1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:21,200 Hey there everybody welcome back to another episode of Redeemed Through His Blood Scott 2 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,600 and David Durfee here as always how are you David? 3 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:24,600 I'm good Scott. 4 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:25,600 Good. 5 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:30,300 I'm going to be back. 6 00:00:30,300 --> 00:00:31,800 What have we been doing the last few weeks? 7 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,520 We've been a little less inconsistent. 8 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:35,160 That's for sure. 9 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:37,320 But you know, but it's okay. 10 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:42,200 Life comes along and we get to deal with life. 11 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,200 My sweetheart has had some setbacks. 12 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:52,160 You know, we thought my heart was kind of bad getting ready to go on a mission and had 13 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:58,760 to have a procedure and then and then the day before Pioneer Day, she has a heart attack 14 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:04,280 and that's been a wild a wild few weeks since then. 15 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:11,240 Have an emergency stent put in the main artery of her heart and then she had to go back and 16 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:18,080 have three more and then she has an allergic reaction and she just has she's been down 17 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:25,240 and out and I've been grateful that I've been able to be with her most of that time. 18 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:35,000 But it brings up you know, how do we how do we deal with adversity in our lives? 19 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:40,800 Scott, I gave her a blessing before she went and had the stand. 20 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,520 The three stands put in her heart. 21 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:48,800 Has helped me give her a blessing. 22 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,440 I had you know, confirmation and peace that things would be fine. 23 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:57,480 But I didn't expect that there would be an allergic reaction and a trip to the emergency 24 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:02,400 room and doctors and nurses scram wouldn't know what was going on. 25 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:11,600 You know, so you know, it's just caused me to think about. 26 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:19,040 Because I think in the church and in my personal life, yours, others. 27 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:20,640 It just raises the question. 28 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:23,080 Where do we put our faith? 29 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:32,000 Is our faith in in healing or is our faith in the healer is our faith in a blessing, 30 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,400 meaning a priesthood blessing is our faith in the priesthood. 31 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,120 Either one of those would be wrong. 32 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:39,840 Our faith isn't in the priesthood. 33 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,880 Our faith is shouldn't be in a priesthood blessing. 34 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:45,800 Our faith shouldn't be in prayer. 35 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,520 Our faith should not be in those things. 36 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:58,720 Our faith needs to be in and centered in the Lord Jesus Christ, faith in our Heavenly Father. 37 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,960 And it's just caused me to think about all of that, Scott. 38 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,920 And so maybe we can talk about some of that today. 39 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:07,280 I think that's a good topic. 40 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:12,840 You know, that's that is one of the things, you know, challenges and trials in life that 41 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,480 require us to exercise faith and to grow our faith. 42 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:18,840 And our faith doesn't grow without exercise. 43 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,960 Interesting how that is much like our bodies, right? 44 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:22,960 And our muscles. 45 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,360 But we do have to exercise that in order for that faith to grow. 46 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:30,080 I love how you just brought that up about where our faith should lie. 47 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:36,080 You know, Dave, I was having a conversation just the other day with somebody and they 48 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:41,200 were talking about just the various trials in their own life, dealing with a lot of mental 49 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:47,040 health issues, some depressions and not only that, but you know, there's some physical 50 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,720 challenges and just and just a lot of stuff. 51 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,600 We all just deal with a lot of stuff. 52 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,600 Did you know they were dealing with it? 53 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:55,600 No, I didn't. 54 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:59,240 And that's the point, you know, to a degree, I did, you know, but that's the point, you 55 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:04,720 know, that we all have these little battles, these little struggles that we fight. 56 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,000 And I call them battles, they're not the war, the war we will win. 57 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,760 These are battles within the war and these these battles and so, you know, and I used 58 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,720 to the word little and I apologize for anybody that may be thinking, really, if you saw my 59 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,360 battles, you wouldn't call them little because with that, you know, they're there and a lot 60 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,040 of them are unseen, right? 61 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:24,040 We just don't see them. 62 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:25,440 And that was the conversation I was having. 63 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:26,440 We all have them. 64 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:30,840 And that was the conversation I was having with this individual is it's just and he was 65 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:31,840 right. 66 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:34,960 And I used to go to church and people don't know what I'm going through. 67 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:36,960 I go to work and people have no idea. 68 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,040 I go here and and people have no idea. 69 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:44,480 And in a lot of times it's inappropriate to just start spewing our problems all over 70 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:50,080 the world, you know, and talking about them in inappropriate ways and inappropriate places. 71 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,920 And so, you know, this is something that's fairly universal. 72 00:04:53,920 --> 00:05:00,360 And if we're not experiencing now at some point in our mortal trial, I think that we 73 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:06,280 have often been given the gift of these battles, these little trials that people just can't 74 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:07,280 see. 75 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:09,280 Yeah, you're right. 76 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:19,480 And you know, Scott, I think so much of our peace, our joy, our purpose in life has to 77 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:21,920 do with. 78 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:23,240 We keep bringing this up. 79 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:29,680 It has to do with our relationship with our Savior and with our Heavenly Father with the 80 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:31,600 Holy Ghost. 81 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:40,200 And it really does come down to, you know, relationships that that one needful thing. 82 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:46,680 And it's surprising to me, Scott, if we really examine our lives, if we if we really look 83 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:56,520 at how we choose to live, how we choose to think our perspective and philosophy on life, 84 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:03,160 if we could just learn to tweak it just a little bit to focus it just a little more 85 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:11,280 on our relationships instead of other things, we, you know, we're all human. 86 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:22,080 We're all guilty of this, but we're all kind of in a self survival mode so many times here. 87 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,600 And we don't rely enough upon our Savior. 88 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,600 We realized way too much upon the arm of the flesh. 