Mormon FAIR-Cast

How to Complain to the Lord by Autumn Dickson In Numbers 11, we read about the Israelites getting sick of their miracle, namely the manna in the wilderness which fed them. They remembered all the good food they used to eat in Egypt, and they were mad about eating the same thing for every meal. Numbers 11:10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. Moses gets so sick of the Israelites complaining that he asks the Lord to kill him rather than having to deal with them anymore (same, Moses, same). The Lord responds by sending too much meat until they get sick of it. I want to share my own story, and then I'll bring it back to the Israelites. My daughter was baptized in December. It was beautiful. A lot of my family was in town for the wedding and so they got to be there which was magical for me; it also actually complicated things. The week before the baptism and wedding, the stomach flu went through our house. I rejoiced that we got over it in time for my family to come into town because I don't get to see my family that often, and I adore being around my family. Unfortunately, the day before the baptism, one of my babies started throwing up again. I was actually rather devastated. I hadn't realized how much excitement I had placed on being with my family and having everyone with us for this huge step in my daughter's life until it was potentially getting taken away from me. I pleaded with the Lord for it to be a fluke, that she would just throw up once and go a full 24 hours without throwing up again before the baptism. Unfortunately, this miracle was not to be. She threw up again the morning of the baptism. I texted the family and warned them all that I was still going to my daughter's baptism and that the baby would be there because I had no one else to watch her. I told them I understood if anyone was too afraid to come because everyone was traveling for Christmas (some on international flights), and there were some pregnant women and other little children. We had some immunocompromised family members. There were many reasons to stay away. And then I knelt down. I told the Lord that I accepted what He chose to give and withhold, and I worked really hard to feel that acceptance and not just offer lip service. Heaven knows lip service wasn't going to make me feel any better. And you know what? He blessed me for it. He opened my eyes to see the fact that I was blessed for having a family that I wanted to be around. Not everyone has that. He helped me see that I have an eternity of Christmases to be with family and celebrate. And most importantly, He helped me see that my daughter's baptism wasn't just about that single day. It was about the fact that she was binding herself to her Savior forever. In fact, because of her baptism, I would be able to be with her and the rest of my family for eternity. It was definitely a moment to celebrate. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding it, it would be one of the greatest blessings of her life. Now, my family all came anyway, as did my husband's family who live closer to us. It was perfect and chock full of the spirit and a surprising amount of fun. BUT. If my family had chosen to stay away that day, I would have understood. There were plenty of reasons to bail. I would have been terribly disappointed and sad, but it would have likewise been tempered by the Savior's soft reminders. I've gotten frustrated with the Lord often enough in my life that I've realized it's fruitless. There have been times when I've been filled with anger or sadness or betrayal and turned to the Lord in my immense overwhelm; He has responded by giving me a clearer perspective and teaching me that I can trust Him. So after a million and one experiences with the Lord and His wisdom, I was able to approach Him with a lot more faith this time. Rather than getting angry with the Lord for not preventing the problem, I approached Him with meekness. As with all things in the Lord, I was the one who was blessed. We don't approach the Lord with meekness to placate His ego. We don't approach the Lord with meekness to try and get Him to change His mind. We approach Him with meekness because it blesses US. It allows Him to show us the reality of our situation. The reality of our situation is this: even in the midst of fast and direct trials like Egypt or in the long and arduous and uncomfortable trials of a journey through the wilderness, we have already won! We actually have every reason to be grateful and when we commit to meekness, we have the Lord to help us remember that. Important sidenote: I have learned that meekness can coexist with many different emotions. We often picture a humble, quiet servant who doesn't talk back or ever complain, but I don't think that's the only way to be meek. Even in the midst of anger or frustration or exasperation or devastation or annoyance, we can simultaneously say, “I know Thee, Lord. I know I am in Thy hands, and I know that Thou art doing what's best for me.” You don't have to turn down your emotions in order to successfully approach the Lord. Just simultaneously bring your knowledge that the Lord is watching out for you. Better yet, take those big emotions to the Lord and ask Him to help you see more clearly so that it's not difficult to be meek. When I approached Him in prayer about seeing my family while they were in town, I was bawling. I've definitely approached Him and carried my anger with me. We don't have to seem all pious and restrained. We can simply cling to our testimony that the Lord loves us and wants what's best for us. The truth is, the Lord is often going to do what He's going to do anyway. If the Israelites had simply approached Moses (or approached the Lord, directly) and asked for some dietary variety, maybe the Lord would have sent the right amount of quail rather than sending a difficult lesson alongside it. However, the blessing of meekness is that regardless of what the Lord chose to send, the Israelites could have been happy. We came here to struggle. He can't take that away without simultaneously robbing us of the purpose of the Plan of Salvation (growth), and meekness softens that struggle enough that we can see it more clearly. It enables us to see around it and rejoice anyway. I testify that the Lord has your best interest at heart. I testify that He loves you. I testify that meekness over complaining is a gift that blesses us. It honors Him with the deference He deserves, but even our meekness before Him gives back to us. I testify that trials are gifts, and that the Lord provides. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

The Spy Report That Cost 40 Years by Autumn Dickson The Israelites are wandering in the wilderness before they're led to the promised land. They're having experiences with God and learning difficult lessons. They're being provided for even if it's not everything they had in mind. They have had experiences of faith as well as experiences where they betrayed the witnesses they had received. Let's talk about one of the times they were rebellious and unfaithful. In Numbers 13, Moses sends twelve spies (one from each tribe) into Canaan. Depending on where you read in the bible (see Deuteronomy 1), the timelines differ slightly. One suggests the people wanted to spy; one suggests the Lord recommended it. Either way, the church seems to emphasize the Lord's approval of the mission. The spies come back with the following report. Numbers 13:27 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. They then warned of the city's defenses. Caleb encouraged the people to have faith, but ten of the other spies continued on with their report. Numbers 13:31-33 31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. It's important to understand that Canaan was the promised land. It is eventually (mostly) conquered by the Israelites and divided out amongst the tribes. The Lord had led them through this entire experience from slavery to the edge of the land of promise, only for them to believe they wouldn't be able to take the land. So what does this teach us? Your promised land is available. I'm not simply talking about the mansion being built for you on the other side. I'm talking about all the most important aspects of the promised land. Peace, contentment, joy, healthy relationships, all of these things are available to you. These are all crucial parts of our salvation and eternity. Sure, eternity also includes all of our needs being met and perfect bodies, but some of the most important portions of the promised land are available to us right now. So what kept the Israelites from inheriting the promised land sooner? A lack of faith. What keeps us from inheriting the portions of promised land that are available to us on this side of the veil? A lack of faith. That's it. That's the first step on this journey towards your promised land. The Israelites didn't need military might or impeccable strategy. They needed faith. You don't need all of the things you think you need. You just need to trust the Lord. It's enough for you to see the land flowing with milk and honey and say, “The Lord meant for me to have that.” Sometimes it's hard to feel that way when you see what you're up against; namely, all of your own flaws and mistakes and imperfections. The Israelites certainly didn't feel capable. However, you're not conquering the land for yourself; you're showing up for the Lord to conquer it for you. So how do we do better than the Israelites so it doesn't take us forty years to figure out how to be in the promised land? Well if our problem is a lack of faith, maybe we should look at increasing faith. Here is one recommendation from Bednar on how to do that. The enabling power of the Atonement is accessed by faith in Jesus Christ. And that faith is strengthened as we remember and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in our lives. Remembering and acknowledging the Lord → Faith → Enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ steps in and gets us where we need to go Would the Israelites have felt differently if all the spies had come back and started with a list of the ways the Lord had provided for them from the time they were in slavery? If they had started off with the miraculous infant survival of Moses to the steps right outside the promised land, it would have been a long list. There were many times that the Israelites didn't even lift a finger for their own freedom and survival; the Lord took it completely on Himself. And that's just the list of the society as a whole. How many personal miracles did the Israelites experience from family to family? Would it have changed how the Israelites approached this experience? I'm not sure, but I know it's changed how I approach my own life. I think that's partially why my prayers have been so powerful in my life, specifically the gratitude. When I'm facing a situation of uncertainty or tragedy, I pray. There are so many wonderful ways to pray and draw closer to the Lord, but one of the most powerful ways I've found is to start with true gratitude (even when it's mixed with sorrow or fear or anger). When I'm struggling, I don't list nice things that happened throughout the day. I consciously think of similar situations in the past where the Lord has shown up for me. By the end of the prayer, I often find myself in some version of the promised land, even if the obstacle wasn't removed. I testify that the Lord has saved you many times before this, and He will continue to save you in the future. He will continue to teach you the lessons He needs to teach you until you're ready to step into that promised land He has offered each of us despite mortal circumstances. I testify that if we take the time to record these miracles and tender mercies, it makes our faith powerful. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Repenting of Unintentional Sin by Autumn Dickson In my last post, we talked about Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. As a quick review in case you missed the last post, this day was a solemn event with an undercurrent of joy. The main ritual of the day included two identical male goats. One goat would be sacrificed with its blood spread on the Holy of Holies and its fat burned on the altar. The priest would lay his hands on the second goat, pronounce the intentional and unintentional sins of Israel upon it, and then send the goat out into the wilderness. The first goat represented the payment of Israel's sins. The second goat represented the guilt being taken away from them. The detail that I want to explore from this ritual is when the priest symbolically transferred the sins of Israel onto the second goat. There are parallels to Christ in all of these steps and details, but that's the one I want to talk about today. Here's the verse that teaches us about this. Leviticus 16:21-22 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. Implication one from this detail: It is important to repent of unintentional sin. It is good for us. It makes us happier. I think of when my oldest daughter finally lashes out at my son when he's being purposefully obnoxious. My son often tortures his sisters repeatedly, not hurting them or saying directly mean things, but pushing their buttons until they explode on him. My daughter will hold out as long as she can until she finally explodes in a violent reaction. The violent reaction is more jarring than the relentless teasing, but whose heart is actually sinning (Yes, I recognize that both my kids are young and one isn't even accountable yet. This is about the principle, not the specific details)? My son is the one truly trying to make his sister batty; that's his entire purpose. My daughter never set out to bug or hurt him; she simply has the emotional control of an eight year old. And yet, she still needs to repent. She doesn't need to repent because she's evil and horrible and cursed. She needs to repent because it's going to make her happier. Repenting isn't just about atoning for what you've done; it's about changing so you're protected, close to Christ, and happier. In this specific example, my long-term goal for her repentance is to get to the point where her brother doesn't affect her. She just goes on in her life, unbothered by people who are purposefully trying to make her life harder. That's part of happiness, and therefore, repenting is a gift. Obviously, I need to help my son change too, but my principle here is about repenting of unintentional sins, not intentional ones. I used an example of violence, and I specifically used an example where she made a mistake because she's flawed like the rest of us. It's easy to see how violence needs to be repented of. However, these same principles apply when we're trying to do what's right but not worshiping how the Savior would have us worship. We talked about this recently with the golden calf incident. Maybe Israel wasn't trying to worship a different deity. Perhaps they had just created an idol in hopes of worshiping the God who had just delivered them. Perhaps their hearts were trying to do what's right but were misguided. Even if their hearts were in a good place, repentance of unintentional sin is important. Heavenly Father gives commandments to help us be good people, but He also gives us commandments to protect us from becoming bad. Seems like a silly nuance but let me elaborate. Israel could have very quickly devolved into worshiping the calf rather than the Lord even if their intention had been to worship the Lord in the beginning. They needed to repent because the Lord wanted to protect them. So even if the Israelites had unintentionally sinned (and I emphasize if since we don't know precisely where their hearts were), they still needed to repent! They still needed to repent of unintentional sins so they could remain close to the Lord where they would be happy. So quick recap so we can understand where we're going: The detail we're covering is that the priest symbolically transferred the unintentional and intentional sins of Israel up on the goat that would be released into the wilderness. Implication two from this detail: We're trying to change our sinful nature, not just listing off individual sins and saying sorry. Ultimate repentance is about changing to be like God, not racking up individual points that tip the scales and put us in the Celestial Kingdom. When I write my posts, I often use AI to help me get my details straight. I don't use it to actually write my content in case anyone was wondering, but I do use it to make sure I'm understanding timelines and facts. For example, I asked it to give me a play-by-play of the ritual so I wouldn't accidentally ruin one of the details. I turned to AI as I was writing this early in the morning and asked, “Did the Israelites write down their sins and give it to the priest to transfer over to the goat?” It was only after hitting “enter,” that I realized how ridiculous that question was. I blamed the early morning and brain fog. Anyway, AI responded by saying that no one gave the priest a long list of the sins they committed over the past year. First of all, that's terribly impractical. It's impractical (and unhealthy) to keep a list of all your sins, and it's impractical to list each sin of each individual for the entire society for the entire year. Second of all, a majority of them were illiterate. Like I said, I blame the early morning for my ridiculous question, but I'm actually grateful that I asked it because it led me to a beautiful implication. Because of my question, I more consciously realized that the Israelites weren't listing individual sins. It's not about repenting of individual sins and trying to garner points that put us in the Celestial Kingdom. It's about changing our nature to goodness. The priest didn't transfer each individual sin onto the goat for it to run out into the wilderness; the priest merely acknowledged the sinful nature for the year. Perhaps this seems cheap; it's so easy to go to Heavenly Father and be like, “I sinned a lot last year. Forgive me please.” However, religious rituals are only as cheap as you make them. This ritual wasn't about reliving every mistake and rebellion. This ritual wasn't about rehashing everything you did wrong. This ritual was about recognizing that you can't make it to heaven on your own. It's about fully understanding how lost you are without Christ and rejoicing as you watch that goat be taken away. It's about wanting to change into a new creature, one who is worthy and joyful, a person who can live in heaven and contribute to the atmosphere there and appreciate the atmosphere there. I testify that the Lord was sacrificed for our sins. I testify that He gave us an opportunity to remember that each week with the sacrament. Like with Yom Kippur, we have an opportunity to repent of unintentional and intentional sins so that we can be happier. We have an opportunity to sit with our reality as mortals who live in a fallen world who rely wholly on the merits of Christ and to rejoice that He is willing to carry us. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Still Holding On To Guilt? by Autumn Dickson This week we're learning about the sacrifices and rituals of the Israelites in the wilderness. They had a temple that would go with them as they travelled, and there was immense symbolism all throughout this temple. Much of this symbolism was meant to draw the attention of the Israelites towards the atonement of Jesus Christ. It was called a sacrifice, but it was actually a blessing. One of the detailed rituals that we get to read about occurs on Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. The central ritual on this day involved two identical male goats, both had to be perfectly healthy. Here are some of the details of that ritual. Leviticus 16:7-8 7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. So the priest would cast lots to see which goat would take which role. The first goat would be killed, and its blood would be collected in a basin. The high priest would take that blood into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle it upward once and downward seven times. The fat would be burned, and the rest of the goat would be taken outside the camp and burned. This symbolized the payment of Israel's sins. The second goat was the scapegoat. The high priest would lay both hands on the goat and confess all of the intentional and unintentional sins of Israel upon the head of the goat. Essentially, the priest was symbolically transferring the guilt to the goat. A designated man would lead the goat into the remote wilderness and release it. This symbolized the guilt being removed from the Israelites. I love that they are separate processes. There are so many layers of symbolism, but one of the layers is something I talk about often: Christ already paid for the sins; what do we do with this knowledge? Think about the power of that second goat when it was taken as it was meant to be taken. Imagine being an Israelite and watching these rituals take place. You watch the ritual with the understanding that the Son of God would be sacrificed to pay for your sins, and then you watch another ritual in which your guilt runs off into the wilderness. I think one of the issues that we have in modern times is believing that the atonement of Jesus Christ occurred but holding on to our own sins anyway. It would be like having an understanding that the Son of God was sacrificed, watching the scapegoat be taken away, and still going home to reflect and beat yourself up over your own sins. The sacrifice of the first goat doesn't matter if you refuse to let go of the second goat. The fact that the second goat is now out in the wilderness didn't matter. You have to internalize both parts to receive joy. The atonement of Jesus Christ was incredible in and of itself. The act of love was immense and singular. Everything hinged on this sacrifice performed by Christ. But Christ didn't perform the sacrifice just to perform the sacrifice. The atonement of Jesus Christ enabled the Father to remain perfect with His promises, but it was meant for even more than that incredible purpose. It was meant to make us joyful. The atonement of Jesus Christ remains an independent fact of reality, but what we do with that knowledge determines whether it fills the fullness of its purpose in our lives. If Yom Kippur had only included the first goat, the Israelites could have learned about Christ and His atonement. They could have rejoiced that He paid for their sins, and they could have garnered hope from this sacrifice. But I love that it included the second goat, the scapegoat, because it highlights our need to utilize the atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives. It's not enough that He performed it; we have to bring that knowledge into our bones so that it changes us in a way that we are joyful. We have to send our guilt away from us. We have to put the weight down. It's a conscious, voluntary choice. I think many of us hope the guilt will simply be taken away from us, or at least that's what I used to think. I believed that if I was truly forgiven, I just wouldn't feel guilty anymore. The Lord would remove it for me. Interestingly enough, that's not how it usually works. The Lord is too