If you feel the Spirit—when you pray, read the scriptures, teach, testify, or at any other time—then that is your witness that you have been forgiven or, alternatively, that the cleansing process is taking place, for the Spirit cannot dwell in an unholy tabernacle.That is an amazing thing to hear a general authority say. There have been many, many times when I have sinned and felt unworthy, and I usually pray to God in those moments, apologizing yet again for my weakness, and telling Him that I wouldn't blame Him if He gave up on me. But each time I do that, I feel His Spirit assure me that He hasn't given up on me yet, and now I know that even just feeling the Spirit at all is proof of that glorious reality. God doesn't give up on people nearly so readily as He forgives them, and feeling the Spirit is an excellent indicator that, despite everything, you're still on the right track, that your past is not your future, and that God is still pulling for you, just as He always has been.
Thank you, Miriam, for sharing that quote with me. It is definitely a message worth sharing.
1 comment:
Thanks! And you're welcome!
Thanks for your previous post. I'm glad that it led me to finding those quotes and scriptures. I (obviously) really liked that quote as well. I think it is something that a lot of people don't realize. If you haven't read the whole talk, I encourage you to read it! (https://www.lds.org/youth/article/how-do-i-know-when-i-am-forgiven?lang=eng) I hadn't read it before. It's very enlightening and uplifting.
You said, "God doesn't give up on people nearly so readily" but I would say he never gives up on people. Do you think He gave you His Son & allowed Him to suffer the atonement, just to give up on you later? Do you think that your negatives are stronger than the infinite atonement? Think of a mom giving up on one of her kids. That's not very likely to happen. The scriptures say, "yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." (Isaiah 49:15), "...he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Deut. 31:6)
It can be easy to fall into self-doubt and be discouraged, but it's important to remember that those feelings don't come from our loving Heavenly Father. The devil whispers these lies because he wants to make you feel like you aren't good enough and he knows that if we get discouraged, we might give up and stop trying.
Whenever I think of Satan whispering little lies and discouraging people, I remember something one of my mission companions said she learned in dealing with depression and anxiety: If you try to push the thoughts away or ignore them, it rarely works, so instead acknowledge them by saying, "Thank you for sharing, I choose to think otherwise." You could also say, "Perhaps, but my Heavenly Father doesn't think so."
"Let me be direct and clear. The answers to the questions 'Am I good enough?' and 'Will I make it?' are 'Yes! You are going to be good enough' and 'Yes, you are going to make it as long as you keep repenting and do not rationalize or rebel.' The God of heaven is not a heartless referee looking for any excuse to throw us out of the game. He is our perfectly loving Father, who yearns more than anything else to have all of His children come back home and live with Him as families forever. He truly gave His Only Begotten Son that we might not perish but have everlasting life! Please believe, and please take hope and comfort from, this eternal truth. Our Heavenly Father intends for us to make it! That is His work and His glory." - Elder J. Devn Cornish
“However many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made … , I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.” - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/am-i-good-enough-will-i-make-it?lang=eng&_r=1 (both quotes)
Would you criticize a baby because he didn't learn to crawl as quickly as another baby? No, you would say the same encouraging things to both of them. Even when they fall down, we say, "Good job! You can do it!" They fell down, but they are trying, and that's all that we expect of them. That is how Heavenly Father feels about us.
We need to remember that we are all in a process of learning & growing. As long as we are trying to do the things we are supposed to, and trying to become a better person, that is all that God expects of us.
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