89 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:41,120 We worry way too much about what we want continuation of our life and continuation of our blessings. 90 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:53,520 And we way too often seek and seek and define success based on being comfortable, being 91 00:06:53,520 --> 00:07:02,680 content, being, you know, having what we want to have upon our, our whatever our idea or 92 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,480 definition of success may be. 93 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,760 And it just, it shouldn't be that way. 94 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:14,760 It shouldn't be based upon how the world defines it. 95 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:20,960 It should be based upon what we what we learn in the scriptures, what we have learned through 96 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,840 the restoration of the gospel. 97 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:31,720 And so if I think there's anything that we need more than anything else in this world 98 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:38,720 and this goes back to our course, really unreap on faith repentance, the doctrine of Christ, 99 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:46,280 we need we need to learn how to be engaged continually in strengthening our relationship 100 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,960 with with the Lord. 101 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:55,720 I was talking to you before we started about even how we pray, you know, so oftentimes we 102 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:02,360 pray and we we just kind of go through the process and it's it's kind of like we're either 103 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,920 there alone praying or we're we're thinking maybe if we're praying with someone else, 104 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:12,080 we're thinking more about what they're thinking than what God is thinking about our prayers. 105 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:19,720 We're thinking we're influenced more by by how others perceive what we're saying and 106 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:24,200 less about our relationship with God or what he's thinking. 107 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:31,320 I've shared this before, but when it struck me one day that when I was praying and I sneezed, 108 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:41,520 I should say excuse me because God was present and I think a lot of our problem in our prayers 109 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:48,280 and in our daily lives, God is that we just don't know God. 110 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,280 Yeah. 111 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:58,440 Our our real perception and sometimes even our belief in our faith is in a God that really 112 00:08:58,440 --> 00:08:59,940 doesn't exist. 113 00:08:59,940 --> 00:09:09,400 You know, it's it's a God who we try to we try to make him into something of a man, anthropomorphic. 114 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:10,400 Is that the right word? 115 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:11,400 Yeah. 116 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:12,400 Yeah, that is. 117 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:17,280 We try to make him into something of a human and God has a body of flesh and bone. 118 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:19,760 There's no doubt about it. 119 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:25,720 But God is omnipotent and he's omnipotent and he's omnipotent and he's omnipotent and 120 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,000 you can't ignore any one of those three and we don't think about that enough. 121 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:34,760 But when we pray, Scott, he's there. 122 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,240 I don't care who prays. 123 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:43,160 I don't care if it's Muslim, Hindu, Buddha, whoever prays if they're praying and they 124 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:44,600 think they're praying to God. 125 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:46,640 Oh, I don't care who they're praying to. 126 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:48,280 God hears it. 127 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,440 I mean, he hears everything that we say. 128 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:53,600 He sees everything that we do. 129 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:58,560 He knows every thought that we think. 130 00:09:58,560 --> 00:09:59,920 We can't comprehend that. 131 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:02,560 I know we don't comprehend that. 132 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:10,000 But this is the power of God that he is omnipresent, omniscient. 133 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,560 He's all knowing and he's omnipotent. 134 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:15,760 He is all powerful. 135 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:24,160 Anyway, I he's sovereign and this if we don't if we don't see God that way, if we don't 136 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:28,600 think of God that way, but sometimes it's Latter-day Saints because we know that he 137 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:31,480 has a body of flesh and bone. 138 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:37,920 We turn him into something less in our minds than he really is. 139 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:39,160 I don't care. 140 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,440 I mean, he hears us right now. 141 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:48,320 And not only does he know our words, our actions and our thoughts, but I think it's especially 142 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:54,560 important to understand that he knows our hearts. 143 00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:55,560 He knows our hearts. 144 00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:56,560 He knows our feelings. 145 00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:58,880 He knows he knows our desires. 146 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,240 He knows he knows all of that, Scott. 147 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:10,920 And as I love the Bible dictionary, you know, and the section on prayer that's written in 148 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:12,640 the Bible dictionary. 149 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:19,720 And so oftentimes the blessings that that we receive are just conditional upon us asking 150 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:21,760 for them. 151 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:25,560 But our faith should not be in receiving blessings. 152 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:28,120 Our faith should be in in God. 153 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:32,760 So or even our faith shouldn't be in the prayer that we're using to ask for. 154 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:34,840 Yeah, you should have faith in prayer. 155 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,880 You shouldn't have faith in blessing, priesthood blessings. 156 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:44,040 You shouldn't have faith in in anything else, but but God and Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, 157 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:45,040 the Godhead. 158 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:52,080 Anyway, well, so so I have a question then, you know, we bring up the trials and the challenges 159 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:53,080 and the end. 160 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,320 The I use the word these unseen battles. 161 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:57,320 How does knowing God? 162 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,560 How does how does all of this offset all of that? 163 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:06,120 Well, I'm sure there's other ways and you've you've thought of some of these, I'm sure. 164 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:10,360 But just knowing that he's present. 165 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:17,080 Just knowing that he knows that he knows he knows problems about me. 166 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:18,880 I don't even know or understand. 167 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:27,880 Yeah, he certainly knows all my problems and not even my wife knows those and anybody, the 168 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:34,360 closest person to us doesn't know all our problems or our thoughts or our feelings or our desires, 169 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:42,720 but God does and just knowing that Scott should should give us some humility, more humility, 170 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,240 more more gratitude, more strength. 171 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:50,360 You know, my is my sweetheart speaking about her again. 172 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:56,200 She's had a lot of adversity in her life, Scott, and I've shared some of that and and 173 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,280 I've learned a lot of lessons from some of the things that she's been through. 174 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:08,240 But when she the third child that she delivered that was dead, I mean, we've had three steel 175 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:18,680 boards and I often think Scott that if that if we would have lived just maybe 10, 20 years 176 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:22,040 later, they could have saved those children. 