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A Faint Echo of the Invitation from the Savior
Love is how we stay alive. Many of us are alive today because we felt a faint echo from God saying, “Come follow me.” The only power that exists is inside ourselves. The soul must already exist before the birth of the body because we seem to know things that were not available to us. However, it is immortality we crave. Imagine the psychological impact of being immortal. If we could be engineered by a combination of cybernetic enhancements, genetic engineering, and other scientific modification so that as humans, we would not die from aging, and it would be very hard to kill us. That would take a lot of stress off of people and we would be able to live longer to acquire money and have the freedom to really enjoy life without current limitations. Immortality has been one of humankind’s major concerns, and it has been traditionally confined to religious traditions. Many cultures believe in immortality, but many of them think that the body eventually dies and the immaterial soul (that is an incorporeal existence) has an astral body that will go on living in another realm, where we do not need money. Some believe after this life, we will enjoy all of the blessings of eternal and we have been given glimpses of what our family in Heaven will be like. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Nevertheless, many people love life on Earth, they love the families and friends that they have now and the places they live, they love their bodies and never want to leave Earth. However, Earth is a learning experience for us, a place for us to grow and show love to others, and it is believed that after we do depart Earth, we will be reunited with our families and friends and live in places where we love. The Son of God is our Redeemer and will deliver us from death. Heaven is the home of God, the angels, and the spirits of the righteous after death; it is the place or state of existence of the blessed after the mortal life. Isaiah 65.17 reports: Behold, I will create new Heavens and a new Earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. (That means we will have no memory of pain and suffering, but we will see our loved ones.) God has promised that in Heaven nothing—even the memory of this World’s sin and pain—will cast a shadow over the joy he has in store for us there. In this current World, even the memory of what someone did to us years ago can still cause us pain, but that will not be true in Heaven because our focus will not be on the past, but on Christ and what he means to us. God has come to fulfill the promises of the Prophets. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Life can be challenging at times, and today I was at home watching a TV show from the 1960s, called Bewitched. And it aired for eight years, all the way into the 1970s. Bewitched was about a beautiful witch called Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) and she falls in love with a mortal guy called Darrin. It is a romantic comedy and it is pretty funny. The show was created to take the muggings in New York City off the minds of people and make them feel safe. However, after watching a few reruns of the show, I noticed that the husband Darrin was played by two different guys. The first Darrin was Dick York, but Mr. York has a secret that he did not tell the show’s producers when he was cast. He had severely injured his back doing a movie a few years before. The injury caused constant and excruciating pain. After a few years on the TV show Bewitched, everyone started to notice that Mr. York was suffering because it became routine to have scenes and plots contrived and written in which Darrin (Dick York) was sitting down, lying down, or reclining (usually sitting at his office desk at work, or in bed, or on the couch at home) as much as possible. However, because the nature of the show required physical comedy, situations would arise that would even put strain on someone in good physical condition. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
On one occasion, Darrin (Dick York) was hanging fifteen feet in the air and the technicians were shining a light in his eyes during the setup for the shot. All the flickering made him feel weird and he started feeling weak and dizzy. Mr. York asked to be lowered from the platform he was on. When he reached the ground, his body felt weak and unstable. And the shaky actor collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. And Mr. York decided to quit the show. Then another young man named Dick Sargant was hired to replace Dick York as Darrin. Although the two guys look similar, Darrin number two was not as friendly and the ratings for the show fell significantly. And while Dick York was at home suffering and having financial problems he found out that job offers had been coming in for him, but his listing with the union was somehow messed up and no one notified him. And so, examples like Dick York are why people seek immortality in the physical World. They sometimes get injured and those injuries are so bad that it limits what they can do and they even have to quit their jobs. Revelation 21.4 reports: God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death nor mourning nor crying nor pain. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Heaven will be a powerful spiritual experience. Heaven is a real place and will be filled with real people, which is why the Bible sometimes compares Heaven to a mansion with many rooms and sometimes to an enormous city teeming with people. Heaven is an eternal city. A river, clear as crystal, will flow from the throne of God down the middle of the city. On each side of the river there will be a tree of life, yielding twelve kinds of fruit every month. The streets will be pure gold, like transparent glass. The walls of the city will be adorned with every kind of jewel, emerald, onyx, amethyst, topaz, and diamonds. There will be no need for a Sun and a Moon, and no need for a temple nor church. The presence of the Lord will be it light. The Lord’s promise of eternal life is real. What happened in our past does not matter, as long as we repent and have faith and become obedient to the Lord. We are to nurture our faith, with a hungering for the word of God in the scriptures, and the obedience to the truth we have received. Feasting on the word of God, heartfelt prayer, and obedience to the Lord’s commandments must be applied evenly and continually for your testimony to grow and prosper. And we will have experience in our current lives that will profoundly touch us with gratitude, awe, and confidence in the future. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Humans have always benefited from obedience to true principle. We can be assured of reaching worthy objectives in life by understanding and consistently following correct principles rooted in revealed truth. The Divine Laws are the great cosmic principles that govern the functioning of the Universe; they are at the base of all Creation. They also govern the functions of conscience, and motivate human experimentations. When we know and apply these laws, we become receptive to our Creator and to our spiritual, divine dimension. We then evolve consciously and all the mysteries of the Universe can be revealed to us. We must gain learning, but we must apply it wisely. Otherwise, we have politics without principle, industry without mortality, knowledge without wisdom, science without humanity. One of the divine laws is power of obedience to law. We must obey human laws and the laws of God, as we have freedom to act and mastery of our actions. When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. We also have the power to love and be kind to others. Worship strengthens our power to God. We must carefully and prayerfully protect the spiritual power line that links us to the Savior, and we will become more like him. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all people. Seek after things that are virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Another thing we need is the love and companionship of our family and friends. This too must be earned by compliance with or obedience to certain rules of behavior. We should be kind and considerate and choose friends who love the Lord. We must be worthy of them by leading good, clean livings, and obeying the commandments of God. It is important to be thoughtful and find occupations that make us happy. It should make us happy just to know that we have the freedom to choose what we want to do to earn a living. When it comes to selecting a career, choose something that one will enjoy doing, and then do the very best one can to be honest, honorable, and upright in one’s dealings and in the services one gives. As long as we seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, know that all these other things we will be blessed with. Work diligently. Be at the right place at the right time. Maintain a degree of humbleness. Also, develop an inner driver and a competitive desire to excel rather than just get along. And foster common sense. Through obedience to these business guidelines, we will have success and happiness. We must ponder Divine Laws and reach into the very essence of what we are and what we may become. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Two Bodies and One Soul
If I say there is caviar in the mountains, you just bring the crackers. True love is two bodies and one soul. As we exercise our faith in the Savior, he will lift us up and carry us through all of our trials and, ultimately, save us in the celestial kingdom. It is undeniable that love plays an enormous and unavoidable role in our several cultures; we find it discussed in song, film, and novels—humorously or seriously; it is a constant theme of maturing life and a vibrant them for youth. Some people even believe that love is a genetic urge that dictates our behavior and others think of love as an intensely spiritual affair that in its highest permits us to touch divinity. Goodness is what all desire. Now it is clear that a thing is desirable only in so far as it is perfect, for all desire their own perfection. The goodness of a thing is tied fundamentally to its fulfillment of its nature. A thing is perfect insofar as it is fully developed and its specifying potentialities have been actualized. To love something is in part to desire for the goodness of the thing loved. The ultimate proper object of love is God, who is the highest good absolutely. God’s goodness is also revealed in every human person, given that every human being is made in the image of God. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
God loves human beings by helping them to maximize their capacity for reason, which is to love the good and act in accordance with it. However, the ultimate good is God, so the nature of human beings is fulfilled by loving and obeying God. The necessary condition for union with God is the state of freely willing only what accords with God’s will. If this is the case, God cannot ensure that all his human beings will be saved in the end and we do not want to be in their path when their feet are put to the coals. As part of our Heavenly Father’s plan, he allowed sorrow to be woven into our mortal experience. While it seems that painful trials fall unevenly on us, we can be assured that to one degree or another, we all suffer and struggle. It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide us to a greater understanding why this must be so. Everyone is acquainted with some measure of loneliness, despair, grief, pain, or sorrow. Without an eye of faith and understanding of eternal truth, we often find that the misery and suffering experienced in mortality can obscure or eclipse the eternal joy of knowing that the great plan of our Farther in Heaven really is the eternal plan of happiness. There is no other way to receive a fullness of joy. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
