THOUGHT PATTERN #1 PRAYER SAMPLES

-Help me Father to feel Thy Spirit today. May I walk in Thy strait & narrow path and feel Thy direction in each activity of the day.

-I can hear the voice of the Lord saying unto me in that day; "Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth.

-Help me Father, to feel Thy Spirit this day, so I can know that I am clean & forgiven. That I am still numbered among the righteous. That if I should die this day, I will be invited into Paradise, or lifted up if the Savior should come. Help me to focus spiritually 7 serve Thee in all things this day.

-(Today is Sunday) Father, as I listen to the teachers, the speakers, the Bishop, and other friends, may I be taught by Thee. Help me to hear their words through Thy Spirit, so I may know what Thou would have me learn & do.

-Father, I am grateful to know that I am Thy son. That if I am true & faithful to my covenants this day, that I have the absolute guarantee of eternal life. That the gifts of Paradise, receiving a Celestial body, being lifted up, being with the Savior during the Millennium, receiving the gift of perfection, invited into exaltation & becoming joint heirs with Christ, are mine because of Him who gave His life for me. I thank Thee.

-Father, I do not feel Thy Spirit in great abundance this day, but I know when I am walking in light & truth. Help me keep Thy truths alive within me throughout this day. I know the angels are watching over me, and Thou art near. I know Thou lovest me & want me to stay spiritually focused throughout this day. For Thee I will be steadfast.

"No one of us can survive in the world today, much less what it soon will become without personal inspiration...While we may not see an immediate miraculous transformation, as surely as the Lord lives, a quiet one will take place. The spiritual power in the lives of each member and in the Church will increase. We will be less troubled, less confused. We will find revealed answers to personal & family problems, without all the counseling whilc we now seem to need."
(Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Nov. 91, page 23)

Hope

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED ABOUT INCREASING MY HOPE TO BE RAISED UNTO ETERNAL LIFE?

A. I have learned what I must do to feel the Spirit each day. i.e.,

1. Pray, read the scriptures & see the gifts of heaven

2. While reading the scriptures, seek spiritual enlightment

3. I must hole this spiritual focus long enough to recognize the Spirit

B. I have learned to thank Heavenly Father and rejoice when I felt the Spirit, because He has counted me worthy to receive. (D&C 50:34)

C. I have learned to rejoice because I recognize that as I feel the Spirit, Heavenly Father is confirming to me:

1. I am clean & forgiven of my sins

2. I am in the Straight & Narrow Path

3. If I die this day, I will go to Paradise

4. If the Savior comes today, I will be lifted up

5. I am on schedule today for Exaltation & the riches of eternity

All of these gifts are given to me because of the Savior.

What Must I Do To Qualify For the Celestial Kingdom?

ALMA"S PROCESS for change (Levels 1 & 2)

ALMA"S PROCESS to become one with Christ EXERCISING MY FAITH TO KNOW THE SEED IS GOOD

Step #1 - Understanding the Truth: (See as He sees)
a. Review the Scriptures on the plan of salvation
b. Decide for which kingdom you want to qualify
c. Determine the importance of the Spirit in increasing your hope to be raised unto Eternal Life
d. Make a list of the gifts & promises of eternity

Step #2 - Hold the truth in your mind, by prayer, throughout the day: (think as He thinks)
a. Several times a day, talk with Heavenly Father about the plan of salvation and its truthfulness. i.e., "Father, I am so grateful for the atonement of Christ. Because of it, I am able to receive Thy gifts, which are te greatest gifts that could be bestowed upon me. Help me to walk in Thy path and enjoy the day."

Step #3 - Continue to pray about these truths until you receive a witness by the Spirit that they are good: (feel as He feels)
a. Seek to fell the Spirit confirm this truth, and your being on schedule for the Celestial Kingdom
b. You will feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourself -it must needs be that this is a good seed, for it beginneth to
1. enlarge my soul
2. Yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding
3. yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

i.e., you will feel joy as you pray about these truths of the gospel. Your mind will expand and you will see things with increased light, and the more you exercise your faith in this process it becomes easier & more enjoyable (delicious)