177 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:27,040 Those children did not all three of those children, all three little boys, by the way, 178 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:32,880 those three little boys would not have would not have died in the third trimester. 179 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:37,640 They could have saved them, but they didn't know how to do that then. 180 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:43,200 And we the miracle that we were able to have one more child because of moving to Minnesota. 181 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:49,920 I think I've told that story and the miracle of a doctor who had been studying it for 20 182 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:55,280 years and was publishing an article that very month that we visited him. 183 00:13:55,280 --> 00:14:01,240 He said there's an article coming out this month in the Journal of American Medical Association. 184 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:13,320 Anyway, Scott, the third time she was so discouraged and sad that we had lost three little boys 185 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:18,720 and the opportunity to raise wasn't just that we had lost them. 186 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:26,760 It was it was the experiences, the thoughts of the blessings of raising those boys that 187 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:29,760 made us both really, really sad. 188 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:37,840 And she was all alone at the hospital when she delivered that last dead little baby. 189 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,400 And she said she went out. 190 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:48,680 She she walked out of her room and she said that nobody was at the nurses station. 191 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:51,040 There was nobody in the hall. 192 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:52,600 Most of the rooms were empty. 193 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:58,480 She felt like she was all alone in this hospital section of the hospital. 194 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,040 Just all by herself. 195 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:10,000 And as she was walking down the hall weeping, she felt this presence by her. 196 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,560 You know, my wife is not one to say things just to say things. 197 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:17,080 No, there's no hyperbole in her at all. 198 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:28,720 There's no hyperbole and her sincere, humble faith, simple faith, really, Scott, but powerful. 199 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,400 And she was aware of this presence. 200 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:37,240 And she knew that it was the Lord and she knew that he was aware of her situation and 201 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:42,240 that he had compassion and that he would sucker her. 202 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:52,880 I think that just knowing that he knows just having faith in him that all will be well, 203 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:59,720 even though it may not be well, that all will be well, gives us the strength, gives us the 204 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:08,200 power, gives us the peace that will eventually turn into great, great joy swallowed up all 205 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,840 in him. 206 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:18,240 It's kind of like the Amanda Smith experience at Hans Mill. 207 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:24,520 You know, all of that tragedy, her son and husband being killed and one son having his 208 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:28,440 hip shot off in the blacksmith shop. 209 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:29,440 I mean, awful. 210 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:30,440 I don't know. 211 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:37,880 But that's the story of the person in the mob who pointed his gun at her son's head and 212 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:40,080 blew his head off. 213 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:42,120 And her husband being killed. 214 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:46,520 And I think it was Alma, her son that had his hip shot off. 215 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:54,040 Anyway, she runs out into the cornfield with other women and children are not out of the 216 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:58,280 cornfield to escape them the mob. 217 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:04,000 And as she's laying in the cornfield, she's praying. 218 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:11,360 And she says that when she's praying that she has a voice come into her mind. 219 00:17:11,360 --> 00:17:17,200 And I think it's cool that whenever I see this, I think about this story is the voice 220 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:18,200 comes into her mind. 221 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:19,200 And it's the voice. 222 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:26,120 It's the last verse of the him, which is in their newly published. 223 00:17:26,120 --> 00:17:28,600 Thanks to Emma Smith, him book. 224 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:34,400 And this this is one of the few hymns in our him book today that was in the original hymn 225 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,000 book of the church. 226 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:39,360 It's the hymn, how firm a foundation. 227 00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:47,680 And she hears the voice, not just the words, but the voice that the soul that on Jesus 228 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,800 Jesus hath lean for repose. 229 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:52,800 I will not. 230 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:56,640 I cannot desert to his foes. 231 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:02,280 That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake. 232 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:07,240 I'll never know never, no never for sake. 233 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:13,720 She years later, bearing testimony of this experience, and I heard a voice as well as 234 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:17,440 clear as you are hearing mine. 235 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:19,520 Repeat those words. 236 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:25,040 And she knew that everything was going to be be okay. 237 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:31,120 And there's that great miracle of her fit making a poultice and filling her son Alma's 238 00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:35,640 hip with this poultice and growing a new hip. 239 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:48,440 I just think that the key to all of this is the soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose. 240 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:56,480 Not upon my strength, not upon others, not upon not not even upon prophets or apostles 241 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:58,600 or other men. 242 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:07,840 You know, it's you we have to learn how to lean upon Jesus for repose. 243 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:15,760 Not upon blessings, not upon the church, not upon other things. 244 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,280 We have to learn how to lean upon Jesus. 245 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:26,240 God, and I, I think sometimes we are so blessed, so affluent in our country. 246 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:35,880 So have we were just so blessed with prosperity and so many things that it's easy for us. 247 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:40,800 The more prosperous we become as evident in the story after story in the Book of Mormon. 248 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:41,800 Right. 249 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:44,520 The prosperity cycle. 250 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:48,240 It's harder for us to learn how to lean upon Him. 251 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:54,600 And that's what we have to learn for for challenges and versus these seen or unseen. 252 00:19:54,600 --> 00:20:01,360 I'm going back in my mind over 25 years of experience and sponsoring and and being part 253 00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:04,520 of alcoholics, anonymous and recovery and all of this. 254 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:07,700 And, you know, the problems abound there. 255 00:20:07,700 --> 00:20:14,400 So many of those problems are so many of the reasons that led people to make choices that 256 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:18,800 were self destructive, for example, you know, and drink and drug and, you know, and many, 257 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,840 many other things that that we see there. 258 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:22,840 And you're so right. 259 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,120 You know, the answer there is the same as it is here. 260 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:33,400 We may be just kind of articulated as semi differently, but not really, you know, the 261 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:37,160 the idea is, is that it is Him. 262 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:44,240 It's in a we talk about our second step or our higher power that whenever we have a problem, 263 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:45,600 it's not about the problem. 