God invites us to respond with faith to our own unique afflictions in order that we may reap blessings and gain knowledge that can be learned in no other way. We have to lean to endure to the end and to tolerate the hard work and many physical and emotional challenges. Sometimes our minds will scream at us to stop and quit, but we have to endure to the end. Nothing will beat the satisfaction from knowing that you did not give up. The Lord has the power to intervene to relieve the suffering, heal the sick, and raise the dead. Genuine beings, actual or possible, are distinguished from imaginary entities by their possessions of essential being (esse essentiae). This essential being is not a rudimentary mode of existence. It is best described as an intrinsic possibility or intelligibility which pertains to definable essences as reflections of the divine ideas. It is to be contrasted with the intrinsic impossibility and incoherence of res secundum opinionem. Actual beings are distinguished from merely possible beings by their possession of existential beings (esse existentiae). This existential being is not a principle or act within actually existing things. The difference between essential and existential being is to be found not in things themselves but in the relation of essences to God. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Essential being consists in being thought by God, while existential being consists in actually depending on God as a creative Cause. Apart from the fact that each actual being, as a product of divine creativity, is individually related to God, individual things, in which specific essences are multiplied, required no explanation of their individuality. Individuation involves no addition, whether of matter or act of existence, to the intelligible essence. In analyzing the individual as such it is sufficient to say that it is internally undivided and is not identical in existence—that is, in its relation to the Creator—with any other individual. The transition from essential to existential being, or the act of divine freedom. Individual beings come into existence not from intrinsic necessity but because God freely wills to create. Divine will equally requires divine intellect. The human soul is immortal not by nature, but by divine grace. There is a tendency on the part of some to ignore, criticize, or rebel because they cannot accept the human delivery system. Some will not accept Jesus Christs as the Savior because they are waiting for a Prince of Peace to come who is not quite as human as Jesus of Nazareth. People speak of a caste society in America, which we do not have, but did you know Jesus was the son of a carpenter? And some people assumed no good could come of him. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Lack of trust in the Savior is evidence of weakness of people who are unwilling to accept the human qualities of those who care called and raised up to give direction and counsel. We, too, should not be deceived by doubter who would use the same tactics by planting thorns to destroy the harvest. How can we avoid failure of faith? By not allowing our spiritual foundation to be withered away by winds and storms of unbelievers. 2 Nephi 2.6-9 reports: Wherefore, redemption comes in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offered himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the Earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who laid down his life according to the flesh, and takes its again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. Wherefore, he is the first product of God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of humans; and they that believe in him shall be saved. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
While some are struggle with an “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” attitude, they may be missing the truth, the way, and the ultimate harvest. Jesus was not accepted as the Only Begotten Son of God because thousands preferred to recognize him as “Just the child of Mary.” If our spiritual foundation is strong, we will welcome continuing revelation, change, and direction. We will develop the ability to accept releases, callings, and new challenges with enthusiasm. We will be too busy to be offended. We will be too big to be hurt. We will accept people for wat they are and what they can do and become. Change will not only drive our roots deeper, but it will also cause them to grown into new and fertile soil. That way we will be more receptive of knowledge and God. Our horizons will expand. Our Father in Heaven knows what we need. Change can be difficult. Change can be fearful. However, change in the right direction is a growing process. Each new assignment, each new experience in the gospel framework, if fulfilled to the best of one’s ability, adds new strengths. Sometimes when we are asked to be obedient, we do not know why, except the Lord has commanded. By keeping the damned from harming the innocent, God prevents (restrains) them from doing further evil, and thus prevents their further deterioration of being. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
To act and life according to reason is what is objectively good for every human being. By being in a place with like-minded people in which they can never wish and attain what is objectively good for them, the damned could never be happy in the sense that they cannot live according to the objective good, to the will of God. The evil which the damned endure in Hell constitutes suffering for them because it goes contrary to (or undermines) human flourishing. In Hell, they can never be what they ought to be, they can never increase their being, and the qualities which constitute their flourishing are absent. So, let us not forfeit the harvest. If we forfeit the harvest, we lose the satisfaction of accomplishing difficult tasks and serving better. Most of all, we forfeit the gift of eternal growth and progress. May we accept this human condition and do or best to live godly. We must continue to make marvelous contributions toward enlightenment and stay faithful in our efforts. To continue in righteousness takes personal courage and strength of commitment. God is omnipotent and the human mind is given a consciousness. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
She Went with Her Date to Get Some Coffee
We are all different. Each of us has been given talents as well as challenges. Some of us may have physical or mental limitations; others may be lonely or come from homes that do not teach gospel principles. Every physical and psychological problem is well worth the effort of investigation for its own sake, but for other reasons as well. Dr. Sigmund Freud would have thought Goldie Locks with a nymphomaniac because she liked to sleep in a different bed every night, but Dr. Freud thought all problems were related to the sex and childhood disorders. Much like the information on labels of paintings can affect, half unconsciously, our estimate of them, the same is possible when we label people without truly understanding or talking to them. Like the labels on paintings, the outward appearances of some people is often misleading. Some disabilities are more obvious than others. Many are immediately apparent, especially if someone relies on a wheel chair or cane. However, others—known as invisible disabilities are not. People who live with invisible injuries that are not mental, often times cannot take a pill and functional normally and they face particular challenges in the workplace and in their communities. Some people have debilitating fatigue and pain. #RandolphHarris 1 of 13
Desire disorders, like most intimacy problems, must be defined in relation to a person’s age, gender, partner, expectations, and sexual history. It is not at all unusual for a person to briefly lose sexual desire. Typically, erotic feelings return when anger towards a partner fades, or fatigue, illness, and similar temporary problems end. Some people do not merely lack sexual desire; they are repelled by sex and seek to avoid it. A person who suffers from sexual aversion feels fear, or disgust about engaging in the sex. Often, the afflicted person still has some erotic feelings. For example, he or she may still masturbate or have sexual fantasies. Nevertheless, the prospect of having the sex with another person causes panic or revulsion. Sexual desire disorders are common. Possible physical causes include afflictions, fatigue, hormonal difficulties, and side effects of medicines. Desire disorders are also associated with psychological factors such as depression, fearing loss of control over sexual urges, strict religious beliefs, fear of pregnancy, marital conflict, fear of closeness, and simple loss of attraction to one’s partner. It is also not uncommon to find that people with desire disorders were sexually mistreated as children. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13
Because Heavenly Father loves each of us, he has provided us with a source of comfort and strength—the scriptures. While growing up, I was blessed to come from a home where scriptures were an important part of our lives. I have gone to many Church activities and heard friends and family bear testimony of the power of the scripture. It gave me a desire to gain personal testimony of the power and truthfulness of the scriptures, and I am still in the process of building my faith and learning to see the blessings in my life. I know some of you say that there are bad people in the church, and there are, but imagine how bad they would be if they did not go to church. Then I have seen good people stop going to church and become the biggest sinners in the World, committing sins even against their own family for profit, while smiling in their face and acting like they do not know why an individual is going through Hell, but quick to tell that person he or she is bearing a generational curse. Some people have physical disabilities that you cannot see and they do not want to admit that, and it can be frustrating. They look normal, but there are things they should be able to do, and cannot. So, harassing them and making life hard on them can be more destructive than you even care to realize. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13
When you have physical limitations, it also limits the types of jobs you can do and for how long. Many people pray for help. Moroni 7.33: Christ reported if you will have faith in me, you shall have the power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. What a wonderful promise. If we are to put our faith in the Lord, he will help us. Just take one day at a time and do your best. Some of us may face challenges every day, but daily scripture study will remind us to have faith in our Heavenly Father and focus on him, magnify God in our lives and not our problems and life will improve. What we tend to focus on, we magnify. I do not want to focus on my problems every day and only magnify them and make them worse. I want to focus on God and see the promises in the scriptures fulfilled in my life. No matter where you live or what kind of family you come from, Heavenly Father loves you and will be there to help and strengthen you whenever you need him. There is a power in goodness that is often learned in families. There is a void when it is lacking. We have to develop greater reverence for the sanctity of life, and realize all people are not the same. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13
We need to stand tall and be firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues. Who does not have need of assurance in times of uncertainty and testing? Who is so self-confident that there is never a want for stabilizing influence in life? A fundamental purpose of Earth’s life purpose is growth and attainment. The level of importance people place on the sex is unbelievable! How are you supposed to get to know a person if all you are thinking about is what is in between their legs or in the place where the Sun does not shine? The reality of sex is that some people have it, some people do not, and life does not revolve around avoiding it or chasing it. There is no such thing as a normal sex life, even though many people consider sex a normal part of life. And it probably does not deserve the amount of attention it gets. Most of the push for people to have the sex is pressure that we get from the outside World. However, the sex can be damaging to our culture and self-esteem. Have you noticed since the 1990s, the style of dancing has changed, people used to dance face to face, but not their face is looking at the back of someone’s head when they dance. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13
