Fully Rely On God
THE PIONEER FROGS MEANT SAFETY:
In 1847, Brigham Young and the pioneers drifted southward along the towering western wall of the Wasatch Mountains, crossing the country on their way to the Salt Lake Valley. They were traveling through unknown country. They passed through fertile meadows, wetlands engineered by beavers but there were also salty marshes and tainted lakes. Thirsty pioneers traveling along the Humboldt Trail through Utah knew how to find potable water: If there were frogs in a spring or pond, it was safe to drink. That rule of thumb may have provided as much daily sustenance as the teachings.of the prophet Joseph Smith for that journey. We will have safety when we look for ‘FROGS’ & Fully Rely On God, just as the hymn says, “Words of a prophet, keep the commandments, in this there is safety & peace.”
ACCEPTING EACH OTHER WARTS & ALL:
Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. - 1 Peter 5:7 So lets take a "leap" of faith and Fully Rely on God! He will accept us warts and all. Warts are unsightly to look at ‘spiritual warts are often a symptom of sin but we must not focus on the warts but rather look past them to the beautiful young woman inside that Heavenly Father intents her to become.
STAND AS A WITNESS: Margaret D. Nadauld
What does it mean to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places? First of all, in standing as a witness at all times, we promise to love the Lord, to honor Him all the time--daytime and nighttime, good times and bad times--love the Lord and let that love show by the way we live. We also take time to thank Him, take time to ask for help, take time to seek guidance, and then take time to listen. Take time for that still, small voice which will whisper to us, help us, and give us courage. Let me illustrate: Standing as a witness in all things means all things--big things, little things, in all conversations, in jokes, in games played and books read and music listened to, in causes supported, in service rendered, in clothes worn, in friends made. Standing as a witness in all things means being kind in all things, being the first to say hello, being the first to smile, being the first to make the stranger feel a part of things, being helpful, thinking of others' feelings, being inclusive. Our Heavenly Father does bless us when we show our love for Him in all things. We say that we will stand as a witness in all places. That means not only in public places but in private places, in secret, in dark or in light places; in church, school, home, or cars; in mountain places or beach places; on the street or in the park. Stand as an example of a worthy daughter of God in all places. Remember Joseph who was sold into Egypt? Certainly he exercised good judgment when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife to become involved with her in an immoral act. We read in the Bible that at this critical time in his young life, Joseph stood up and got himself out of the situation (see Gen. 39:712). He didn't sit
around wondering what to do. He didn't linger a little longer. He stood--he stood as a witness of righteousness at this crucial time. You, like Joseph, are of noble heritage. You have a royal inheritance, for you are a spirit daughter of God. You were chosen, before this world was, to come forth at this time. You were taught in a premortal world by God Himself. The time is here for you to stand up for what you know is right. You must judge right from wrong. No longer can you be complacent or go with the flow or wonder what to do. You must decide now which path you will follow and which answer you will give. Decide well in advance, before the pressure is on. The great good news is that you can win any assault that is aimed at you! And it is not that hard. Just use good judgment! You can stand up and change the channel on the television, delete any comments that
cuss on MySpace and don’t go to or rent bad movies. Don't wear the revealing clothes that are too tight or too bare or too short. Leave them in the closet. Better still, leave them in the store. Stand up and walk away from temptation, just like Joseph did--only he didn't just walk away, he ran! You can do this too, literally and figuratively, and you will be safer, more pure, more secure. One way to disrupt God's plan for you would be to desensitize young women. Give them a small, seemingly innocent taste of something ultimately destructive, next time a little more, and next time even more again, and soon, when it was time for the big whammy, it would hardly be noticed. It is said if you want to boil a frog, don't throw him in a pot of boiling water. He will immediately jump out. Put him in a pot of cold water and turn the heat up so slowly that he won't even notice the dangerous increase in temperature. Young women, I fear that the trend in our world is to slowly turn up the heat. Pay attention. Don't allow yourselves to be desensitized by gradual lapses in good judgment. As you view images, whether on TV or movies or Internet or magazines, you will see some good things and most probably some bad. Wrong and evil may be made to appear acceptable. Don't be tricked! Simply stand up and walk away! Christ showed us the way. He willingly suffered for our sins because He loved us so completely. He gave us the right to repent. When we think of the magnificence of His gift to us, what
small thing could we do for Him and for our Heavenly Father who sent Him? We could stand as witnesses of Their love & teachings at all times, in all things, and in all places.