264 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:51,120 It's about our relationship or about how we are associating and which is a relationship 265 00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:55,800 with higher power or in this case, you know, we know our higher power to be Jesus Christ 266 00:20:55,800 --> 00:21:00,560 almost feels a little different for me to say higher power and not actually refer to 267 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:05,480 it, but just out of respect to those who are in AA and so forth, we do that. 268 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:09,360 But that is the answer, you know, if we focus in. 269 00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:14,080 And so let me just back up, you know, when it whenever we have problems and in we do, 270 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:18,320 we all do, we all have challenges in our lives, some of our own making, some not, but even 271 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:23,920 the ones of our own making or even the ones that are not of our own making can cause us 272 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:30,720 to feel like, Hey, this battle is big and it's distracting me from from strengthening my 273 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:31,720 brethren. 274 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,200 It's distracting me from helping others. 275 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:39,240 It's distracting me from filling the spirit even sometimes because all I can focus on 276 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:40,960 is the lack. 277 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:42,520 What's lacking in my life? 278 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:47,560 You know, what's broken in my life and it may not even be broken, but if I choose to 279 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:52,920 format it or if I choose to frame it that way where it is broken, then it has the same 280 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:53,920 effect in my life. 281 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:55,640 And so we'll call it broken. 282 00:21:55,640 --> 00:22:05,520 And so with or or Scott or part of that framework is based upon us comparing ourselves to others. 283 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:11,200 That's exactly or or an ideal, maybe not necessarily even to others, but more, but more more frequently 284 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:16,880 to others, but definitely to an ideal that was given to us by others, right? 285 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:19,160 Not Jesus, not Heavenly Father. 286 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:26,160 The ideal that's given it to us from them is come to me, you know, take up your cross, 287 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,600 you know, and be here, be with me. 288 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:33,160 You said you said a couple of things, you know, that it's really important that as we 289 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:39,360 go through this, that if we know God, and I mean, we really know God and we know that 290 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:44,880 He is the source to all of our answers to all of our problems that have been brought 291 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:50,240 about because of the fall and every one of our unseen and seen battles that we have in 292 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,360 our life are a direct result of the fall about him and Eve. 293 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:54,360 They just are. 294 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:55,360 Yeah. 295 00:22:55,360 --> 00:23:01,160 And when we are dealing with those kinds of things in our life to know God and to know 296 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:06,320 maybe even more importantly, or at least as important to know that God knows us and 297 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:07,960 he's fully aware. 298 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:08,960 And with us. 299 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,520 And yeah, no, he knows us. 300 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:14,120 He is with us continually. 301 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:20,120 You know, him being with us, I know for us to feel the Holy Ghost, for us to even have 302 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:28,280 the gift of the Holy Ghost or his, his constant presence and influence and inspiration, revelation 303 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:34,600 or life, there's something of a qualification, right, the qualifying factor there. 304 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,840 But God is Omni-Presence, Scott. 305 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:40,440 Yeah. 306 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:45,920 And that's hard for us because and we've talked about, I mean, it can be difficult for us. 307 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:49,000 We've talked about this in the past, you know, because and you said it a few minutes ago, 308 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:54,240 but because we know that God is God of flesh and bone, we tend to think, okay, we just 309 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:56,560 automatically default to human quality. 310 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:57,560 We limit him. 311 00:23:57,560 --> 00:23:58,560 Exactly. 312 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:00,960 And by limiting him, who do we really limit? 313 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:02,320 We really limit ourselves. 314 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:03,560 Yeah, absolutely. 315 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:04,560 You know. 316 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:11,280 And so and so by doing that, you know, we talked several times, episodes ago about how because 317 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:16,960 of our earthly experience, when we see God, our Father, and we think of him being mad 318 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:21,760 at us, we automatically attribute his anger to the same type of anger that our fathers 319 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:24,720 here on earth would have had towards us or others. 320 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:26,400 And that's just wrong for us to do. 321 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:27,400 That's wrong to do. 322 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:33,520 But because of that, I think that that's sometimes why we sometimes feel like we are losing the 323 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:34,840 unseen battle. 324 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:35,840 Yeah. 325 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,840 Because it's a matter of perspective and perception. 326 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:43,840 And so our perspective changes as our relationship with him changes. 327 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:47,720 And that was one of the things, you know, one of the individuals that I referred to earlier 328 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:51,520 that was struggling so bad with these unseen battles. 329 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:59,240 Just, you know, my question was, so how's your second step, you know, which is a for, 330 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:04,400 you know, we have our own language there, which is a for how's your relationship with 331 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:05,400 Jesus? 332 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:06,800 How do you see Jesus in your life? 333 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:11,720 How do you see how do you see him and and and then our third step is being willing to 334 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,440 turn our will in our life over the care of God as we understand him. 335 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:19,640 And then if you understand him, are you really willing to let him run your life? 336 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:26,480 You're getting into the, the actual steps from the lectures on faith, right, on how 337 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:31,280 we can increase our faith and have the faith of power. 338 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:35,240 And I think about this often, Scott, and I think this is really important. 339 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:42,840 I hope our listeners will take note that because I was, I was in a discussion not very long 340 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:55,480 ago and it was obvious to me that people don't see faith as a series of, of, of, of 341 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:56,480 choices. 342 00:25:56,480 --> 00:26:03,120 They, they kind of see faith as though you have it or you don't either have faith or 343 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:04,120 you don't. 344 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:06,240 Well, I don't, I don't believe that. 345 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,920 I believe that everybody has some faith. 346 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:12,240 The question is not whether I have it. 347 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:21,280 The question we all need to really search and and really strive to understand is how 348 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:27,080 can I increase it? 349 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:31,120 How can I increase my faith? 