Not only that, but as homosexuals became more accepted in the community, more and more people became obsessed with butts and anal penetration. There are songs glorifying butt. Whereas, in the past, people used to talk about other features of a person like their intelligence, their pillow soft lips, their dreamy eyes, cute nose. You know, parts we can visibly see. Also, it is important to have someone who can carry a conversation and actually wants to see you. And, the butt problem is not all to blame on homosexuals because many men are just looking for more traction and that is what most obsession is about. However, companionship is the most important part of a relationship, you want to be with one person, someone you really like and can build a house with. Companionship is that state of being friends, but it goes deeper than even a friendship. It is a closeness or familiarity, a true fellowship among two people, who for whatever reasons, have truly connected. Strong couples are able to be good companions, sharing their day to day lives, personal histories, and interest together. They give verbal and physical affection like hugs, compliments, provide emotional support, and are able to help each other through tough times. It is also important to have someone to validate you. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13
Also, people who are not in relationships need to have their requirements for companionship met in other ways. It is important for them to have strong bonds with their friends and family, people who know them well, and are able to understand them. We all need to know that we have an important place in someone’s life. And, some people have different needs for amount of control in a relationship, or have specific requests to feel balanced and comfortable in. Gratefully, for people who do not have support systems, and even those who do, in his perfect love, God has provided a way for us to resolve challenges while growing in strength and capacity. The sustaining power of faith in times of uncertainty and testing is a God given way that we may find peace, joy, and purpose in life. Faith is like high energy particles that cannot be seen. When we generate more of these particles, through trust in God no matter how challenging the circumstance, that energy travels in waves. It is part of the electromagnetic spectrum called radiant energy. And when we increase of faith in God, we are picking up on more of his radiant energy, which should counteract much of the negative energy that we have been receiving. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13
Radiant energy is the energy of electromagnetic waves. It is a form of energy that can travel through space. For example, we receive the heat from the Sun, which is located 92.96 miles from Earth. As you may know, when there is a solar flare, which is basically the Sun emitting more energy, the Earth tends to get hotter, and it can disrupt communication devices on Earth. So, think of an increase of your faith in God like a solar flare, you are attracting more radiant energy from God, and those electromagnetic waves are blocking out things that may be bad for you and drawing more things to you that may be good. It will take time, but you will start noticing that people are nicer to you, they are more protective of you, they want to talk to you, and eventually they will have new and exciting opportunities from God to offer you. When you change your energy, the type of energy you attract will also change. You notice that many suburban housewives are always happy and smiling when they go out and public and how people seem to worship them? Well, that is because of the energy they are putting out. And in the suburbs people talk and word gets around, so you want to be painted in the best light and have people like you. It does not mean being fake, it just means putting out good radiant energy of electromagnetic waves. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13
I met a few couples, and they do not say much, but they are always nice and smile and say hi when I see them and that makes me feel good. That is the type of community I grew up in. A place where you treat everyone with respect, and you do not have to get deeply involved with people, but respect them, out of the love of God, so you can attract that same energy back to you. These people are well balanced and consistent, and they care about their reputations and would never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose. Therefore, trust in God and in his willingness to provide help when needed, no matter how challenging the circumstance. Obey his commandments and live to demonstrate that he can trust you. Be sensitive to the quiet prompting of the Spirit. Act courageously on that prompting. Be patient and understanding when God lets you struggle to grow and answers will come one wave at a time over an extended period. Motivating faith is centered in trust in the Lord and in his willingness to answer your needs. For the Lord does bless and prosper those who put their trust in him. The consistent, willing exercise of faith increases your confidence and ability to employ the power of faith. God loves everyone, we are all his children. 2 Nephi 2.29 reports: And choose not eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which gives the spirit of the Devil power to captivate, to bring down to Hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13
The most important thing to God is to save our souls for everlasting life. The consistent, willing exercise of faith increases your confidence and ability to employ the power of faith. Electrical energy, a flow of charged particles along a conductor or the flow of ins across a membrane is much like God sending energy through your body and brain to fortify your soul. Faith is energy which is hoped for and not seen; therefore, do not dispute faith because you cannot see it. You may not know how you are going to make it, you may not know where your next blessing is coming from, but do not say it is impossible that you can press on because after the trial of faith, the blessings that come your way will be so amazing that you will receive that confirming evidence of Spirit. And those feelings will fortify your faith. As you repeat that pattern, your faith will become stronger. The Lord knows your needs. When you ask honestly and with real intent, he will prompt you to do that which will increase your ability to act in faith. With consistent practice, faith will become a vibrant, powerful, uplifting, inspiring force in your life. As you walk to the boundary of your understanding, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise. I testify that I know that is true. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13
Another thing is we may not always get what we want, but God will respond with what in his eternal plan is best for you. Faith is not just about instant gratification, it is an energy that will act as a conduit to get us through life, help continue to practice divine laws, and help us to go out and earn the things we want. You cannot just walk in Walmart and come out with a cart of goods and services without paying for them. You have to do something to earn that money so you can go and buy what you want. Our faith in God gives us understanding and strength. Some vital decisions many have experiences, come through sustaining through the grueling, anguish, and struggle that precedes a confirming answer. And, those experiences are edifying. It is comforting to know that God will never try you more than you can manage with his help. God uses your faith to mold your character. And there are people out there living the high life, who wished they could have held back and been isolated because some of the afflictions that are suffering with. This is not where you will always be in life. Strong moral character results from consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of life. You can use your faith to guide you. What you think and do will determine what you are and what you will become. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13
We have to have courage to make the right decisions. This is done through contemplation and prayer, and exercising faith to willingly make choices consistent with the teachings of God. Such choices are made with trust in the electronic energy of God. Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to obediently respond to the direction of the Spirit. Righteous character is what you are becoming. It is more important that what you own, where you live. Right character enables you in times of trial and testing to make difficult, extremely important decisions correctly even when they seem overpowering. Neither Satan nor any other power can weaken or destroy your growing character. Only you can do that through disobedience. So, behaving is important. The more character is fortified, the more enabled you are to exercise the power of faith that will help you successfully grow so you can complete your purpose on Earth. A mother recently expressed to me that her daughter was killed on the way home from work, but because of her daughters love and support, the mother was able to continue living. That is so important because that woman gave up her career and free time make her daughter a success. Sometimes we are not living for ourselves, but we are here to support others. The power of the Lord will bless us. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13
And I also lost someone who means the World to me, but much like that woman’s daughter, I feel in my heart and soul that our loved ones are still alive on this planet. And I truly believe that and we will see them again. That is my testimony of faith. And you may have had people pretend to be your loved one, but you could tell by their actions it was not them. We know our loved ones so well and that if they were here, and could come to us that they would. The Father in Heaven loves you no matter what your circumstance, no matter what winds of trial, turmoil, or tribulation whip you like a hurricane. God and his guidance through the Holy Spirit will sustain you in an increasingly more challenging World. However, I want you to believe that your loved one is not lost, like I know mine is not, and we will someday see them again. Keep your sustained power of faith. Help others understand how faith in God and his teachings can bless their lives. I know there has been something that you have believed in your life with a strong conviction and it has come to be, use that same faith and know whatever it is you are missing, if you have the faith, one day you will find it and know it is right. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13
One Who Falls in Love May go Unnoticed
The greatest thing that can be known in the human experience is the ability to love and be loved. One who falls in love may go unnoticed by the casual observer, but the act of being in love can be examined by what events or conditions led to the agent’s believing he or she was in love: this may include the theory that being in love is an overtly strong reaction to a set of highly beneficial conditions in the behavior or presence of another. Some may consider love to be an expression of a state of affairs towards a beloved, which may be communicated through language (words, poetry, music) or behavior (bringing flowers, giving up a kidney, diving into the proverbial burning building), but which is a reflection of an internal, emotional state, rather than an exhibition of physical responses to stimuli. Others may claim love is a spiritual response, the recognition of a soul that completes one’s own soul, or complements or augments it. The divinity of the love of God consists and confirms itself in the fact that in himself and all his works God is gracious, merciful, and patient, and at the same time holy, righteous, and wise. No matter how seemingly magnificent and grand anything else in human life may appear to be, it is but a shallow substitute at best for the knowing and experiencing of love. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10
As one passes through life, so many types of experiences are given priority position in the human mind. Some of these areas are indeed important, in terms of human life experience, but none is as important as love. As with so many things in life to which people may be accustomed, loves true value is never fully understood or comprehended by most until such time as a particular expression of love is lost. Our son has a small toy robot. It can walk and perform other simple function. Should it fall, it can, with some difficulty, right itself. It performs its programmed function mechanically, without feeling. Yet, it has no capacity to grow or to alter its destined course. It responds immediately to any external force that satisfies its needs, and ceases to function when its internal spring is spent. Satan would have all of the children of Father in Heaven behave like robots. If humans are to enter into a genuinely personal relationship with one’s Maker, one must first experience some degree of freedom and autonomy. For only a relatively independent being can enter into a relationship of love and trust with one’s Creator, and man’s fall is seen as a fall into this independence. It is thus analogous to the phase of disobedience which signals a young child’s assertion of his or her own individuality in relation to one’s parents. #RandolphHarris 2 of 10
