition of all consciousness. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Happiness depends upon ourselves. The soul never thinks without a picture. The people who give us trouble are our best teachers. What are we willing to learn about ourselves? The World and God have as common ground the incomprehensible basis of reality. Existence is a self-affirmation. God is the infinite affirmation of himself. The objective World is the unconscious poetry of the spirit creating itself. There is a striking formulation of the existential anxiety, which is also an anticipation of the psychoanalytic doctrine of resistance: The philosopher who knows his calling is the physician who seeks to heal with gentle, slow hand the deep sounds of human consciousness. The restoration is all the more difficult since most people do not want to be healed at all and, like unhappy patients, rise unruly outcry if one even approaches their wounds. Family is an important part of one’s life, and is also very important to God. From Adam and Eve onward, God made humans to be together with love to guide and support one another. Through prayer, we can make out families stronger. Alma 10. 21 reports: God will judge all of our iniquities; the voices of Angels cry out to his people telling us to repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
How much time are you spending sitting watching the TV? Watching other people’s lives and experiences rather than creating you own? When we seek inspiration to help make decisions, the Lord gives gentle promptings. These require us to think, to exercise faith, to work, to struggle at times, and to act. Seldom does the whole answer to a decisively important matter or complex problem come all at once. More often, it comes a piece at a time, without the end in sight. Endless appreciation to our Father in Heaven whose blessings depend upon our obedience, but whose ratio of blessings to obedience makes him a generous God! Heavenly Father, please shine your light upon our families. Give us strength to overcome all of the difficulties that we are dealing with now and protect us against any and all problems we may encounter in the future. Lord, please bring us together where we are meant to be. May the love that binds us only grow stronger as we fulfill the destiny you have laid out for us. Grant us forgiveness for any sins we have committed. May we also forgive one another Lord, as it is sometimes difficult to do. Bless us God, in your name I pray, bless it be. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Randolph Harris II International Institute 