350 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:36,560 We have to work on that because faith is the answer to all of our problems and more specifically 351 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:42,160 really faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the answer to all of our problems. 352 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:49,560 I'll never forget Elder Razzman saying that three times in a talk on suicide prevention. 353 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:53,080 And I know there were probably people who were offended by that. 354 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:58,360 I never really followed social media on that, but I'm sure that there were people who were 355 00:26:58,360 --> 00:27:03,840 writing that, you know, that he should have talked more about therapists. 356 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,640 He should have talked about more about medication. 357 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:13,640 He should have talked more about preventing anxiety or stress or whatever. 358 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:16,480 And he didn't talk about it. 359 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:23,400 Three times he said all of our answers to all of our problems is found in the Lord Jesus 360 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,040 Christ. 361 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:32,120 I don't think that's an oversimplification because that is a slow and deliberate intentional 362 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:36,280 work and it takes great work, Scott. 363 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:44,280 It takes great work to really increase our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and one of 364 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:50,120 the things we have to do according to the lectures on faith is not only to believe in 365 00:27:50,120 --> 00:27:57,280 him, not only to believe and understand his character, attributes and perfections because 366 00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:59,520 that takes great study. 367 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,720 That takes great meditation. 368 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:09,160 That takes lots of experiences to understand his character, attributes and perfections. 369 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:15,560 But the third and final one in the lectures on faith is to know that the course of life 370 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:20,280 that we are pursuing is pleasing to God. 371 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:28,360 That is a matter of daily choices, thousands of choices that we make that that if they 372 00:28:28,360 --> 00:28:34,600 are pleasing to the will of God will increase our faith. 373 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:43,840 Faith is a choice and we have to strive daily to increase our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 374 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:51,160 So I love the story of the man in the New Testament in Mark chapter 9, Scott. 375 00:28:51,160 --> 00:29:02,680 They call this boy, they call him a child that this man has who brings him to Jesus and 376 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:10,680 he's been possessed by a devil and since his youth, I don't this obviously since we know 377 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:15,840 the doctrine that devil can't can't possess or even tempt a child. 378 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:23,800 This is doctrine, come to section 29 everybody is that the devil can't even tempt a child 379 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,040 because of the power of the atonement not because they're not fallen. 380 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:33,360 A little children even little children are fallen we learn that mosaic chapter 3 verse 381 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:34,360 16. 382 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:37,760 Satan has no power to even tempt a child. 383 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:44,280 I just love that truth and doctrine which is only part of the restoration because of 384 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,680 the Book of Mormon and doctrine. 385 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:53,300 So this story in Mark 9 is about a father who brings his son to Jesus. 386 00:29:53,300 --> 00:29:57,720 This is what's recorded in verses 23 and 24 of Mark 9. 387 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:05,560 Jesus said unto him, if thou can't believe, all things are possible to him that believe. 388 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:07,680 Okay, so time out right there for just a second. 389 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:08,680 Can you imagine? 390 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:10,000 So be a dad, right? 391 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,280 You have this son who's going through this unexplained. 392 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:20,560 I mean, this unexplainable super scary situation. 393 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:25,280 And then he sees Jesus the healer and he says, Jesus, can you heal my son? 394 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:30,000 And Jesus says, Hey, if you believe, I can all things are possible. 395 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:31,640 Can you imagine being in that spot? 396 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:35,400 You immediately I would begin to question my own belief. 397 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:36,960 Yeah, absolutely. 398 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:38,120 Okay, continue. 399 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:41,720 Yeah, but I love the line Scott. 400 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,840 All things are possible to him that believe this. 401 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:48,520 Yeah, that's such powerful lines by Jesus. 402 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:51,120 And that's one of those I look for these right? 403 00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:52,560 That's all inclusive. 404 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,200 How many things are possible? 405 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,440 All things all all all things. 406 00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:58,880 He's not leaving anything out. 407 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,960 I know I know that that thought appears in other scriptures. 408 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:04,760 But this is spoken by Jesus himself. 409 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:09,280 This would be in the red letter in my red letter Bible. 410 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:11,280 This would be all red letters. 411 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:13,520 Bold, bold red. 412 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:16,400 All things are possible to him that believe it. 413 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:22,120 Verse 24 and straight way the father of the child cried out. 414 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:25,320 Love the all release the phrase in the scriptures cried out. 415 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:31,680 We don't cry out enough and said with tears. 416 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:35,440 And sometimes you cry out and there's no tears. 417 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:41,400 He said with tears Lord, I believe help them mind unbelief. 418 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:45,160 Yeah, these tears may not have been real tears too. 419 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:50,680 You know, I think that may just be a word to kind of help us to understand the depth 420 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:54,160 of emotion that this dad was feeling those. 421 00:31:54,160 --> 00:32:00,560 Yeah, I believe Lord, I believe. 422 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:04,280 Help them mind unbelief. 423 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:10,120 You know, none of us none of us have perfect faith, Scott. 424 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:12,800 And I just think this is such a worthy prayer. 425 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:13,800 Right. 426 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:23,240 I think this is a prayer that we should offer often maybe occasionally for sure that we 427 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:29,160 should say in our prayers, Heavenly Father, I believe. 428 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:30,160 But please help. 429 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:31,160 Right. 430 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:35,760 Yeah, a guy like me should probably be saying that pretty regularly. 431 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:36,760 Well all of us should. 432 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:37,760 Yeah. 433 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:41,040 All of us should be praying. 434 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:42,680 Faith is not only a choice. 435 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:43,680 No. 436 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:45,680 Faith is a gift. 437 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:47,760 And we need to treat it like that. 438 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,280 Faith isn't something that we earn. 439 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:55,400 Faith I know, you know, faith, I got a lot of different definitions and I know that faith 440 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:59,320 is is the result of obedience. 