If God had created a World in which natural law were continuously adjusted for the avoidance of all pain, the more heroic human virtues would never be evoked. You notice how when a great disaster hits the Earth, people come together and are loving, and supportive, and giving? When the 2010 Earthquake hit Haiti, this person told me it is because the people are bad and it was punishment, but you noticed that Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma are major cataclysms happening in the United States of America, and these violent conditions, hardly fit for human nor beast, beset our country in a lethal fashion, not once, but twice in just a week, and more are expected. If you notice, many of these storms follow the Transatlantic slave trade’s path. We are just blessed they are happening now, when it is hot. On January 12, 1888, the temperatures in the Great Plains, from South Dakota down to Texas, suddenly plummeted, the winds began to howl, and the snow started to fall. Hundreds of children were trapped in their one-room schoolhouses, giving the storm its name: The Schoolhouse Blizzard. Many of those who tried to make back to the house never did and were among the 235 who perished. Some people were buried under snowdrifts and not found until Spring. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10
Bad as that storm was, it was not the worst storm of ’88. The so-called Great White Hurricane hit the Eastern Coast of the United States of America on March 12, 1888 and lasted for three days. Fifty inches of white powder, fresh snow, fell in Massachusetts, and there were drifts as high as 50 feet in places from Maryland to Canada. Two hundred ships went down, and more than 100 seaman were among the 400 people who were ultimately killed in the storm. New York City, where another 200 of that total died, was the apex of the disaster. Fire damage in cities hit by the storm totaled over $609,477,272.73 because wagons and horses were unable to leave the firehouses. The Great White Hurricane is still, 130 years after the fact, considered the worst blizzard in United States history. The World is alive and always changing. We cannot really control the climate no matter how many electric cars we produce or gas taxes we pass. Not only that, but using a leaf blower for a year produces as much pollution as a car driving 1,000,000 miles, and they are very loud and disturb the peace. We cannot control the Earth, but we can control ourselves. “Because the children of God are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God has given,” reports 2 Nephi 26. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10
Because there is suffering in the World, people have a chance to develop and display qualities such as courage, fortitude, loyalty, honesty, and the caring and protective aspects of love. The plan of the Lord created people to be independent spirits. The spirit is created by God and matured in the premortal existence, tabernacle in a body of flesh and bones. A mother and father participate with God in this sacred experience. These parents loved, guide, and inspire the growing child. With proper understanding of an obedience to the teachings of the Savior, the child learns, and by practice of the truth, is converted into a self-reliant, loving, serving son or daughter of God, whose potential for growth and accomplishment is limitless; whose destiny, if he or she is fully obedient, is to return to the presence of God to partake of his glory and to share in his exalted work. Such an individual can have great happiness in this life as well. The eternal happiness of human beings in society with one another and in communion with God is symbolized by the Kingdom of Heaven. The final fulfilment of God’s purpose for his creatures in his Heavenly Kingdom constitutes a good so great and enduring that it justifies all the pains which have been experiences just to reach it. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10
Many of our strongest beliefs are either based on or confirmed by our own experience. There is no species of reasoning more common, more useful, and even necessary to human life, than that which is derived from the testimony of people, and the reports of eye witnesses and spectators’. However, testimony varies in its reliability and so needs to be used critically. Mortal life is a proving ground, and our proving grounds vary. Some of us are born with physical limitations; others are lonely or do not enjoy good health. Some are challenged by economic conditions, the lack of good parental example, or a myriad of other things that test our mettle. While much of the pain and sorrow we endure is the result of our own stubborn acts of disobedience, many of the things that appear to be obstacles in our path are used by a loving Creator for our own personal growth. Life never was intended to be easy. Rather, it is a period of growth. It is interwoven with difficulties, challenges, and burdens. We are immersed in a white squall of persistent, Worldly pressures that could destroy our happiness. Yet, these very forces, if squarely faced, provide opportunity for tremendous personal growth and development and redevelopment. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10
If God’s primary purpose for humans was to evoke in them a free and uncompelled love and trust in relation to himself, would this purpose be frustrated by his creating people so that they could not do other than make this response? The conquering of adversity produces strength of character, forges self-confidence, engenders self-respect, and assures success in righteous endeavor. Some of us at one time or another let the pressures of life or the false teaching of humans cloud our vision, but when we see with clarity, the difference between the plan of God and that of Satan is unmistakable. Satan would convert divinely independent spirits into creatures bound by habit, restricted by appetite, and enslaved by transgression. He would persuade us to improperly use the divine gift of free agency. Through subtle, tempting influence, he encourages us to gratify desire for personal power and influence or to succumb to appetite. He progresssively binds those that follow carnal desire. Unless they repent, they are effectively converted into robots who no longer exercise control over their eternal destiny. In contrast, God is a loving, patient, understanding Father deeply interested in our personal well-being, anxious for our happiness, and totally committed to our eternal progression. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10
Our happiness on Earth, as well as our eternal salvation, requires many correct decisions, no one of which is difficult to make. Together they forge a character resistant to the eroding influences that surround us. Noble character is a great beauty and priceless worth. Yet, it can be broken in a moment through transgression. When protected by self-control, righteous character will endure for eternity. As we read and ponder the scriptures, with deep faith, we must earnestly seek our Father in prayer, and peace will envelop our beings. With sincere repentance and obedience to the commandments of God, coupled with genuine concern for and service to other, fear will be purged from our hearts. We are conditioned to understand it is our divine right to learn to be at peace and be happy, and know that life is rewarding, productive, and meaningful. We are individuals not a robot enslaved by adversity, nor need we be as we wisely use our free agency to follow the teachings of the Savior. Divine love can surpass and be of far greater importance than all other experiences of love because it is the eternal love which one can have throughout childhood and into antiquated age or latter years of life. It is the ultimate source or essence from which all other forms of love in human experience come forth. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10
Do not fear the challenges of life, but approach them patiently, with faith in God. Good can come from trouble, Trauma can enliven the heart and enrich the soul. God’s love can fill the human soul with peace when one’s life may seem to be in helpless turmoil. God’s love is powerful, as it can heal the emotions, and the physical body by exerting the presence of divine love through the mortal or human side of the mind. This divine love has the authority that affects the mind and chemistry of the body, and through such an effect, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing is experienced. With all the love in my heart, I extend an invitation to all to obtain a fulness of an understanding of the plan of happiness and exaltation provided by the Savior. In every living person, there is another kind of knowledge, an unreasoning one, but which gives a possibility of living—faith. Faith is the force of life. Believing in God and seeking to live his law provides the power to successfully overcome the testing challenges brings us. We can overcome personal challenges we encounter an actually find joy in living. We can solve any problem by putting our lives in harmony with God and being kind to each other. With the help of the Lord, there are no problems, only challenges. Faith in God develops a personal love for him, which is reciprocated through his blessings to us in times of need. #RandolphHarris 9 of 10
God will reward your faith with power not only to endure, but also to overcome hardships, disappointment, trials, and struggles of daily living. Through diligently striving to live the law of God and with faith in him, we will not be diverted from our eternal course either by the ways or the praise of the World. May each of us develop faith in God sufficient to fight the battles of life victoriously with the strength of God, with his miraculous strength; and mighty power. We will then find the happiness we so much desire in our lives. The Spirit of the Lord has been with us. We have every reason to be grateful. We have been refreshed in our testimonies and strengthened in our faith. All of us will be the stronger as we implement in our lives and in our homes the things we have learned. We thank God for his mercies and blessings. His power and wisdom has brought his people more fully into the knowledge and favor of the intelligent people of the Earth. Our business is to work righteousness in the Earth, to seek for development of a knowledge of God’s will and of God’s ways, and of his great and glorious truths which he has revealed through the scriptures. We shall lower our voices of criticism and negativism; that we look for good in the World, and that we will be honest with our employers in giving our time and talents and deal honestly with everyone we meet. God will wash away your pain, take away your tears, and wait alone for you. God will listen to you talking because he wants you to believe and have faith and change what is coming through. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10
We are Perfect the Way God Made Us
All life is sacred. Human life is especially so. Sacred means worthy of veneration and respect. By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than others things. Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence. Sacred ranks high in the hierarchy of Heavenly values. God sends light and knowledge from Heaven and he invites us to receive and treat it as sacred. “Protecting human life is of utmost importance to God. He takes this so seriously and personally because he made humanity reflect him. We are his Earthly representatives, made in his image. To murder another person is to mount an attack on the One who created him or her,” reports Genesis 9.8-10. Moral reciprocity—doing to others as one would have them do to oneself and giving an equal return for benefits received—is closely linked to impartiality, for to be impartial between oneself and someone else would mean doing nothing to profit at his or her expense. We believe in being honest, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all people. Traits of virtue, broadly practiced, can loosen and derail Satan’s firm and insidious grip on the hearts, minds, and spirits of mortal humans. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