wise to vanish our guilt away from us. The process of repentance wouldn't be nearly as effective in this way. If the Lord simply took away the guilt because it was paid for, we would learn nothing and we certainly wouldn't attach that redemption to the Son of God. We would just wake up in the morning and not feel guilty anymore. We might not even register the fact that the guilt was gone or we could unconsciously start to believe, “I can do what I want, and I don't feel bad about it. Maybe it's not even bad.” There were many times that I wanted the Lord to take the guilt away. I didn't want to carry it with me and I asked the Lord to take it away, but He was wise enough to wait for me to trust Him enough to set it down on my own. He waited for me to consciously say, “Christ promised that He took care of this. He promised that He's strong enough to save me. I'm going to voluntarily step onto that trust and send my guilt away.” This is the most powerful way to repent. It pushes us to recognize the source of our renewed cleanliness as well as the fact that what we did was wrong. Having consequences (including guilt) magically dissipate is unhealthy for our desire to do better. So the Lord paid for it, and then He waits for us to learn to trust Him so that we send the guilt away of our own accord. That's not to say Christ isn't present for every step of this process. He paid for the sins, and He didn't abandon me when I asked Him to take the guilt away. He just helped in a different way than making the guilt dissipate. The Israelites didn't have to individually lead their own scapegoat into the wilderness. There was still a representative who did that for them. The key here is that it needed to mean something to them. They had to trust that their representative would take care of it, and it would truly be gone. I'm grateful for a Savior who paid for my sins. I'm grateful that He was patient as I learned to trust Him rather than removing the very difficulties that helped me recognize my reality and love Him for it. I'm grateful that I've learned to set my sins and mistakes and embarrassments down; the Savior truly is mighty to save. That knowledge gives me hope in every situation I remember Him in. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The Idols We Don't Call Idols by Autumn Dickson The Israelites were delivered by incredible miracles. The plagues were immense in and of themselves, but the parting of the Red sea was next level. The Lord had freed the Israelites through marvelous power, just as He promised. A short time later, the people find themselves in the wilderness. Moses is lingering up on the mountain away from everyone, and the Israelites have gotten antsy. They convince Aaron to make them an idol to worship. Aaron tells them to bring their earrings, he melts them down, and makes a golden calf. Exodus 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. I grew up thinking these people were ridiculous. You just saw the sea part, and you forgot that fast? How could you be so blind? Why would you follow after another deity? As I got a bit older, I remembered that they had just been slaves. Despite the miracles, I assume they were still very young in the doctrine of Christ. How much were they taught in the midst of everything else Moses was trying to take care of in freeing them? Maybe I'm late to the party, but as I read the verses this time, I started to wonder if they really followed after another god at all. There was an Egyptian god that was represented by a cow, but ancient Near Eastern studies also explain a connection between bulls and calves and mounts and thrones for deity. Maybe they were just trying to build a physical representation of their God to carry with them. In the verse we read, we even see that Aaron tells Israel, “This is the god who brought you out of Egypt.” Perhaps they weren't worshipping a different god at all. Perhaps their worship was merely corrupted. Maybe that's why Aaron didn't put a stop to it. Maybe he thought it was fine because he thought it was one way to worship the true God. Maybe he thought it was great that they were sacrificing their gold and trying to worship the God who had delivered them. Obviously we don't know. There aren't enough details. However, there are principles we can learn about the gospel from studying it from either angle. Today, I'm going to speak as if this angle (corrupted worship over following after a different god) is the true angle, simply so we can explore it more effectively. However, before I begin, I completely concede that we don't know for sure whether this is the truth of the account. Fortunately, whether I have the story's details correct isn't completely relevant. What's important is that the principles I want to talk about are correct. So that's what we're going to talk about. Maybe the Israelites were hoping for a symbol of Christ, not a separate idol to worship. Plot twist. When we don't worship how the Savior prescribes (like building a golden calf), we run into danger of turning that symbol into an idol. I guess we're talking about corrupted worship and worshiping idols. Now, following another god is crazy after everything the Israelites experienced; worshiping in a corrupted manner is more understandable. However! Despite it being more understandable, it is still dangerous and needs to be corrected and prevented regardless of whether their hearts were in the right place. Sometimes the world looks at sin and gives a pass when your heart is in the right place. We can be understanding of a good heart and still make the correction; it is loving to make the correction. When I was around 10 years old, I remember my mom walking into my room when I was saying my nightly prayers. I had a picture of Christ sitting in front of me while I prayed because I wanted it to help me remember Him. It made my mother a little bit uncomfortable (at least that's how I remember it when I was 10), and she told me it wasn't a great idea. The practice stopped that night. Some would call this silly. Why not let a child put a picture in front of them to help them focus on Christ? I understand the sentiment. Having something in front of you to focus your thoughts and help you be reverent so you can focus on Christ can be a good thing. But there's another side to that coin too. It could be fine. I could have kept the picture of Christ and never run into dangerous ground. I don't think I would have worshiped the picture, but let's talk about a couple of perspectives I might have adopted had the practice continued. I could have gotten to the point where I didn't feel like I could pray without the picture there. I could have gotten ultra-protective of the picture. I could have wanted to carry the picture with me to make me feel safe even though I was perfectly safe without it. I could have attributed more power to the picture than the picture held. I could have given it power over me even though it had no power innately. Even if I didn't consider the picture my “god,” it still could have affected my life. And in perfect honesty, that's how most idols work these days. People don't call their priority their god; they don't consider themselves worshiping idols. They just give all their time and energy and resources to something, hoping it will bring them deeper happiness than it is capable of giving. We are worshiping incorrectly when we attribute power to things that don't have power. We are worshiping incorrectly when we give things power over our lives and place all of our hopes for happiness on those things. Even if we don't call them “gods,” we're still worshiping wrong and hurting ourselves. People do stuff like this all the time. Superstition is rampant in our world. It's easy to start giving things power when they hold no power. Maybe I would have never been so silly as to give the picture any power, but I'm not totally sure. Let's look at another example. I got plenty superstitious as I played tennis through high school. I went through the same routine between each point, worried that if I changed it, I might lose. Plot twist 2. I lost a lot of the time anyway. And yet there I was, making sure I always did the short handshake with my partner in between points. I made sure I bounced the ball three times before serving, and then I would start over if I messed something up. I literally remember messing up my rhythm in between points and feeling cursed. I was convinced I had ruined the point before the point even began. Needless to say, I basically gave those points away. The Israelites have just left Egypt behind where they were surrounded and ruled by people who worshipped things like the golden calf. It was dangerous to their spiritual health. Even if it was meant to represent Christ, it would have been very easy (as we see throughout the rest of the Old Testament) for them to turn it into their god instead. For example, when they run into problems, did they feel a need to go and talk to the calf or did they pray to God? If something happened and the calf was damaged, would they have cursed themselves by assuming they were cursed for hurting the golden calf? I gave away points in tennis because I attributed more power to my routine than it actually held. What would the Israelites have given away because internally, they were giving more power to the golden calf than it actually held? We worship how the Savior asks us to worship. That's when we are at our most spiritually powerful. That's when we are going to be led in the right direction concerning His character and decisions regarding us. That's when we're going to be able to get closer to the truth, and therefore, closer to happiness. I testify that the Lord has revealed His own character and the way that He wants us to worship. I testify that He did this because He wants to protect us and keep us close to the truth of things. I testify that as we follow what He has given, we see reality more clearly and find deeper joy. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Why God Let the Israelites Worship the Golden Calf by Autumn Dickson The infamous golden calf incident; that is one of the stories we read about this week. Moses is gone a long time speaking with the Lord. The people grow impatient and tell Aaron to build them a god. He took their earrings (the ones the Lord told them they could take out of Egypt), melted them down, and formed them into the calf. Here is one of the details I noted this week that I didn't recognize before. Exodus 32:7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: I have a feeling that the Lord knew when and why the people were making the golden calf. While He worked with Moses, He knew far ahead of time that they were going to make an idol for themselves. What I'm trying to imply is the fact that He could have purposefully sent Moses down earlier to prevent the entire debacle. It never needed to happen…or did it? I suppose that depends on how you define “need.” The word “need” has more nuance than we think sometimes. I need the Savior in order to live with my Heavenly Father again; that is a defined, definite, unaltering need without any leeway. I also use that word in this way: I needed my parents to teach me and love me into a testimony of the Savior. Perhaps I could have found the Savior without them, but so much of what I have was given to me by my parents. I was given so much from them that I feel comfortable using the word “need.” There is a spectrum of the word “need.” We need the Savior, and the Savior is also wise enough to understand that we need supports to help us find Him. Did the Israelites need to go through this incident of worshipping a golden calf after being freed from Egypt? Perhaps they didn't need it to the extent that they needed a Savior, but I'm comfortable with utilizing that word to describe their situation. They needed to have this experience outwardly so that they could be taught in a powerful way. They needed this experience so they could flesh it out of their hearts. So the Lord could have prevented the sin altogether by simply sending Moses down. I'm sure the Lord would have had plenty of time to teach Moses at other opportunities, and they would have been able to surpass this debacle altogether. But is that what Israel needed? There are some principles here that we can apply to our own lives. The first principle is the idea that the Lord is more concerned with us learning powerful lessons than being perfect. I have noticed a trend among parents that they would do absolutely anything to prevent harm from coming to their child. The sentiment is great. Of course we don't want our children to get hurt. However, sometimes the most powerful thing for our children is for them to face real consequences rather than constant protection. Last summer, my son would often run off and jump on his dirt bike without a helmet or shoes. Despite the fact that I got onto him again and again and again and again, I couldn't perfectly keep him protected. Even when I sent him out with shoes and a helmet, he would often leave them behind throughout the day and do what he wanted. I could have taken the dirt bike away completely, and I did for periods of time. But it wasn't working. He wasn't learning. At the same time, I felt inspired to pray that he would make mistakes and learn powerful lessons without killing himself or getting seriously injured. To be honest, I didn't make the connection between my prayer and his bad safety habits ahead of time. This is why I know it was an inspired prayer. One day I sent Warner outside to play with his sister before school. I told him explicitly to stay in the yard because I didn't want to have to run off and find him and have him be late for school. Unfortunately, the dirt bikes are kept in a shed in the backyard. He jumped on one and put his sister on the back, and they left the yard and rode off. Thirty seconds later, they were hit by a car. The car was moving very slowly, and she threw on her brakes and essentially tapped them over. No broken bones. I don't even think there was any real blood. There were some skinned knees and bruises, but they were totally fine. Warner was also petrified. The cops came and checked everything out to make sure they were okay. I don't know if he thought he was going to jail. I don't know if he was feeling the gravity of what could have happened (as much as a five year old can feel). I do know that he wore his shoes and helmet willingly the rest of the summer. I still had to remind him occasionally, but he didn't fight me on it like he had before. The lesson he learned from living the consequences was far more powerful than any words I could have shared, and he started to voluntarily use his agency more wisely than he had previously. That's the true goal. It's not about perfection or complete and total safety; it's about us learning how to use our agency wisely and on purpose so that we can live happy lives. I'm grateful for the lesson my son learned that day. I'm grateful that the lesson wasn't so severe as to permanently injure him or his sister. Israel learned a hard lesson when Moses came back down from the mountain. They learned it very clearly. Would they have learned it in the same way if Moses had simply told them the Ten Commandments? The Lord could have prevented the entire problem, but He was wise enough to know that allowing the incident and imperfection to teach wisdom. I'm grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ which means that we can make these mistakes in a controlled environment where nothing has to permanently injure our spirit. Even when we make the mistake of creating idols out of the very things the Lord has given us, He doesn't cast us aside. He purposefully allows us to make those mistakes so we can learn those powerful lessons, and then He pays for those mistakes. He is selfless in its truest sense. He just wants us to be happy, and I'm so grateful He paid for me to have these experiences. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Parted Waters, Messy Leadership, and Miracles by Autumn Dickson The story of Moses freeing the Israelites through the power of God is an incredible parable for the atonement of Jesus Christ. It's probably the most important lesson we can pull from that story. However, it's not the only story we can learn from it. There are other principles at work too. Let's talk about one of them. Within the story, we find Moses exhorting the people to have faith in God and His ability to deliver. We've come a long way from Moses being worried about talking to Pharaoh. After exhorting the people to believe and trust, he turns to the Lord. The Lord tells him to move forward, and there would be a miracle. Moses listens. Exodus 14:21-22 21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. I want to zoom in on some of the people who were experiencing these events. I have no idea how the individual Israelites were truly reacting outwardly and in their hearts, but let's talk about relatable hypotheticals. I want you to imagine an Israelite who was particularly grumpy about being saved; let's call him Joshua. Despite the fact that Joshua was saved, he was still a little peeved over the fact that there were so many problems along the way. Surely, the whole process of saving Israel could have been a lot smoother. Moses wasn't very good at convincing Pharaoh to let the people go, and they ended up with a lot of extra work. He had to put blood on his doors which just seems unnecessary; why couldn't God just save them if He was really so powerful? And then, of course, Joshua was one of the first to call Moses out when they noticed that the Egyptians were chasing after them to kill them in the wilderness. What was Moses thinking bringing them out here? Sure, their lives weren't fantastic, but at least they were alive. Why did Moses feel the need to go ruin it and why did everyone follow after him? If you're going to save someone, you should do it right and actually save them. Not just do it halfway. Joshua is legitimately worried about himself and his family and this supposed prophet who has led them into the wilderness to be slaughtered. Despite the real danger behind them, Moses has the gall to tell them to just have faith. Who does that? Moses is the reason they're in danger, and his response is for them to trust him? Who does he think he is? But then something changes. Moses starts walking towards the water, and miracle of miracles, the water parts for the Israelites to walk through. Maybe there is something here. Maybe Moses has God behind him. So Joshua follows. Unfortunately, this process isn't necessarily smoother than the experiences with the plagues. The terrain left behind after the parted waters can be treacherous. Trying to get families safely through it is downright dangerous. It can be steep and rocky. It's hard to tread through the sand. Couldn't Moses have summoned a boat instead? Surely that would have been easier than parting the entire sea. Not to mention, how do we know this miracle is going to hold? Joshua is pretty skeptical about this whole thing. Does he have the power to hold this long enough or are they all just going to end up drowning anyway? Conveniently for Moses, they don't have a choice but to follow him anyway. Now, I want you to imagine for a moment that Joshua slips and slides down the face of a rock. He becomes injured, and he is fed up. He is so over this. How can Moses be so reckless with the lives of people he apparently loves and wants to rescue? Joshua is done. He's turning back. He's done putting his life at risk for this mortal man who is supposed to be saving them. Seems a bit ridiculous, don't you think? And yet, don't we see this all the time? The church hasn't been perfect. The programs aren't perfect. Leaders aren't perfect. In fact, some people who were called into positions were downright evil and dangerous. Sometimes people have gotten hurt along the way because of those imperfections. Sometimes there has been true fear involved. These are all true and legitimate statements. But it's also true that the Lord sent plagues and enabled the Israelites to walk out of Egypt. It's also true that the Red Sea was parted. The path was messy. There was difficulty and fear and devastation. There were also miracles beyond our wildest dreams and covenants with a Lord who has a land for our inheritance. There is a life beyond slavery. It's not necessarily going to be an easy life, but it's a life worth living. It's worth growing and owning your decisions and having the freedom to build something for yourself. It's worth the difficulty to get a front row seat for the miracles. It is worth leaving slavery for. It is worth it to follow the prophet. Don't miss the miracles of the priesthood structure and church and The Book of Mormon and the youth programs and welfare programs and the missionary programs. The church is doing miraculous things and changing lives. It's giving people an opportunity to rise above previous circumstances. The prophet is being led by the Savior even if you think things should be done differently. Maybe you don't like the whole list of plagues you had to go through before the death of the firstborn. Maybe you don't like the blood on the door. Maybe the Lord is trying to teach you about His atonement. Maybe you don't like the difficult path you've had to walk within the church. Maybe the Lord is trying to teach you about His atonement. The story of the exodus from Egypt is a powerful parable for the atonement of Jesus Christ. It's also an incredible example of why it's important to follow the prophet even if things don't go perfectly smoothly or even if you think that you could have done things better. The Lord has called a prophet, and He knows what He's doing. So you can stay in slavery or you can join the Lord in this journey where even the treacherous parts can contribute to a glorious you. I testify that the Lord loves His children. I testify that He led Moses even when things weren't going smoothly. I testify that following the prophet enabled the Israelites to be freed through the power of the Savior. I testify that the Lord is leading His church through a living prophet today. Perhaps that prophet hasn't been led perfectly, but it would be ridiculous to miss out on the miracles because of the mistakes. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 14–18 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 14–18 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Delivered…But Pharaoh Came Again by Autumn Dickson I love the story of Moses and the Red Sea. There is a reason it was used as an example time and time again throughout the history of the scriptures. There is so much goodness. One of the parts of the story that used to stick out to me was the fact that Pharaoh released them, but then he came after them again. Here are some verses about it. Exodus 14:8-9 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. 