441 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:02,200 Faith is the result of righteousness. 442 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:06,280 All of those play a role in obtaining the gift of faith. 443 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:15,080 But honestly, Scott, faith is also a choice and faith is also a gift and it comes. 444 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:19,600 It comes through prayer through intentional praying. 445 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:23,240 It's not something that we can just grow on our own. 446 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:24,240 Yeah. 447 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:30,960 And I think we have to see it that way in order to obtain the faith necessary where we 448 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:39,360 can have the faith of power and even in our unseen unseen challenges, unseen tests, unseen 449 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:40,360 perils. 450 00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:49,000 I mean, you know, we all harbor those kinds of things, whether it be something that we're 451 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:56,120 hiding in the closet and as secret sin or addiction or or whether it be some other trial 452 00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:03,080 that we don't want anyone to know or others to really be aware of. 453 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:08,240 We all need that increased faith in order to be able to carry those burdens. 454 00:34:08,240 --> 00:34:11,840 And sometimes those burdens won't be completely lifted to either Scott. 455 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:12,840 No, it's great faith. 456 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:15,240 It's as part of our mortal experience as well. 457 00:34:15,240 --> 00:34:20,400 Sometimes, you know, I remember hearing elder President Benson talk, give a talk one time, 458 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:23,160 you know, and he's talking and I don't even remember exactly what it is about. 459 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:25,080 And I don't know that I could find the talk. 460 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:28,960 But I'll never forget the feelings I felt when I summarize something he said in my 461 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:36,320 own mind and that was simply this, that sometimes the Lord will calm the storm in your life. 462 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:41,920 But sometimes the Lord will let the storm rage and through proper faith can calm the 463 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:43,440 child in the storm. 464 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:47,240 Yeah, there's there's purpose, really, in adversity. 465 00:34:47,240 --> 00:34:48,480 There's divine. 466 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:52,680 There's divine purpose in some of the challenges that we face. 467 00:34:52,680 --> 00:35:02,560 And and the important thing is that God knows about our challenges, our adversities, our 468 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:04,640 pains and our afflictions. 469 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,640 He knows them. 470 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:14,840 And if he can, if he allows them to continue in us, then we need to try to find the purpose 471 00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:24,080 and the growth that he is trying to teach us or to give us in those in those afflictions. 472 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:30,480 I mean, I think I just think it's wrong of us to think of the gospel of Jesus Christ 473 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:35,600 like a vending machine where we put in our effort to do this and do that and keep all 474 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:36,600 the commandments. 475 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:43,320 And then and then we expect the candy bar to come out and and we receive all the blessings. 476 00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:45,360 It just doesn't happen that way. 477 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:53,480 There are just so many times in my life in your life in so many people who are keeping 478 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:58,920 the commandments lives who have severe challenges. 479 00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:05,760 Children they have children they they somehow believed is my wife and I not evilly believed 480 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:10,800 that if we kept all the commandments that our children would would turn out to be, you 481 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:15,120 know, great saints and they probably will someday. 482 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:25,320 But but it's just it's just not real nor is it healthy to believe that if you keep all 483 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:30,680 the commandments and you do everything that's right, that your children are going to turn 484 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:35,840 out to be sinless or or perfect. 485 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:41,960 But yet so many in the church do and when they don't turn out perfect or when they when 486 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:49,840 they find out that their child has gay tendencies or has different challenges or their expectations 487 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:55,800 of their children are not being met and God seems to not be blessing their children the 488 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:59,480 way they thought their children should be blessed. 489 00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:09,480 Wow, it's so easy for parents and others to turn away and to think that their faith has 490 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:16,000 been what not met their faith has not been fulfilled. 491 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:21,320 Yeah, it's that's just so sad because where's their faith right? 492 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:27,520 Is there faith in in something turning out right so in a process is there faith in their 493 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:35,280 child is their faith in the blessing is their faith in a thing something or is their faith 494 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:37,760 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 495 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:45,960 And I this I always go back on the subject to the experience of the the impotent man 496 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:51,720 at the pool of Bethesda, you know, in John chapter five Scott. 497 00:37:51,720 --> 00:37:57,080 I love I love that story and I think it teaches us powerful lesson and there's lots of different 498 00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:04,520 interpretations of this story and I guess lots of different judgments or ideas about 499 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:13,560 the the man who laid by the pool who was so crippled that this pool of Bethesda I know 500 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:19,440 no one seems to really understand what what was happening here other than there was a 501 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:26,880 pool not far from the temple and that some the some believed whether this was real or 502 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:31,200 not real we're not sure some believe that an angel had come down and moved the water 503 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:36,640 and this would occasionally happen and it's unclear how often this would happen whether 504 00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:41,800 it was at the feast because this this chapter starts out talking about the the feast which 505 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:47,120 we believe is the feast to pass over and that's why Jesus is even in Jerusalem. 506 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:51,760 We don't know that this is just a Passover week or is this a monthly weekly or daily 507 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:55,600 thing we don't know but there's there's a bunch of infirm people waiting around this 508 00:38:55,600 --> 00:39:02,600 pool and when the water moves if you if you're one of the first ones in your heeled and Jesus 509 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:08,880 comes to the pool of Bethesda and he sees this man laying on laying on his bed or really 510 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:11,800 more kind of a man. 511 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:16,760 Now there was a Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool which is called in the Hebrew tongue 512 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:24,160 Bethesda by the way Bethesda means Beth is house of and the rest of that means house 513 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:33,400 of mercy and in these days lay a great multitude of impotent folk and of blind halt withered 514 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:39,440 waiting for the moving of the water for an angel went down at a certain season into the 515 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:45,360 pool troubled the water who so ever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in 516 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:52,720 was made whole of whatsoever disease he had and a certain man was there which had an infirmity 517 00:39:52,720 --> 00:40:00,560 thirty and eight years when Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been how long a time 518 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:04,840 in that case he saith unto him wilt thou be made whole. 