How does this spoiling of God’s initially good creation come about? Evil has entered into the Universe through the culpable violations of free creatures, angels, and people. Their sin consisted, not in choosing positive evil (for there is no positive evil to choose), but in turning away from the higher good, namely God, to a lower good. For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil—not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked. Natural evils, such as disease, are divinely ordained consequences of the primeval fall of humanity, and thus all traces of evils are directly or indirectly linked to a wicked misuse of creaturely freedom. God is the highest, richest, and most intensely real being, is the supreme good, and everything that he has brought into existence is ipso facto good. For this reason, the corruption which we call evil can never be complete; for if a thing becomes so vitiated in nature that it ceases to exist, the evil which is parasitic upon it must also crease to exist. The Divine Mind is like an infallible calculating machine, surveys all possible combinations and selects the best, to which it then gives existence. We are perfect the way God made us and all here to learn our own nature, which will determine where we spend eternity. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
The sacred cannot be selectively surrendered. As we seek answers from God, we feel the still, small voice whisper to our spirits. These feelings—these impressions—are so natural and so subtle that we may overlook them or attribute them to reason. Those who choose to abandon even one sacred thing will have their minds darkened. There is a generally recognized right to be left alone. An invasion of privacy occurs when someone unjustifiably intrudes on this right. If your privacy has been invaded by intrusion, misappropriation, public disclosure of private facts, or false light, an individual may have suffered physically and emotionally, or otherwise and may wish to bring a civil lawsuit to recover from this harm. The harm to one’s intertest in privacy depends on which form of privacy invasion an individual suffered. If private facts were publicly disclosed, one would be entitled to economic compensation for the harm that came from the disclosure, such as harm to your reputation and standing in the community. Mental or emotional distress that one has suffered from is also recoverable. And, if the invasion caused one to incur any special damages (specific quantifiable damages, such as medical expenses one has incurred) an individual may also recover those. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Daily reflecting upon and recording the impressions that come from God help us recognize our personal encounters with the divine and preserve them for ourselves and our posterity. Confidentiality is a respected part of the medical code of ethics. Doctors understand that people need to feel comfortable talking about private and revealing private information, they need a safe place to talk about anything they would like, without fear of that information leaving the room. They take your privacy very seriously. Laws are also in place to protect your privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) contains a privacy rules that creates national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and personal health information. The right to control other’s access to one’s personal World, whether psychologically or physically can be attained by physical barriers or by communicating boundaries verbally. Privacy is important to not only a person’s psyche, but also the sense of self-worth. No one wants to live in a community where the government and media has violated their privacy and spread around rumors and sensitive information, and every time you meet someone, they feel like that know you, but actually have no idea who you are. They only know things that they have heard about you, which they may take as facts. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Light and knowledge from Heaven is sacred. It is sacred because Heaven is its source. It can be deeply disturbing when you meet people for the first time and they are talking about things you shared in confidential messages, and you know they would have no access to unless they are hacking into your personal messages. Sometimes the media will stoop to levels you cannot believe and work like witches over a cauldron to create a story. In 2013, police arrested six journalists because of phone hacking and suspicion of corruption charges that caused the News of the World newspaper empire to close. The reporters were accused of phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of stories. Scotland Yard investigators found evidence of a further suspected conspiracy—above and beyond the scope of the original phone hacking probe that led to the paper’s demise. The journalist intercepted viocemails (answering machines messages on a mobile device). The board reach of the scandal became even more evident when Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, announced his resignation. There was ongoing speculation and accusations relating to the Metropolitan Police and with the News International at a senior level and in particular in relation to Mr. Neil Wallis, who was editor of News of the World, until 2009. He was also arrested as part of the scandal. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
The news media swooped down on innocent people like a plague of crows and felt that they were above the law as they violated privacy laws. It was even revealed that Milly Dowler, a teen murdered in 2002, allegedly had her voicemail hacked and messages deleted by a reporter from the newsroom. The owner of the news agencies went on record and apologized. There was also a connection to September 11, 2001, as allegations surfaced that reporters tried to tap the phone of 9/11 victims in search of yet more sensational headlines. “Many, many innocent men, women, and children their private tears bought and sold by News International for commercial gain,” reported Gordon Brown the former British Prime Minister. As a result, the government established a judicial inquiry to look at criminal activity, media ethics, and media ownership. The media is very helpful at being a voice of the community, and getting justice for some people, but they can also be a very dangerous criminal organization and ruin the lives of people by targeting them in an effort to profit from “Breaking News.” No matter which way you turn, you get it right between where the Sun does not shine because so many people are morally adrift in a secular white squall. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Salvation is free. The sacred cannot be selectively surrendered. Money is not the root of all evil, it was new in Biblical days, they did not know much about it. Those who choose to abandon even one sacred thing will have their minds sulked in darkness as if they are in the bowels of the Devil. And unless they repent, the light they have will be taken from them by a theft in the night, allowing Satan to take root in their souls. Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. Studying history is important because it allows us to understand our past, which in turn allows to understand our present. If we want to know how and why our World is the way it is, we have to look to history for answers. History does not repeat itself, people do. If we study the successes and failures of the past, we may, ideally, be able to learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future. Studying history can provide us with insight into our cultures of origin as well as cultures with which we might be less familiar, thereby increasing cross-cultural awareness and understanding. People know good from evil and the law is given to them. God is light, and people that receive the light, and continue in that light grow brighter and bright until the perfect day. May the Lord bless us to ever and always recognize, remember, and hold sacred that which we have received from above. As we do, we will have the power to endure the trials an overcome the challenges of our day. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
The Windows of Heaven Illuminate the Soul
Eternal life is the belief that people can return to live in God’s presence and continue as families. The World is God (the only substance) under his attributes of thought and extension. The windows of Heaven allow spiritual illumination and perspective is poured out through the windows of Heaven and into our lives as we honor God. Everything follows from his essence by a logical necessity. Things could not have been produced by God in any other manner or order than that in which they were produced. All things must have followed of necessity from a given nature of God, and they were determined for existence or action in a certain way by the necessity of the divine nature. “And this the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands; and he commanded that whoso should possess the land should possess it unto the Lord, or they should be destroyed when they were ripened in iniquity; for upon such, says the Lord: I will pour out the fulness of my wrath,” reports Ether 9.20. God has given life and then sustained it. He described a fact which is true for every human being: unforgiven sin will bring us unending torment. And he described the gift we all have been offered: those whose faith in Jesus Christ leads them to repentance and forgiveness will live in never-ending happiness. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment. The full Christian doctrine does not restrict God’s creative act to an initial moment in the cosmic process. All things owe their being continuously to his power. He is a first cause in the order of existence, not of time, for he himself is supratemporal. What is to be said about time and its relation to eternity derives from the fact that eternity is also before time. This expresses the fact that eternity is the element which embraces time on all sides. Eternity faithfully accompanies time on high, just as on a journey we are accompanied from one horizon to another by the vault of Heaven which begins and ends beyond every horizon. Or to be more precise it consists in the fact that eternity does not will to be without time, but causes itself to be accompanied by time. God is as we are. God endures in his pure and perpetual duration as we have our confused and fleeting duration. It is not that God merely was and will be. This is also true, and everything depends on whether eternity is understood as the divine perfectum and futurum, and our past and future as surrounded by God’s eternity. God’s eternity is time. Time itself is in eternity. Its whole extension from beginning to end, each single part of it, every epoch. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
We have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if we have known of his goodness we are able to influence our audience. If we can remember and so remain grateful, we will retain a remission of our sins through all the losses and the gains of life. When we taste God’s love, and have received a remission of our sins, which causes such exceedingly great joy in our souls, even so we should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and our own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards us, unworthy creatures, and humble ourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. “For it comes to pass that whoso build it up and seek to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it brings to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the Devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same lair who beguiled our first parents, even that same lair who beguiled our first parents, even that same lair who has caused humans to commit murder from the beginning; who has hardened the hearts of people that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning,” reports Ether 8.25. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Nationalism is based on the divine election of a people and a land for the proclamation to all humankind of those demands that God makes of all people, but for the special representation of which God has chosen one nation, whose suffering derives from its unfaithfulness to its mission. How can you and I remember, always, the goodness of God, that we can retain a remission of our sins? The Holy Ghost brings back memories of what God has taught us. And one of the ways God teaches us is with his blessings; and so, if we choose to exercise faith, the Holy Ghost will bring God’s kindness to our remembrance. You could test that in prayer today. You could follow the command to thank the Lord, your God, in all things. For, one of the greatest sins which some are guilty of is the sin of ingratitude. Presumably, most of us have not thought of that as a great sin. There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. However, sometimes we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. We enjoy so much. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