Step #4 -Do as he does:
a. Pray first thing in the morning to become spiritually centered
b. Read the scriptures for the purpose of enlightenment
c. See yourself receiving the gifts & promises of eternity
d. Pray several times each day, experessing your gratitude, about being on schedule for the Celestial Kingdom
e. Do these faith exercises out of the love you feel for Heavenly Father & the Savior

THE PROPHETS SPEAK

Ezra Taft Benson, “Seek the Spirit of the Lord,” Ensign, Apr 1988, 2
One sure way we can determine whether we are on the strait and narrow path is that we will possess the Spirit of the Lord in our lives. The most important thing in our lives is the Spirit. I have always felt that. We must remain open and sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost in all aspects of our lives. being in tune with the Spirit of the Lord—is the greatest need we all have. We should strive for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost all the days of our lives. When we have the Spirit, we will love to serve, we will love the Lord, and we will love those with whom we serve, and those whom we serve. It takes spirituality to comprehend it, to love it, and to discern it. Therefore, seek the Spirit in all you do. Keep it with you continually. That is our challenge.

James E. Faust, “The Gift of the Holy Ghost—A Sure Compass,” Ensign, Apr 1996, 2

The comforting Spirit of the Holy Ghost can abide with us twenty-four hours a day: when we work, when we play, when we rest. Its strengthening influence can be with us year in and year out. That sustaining influence can be with us in joy and sorrow, when we rejoice as well as when we grieve. The Holy Ghost will also help us solve crises of faith. The Spirit of the Holy Ghost can be a confirming witness, testifying of heavenly things. Through that Spirit, a strong knowledge distills in one’s mind, and one feels all doubt or questions disappear....the gift of the Holy Ghost is an enhanced spiritual power permitting those entitled thereto to receive it, to receive a greater knowledge and enjoyment of the influence of Deity. I testify that as we mature spiritually under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, our sense of personal worth, of belonging, and of identity increases. I further testify that I would rather have every person enjoy the Spirit of the Holy Ghost than any other association, for they will be led by that Spirit to light and truth and pure intelligence, which can carry them back into the presence of God.

HOW CAN I KNOW I AM FORGIVEN OF MY SINS?

Commenting on the statement in Moses 6:60, "by the Spirit ye are justified," President Harold B. Lee Stated:

"Now I've struggled with that statement, and I have found a definition that seems to indicate to me what I'm sure the Lord intended to convey.

The definition that I think is significant says:

'Justify means to pronounce free from guilt or blame, or to absolve.'

"Now if the Spirit, the Holy Ghost, is to pronounce one free from guilt or blame, or to absolve, then we begin to see something of the office of the Holy Ghost that relates to the subject about which we are talking: what is means to be born of the Spirit."
(Relief Society Personal Study Guide 4-1992-page 39)

How do I know?
Romans 15:13
D&C 88:3-4
Alma 7:15-16
Moroni 10:5

WHY DO I WANT TO BE CLEAN & FORGIVEN AND NUMBERED AMONG THE RIGHTEOUS?

A. The righteous are invited into PARADISE. (Alma 40:12, 25-26)
B. The righteous are lited up when the Savior comes. (1 Thess 4:14-17; D&C 88:96-101; D&C 45:44-48)
C. "These are they whom the Savior will bring with him, when He shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over His people." (D&C 76:63)
D. While the wicked will have a perfect knowledge of all their guilt, & their uncleanness, the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness. (2 Nephi 9:14)

Dont I have to be perfect before I can be assured of exaltation?

"all the faithful Saints, all of those who have endured to the end, depart this life with the absolute guarantee of eternal life.
There is no equivocation, no doubt, no uncertainty in our minds. Those who have been true and faithful in this life will not fall by the wayside in the life to come. If they keep their covenants here and now and depart this life firm and true in the testimony of our blessed Lord, they shall come forth with an inheritance of eternal life.
We do not mean to say that those who die in the Lord, and who are true and faithful in this life, must be perfect in all things when they go into the next sphere of existence. There was only one perfect man—the Lord Jesus whose Father was God.
...But what we are saying is that when the saints of God chart a course of righteousness, when they gain sure testimonies of the truth and divinity of the Lord’s work, when they keep the commandments, when they overcome the world, when they put first in their lives the things of God’s kingdom: when they do all these things, and then depart this life—though they have not yet become perfect—they shall nonetheless gain eternal life in our Father’s kingdom; and eventually they shall be perfect as God their Father and Christ His Son are perfect."