519 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:11,320 Okay so let's just pause on this inspired question for just a minute and how many times 520 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:17,600 whether we hear this question or not from Jesus how many times is this question asked 521 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:19,720 of us. 522 00:40:19,720 --> 00:40:28,120 Wilt thou be made whole do you even want to be healed do you even want to be better do 523 00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:36,640 you really want to I mean Scott you've you've taught me over and over again through dictionary 524 00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:43,760 recovery programs this idea that there's always a payoff for so many people who who have 525 00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:50,000 addictions who have problems that are somewhat self-inflicted and who don't seem to be able 526 00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:58,080 to make the changes necessary you always bring up the question well what's your payoff I 527 00:40:58,080 --> 00:41:03,880 did think that's so interesting that that they're always not out why I don't know myself 528 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:09,840 always but they're usually is some sort of payoff isn't there. 529 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:14,920 Yeah it's true you know and without getting into it and belaboring it a great deal I mean 530 00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:23,080 we can all think of instances perhaps even in our own lives when we have chosen the easier 531 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:30,080 path right the easier way and sometimes that easier way we find show up in our in our extremities 532 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:31,680 in our trials. 533 00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:37,880 For example it's easier for me sometimes to stay stuck in whatever an issue may be you 534 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:43,640 know if I'm struggling with a mental illness issue maybe a depression issue or whatever 535 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:47,640 that comes about as a trigger because of the past trauma memory. 536 00:41:47,640 --> 00:41:49,160 Yeah situational. 537 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:53,160 Yeah then I can then I can use that to stay stuck because if I'm depressed then I don't 538 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:57,840 have the responsibility otherwise if I'm not depressed then I got to suit up show up and 539 00:41:57,840 --> 00:42:00,960 be responsible in my life. 540 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:06,400 Yeah and you can play out so many things whether they be physical or they be emotional. 541 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,920 Yeah any challenge where they be social. 542 00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:12,520 What's how come you stay stuck. 543 00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:17,080 Why do you choose to stay there stuck. 544 00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:19,680 Yeah what's the payoff. 545 00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:23,160 And so Jesus asked this question. 546 00:42:23,160 --> 00:42:24,400 Will thou be made whole. 547 00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:27,040 Yeah do you really want to. 548 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:30,800 Okay well because let's talk about that because if you really are made whole then you can't 549 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:32,800 beg for food anymore you got to get out and work. 550 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:33,800 Yeah exactly. 551 00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:37,000 Yeah you know you got to use some exercise you can't just lay around here all day looking 552 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:41,800 at how beautiful this water is in this great area close to the temple and everything else. 553 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:43,720 I mean there's something I have to go get a job. 554 00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:45,680 You're gonna have to do something. 555 00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:49,640 Many commentaries on this that I've read have have brought that up. 556 00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:54,040 He asked that question because this man has has kind of accepted that this is this is who 557 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:55,040 he is. 558 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:56,040 Yeah. 559 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:59,800 He's been living life and that this is how he makes his living. 560 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:01,640 And he has found a way to be comfortable in it. 561 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:02,640 Yeah. 562 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:06,600 And part of that comfort Dave is complaining that I'm not comfortable enough. 563 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:10,160 Well listen to what listen to what the man answers. 564 00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:19,440 Number seven the impotent man answered him sir I have no man. 565 00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:24,320 So he doesn't say yes please yes yes of course I want to be made whole. 566 00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:26,080 Yes of course I want to be healed. 567 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:28,040 He doesn't answer that way. 568 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:32,200 He just says sir can't you know don't you see my problem here. 569 00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:37,480 I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool. 570 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:41,280 But while I am coming another step down before me. 571 00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:44,320 Whoa is me. 572 00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:48,000 If you had it as bad as I had it there's no way you'd get in that water. 573 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:49,600 Why are you even asking me that question. 574 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:51,280 I can't be healed. 575 00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:52,960 I can't be healed if I wanted to. 576 00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:58,800 Isn't it enough that I'm here watching everybody be healed and and and feigning or feigning 577 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:01,480 an attempt to also be healed. 578 00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:02,480 Yeah. 579 00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:03,480 Yeah. 580 00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:10,720 Anyway I I can't judge the man and obviously Jesus knew his heart because Jesus responds 581 00:44:10,720 --> 00:44:18,400 to that by not Jesus sees beyond our excuses Scott. 582 00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:21,720 Jesus sees beyond it and he sees so deep into our hearts. 583 00:44:21,720 --> 00:44:26,960 And this must have been a good man because Jesus sees it I think into his heart knows 584 00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:30,960 that Jesus knows that as soon as he says this the man is going to do it. 585 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:36,560 So that's there's great credit to this to this man to this man that Jesus trusts him 586 00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:42,920 enough that Jesus although you know I'm wondering I wondered when I read this how many times 587 00:44:42,920 --> 00:44:48,320 did Jesus say this to other people and they didn't respond and they didn't right respond 588 00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:53,720 how many how many other people could have been healed would have been healed right should 589 00:44:53,720 --> 00:44:58,080 have been healed but they never well and here's the thing about the man too and we're all 590 00:44:58,080 --> 00:45:02,560 the man in this case at some point as well you know here's the thing about him you know 591 00:45:02,560 --> 00:45:04,520 maybe he didn't really know. 592 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:09,040 You know maybe this really was his best effort. 593 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:13,600 He and he doesn't maybe even know who Jesus well and maybe he doesn't know that hit that 594 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:18,760 he's responsible maybe he doesn't know that I've taken on this persona of being comfortable 595 00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:22,360 in this situation and we're assuming that he is you know we're only using this for 596 00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:26,880 illustrative purposes right at this point but but you know sometimes we get there to 597 00:45:26,880 --> 00:45:32,680 Dave we don't we get just it's just like woe is me my life is hard and sometimes we 598 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:37,800 just don't have the ability or the eyes to catch the vision that we can be healed through 599 00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:43,160 Jesus well here's this guy and then Jesus proposes well what if I can heal you take 600 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:46,720 up your bed and walk and what a relief that would have been. 601 00:45:46,720 --> 00:45:52,320 Yeah so one reason I want to read this story because here's another example of a man who 602 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:54,840 doesn't have faith in Jesus. 