God provided the human soul with infinite worth, and the ethical ideal of the kingdom of God. If you exercise faith, and with the gift of the Holy Ghost, you will find that memories of other blessings will flood into your mind. If you begin to express gratitude for each of them, your prayer may take a little longer than usual. Remembrance will come. And so will gratitude. The Holy Ghost has helped with that since the beginning of time. “Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the World not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is take from them in me, that is has no power over them,” reports Moroni 8.8. Ask yourself how did God bless you today? If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes, you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God’s hand in your life. God is still on the throne and he has promotion and increase already lined up for you. His favor surrounds you like a shield. Goodness and mercy are following you. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Eyes and ears of faith are needed to recognize the spiritual gift of enhanced discernment that can empower us to identify opportunities that other people may overlook. There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect. We should be thankful and express appreciation for all favors received—and surely we receive many. The chief objects of our gratitude, however, should be, and are, God, our Heavenly Father, and his son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. To the Lord Jesus we own an undying debt of gratitude, for he bought us with a great price. It is impossible for us, weak mortals as we are, to fully comprehend and appreciate the sufferings he endured on the cross that he might gain for us the victory over death. Jesus is the Christ, he atoned for our sins, and he is the keys which unlock the doors of eternal life. Remembrance is the foundation of gratitude which is the foundation generosity. Gratitude for the remission of sins is the seed of charity, the pure love of Christ. And so, God has made possible for you and me this blessing, a change in our very natures. God will comfort and will our hearts with hope and perfect love, which love endures by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
The blessing of greater personal determination is a virtue for purposefully fulfilling life. Cultivating happiness, courage, humanity, and altruism provide a strong foundation for those bound to a cause that is considered worthwhile, even against tremendous odds. Sometimes we may wonder why no one is helping us with situations we are enduring, but the blessings that comes to us through the Heavenly windows may be greater capacity to act and change our own circumstances rather than expecting our circumstances to be changed by someone or something else. We must pray earnestly that God will strengthen and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies. And God will deliver us and give peace to our souls. Assurance, peace, faith, and hope are precisely the blessings we need to press forward and prevail physically and spiritually. God will give us physical and mental stamina. Along with an enlarged perspective and increased patience and grace. God will bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals. And when we plead for relief from physical, mental, and spiritual difficulties, God will increase our resolve and resilience. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
All Really Delightful Things are Sudden
The Spirit renews our minds, and writes God’s writes law of love in our hearts, and we are given the power to live an honorable life. Abiding in him we become partakers of the divine nature and have the assurance of salvation now and in the judgment. It is obvious and generally admitted that we can have knowledge only of what is true. Truth, the most powerful of all things, is the strongest friend of innocence. God’s presence in the human mind enables it to recognize eternal truth. We live in a wonderful World that is fully of beauty, charm, and adventure! A wonderful era! There are so many choice people, such lovely things, and so much that is desirable. Just to live a normal, useful life is a priceless blessing. Each one of us has a choice: to focus our energy on obstacles or opportunities. What we focus on is magnified. However, there is also a time when certain God-given standards and true principles that have long been accepted and respected are being rejected by many. Indeed, it is a day when there is distress of nations, with perplexity. The Lord speaks of a time when the love of people shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound. Has that time come? The wages of sin should be considered. The price of everything going up. To sin is really expensive, with inflation and all. It is most disturbing to learn of the degradation that exists today. Crime and contention are a daily diet to the reader and the listener of news. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
What are you believing God will do in your life? Out of love to yourself, you should confine yourself to truth, for by doing otherwise, you injure the noblest part of yourself, your immortal soul. The scriptures tell us that the Devil is the foundation of murder and works of darkness, and he has great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the World. Such people seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every person walks in their own way, and after the image of their idols, whose image is in the likeness of the World. And they deny the power of God, the Holy One; and they say to people that they are gods, and that there is no real Lord in Heaven today, for the Lord and the Redeemer has done his work, and he has given his power unto them. However, these people who claim they are god and the Father in Heaven does not exist are liars. They are of their “father the devil, and the lusts of their father will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not speak the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies,” reports John 8.44. It is truly painful to be thus requested to renounce one’s originality. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
Crises and violence the World over are arising one after another, and they come to no satisfactory conclusion. Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma prove that humans are not the ultimate power. They cannot stop these storms. Some may ask why does not God, with that superior power, put an end to all evil doings? Because all people have the power to evaluate the right against the wrong. All people have the right to direct the course of their own lives, and the Lord will not deny that. Some people may be suffering from a lunatic infection and do not seem to mind. The Lord’s purpose in all of this is to bring to all the opportunity to prepare for the greatest gift of God: eternal life. Human progress is to a great degree dependent upon his or her willingness to remain steadfast and immovable, especially when faced with opposition and adversity. However, no person will ever be given more opposition than one has the potential to overcome or to endure. Some have a battle with infirmities, some with lust, some with addiction, some with envy, or selfishness, some with sorrow. “Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold God is mightier than all the Earth,” reports 1 Nephi 4.1. This is a time of sifting, a time when, more than ever in the history of the modern World, the adversary and his followers have sown themselves to be enemies of God. However, we need not fear the fiery darts of the adversary, because each of us has the power to avoid becoming entangled in sin more definitely than ever before. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Someone I know is so spiritually ugly, that when people ask the parents which one of them this person resembles, they flip a coin to decide because they do not want to take responsibility for raising such a monster. We must purify our lives and sanctify our homes. We must teach our children to be loyal, obedient, honest, to respect the law (and to appreciate protective laws), to have respect for all people, and have a deep love of the Lord and his church. We must live and act with courage, espouse and uphold God-given truth and principles, because to follow the whims, enticements, and the faithless philosophy of people is to risk losing that which is more precious and desirable—peace, liberty, and salvation. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resists the Devil, and he will flee from you. “It is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers; and also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the World began, even down unto this present times,” reports 1 Nephi 3.19-20. We are sons and daughters of a living God, in whose image we have been created. Think of that truth: Created in the image of God. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
God is always trying to give good things to us. This is a wonderful era, primarily because in the restored gospel we have the light of truth which, if applied, will bring sweet peace and serenity into the lives of those who do so. The Lord has made the World a crucible for testing us, a place of sifting from which may come the blessings of a joyous life here and a glorious life to come. “My God has been my support; he has led me through my afflictions in the wilderness; and he has preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He has filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. God has confused my enemies, unto the cause of them to quake before me,” 2 Nephi 4.20-22. Blessed is the person that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. God controls the whole Universe and nothing is too hard for him. He has given us talents and gifts that will take us to new levels of our destiny. We are living in a time that is unexcelled. Let us make sure that we do progress as we should. God has blessings in your future that if he showed you now, you would not believe it. It is exceedingly great. Your dreams will come to pass and the promises God has made will be fulfilled. Negativity will become optimism, as we soar beyond our meager accomplishments. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Truth is always bold. We cannot sincerely understand how powerful it is to be created in the image of God, without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power, even the strength to live the commandments of God, the power to resist the temptations of Satan. I want to know God’s thoughts. The rest are details. As we keep our covenants we will be happy, more successful, loved, and respected even by those who do not believe as we do and who may ridicule us. They expect us to keep our covenants and out commitments, to stand up for our beliefs, and to be different. Let people know that you love them and will do all in your power to help them succeed and be happy, but remember to be living worthily and be prepared to continue to live worthy of the gospel which God has embraced and magnified in your life. And because you honor God, he will do in a fraction of the time what should have taken you a lifetime to accomplish. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God. When we accept God’s grace and salvation, the Holy Spirit reveals our need for Jesus and recreates us. The Spirit builds our faith and helps us leave our broken lives behind. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
What do I Look Like, an Inferior Decorator?