Bruce R. McConkie (Ensign, Nov. 1976, p. 107)

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO QUALIFY FOR A CELESTIAL BODY?

(Alma 34:32-36)

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO QUALIFY FOR ETERNAL LIFE OR EXALTATION if I am walking in the strait & narrow path each day?

I have this life plus spirit world time plus 1000 years during the millennium

The Process of Justification

How can I qualify for Eternal Life?

Through the process of Justification

(To be born of the Spirit, one becomes clean & forgiven)

(2 Nephi 31:17-18)

1- Faith in Jesus Christ

*Atonement

*Power of resurrection

2- Repent of my sins

3- Baptism by water

4- Baptism by fire & the Holy Ghost

-Now I am given gifts & promises because of the covenants I have made with Heavenly Father

Gifts obtained in the Strait & Narrow Path

1- I am clean & forgiven of my sins (2 Nephi 31:17-18)

2- I am numbered among the righteous (Mosiah 27:24-25)

3- I become a candidate for the Celestial Kingdom (D&C 88:3)

4- I have the privilege & honor of the companionship of the Holy Ghost

a. Which witnesses to me that my sins are forgiven

b. Confirms that I am in the Strait & Narrow Path

c. He will comfort me in the trials of this life

d. He shows me how to become like the Master

e. He helps me overcome this world

f. He helps me to master this body

g. He increases my hope to be raised unto Eternal Life

Now is the time to prepare to meet God

“The Lord wants the plan taught plainly and repetitively. And why not? It is God’s plan—not ours! And, given the unimpressive outcomes of man’s plans to solve the world’s problems, aren’t we glad!”
- Elder Neal A. Maxwell, The Great Plan of The Eternal God, 1984

Which kingdom is the hardest to obtain and which is the easiest?

Look at the Following Questions with regards to the Plan of Salvation:

What did I learn from the pre-mortal existence? -who I am, I kept my first estate. I qualified to come to the promise land.

Why did I come to earth? 1. to gain a body, and 2. to determine which kingdom where I will spend in eternity.

What is the most important thing for me to accomplish upon this earth?

Which kingdom is the hardest to obtain and which is the easiest? -the outer darkness is almost impossible to obtain. The telestial kingdom is the next hardest, followed by the terrestrial. The easiest kingdom for which to qualify is the Celestial.

Why is the telestial kingdom hard? -one has to sin and continue in sin and never really repent. This would require one to kill people or abuse others, lie, cheat and steal. Walking in spiritual darkness would become acceptable and experiencing deep feelings of love would be abandoned, and one would evetually become "past feelings." Next this person gets to go through the burning program when the Sacior comes, and gets to go to spirit prison for 1000 years, and go through some group therapy. At the end of the 1000 years he now recieves a telestial body and gets to participate in a battle with Satan and his angels. After the battle he is invited into the telestial glory. None of these experiences sound appealing nor easy to me.

Why is the celestial kingdom the easiest? -as one comes to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet, the Book of Mormon is true, and that Jesus is the Christ, one repents, is baptized, and recieves forgiveness of his sins by fire and the Holy Ghost. One is now justified to come back into the presence of God. He is clean and forgiven, numbered among the righteous. All because of the atoning sacrifice of the Savior. One has qualified for this gift of forgiveness. Next he is asked to walk in the strait & narrow path each day, feasting upon the words of Christ, and seeking to become one with the Savior. For this commitment and daily focus he receives the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and the angels in heaven will watch over him. He is able to grow in love and righteousness while he he is overcoming this world. He will receive revelations to guide him and peace in his daily walk while qualifying for the riches of eternity. He comes to love walking in the light. His hope to be raised unot eternal life increases, and he knows the path he is on is acceptable to Heavenly Father. He listens intently to the living prophets, for he knows that they have the vision and understanding of the purposes of what is taking place and will take place in this world. He knows that all things happening around him is designed for his spiritual growth and development. He is happy nad joyous and is able to use each day for spiritual progression. He is favored of God and has the faith and confidence to be of service to God for his fellowman.

"Do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way." (Alma 37:46)