603 00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:59,880 He's going to the pool because he has faith in an angel right faith in the moving of water 604 00:45:59,880 --> 00:46:06,160 faith in water at some process faith in men who are going to help help him get into the 605 00:46:06,160 --> 00:46:07,160 water. 606 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:09,280 Yeah where's where's his faith. 607 00:46:09,280 --> 00:46:14,280 Yeah and so that's why Jesus asked you want to be healed well then you got to put your 608 00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:20,280 faith in something other than the angel or the pool or the man that's not here or the 609 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:30,000 man that you say isn't going to help you exactly and Jesus say it's unto him rise take up thy 610 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:40,120 bed and walk and immediately this is credit to the man immediately the man was made whole 611 00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:46,680 and took up his bed and walked and on the same day it was the Sabbath and Jesus Jesus 612 00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:51,920 has to put up with all the persecution of the Pharisees and Sadducees for not keeping 613 00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:57,320 the Sabbath they holy according to them but but nevertheless I love that story so grateful 614 00:46:57,320 --> 00:47:04,760 that John recorded that because I think it teaches us a powerful lesson Scott about where 615 00:47:04,760 --> 00:47:12,960 where is our faith where is our faith centered and do we so many times do we just stay stuck 616 00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:20,080 because our faith is in the wrong thing it's it's displaced our faith has to be centered 617 00:47:20,080 --> 00:47:27,280 in focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and really to do that Scott you know you were talking 618 00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:35,000 about the hidden problems really to do that we have to focus less on our problems and 619 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:42,640 we have to focus more upon the Lord Jesus Christ this comes back to the scripture so 620 00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:47,480 often the scriptures that we keep quoting over and over again in this course is one 621 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:52,560 thing is needful and then the scripture in doctrine come in section six look unto me 622 00:47:52,560 --> 00:48:01,280 in every thought doubt not fear not you know if we could just learn to do that if we could 623 00:48:01,280 --> 00:48:08,160 kind of experiment with that if we could get better at doing that make improvement incremental 624 00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:17,040 small improvement in doing that our our problems while they may not go away Scott we would 625 00:48:17,040 --> 00:48:23,480 be able to handle them better than we handle them yeah so I know we're about running out 626 00:48:23,480 --> 00:48:29,480 of time and I made the comment that even knowing that Jesus is with us all the time will give 627 00:48:29,480 --> 00:48:35,160 us comfort strength and bless us but it's also understanding the atonement of Jesus 628 00:48:35,160 --> 00:48:42,680 Christ Scott it's understanding him his power his presence which is always with us knowing 629 00:48:42,680 --> 00:48:48,200 that he knows us really understanding that and then knowing what the atonement in his 630 00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:55,800 suffering did for us and that we will receive compensatory blessings for all of our suffering 631 00:48:55,800 --> 00:49:04,400 and I think about the saints in Jackson County Missouri and this this scripture which says 632 00:49:04,400 --> 00:49:09,720 barely I said to you my friends the stocking comes section 98 fear not let your hearts 633 00:49:09,720 --> 00:49:15,880 be comforted I mean they're going through terrible stuff Scott rejoice ever more and 634 00:49:15,880 --> 00:49:23,160 in everything give thanks think of that in everything even in your trials even in your 635 00:49:23,160 --> 00:49:29,360 afflictions this is like a Cory 10 boom sister while they're in a concentration camp in everything 636 00:49:29,360 --> 00:49:38,800 give thanks waiting patiently on the Lord patiently on the Lord I think that means continually 637 00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:44,200 serving him not just sitting there doing nothing waiting a waiter what is a waiter doing a 638 00:49:44,200 --> 00:49:51,320 cafe a waiter waits on you it doesn't wait for you it doesn't say for you it says waiting 639 00:49:51,320 --> 00:50:00,640 on the Lord which I believe means serving him continually even in your problems for 640 00:50:00,640 --> 00:50:06,400 your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath which is the Lord of hosts 641 00:50:06,400 --> 00:50:14,760 the Lord of armies and navies and powers and are recorded with this seal in testament 642 00:50:14,760 --> 00:50:20,440 the Lord has sworn and decreed that they shall be granted verse 3 this is the key verse I 643 00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:25,960 think therefore he give it this promise unto you with an immutable covenant that they shall 644 00:50:25,960 --> 00:50:30,400 be fulfilled in all things were with you have been inflicted shall work together for your 645 00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:39,000 good and my name's glory sayeth the Lord that's a part of a description of compensatory blessings 646 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:46,680 Scott that all things even bad things that happen to us even bad choices that we make 647 00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:51,680 or things that we didn't even choose that bad things that happen to us that that were 648 00:50:51,680 --> 00:50:59,080 innocent of all things shall work together for your good that is only possible because 649 00:50:59,080 --> 00:51:08,360 of the power mercy grace through the atonement of Jesus Christ so knowing that Christ is 650 00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:15,600 with us knowing Christ understanding the powers blessings available to us through his atonement 651 00:51:15,600 --> 00:51:25,040 should give us the peace and the strength and the purpose in all of our seen and unseen 652 00:51:25,040 --> 00:51:31,360 challenges Scott in life let me just kind of summarize a couple of things so we're 653 00:51:31,360 --> 00:51:35,560 talking about the challenges that we have in life it seems like we've talked a little 654 00:51:35,560 --> 00:51:41,000 bit about how important it is to maintain a relationship with deity specifically through 655 00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:46,240 Jesus Christ specifically by thinking of him and every thought which specifically means 656 00:51:46,240 --> 00:51:52,640 we go to the garden and the cross and all of that with him to understand his atonement 657 00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:58,120 and his atonement and the power through him or his power that comes there is available 658 00:51:58,120 --> 00:52:03,640 to us because of his atonement to battle any of the battles in our life seen or unseen 659 00:52:03,640 --> 00:52:09,040 and so how do we do that we do that with a daily relationship by doing our daily's getting 660 00:52:09,040 --> 00:52:13,760 back to the things that we've talked about in the past talking to him daily not just 661 00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:18,080 when we have our son foaming at the mouth and we need to have him say hey how's your 662 00:52:18,080 --> 00:52:22,720 belief you know that's not the time for our belief to be tested our belief to be tested 663 00:52:22,720 --> 00:52:27,000 is on a daily basis I love in the diet and I'm just we have two thoughts I want to conclude 664 00:52:27,000 --> 00:52:33,800 with this is out of the big book of alcoholics anonymous page 85 what we really have is a 665 00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:40,800 daily reprieve contingent a daily reprieve okay so we just we don't get we don't get 666 00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:48,040 a reprieve that will last into eternity because we have laurels to rest on right what we get 667 00:52:48,040 --> 00:52:54,640 is a really what we really have is a daily reprieve daily contingent contingent on what 668 00:52:54,640 --> 00:53:01,480 contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition written so that everybody could 669 00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:07,640 receive it for those of us who know Jesus know that that means contingent on our relationship 670 00:53:07,640 --> 00:53:13,480 with Jesus so it's a gift you know the gift is not the gift not the relief the gift is 671 00:53:13,480 --> 00:53:18,800 the giver of the gift right and doctrine and covenants 8833 for what does the prophet 672 00:53:18,800 --> 00:53:25,120 of man if a gift is bestowed upon him so in other words what does it matter if he relieves 673 00:53:25,120 --> 00:53:30,080 your unseen or seen battle what if he would have so what if he takes care of that for 674 00:53:30,080 --> 00:53:35,200 you you know for what does the prophet of man if a gift is bestowed upon him if he received 675 00:53:35,200 --> 00:53:41,560 not the gift that's important behold he rejoices not in that which is given unto him neither 676 00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:48,680 rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift it's all about a relationship with Jesus Christ 677 00:53:48,680 --> 00:53:55,600 every battle we face today tomorrow in the past or for eternity into the future the 678 00:53:55,600 --> 00:54:02,920 answer is always in that relationship with him every time we get we do this we pray that 679 00:54:02,920 --> 00:54:09,680 to our focus may be more directly on the giver of the gift may that be our focus this week 680 00:54:09,680 --> 00:54:13,240 that will be our invitation thanks for being with us everybody we look forward to being 681 00:54:13,240 --> 00:54:32,000 with you again next week and until then be well.