God made our World with brilliant creativity and tender care. He created humanity to take care of and take pleasure in the planet, with rest and recreation in perfect balance. Achieving eternal life is a personal obligation. To save the World is a great responsibility. This responsibility rests no only on church members, but also on us. We cannot rebel against God and be in harmony with him. There is open rebellion all over the World against the established order of decency and obedience to the laws of God and man. However, the only way Satan can be bound is for people to forsake his temptations and enticements to do evil, and to walk uprightly and circumspectly before the Lord. Satan and his followers are constantly looking for weakness in our armor of spiritual protection, and when it is found, every pressure and subterfuge is placed upon it to infiltrate our souls and destroy us. Our only hope of Heavenly protection is in establishing righteousness and humility in the heart of people everywhere. It takes real courage and purpose to live a saintly life. At the root of your lifestyle is your commitments and what you are dedicated to forges your life and the lives of the people around you. The Spirit of God is one of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith. If we have been taught and determined always to choose the right and resist evil, we will have the strength to overcome obstacles. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
We must be honest with ourselves and others. In the Control of morals, there must be self-mastery, self-discipline, and self-control. If you do not like your lifestyle, look at what you are doing that could be throwing your life out of balance. Some people might be involved in things that are leading to the destruction of moral, ethical, and spiritual values of life. Look at your life with pure honesty and focus only on the results. We must be morally clean and not live a double moral standard. We must not have two personalities—one for Sunday and another for the other six days of the week. A lot of people are always searching for something better in life. They do not want to commit to some things because they see it as giving up their freedom and think that something better may come around, and want to keep their options open. In doing so, these individuals are giving up the joy of life. Real freedom comes from commitment. When you commit, you allow your mind the freedom to be relaxed and not worry about that aspect of life anymore and your mind is able to be more creative and move forward. The Lord says, “After you have arrived in the promise land, you will know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver you from destruction,” (Nephi 17.14). Overcoming temptation will provide us with deliverance and continued faith will have the promise of receiving blessings. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
Possessing the word of God and having an understanding of it, no member should every yield to the temptation of evil. We have been properly taught, but we are not all living as we are taught. How many of us because of our failure to keep the commandments of God take the devil with us into our lives, into our homes, into the temples of God, into sacrament and other church meetings? We must be special people to God by being committed to him; and we must prove our commitment to God through our conduct and behavior and obedience to his commandments. In the family home, there, one should find high standards maintained with confidence, peace, companionship, and happiness. Also, obedience goes beyond that of Earthly parents. It obligates all of us children of our Heavenly Father to be obedient to his laws and commandments. “Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For this says the Lord: I will contend with them that content with thee. And I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and the Redeemer,” (2 Nephi 6.17-18). We must realize that it is our duty and privilege to be good neighbors, especially to those who have no families. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
The image of God is within us. It is a joy to recognize the great gift that God has given to us all. It is time to bring out the likeness of God in all believers. The Holy Spirit shows us our need for God and assures us that we are saved and forgiven. The spirit writes a new script in our hearts, empowering us to live in freedom, service and joy. God treats us as if we had never sinned, never doubted, never gone our own way. God claims our hearts and transforms our outlook. Our spiritual life grows as we talk with God, ponder his word, share our faith and worship him. We are taught the glory of God is intelligence, or, in other terms, light and truth. We are taught to seek wisdom, seek learning; even by study and also by faith. Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his or her diligence and obedience than another, that individual will have so much the advantage in the World to come. “The final state of the souls of humans is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out of that justice,” (1 Nephi 15.35). It is my earnest prayer that all of us will be firm, steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of our Lord, and this will keep Satan out of the Church. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Common sense suggest ability without sophistication or special knowledge. It is just good, sound, practical sense in judgment. All have been born with a measure of common sense. It is a matter of using it, of thinking things through instead of actin in too much haste. “And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of the righteousness,” 1 (Nephi 16.5). Wickedness never was happiness, but to the contrary, it is depressing; it destroys conscience and ultimately the spiritual life of the constant, erring individual. A child improperly taught and improperly trained by parents is apt to succumb to the temptations of evil and thus contaminate and ruin his or her life, both now and eternally. We must remember that no unclean thing can enter into the presence of God. One cannot win by following the path of evil. The earlier in life we learn to commit to God, the more rewarding and fruitful our lives will be. “Behold, the Lord has created the Earth that it should be inhabited; and he has created his children that they should possess it. And he raised up a righteous nation, and destroyed the nation of the wicked,” (1 Nephi 17.36-37). May God so bless us, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
Wickedness Never was Happiness
It is better to condescend to be happy than to aspire to be miserable. The civil function of religion is recognized on the basis of the correspondence between the Heavenly and Earthly city. The Heavenly cut is the norm or the ideal of human’s civil life; and precisely because it is such, its recognition means the commitment of human beings to realize, as much as possible, its characteristics in the Earthly city. Many of you are not just ordinary men and women, you are choice spirits, many of you have been held back in reserve for almost 6,000 years to come forth in this day, at this time, when the temptations, responsibilities, and opportunities are the very greatest. God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. The Christian Bible is not only the proclamation of superterrestrial happiness, but also of Earthly happiness. Religion is the confidence in the value of human’s work, in success of this work, and in the reward that humans will find in the future life. The fundamental function of religion is to support human beings in the work of civil life, in political work, and activity. #RandolphHarris 1 of 11
Would you have an inconstant God, since we count a human foolish that is inconstant? God’s ways are beyond us, but he still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, all-knowing yet all-forgiving. We will spend eternity cherishing an ever-deepening relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible is the story of God striving to reconnect with his children, and is a major method God uses to reach us. God the Father reached out to us most dramatically through his Son Jesus, who chose not just to visit us, but to become one of us. Born human so we can be reborn in the Spirit, Jesus showed us God’s love and character—and how far God was willing to go to save us from self-destruction. What we could not do for ourselves, he did for us, paying the price for our sins, dying in our place so we can live forever. He conquered death through resurrection, and promised to return to take us home to the Kingdom of God. Meanwhile, God has not left us alone. The Holy Spirit is here to comfort us, guide us and transform us to live as witnesses for God’s love. The same Spirit who inspired prophets and empowered Jesus, who shaped scripture and created the World, enables and empowers each one of us. #RandolphHarris 2 of 11
The broadening of our existence and of our knowledge is possible historically only through the contemplation of previous existence. The study of Christian culture in its broadest aspects will promote a true philosophical knowledge of humanity, including the know of the manifold intellectual, sentient, and moral human powers. The World is a unity of diverse forces, a cultural unity which will be regained through a comprehensive study of Christianity. We should study the moral character of different human types; a great variety of sources will provide the data for establishing an ideal norm, which is not adequately represented by any specific individuality. To comprehend the wholeness in the diversity of human types requires aesthetic insight, which is fundamental to the art of the historian. The condition of the soul which gives rise to the necessity of history (in the truest and highest sense of the word) is similar to that out of which an epic is produced with the help of imagination and art. Everything that is active in World history is also stirring in the inner being of human. The ideas in history have preserved human experience in the mind. #RandolphHarris 3 of 11
The eternal original ideas of everything conceivable provides existence and value, the beauty of all physical and spiritual forms, the truth in the unalterable working of every force according to its indwelling law, the justice in the inexorable course of events which are eternally regulated and meted their just reward. The goal of history is the realization of the idea representing itself through humanity from all sides and in all forms in which the finite forms can be connected with the idea. The task of the historian is therefore to represent this process of the ideas being actualizes in history. God loves you as he loves each and every one of his children, and his desire and purpose and glory is to have you return to him pure and undefiled, having proven yourselves worthy of an eternity of joy in his presence. Your Father in Heaven is mindful of you. He has given you commandments to guide you, to discipline you. He has also given you your agency—freedom of choice to see if you will do all the things whatsoever he shall command. It implies a deep-rooted subjective view of the World, a spiritual attitude, that controls the formation of concepts. #RandolphHarris 4 of 11
God’s kingdom here on Earth is well organized, and your leaders are dedicated to helping you. May you know that you have the constant love, concern and prayers of the Church. It is evident that the languages are not really means of representing the truth that has already been ascertained, but far more, means of discovering a truth not previously know. Their diversity is not a diversity of sound, but of World outlook. However, Satan is also mindful of you. He is committed to your destruction. He does not discipline you with commandments, but offers instead a freedom to do your own thing—the freedom to smoke, to drink, to misuse drugs or rebel against the counsel and commandments of God and his servants. Satan knows that you are young, at the peak of physical vigor, excited by the World, and consumed by new emotions. It is curious to observe how good and bad are mingled in human institutions. Satan knows that youth is the Springtime of life when all things are new and young people are most vulnerable. #RandolphHarris 5 of 11
Youth is the spirit of adventure and awakening. It is a time of physical emerging when the body attains the vigor and good health that many ignore the caution of temperance. Youth is a period of timelessness when the horizons of age seem too distant to be noticed. No one falls like Lucifer from Heaven—the progress of evil is slow and not easily perceived. This, the now generation forgets that the present will soon be the past, which one will look back upon either with sorrow and regret or joy and cherished experiences. Satan’s program is play now and pay later. He seeks for all to be miserable like unto himself. The Lord’s program is happiness now and joy forever through gospel living. Out of love for God, we must live a morally clean life, as wickedness never was happiness. You cannot do wrong and feel right. It is impossible! Years of happiness can be lost in the foolish gratification of a momentary desire for pleasure. Satan would have you believe that happiness comes only as you surrender to his enticements, but one only needs to look at the shattered lives of those who violate God’s laws to know why Satan is called the Father of Lies. #RandolphHarris 6 of 11
From the depths of a broken heart, many hope to warn others never to partake of the bitterness that has come on them from living foul. Many people would give all that they have or may acquire if they could go back to the happy carefree days before the first little taint of sin creeped into their heart and soul. Some scarcely realize that they were slipping into something that would bring much sorrow and ruin into their lives. Much anguish and regret fills the hearts of those who follow Satan, as they lose self-respect as life’s most priceless gift is fleeting. Because many individuals reach out too eagerly for the excitements and thrills of life, they have turned to ashes in their hands. This is what happens when people discover the burden of sin. However, you can avoid that burden and all the attending heartaches if you will but heed the standards laid down for you through the teachings of the Lord’s servants. One of the standards on which your happiness is based, now and in your future, is moral purity. The World would tell you that this standard is old-fashioned and out of date. #RandolphHarris 7 of 11
The World would also have you to accept a so-called new morality, which is nothing more than immortality. However, the eternal standard of chastity has not changed. The eternal standard means keeping yourselves clean in body and mind. The Church has no double standard of morality. The moral code of Heaven for both men and women is complete chastity before marriage and full fidelity after marriage. Be careful of the sexual behavior, and even necking and petting, as they lead to fornication and it is often difficult for youth to distinguish where one ends and another begins. They awaken lust and stir evil thoughts and the sex desires. Maintain your self-respect. Do not engage in intimacies that brings heartache and sorrow. You cannot build happy lives on immortality. The first condition of happiness is a clean conscience. Also, stay close to your parents. There are some things which come only with mature adulthood, and one of these is wisdom. Young people, you need the wisdom of age, just as some antiquated people need the youth’s enthusiasm for life. #RandolphHarris 8 of 11
There is much to live for this lovely autumn morning. Your parents may become somewhat strict and stern from caring for you and your brothers and sisters. However, just remember, your parents are mature and have years of experience you have not had, can provide wisdom, knowledge, and blessings to help you over life’s sweetest experiences come when you go to Mom and Dad for help. There will be a bond of gratitude and love in your home. Do your part to develop real family unity and family solidarity. In such houses, there is no generation gap. This is another tool of the adversary—to drive children and parents apart. Satan wishes to have you, that he may run through you like Hurricane Harvey, leaving a path of pain and destruction after he is done. However, if you will earnestly seek guidance from your Heavenly Father, morning and evening, you will be given the strength to shun away temptation. Supplicating the Lord for the guidance of his Spirit places around us a safeguard, and if we earnestly and honestly seek the guidance of the Spirit of God, we can be assured that we will receive it. God is the eternal Father, is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation. #RandolphHarris 9 of 11
God will pour love into our souls like that of the morning mist pours over the hills into our valley. The name of God must be engrained in our hearts, and imprinted in our souls. When you pray—when you talk to your Heavenly Father—do you really talk out your problems with him? Do you let him know your feelings, your doubts, your insecurities, your joys, your deepest desires—or is prayer merely a habitual expression with the same words and phrases. Do you ponder what you really mean to say? Do you take time to listen to the prompting of the Spirit? Answers to prayers come most often by a still voice and discerned by our deepest, innermost feelings. You can know the will of God concerning yourselves if you take the time to pray and to listen. Yes, beloved people, you will have your trials and temptations through which you must pass, but there are great moments of eternity which are ahead. You have love and confidence. You can live in the World and not partake of the sins of the World. You can live life joyously, beautifully, unmarred by the ugliness of sin. Beyond the darkness is the glow of rays of endless light. #RandolphHarris 10 of 11
If deep within your heart you keep the vision—the dream that nothing can erase or mar, the promise of a fairer day tomorrow, will be for you a compass and a star. Look to this day, arise in all your splendor, and bear the standards of the World-to-be. However, when hate and war, distress and desolation are near, give place to justice, love, and liberty. I pray that you—the young and rising generation—will keep your bodies and minds clean, free from the contaminations of the World, that you will be fit and pure vessels to accept the kingdom of God. Do not feel badly because you are not where you want to be right this minute. Do not focus on the disappointment, the failure, or the mistakes. They were all a part of God’s plan to prepare you for the future. Keep moving forward, being your best, honoring God, being determined and persistent, and God will provide for your future. God is going before you to fight your battles and help your overcome obstacles. You will accomplish your dreams because Almighty God. #RandolphHarris 11 of 11
The Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is among the most haunted places in the world. https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Let Him without Sin be the Rolling Stone
It is so hard to forget pain, but it is even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace. As clever as human beings are, we rely on social groups for survival. We evolved to live in cooperative societies, and most of human history we depended on those groups for our lives. Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ. In 1492, in harmony with the Lord’s vision, Christopher Columbus was divinely led to America. Christopher Columbus, himself, corroborated the fact that he was divinely led to this land. Because Christopher Columbus was led, we are here in this choice land. God gave us victory in the Revolutionary War. We are indebted to him for our nation’s independence. He has prospered us in every righteous endeavor. He established the Constitution of the United States of America. The issues we face are clear and well defined. We can repent and obey and thereby qualify to receive the blessings promised to the righteous in this land. The phenomenal population growth in these days is by divine power with divine purpose. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
Remember, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. Peace can be settled in the heart of each who turns to the scriptures and unlocks the promises and protection and redemption. Perhaps the greatest reason for our lives is to teach others the love of God, to show the World that it is possible to heal from hardships of the past. Below us lie the deserts of sin and the forest of evil; below us stretch the swamps of carnality and the plains of passion; below us rage the roaring rivers of war and hate and crime, through all of which we have struggled to reach this summit. The turbulent and awesome conditions of the last days of mortal existence, some of which we now observe, have been spoken of my many of the prophets. Hydrogen bomb tested in North Korea created an Earthquake a magnitude 6.3, it was so strong it shook buildings in China and Russia. However, we shall not fear, for the Lord said as long as we follow his divine law, we will have refuge from against the awesome conditions which we must face. The Lord has given us the pattern in all things, that we may not be deceived, for Satan is abroad in the land and he goes forth deceiving nations. However, we know that Jesus is the Christ, and the message of restoration is true. If we are faithful, we need not fear that which must come about. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
Christianity is an intellectual despair to find stability in an eternal and infinite God. Happiness, and the happiness of future generations depends upon living those standards established by the Savior and set forth in his scriptures. Parents today wonder if there is a safe place to raise children. There is a safe place. It is in a gospel-centered home. We are supposed to focus on the family in the Church, and to raise our families in righteousness. Evil people and seducers shall wax worse, deceiving, and being deceived. These verses serve as a warning, showing which patterns to avoid. We must be ever watchful and diligent. We pray that evil may be done away, and that the time may come the Satan may have no power upon the hearts of humans, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved. When we think of the future, we should be overwhelmed with feelings of optimism. The scriptures hold the keys to spiritual protection. Soon the feeling of peace and inspiration will come, and a solution will present itself to any problems one may be suffering from. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
Happiness is never in fruition, but always in prospect of pursuits. Make scripture reading a part of your regular routine, and the blessings will follow. There is in the scripture a voice of warning, but there is also great nourishment. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine. The cure for most mistakes can be found by seeking forgiveness through personal prayer. However, there are certain spiritual illnesses, particularly those dealing with violations of the moral law, which absolutely require the assistance and treatment of a qualified spiritual physician. Some people have made mistakes and in their antiquated ages, the memories come back to haunt them. They are sometime unable to shake the feelings of guilt. Often times, one cannot go back and undo the problems of their youth on their own. If you awake to a sense of your awful situation, repentance is individual, and so is forgiveness. The Lord requires only that one turn from their sin and God will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. With sincere repentance, the effects of our transgression can be erased through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That promise applies in every case. #RandolphhHarris 4 of 8
God is looking for people who have faith that he can see, a faith that is demonstrated. The gospel teaches us to be happy, to have faith rather than fear, to find hope and overcome despair, to leave darkness and turn toward the light of the everlasting gospel. Even in the trials of our time and the days yet to come, peace can be settled in the heart of each who turns to the scriptures and inlocks the promises of protection and redemption that are taught therein. When God sees you doing what you can to get well that is when extraordinary things will happen. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all people. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. Virtuous traits form the foundation of a Christian life and are the outward manifestation of the inner being. Virtue includes integrity, humility, charity, spirituality, accountability, civility, and fidelity. We need only to look around us to see what is taking place in our communities to realize that personal traits of virtue are in steep decline. Reflect on the behavior of drivers on crowded highways; road rage happens too often. Civility is all but absent in our political discourse. #RandolpHarris 5 of 8
As countries around the World face financial and economic challenges, fidelity and honesty seem to have been replaced with greed and craft. A visit to a shopping mall will often subject you to crude language and immodest dress. Some athletes display poor sportsmanship and seldom show humility, even when exposed for legal or moral infidelities. A large segment of our population feels little personal responsibility for their own temporal well-belong. On occasion, our generosity in support of good causes wanes as our appetite to acquire more than we need prevails. We need not be a part of the malaise that is penetrating and infecting society. If we follow the World in abandoning Christian-centered virtues, the consequences may be disastrous. Individual faith and fidelity, which have eternal consequences, will diminish. Family solidarity and spirituality will be adversely impacted. Religious influence in society will be lessened, and the rule of law will be challenged and perhaps even set aside. The seedbed for all that plagues the natural human being will have been planted, to the sheer delight of Satan. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
If you want your strength renewed, the right way to wait is to give God praise, to talk about his greatness; you will go through the day expecting him to turn it around. God promises he will renew your strength. God is breathing strength, energy, passion, vision, and vitality back into your spirit. You will come out of your hardship stronger, higher, better off than you were before. You could not kill my appetite for God with silver bullets and a wooden stake. Teaching virtuous traits begins in the home with parents who care and set the example. A good parental example encourages emulation; a poor example gives license to the children to disregard the parents’ teachings and even expand the poor example. A hypocritical example destroys credibility. It is difficult for a person to display virtuous traits if he or she lacks a firm adherence to a code of moral values. Without integrity, honesty is forgotten. If integrity is absent, civility is impaired. If integrity is not important, spirituality is difficult to maintain. Most people will not commit desperate acts if they have been taught dignity, honesty, and integrity; honesty and integrity are more important than revenge or rage. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
If people understand that respect and kindness ultimately gives one a better chance at success, they will be blessed and go further in life. If virtues are lost, families will be measurably weakened, individual faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will soften, and important eternal relationships may be jeopardized. Traits of virtue broadly practiced can loosen Satan’s firm grip on society and derail his insidious plan to capture the hearts, minds, and spirits of mortal human beings. Now is the time for us to join in rescuing and preserving that which is virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy. As we allow virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly and we cultivate virtuous traits in our personal lives, our communities and institutions will be improved, our children and families will be strengthened, and faith and integrity will bless individual lives. The love of God binds to us, and we shall journey through life hand in hand. We shall sit in God’s presence and learn the wondrous things he will tell us for he is God. The heart of God, the Most High, is within. Our Heavenly Father expects his children to exercise integrity, civility, fidelity, charity, generosity, morality, and all the virtues. May we have the humility to take the opportunity to act upon our responsibility to demonstrate our ability to do so, I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
Randolph Harris II International Institute 