9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea… I believe that the Lord is in the details, so what do we learn from this idea that the Israelites were free but then once again in danger? I used to think it had something to do with the fact that Christ suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross. He suffered twice as part of the atonement. Was that somehow relevant? Perhaps, but there are always multiple layers and details. Let's talk about one of the potential parallels from the fact that the Israelites had to be saved from the Egyptians twice. The Israelites were saved by the death of the firstborns in Egypt. Pharaoh is finally ready to release them, and he lets them pass by into the wilderness. Unfortunately, little time passes and Pharaoh is right back at it. He pursues the Israelites to come and enslave them again. Think about this for a minute. Christ has saved us. We have passed through those gates and out of slavery. But the work isn't done. There is still an enemy after us that has the power to enslave us again. He is relentless despite everything that points to the power of God. He comes after us in his might. What did the Israelites do? When they faced slavery, maybe even death, again, how did they respond? Not well in the beginning. They were really afraid and they turned to Moses saying, “Why didn't you leave us alone to be slaves? It would be better to be slaves in Egypt than dead in the wilderness.” Moses has an epic response. Exodus 14:13-14 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Moses encourages them to have faith, turns to the Lord, and the Lord tells him to proceed. The Israelites walk through the Red Sea on dry ground. So. Many. Cool. Parallels. The Lord saved them out of Egypt, and He saved them again with the Red Sea. It is so important to note that. The Israelites didn't make the ground dry so that they could walk across. Moses didn't even do it. The Lord did it. He was the one who utilized Moses to part the Red Sea. It was the Lord's power. And yet, the Israelites still had a job. They had to walk forward in faith, just like Moses encouraged. They could have watched the walls of water form on either side, sat down on the beach, and said, “There's salvation! It's right there. How cool.” And then they could have just stayed there to be killed by the Egyptians. They could have feared that treading the sea floor would be too treacherous, or that the salvation wouldn't hold and they would end up drowning after walking into the water. There were any number of responses that they could have had, but they took a leap of faith, followed the prophet, and trusted the Lord's miracle. They took the chance that the Lord gave to them. The death of the Firstborn has freed us, but an enemy still pursues after us. We could sit down, observe the miracle changing the lives of those around us, and not actually take the opportunity that the Lord has given to us. We could think the miracle is really cool but not actually follow the prophet. We could look at the difficult path on the sea floor and feel like it's too hard. We could worry and fret that the miracle wouldn't hold, that Christ doesn't actually have the power to save us. Or, we could move forward in faith. We can trust that this miracle was made for us, to protect us from those who would enslave and destroy us. We could trust that maybe there is a Being out there who lives His life for the pure joy of saving us, who simply wants our faith and love in return. Follow the prophet. The Lord will help you navigate the path. He will provide deliverance. Trust Him. I testify that the Lord has provided deliverance. I also testify that there is still an enemy who wants us to be miserable and destroyed if he can help it. I testify that the Lord has the power to save us from that enemy and our job is to have faith. That's our job. Have the faith necessary to trust that the prophet can lead us through on dry ground by the power of God. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 14–18 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Find Joy in the Wilderness by Autumn Dickson When I was studying the Doctrine and Covenants last year, my pattern revolved around learning about the people who were receiving the revelations and how they were feeling so that we could better relate to them and receive the same comfort in the revelations that they did. As I've studied the Old Testament thus far, I've found a different pattern for learning principles from God. Namely, I look at the details in the class Old Testament stories, and I find the parallels for our day. It's been powerful and helpful. So without further ado, here's another detail from the Moses and Plagues story. The God of the Hebrews is working to free His people from slavery in Egypt. There are some questions that we could ask as to why He didn't jump right in with the death of the firstborn, but those questions can be asked another time. As the Lord continues on with His work through Moses, Pharaoh appears to relent a couple of times. He tells Moses, “Take back the frogs, and I'll let them go.” But then he hardens his heart and refuses to free them. It happens again with the flies. Pharaoh tells Moses to take away the flies and he will let the people go. Here is how Moses responds. Exodus 8:29 And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. Of course, Pharaoh goes back on his word and refuses to release them. Maybe he was hoping Moses and His God would run out of power and not be able to send any more plagues? Regardless, Pharaoh still holds the Israelites captive. There is a lot of goodness here, but I want to draw your attention to one detail. Moses wants the Israelites free so that they can go sacrifice to the Lord in the wilderness. This is not the only time this is mentioned. More than once, Moses specifically says this. Pharaoh needs to free the Israelites so that they can go and sacrifice to the Lord out of Egypt and in the wilderness. Oof. Is there a better way to describe life after we finish our ordinances? We are made free by the death of the Firstborn, we pass through the gate, and what do we see? A whole lot of wilderness. For a long time. Why are we here in the wilderness? It seemed so exciting to be free before. Now it just seems dusty, hot, hard, and uncomfortable. Interestingly enough, we didn't walk through those gates to make it into paradise immediately. The gate was just the first step. We've been freed from slavery, but we don't know how to be happy and healthy yet. There are many more lessons to learn. There is a lot of sacrifice to be made so that we can understand what it means to grow to be like the Lord and find what He found. We have a long journey ahead of us. It's funny. I remember being on my mission and working long hours with minimal breaks. I remember rushing to write in my journal at night so that I could pass out in my bed on time and get as much sleep as possible because I was so dang tired. I remember mentally aching when I had to leave the dinner table at the houses of members I was close to. I think that was one of the things I missed the most while I was on the mission. I grew up in a family where we all ate dinner together and talked the whole time. We had a lot of family come into town for holidays, and we would sit at the table for a long time afterwards and talk and laugh. I missed that resting while on my mission. I remember getting on the plane, and I was so excited to eat a meal and then do nothing afterwards. I was excited to rest. Lol. I did get some rest for a while, but heaven knows life only speeds up after that. We came here to struggle in the wilderness, to keep putting one foot in front of the other, to make sacrifices and grow and learn what we're supposed to learn. We didn't come here to finish all of that so we could rest. We came to sacrifice in the wilderness. Which sounds horrible, but it doesn't have to be. This was a timely lesson for me. I have a goal right now to be grateful for the opportunity to wear myself out in the name of the Lord. I'm not talking about being a martyr, though sometimes that seems to be my default mode. Rather, I'm talking about completely turning my perspective upside down. I didn't come to earth to preserve energy and my body. I didn't come here to try and completely annihilate stress from my life or reach some magical point where I feel great enough to give all of myself. Rather, when I catch the true feeling behind this goal I made, I find rest when I let go of my own concerns and cheerfully and willingly take advantage of these incredible opportunities God has given to me. Someday I'll get enough sleep (or my body won't need sleep? I don't know?). Someday, I'll have a perfect body and perfect perspective and all my needs met, and I won't have to reach for those things anymore. They will be given to me. I'll have a perfectly clean house with everything I could ask for. Sometimes we get mixed up and wear ourselves out on the things that don't matter, things that will be freely given to us on the other side. We're putting all of our energy and hopes and focus on setting foot on that promised land. What if we let go and trusted that the promised land will make it to us at the right time? What if instead, we focused on the gift of the wilderness and what it has to offer? I have found that when I stop striving to put my feet in the promised land here in mortality, I find beauty and rest and hope and peace in the wilderness. Moses had it right. He didn't tell Pharaoh that he was taking the Israelites to the promised land. Sure, that was the eventual goal, but there were some really important goals along the way before they would even be able to enjoy the promised land. Moses told Pharaoh to release the Israelites so that they could go and sacrifice in the wilderness. When we let go of trying to hold on to ourselves, we find joy in the sacrifices we're asked to make in the wilderness. That's a true principle. I'm grateful my Savior redeemed me. I'm grateful He let me walk through the gate and bind myself to Him through the ordinance of baptism. I'm grateful that He gave me a path with lessons along the way. I'm grateful that I don't have to worry about reaching the promised land; He's got that handled. All I have to worry about is learning along the way, sacrificing along the way. I'm grateful for my testimony that He will provide for all that I need in the wilderness. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 7–13 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 7–13 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Magicians, Satan, and Cheap Imitations by Autumn Dickson This week we get to read about some of the plagues that occurred in Egypt before Pharaoh finally released the Israelite slaves. It's a classic Old Testament story that has been told time and time again. It teaches us about Jesus Christ delivering us from sin, and there are many details that add rich layers to our understanding. Let's talk background to the verses I want to talk about today. Moses has told Pharaoh to let the people go, Pharaoh refused, and he gave the Israelites more work. Moses told Pharaoh to release them again, and then Moses turned the river to blood. Here is one of those details I want to talk about. Exodus 7:22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said. The magicians mimicked Moses. They turned more water into blood. We don't know all of the details of how that occurred, but let's explore another relevant detail. Pharaoh didn't release the Israelites, and Moses (through the power of the Lord) brought frogs up out of the rivers. Here is how the magicians reacted. Exodus 8:7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. As time moves on, more plagues come. Moses brings lice upon the Egyptians, and the magicians can't mimic it. They tell Pharaoh that, “It is the finger of God.” After the lice, the magicians stop making an appearance. They are no longer active participants that we know of. There are two parallels that I see. Parallel 1. Satan mimics. The magicians didn't really do anything original, nor did they do anything on a grand scale like Moses did. They gave a watered down (pun intended) version of what Moses produced in order to give Pharaoh an excuse to ignore the miracles before his eyes. In the end, they gave enough that they saved their own skin for a while, but they were ultimately still walking towards their own misery. Isn't that ironic? Satan may bluster and blow, but ultimately, we're going to see how pathetic he is. Anything he is able to pull off will seem a little sad when we are finally able to pull back the curtain and see the majesty of God. Isaiah even prophecies about it. Isaiah 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; We're going to look at Satan and be like, “This guy??” Satan may make himself and his followers feel better for a moment, but they're really just walking on towards their own misery. They're digging themselves further and further and further down into it rather than looking up and seeing the reality around them. Parallel 2. The magicians just made it worse. Has anyone else noticed the fact that the magicians literally added to the problem as part of their demonstration of power rather than saving the people? Am I late to the party in recognizing that? Because it blew my mind once the Lord helped me see it. Perhaps some of us are asking why the magicians were able to mimic Moses at all. Maybe a more important question is, “If they're powerful, why are they making more blood and more frogs rather than driving the plagues away?” As we go through mortality, we're going to see imitations from Satan. We're thirsty or hungry or feeling oppressed, and he's going to whisper, “Do this. It will make you feel full and free.” The things we choose to engage in may fill for a while, but they're actually just making the problem worse. We'll see that it fills us for a minute and completely ignore the disasters happening around us. We'll keep treading down that path, insistent that the God of the Hebrews has no place in our life. Why did the magicians show their small demonstrations of power by making the problem worse? I'm not totally sure. However, it holds perfect parallels to Satan. Satan can't take away the plagues. He can placate you and make you feel as though the God of the Hebrews has no true power, but he is only making the problem worse. He is distracting you and giving you excuses to continue down your path towards misery. There have been plenty of times in my life that I've wondered at the blindness of the world. Humans are so convinced that they're doing things the right way to make themselves happy. They cry out against those who would have them show restraint, claiming that they're controlling. When the plagues come, they blame the person who warned them rather than seeing natural consequences. Even more unfortunately, they lead their families into the same quicksand after them, ironically and falsely under the name of freedom and compassion. Humans often love marching on to their own destruction. It makes me wonder if any of the Egyptians wanted to follow the Hebrews. Did any of them put down their tools and weapons and ask themselves, “Maybe they do have the power of God with them. Should we follow them?” Or were they simply eager to kick out the Israelites and get back to their pathetic magicians in peace? Blows my mind, but we see those patterns in the world all the time. Fortunately, we can see things as they are. We won't find the truth in the world. We can only find it from God, making Himself known to the people. He does have true power. He allows mimicry so as to preserve agency and faith, but He holds the truth as to leading healthy and happy lives. We follow Him, and we will find it. We will be protected, and we will find it. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 7–13 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

A Passover Question For You by Autumn Dickson For my last post this week, we talked about some specifics of Passover in order to better reflect on our free status because of Christ. I really love the Passover. My sister does a Passover meal for Easter each year, and there are so many beautiful traditions associated with it that can teach us about Christ if we choose to explore the symbolism. So I want to talk about a different aspect of Passover. In Exodus, the Lord teaches His people to keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Passover) in Canaan. Exodus 13:8 ¶ And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. The Israelites were commanded to teach their children about their deliverance. Some of the traditions that formed as a part of this commandment are wonderful. As the Jews do their Passover meal, they begin with strange ways that are different than any other day. This is meant to provoke curiosity in children. As they move through a couple of these strange steps, there is a ritual called Ma Nishtana. For this ritual, the youngest child would say: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” On all other nights we eat leavened and unleavened; tonight only unleavened. On all other nights we eat all vegetables; tonight bitter herbs. On all other nights we don't dip even once; tonight twice. On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining; tonight we all recline. This would begin the story telling of how the Israelites were freed from Egypt. Like with the Israelites on Passover, we, as Latter-day Saints, do things in a peculiar way. We live differently because of what we believe. And when our children (or anyone, for that matter) ask why, how do we answer them? Because the answer should always connect back to Christ and His deliverance. Whenever we can connect it back to Christ, we should. Why do we keep the Word of Wisdom? Because it keeps our bodies healthy and strong and better able to hear Christ. Why do we go to the temple? To try and feel Christ more closely and to receive power from Him. Why do we go to church every single week? Why do we keep the Sabbath Day Holy? Why are we so careful about our entertainment? Why do we keep the Law of Chastity? Why do we do Family Home Evening and Come Follow Me? Why are we making our lives harder and different? These are peculiar traditions that were meant to put our lives in order so that we can better feel Christ and serve Him. It is always about Christ because in Christ, we find joy and peace. When we try to do the gospel without Christ, it's merely an extra burden. When we utilize the gospel to draw closer to Christ, that's when it's life-changing. Whenever I start to feel like the gospel or church is a burden, I have learned that the problem is forgetting Christ. Let's talk about it with a direct example. I try to go to the temple once a month. I used to be so intense about it because I'm often intense about everything. I never missed a month, which is awesome except for the fact that it didn't bring me closer to Christ. It just gave me a little rush of dopamine to cross it off my list and a weird sense of pride and martyrdom. Because I'm often intense about things like this, it can get really easy for me to overwhelm myself and reach the point where I want to give up entirely. Everything changes when I switch my perspective to see tools and layers of bringing Christ into my life. This makes two great changes in my life. The first is that I can utilize wisdom to know what to prioritize and to let go when things don't come together. For example, I travelled a ton last month, and it was really difficult to go to the temple. We were gone for a little over half the month, and I have limited windows in which I can run over and participate in the temple. I had lined everything up one afternoon to go while my babies slept and my other kids were in school and Conner was downstairs working. I planned it all without the knowledge that Conner wasn't actually going to be home to be with the babies while they napped. What normally would have been an absolutely unreasonable irritation gave way to peace. I couldn't go to the temple to find Christ, but that didn't mean I needed to banish Him from my heart in anger. The temple is a tool and if something prevents me from picking up that tool, I have a myriad of tools at my disposal to draw myself closer to Him. The second way that it has changed my life is probably even more important. The things that used to overwhelm me are now the things that relax me. The temple used to be a rushed thing that took up some of my time. Now I see it for the worthwhile activity that it is. I calm my heart and utilize it rather than completing it. I can go to church with 5-8 kids (depending on whether my kids bring their friends) and I can simply be grateful for the opportunity to be there and show my devotion to Christ. I can be grateful for the opportunity for my children to also practice drawing closer to Christ even if it's a rather imperfect effort. When I keep the Word of Wisdom, it's because I want to nourish my body so that it stands ready to hear and serve Christ. When I keep the Law of Chastity, I am removing unnecessary drama and heartache that are distracting from Christ. The gospel and commandments and church all become exactly what they were meant to become when we tie it back to Christ. In Christ, we find our ultimate joy and peace and hope. He lightens everything He touches. His yoke and burden are light because the yoke and “burden” are the very things that tie us to Him. I am grateful for Christ in my life. He truly has changed my life. I look at my life and find all sorts of reasons to rejoice and hope for better days. I have also learned how to be grateful for the yoke and burden He gives me because I see it for what it is. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Reclined. Redeemed. by Autumn Dickson This week we celebrate Easter, and with it, the ability of the Savior to redeem us. Because we are studying the Old Testament this year, I'd like to look at the predecessor to the holiday of Easter: Passover. There is a lot of symbolism that comes with the Passover; let's talk about some of it. Here is a verse that talks about one specific part of the first Passover that happened in Egypt. Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. On the first night of Passover, the Lord commanded the Israelites to eat in haste. They were going to need to leave Egypt quickly once the Pharaoh said they could go. This commandment to eat in haste was just for the first night though. Throughout time, it changed to the opposite. The Israelites ate unleavened bread to remember the haste in which their ancestors had to flee, but rather than eat their own Passover in haste, the Israelites started a new tradition. They ate their Passover reclining. Though it was not commanded, there was symbolism here. Free, wealthy people eat reclining and relaxed. They eat leisurely and enjoy themselves. Slaves eat on their feet, rushing. The Israelites ate reclining to show that they were no longer slaves. Traditions can be really beautiful as long as we don't turn them into commandments to show off our own righteousness. The Israelites sometimes had a problem with that. However, I love this specific tradition. I think it's beautiful. I think one of the reasons I enjoy this specific tradition so much is because I often put myself in a hurry. I get really caught up in trying to get everything done so that I can relax. Here is a tradition that caused the Israelites to pause their daily lives, take a meal, and rejoice and relax. They wore festive clothes, and they specifically took the time to eat like the liberated people they were. How often do you take the time to realize that you are free? Do you go about your daily life knowing you are liberated? Do you fulfill your daily work in a manner that reflects your redeemed status? When you deeply know what you are, it reflects in how you live your life. That's why slaves eat on their feet and rich, wealthy people eat relaxed and reclining. I appreciate the symbolism even more because both parties are doing necessary daily tasks; they just go about their daily tasks very differently. Everybody has to eat, but they are eating differently. The rich and free people went about their meal with peace of mind. They enjoyed the companionship of the family and friends they were surrounded by. They got to enjoy what they were bringing into their lives and eating, to be grateful for it. In our own lives, “eating relaxed and reclined” may not look so literal. The really important part here is your heart. Like the rich and free, we go about our daily tasks with peace of mind. We take enough time to turn to those around us and enjoy the companionship of our family and friends. It means we take enough time to think about what we are bringing into your life while we're “eating,” to be grateful for it and enjoy it. Whatever necessary tasks we're doing in our lives, we are doing it with purpose and understanding. This can reflect in so many different ways in our life; one of those ways is in how we take the sacrament. Sundays are not as restful as they used to be before I was a mother. I've got my five kids, ages 8-1, and every other week, they bring their friends to church with us. On any given Sunday, my husband and I have 5-8 children scattered between us. Sometimes, because of my husband's work schedule, I have 8 kids to take care of on my own. Trying to help all of the kids stay reverent during the sacrament is a task, especially when they're sitting with their friends. Trying to help them all take the sacrament in a manner where they're not touching everyone else's bread and water is also quite the task. There are many times that I'm eating in a rush so I can pull tiny, grabbing hands away from trays. The rest of sacrament meeting isn't necessarily better. My one year old is a wanderer and often finds herself frustrated to be stuck in the pew. My two year old wants my lap. My four year old also wants my lap, and my other kids want to giggle with their friends or fight with each other. I can't sit between all of them. Some of the time, I can't even sit with them at all because the baby is screaming about wanting to explore. It is easy to frame this as frustrating. It's easy to feel like, “Wo is me,” especially when I'm already tired or overstimulated. It's easy to feel angry when I desire to be spiritually uplifted, but I have no choice but to be Martha unless I leave my kids at home. Eating the sacrament in an outwardly relaxed manner isn't always a choice, but there is always my attitude. I can always relax inwardly even if I'm surrounded by chaos that I'm in charge of. I can look down the aisle at the kids and feel tons of pressure, or I can look down at the aisle of kids and rejoice that I have my family with me at church (even if they're not perfect). I can rejoice that my kids want to bring their friends to church. I can rejoice that there isn't any test about whether my kids were perfectly reverent. I can rejoice that my kids get regular practice on how to be reverent so that over the course of their young lives, they will have opportunities to invite Christ into their own lives to save them in ways that I can't. I can rejoice knowing that my Savior is just happy they're there. I can rejoice and relax even as I referee, balance, juggle, and interfere. The sacrament reminds me that the Savior has redeemed me. I'm happy to be there even if it's chaos. I testify that we are free and wealthy. I testify that because of Christ, we have every reason to rejoice. Or, at the very least, we have every reason to hope alongside our darkest despair. We can rejoice even when our efforts are imperfect or rushed. We are free, and if we take the time to truly know that, it changes how we do the necessary tasks we've been given each day. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Seeing Through Anguish of Spirit by Autumn Dickson In our last post, we talked about how Moses turned to the Lord in despair. He had done what the Lord asked and told Pharaoh to free the Israelites. In response, Pharaoh gave them more work. Moses blamed himself and asked the Lord why He had been so cruel to His own people. In chapter 6, we get to read the Lord's response to Moses. He comforts Moses with assurances. He tells Moses that it's not over; Pharaoh will relent, and the Israelites will yet be free. The Lord then tells Moses to go and share this with the Israelites. Moses does so, and this is how the Israelites respond. Exodus 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. The Israelites were suffering so much that they had a difficult time believing that Moses would deliver them. There is a lot of depth here. Let's cover the first beautiful principle: The Lord saved them anyway. The Lord still kept sending Moses back. He kept sending miracles. He kept reaching out to those in bondage. He kept shining a light on them. Despite their lack of belief (which disbelief continues on even after the miracle of parting the Red Sea), the Lord kept reaching. He kept moving forward in saving them. There are two parallels here. Parallel one: The Savior suffered for all of us, not just the people He knew would accept His atonement. He didn't look at each of us ahead of time and decide to only suffer for the people who were going to accept the saving. He suffered for everyone. Even those who did not or would not believe. Parallel two: The Lord doesn't wash His hands of us. Even when we wash our hands of Him (which is rather ironic), He doesn't throw us over. When He steps back, it's not due to annoyance or giving up. Stepping back is also one of the ways He reaches for us and tries to get us to see the truth of things. The Israelites get a pretty bad rap throughout the Old Testament. They turn from the Lord frequently. They get distracted. They get the doctrine wrong and miss the mark. They were also slaves. Their “cruel bondage” led to “anguish of spirit.” I'm not sure I would have fared much better had I been placed in their shoes. I think that's partially why the Lord didn't throw them off with the golden calf incident after showing them an incredible miracle with the Red Sea. The Lord knew what they were facing and what they were truly capable of. As a society, the Israelites didn't know who they were anymore. They didn't know the Lord or His goodness. Because of what they had been through, they didn't have any sense that there was an all-powerful Being who might care for them and care about where they ended up. They had a long way to go, and it started right here. They couldn't find it within themselves to hope for deliverance through Moses, and so it started with the Lord sending miracles anyway. Here is the second beautiful principle. Their salvation was standing right in front of them even if they couldn't see it. They were so broken that they couldn't see their salvation. No judgment. I'm sure I would have been in a similar place had I been a slave. And yet, there is an implication for us here. At what point have we reached “salvation?” When do we get to say, “I'm here. I've arrived. I'm saved.”? I'm not sure there is a definitive level where you get to state that you're saved. I think there are varying levels of salvation. Let's talk about some of those different points of salvation. Salvation 1: The Savior promised He was coming. The people don't know it. This is where we're at in the Old Testament. Moses, their deliverer, is standing in front of them. He has been foreordained to save them, but they don't know it. They're too lost to feel it. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that Moses technically hasn't saved them yet, it's as good as done when it comes to the Lord. If He has promised it, it's as good as if it's done, and so yes, this is a type of salvation. The Israelites are saved! Moses is here! Even if they don't see it, they're saved. Salvation 2: The Savior promised He was coming, and there are people who do know it. This is the next level, and we see this in The Book of Mormon. The Savior promised He was coming and would save; there are people who believed that so thoroughly that they acted as though He had already come. They believed so thoroughly in His ability to fulfill His promises, that it was as good as done, and they rejoiced. Salvation 3: The Savior came and did His work, but the people don't know it yet. We see this all the time. This is as if Moses had opened the gates of Egypt, and there were people too busy slaving away for masters who no longer stood over them that they missed it. The Savior has come, but there are many who don't know it. This happens in the church and out of it. Even when we've been baptized and follow the commandments, sometimes we still don't understand that we've been saved. Salvation 4: The Savior came and did His work, and the people know it. This one is self-explanatory. The Lord won, and we know it. This is the ultimate form of salvation. I bring this up because there are two sides to the coin of salvation. There is the portion with Christ. There was a period of time before He came where His salvation was still a promise. That promise was as good as though it had already been done. When it comes to this side of the coin, we were always saved. But then there is the other side of the coin. Is salvation really salvation if we can't enjoy it? Have we truly been saved if we're still miserable because we don't trust Him or because or our actions? It takes a long time for the Israelites to truly be saved. They make it out of Egypt, but they have not yet reached joy. They don't know that the Lord is going to take care of them and lead them to that promised land. In that sense, salvation is a spectrum. And let's bring that full circle. The Israelites didn't yet believe. They were in so much despair that they couldn't bring themselves to believe. The Savior was going to keep sending miracles until they could see it. He paid for the salvation, and then He continues to reach out on top of it. He reaches and reaches until we finally see that the gates have been unlocked. Where are you on the spectrum of salvation? The Savior has saved you. Do you see it? Do you see Him ready to lead you out of Egypt? Let Him heal the brokeness from the slavery. Let Him provide for you in the wilderness. Believe in His salvation so much that it's as if you're already in the promised land. I testify that the Savior's promises are solid. They are coming. We don't have to live in despair even now because we have been taught what comes next. Even in our darkest moments (because dark moments aren't evil), there is hope to temper it. We can rejoice. And if we're still getting run over by life and can't seem to lift up our heads and believe it, then hang tight. The Lord is sending miracles anyway until we do see it. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Did God Send Me Here to Fail? by Autumn Dickson Moses was a prophet who delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. He was such a good prophet that the Jews held him up as a standard for a long time. He is still revered as a great prophet. And yet, despite his righteousness, his closeness with God, his foreordained role, Moses didn't know everything. Moses was incredibly nervous to approach Pharaoh about freeing the Israelites, and the first time he approached Pharaoh, it didn't go so well. Pharaoh did not release the Israelites. In fact, Pharaoh gave all of the Israelites more work to accomplish than they previously had. This led to the Israelites getting frustrated with Moses, and in turn, Moses turned to God. Exodus 5:22-23 22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. Moses asks the Lord a few questions and makes some points that I think all of us have made at one point or another. “Why did you send me? I just made it worse. You said You would deliver them, but they're still in bondage and Pharaoh has made things harder on them.” There is a lot we could unpack there. Moses' insecurity about his ability to do the job would be a good place to start. We could discuss the fact that Moses could only see his own limitations rather than the Lord's plan in motion. However, I want to take a slightly different angle that I mentioned earlier. Moses, despite his calling and the big job ahead of him, didn't see the end from the beginning. He saw enough that he was willing to begin, but the Lord left out quite a few details about this long road that Moses would travel before he could be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in freeing the covenant people. The Lord loves to leave out details. Why? If the Lord has made a decision in relation to how He works with His children on earth, there are solid reasons behind that decision. Why does the Lord choose to leave out details? Why does He allow us to sometimes think we've failed? What purpose does it serve to push us to wait for the next step? What reasons do you see? One of the reasons is because we would probably get confused and lost and disillusioned anyway. The Savior tried telling His disciples that He was going to die and live again. He said it quite clearly, more than once, but they were still so surprised when it happened. If the Lord had told Moses more of the details, would he have grasped the plan? I think a more important reason is the fact that it forces us to cling to Him. If Heavenly Father had given Moses a play-by-play of what would happen in Egypt, how much would Moses have connected his success back to the Lord? How often would Moses have turned back to the Lord? It is very difficult to see the Lord's hand when we are not turning to Him over and over and over. When it comes to the Lord, it's never just about the task that's been given. The task always has a double purpose of drawing us closer to Him. One of the most effective ways of drawing us closer to Him, is to force us to keep coming back to Him, to work closely with Him. This brings great comfort when we look at our own efforts and tasks. Like Moses, it's easy for us to decide that we're the weak link. We're not strong enough or smart enough or persuasive enough. We're the reason everything failed. Moses is not the reason the task failed. Moses was just under the impression that the task was supposed to be easier than it was. The Lord could have explained this in great detail ahead of time to spare Moses this despair. However, it would have negated His purposes of keeping Moses close. It had to be this way. The Lord needed you to have the task. Telling you in detail ahead of time would have made it really easy for you to forget Him and try to do everything on your own. It was important for you to stay close to Him, and He knows our propensity to wander. So He chose to do things this way. Unfortunately, sometimes we also have the bad habit of despairing when we hit obstacles. The Lord knows this, and He can work with it. It is much easier to work with your despair when you turn to Him than it is when you run off and try to do things on your own. The Lord is wise enough to see all of this and make the decision to leave out the details. So how can this change our response when we do hit obstacles in the tasks we've been given by the Lord? We trust Him and know He's not finished yet. Even when we do not know the details, He does. He is plenty aware of them and knows how to work with the children of men. Give it your best shot, and look to Him with faith. That's your real job. It wasn't Moses' job to deliver the Israelites, not really. It was Moses' job to be willing. It wasn't Moses who sent the plagues or parted the sea. It was the Lord who made man's mouth and made the seas. The Lord knew exactly what He was getting with Moses, and He still decided on Moses. It is no different with you. The Lord knew what He was getting when He asked for you. He knows better than you know what you are or aren't capable of, and He decided on you. When you run into unanticipated obstacles, there is no need to despair. He didn't tell you about this part, but He knew about this part. Your job is to be willing. Give it your best shot, and look to Him with faith. The Lord can still work with despair; He worked with Moses through His despair. He can work with us through despair. However, the faith part serves us. Moses didn't ever have to be afraid or upset that he had ruined everything. Those feelings were necessary so that Moses could go through the process of building his faith, but faith changes our entire experience by changing our perspective. Obstacles look different in the light of faith in Christ. It is a joyful way to live. Trust the Lord. Trust Him when He doesn't give you all the details. Trust Him that He chose you for a reason. Trust Him so that you can rejoice even in the faith of setbacks. I testify that the Lord knew what He was doing when He chose you. I testify that He knows all of the details even when He doesn't share them all immediately. I testify that He isn't despairing or mad when obstacles appear. All He wants is our faith. He deserves our faith. He has earned it. He is worthy of it. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Judgment Day Isn't What You Think by Autumn Dickson The story of Joseph teaches us so many things about Christ. There are poignant details that point us in the direction of Christ's story. There are so many directions we could go. However, let's talk about one principle. Joseph's story can teach us about Judgment Day. For so long, I pictured Judgment Day as a time when Christ would weigh all the good I had done versus all the bad, and then He would weigh it against my privileges and disadvantages. That seems fair, right? I don't think anyone would argue that this is unfair judgment. However, I have since learned that God doesn't work that way at all. He does it better; He judges us by our hearts. Joseph's story teaches this so beautifully. Here are a couple of details that prepare us to understand Judgment Day in relation to Joseph's story. Joseph had the grain that saved everyone who came and partook of it. He saved everyone. If you move forward a couple of chapters, we see that receiving the atonement of Jesus Christ isn't just about giving of ourselves. It's not about weighing our good and bad deeds; it's about who we are. Joseph's brothers come to partake of the grain in Egypt, and they don't recognize their younger brother whom they sold into slavery. Joseph recognizes them and sets the brothers up for failure so that he can essentially kidnap Benjamin, the youngest brother. This was all a big ruse to see who his brothers had become, and they passed the test. Judah, the brother who originally conspired to kill Joseph, was ready to stand in Benjamin's place. He was ready to stand in for another. Joseph didn't say, “Oh you thought about killing me, but you've done good things since then. You're trying to make up for it by standing in for Benjamin. I guess that cancels things out.” Rather, all that Joseph truly cared about was whether they were different men. Joseph didn't care about the past sin (horrible as it was). Joseph cared about who they were, and they truly had changed. Here are a couple of verses that describe how Joseph, a type of Christ, felt when he had truly judged and discerned that his brothers were changed, good men. As I read these verses, I want you to draw the parallels between Joseph as he judged his brothers and Christ as He will judge us someday. Genesis 45:1, 5-6, 10, 14-15  1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. Which part stood out to you most? Was it the fact that Joseph rejoiced in his betrayal and sacrifice that saved everyone? Was it his uncontrollable weeping that his brothers were good men? Was it the fact that Joseph offered Goshen to them? Was it the affection that he bestowed on his brothers? All of those will be important parts of Judgment Day. I picture Judgment Day as Christ discerning our hearts as they are right now. He is determining whether we are safe enough to bring into His home or whether we will hurt our brothers and sisters further. It's not about mistakes that we've made. Those were done away with a long time ago. It's about whether He can trust our hearts to live with Him and preserve heaven. His sacrifice enabled Him to make that call, to judge our hearts righteously with justice and mercy. If He perceives goodness within us, then Judgment Day essentially becomes a lot of weeping and rejoicing and affection. He wants to keep us. No matter how we've betrayed Him in the past, He wants to know who we are now, and He wants to keep us with Him if He can help it. The sins are paid for; Christ is fine. They don't count against us any longer. Christ is simply judging our hearts as they are now. That's not to say that our actions don't matter. Our actions change us. Our actions uncover who we are. What if Judah loved Benjamin and his father but didn't step forward? Does that even count as real love? Our actions do matter; they're just not the end-all. They are the process for the end-all. Our actions matter to the extent that they change us. I'll repeat that again. Our actions matter to the extent that they change us. Repeatedly choosing light turns us into beings of light over time. Repeatedly choosing darkness pushes us in that direction. It doesn't mean you can't change directions, but become a person of integrity or humility isn't a single choice. It's a process that we should consciously take. It's everyday choices that shape the hearts that the Lord is going to judge. I testify that Christ is looking to keep us. He isn't looking at past individual sins. He already paid those off; the ledger is clear. He redeemed you, and now He is looking at you as you are. His sacrifice enables Him to judge your heart. Let go of your sins that are holding you down, and walk closer to light every day. Invite more of the Savior into your daily life. Rejoice in His ability to save you because you desire goodness. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

We Can't Afford Grace by Autumn Dickson Last week, we talked about some of the symbolism behind Joseph's story. He offered food that filled the bellies of the Egyptians and saved them. Christ offers salvation, and we should be actively paying attention to whether we're bringing the bread home or internalizing it and letting it fill us. We expanded this symbolism to missionary work; if we are full, people will come and see just like other countries traveled to Egypt for food. This week, I want to expand upon that same symbolism again. So here are the quick details of that story. Pharaoh has a dream that Joseph interprets. This dream warns Pharaoh that there will be seven years of plenty and seven years of severe famine. Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of a food-saving program, and it works. The people are saved because a portion of food had been set aside during the years of plenty. When the land was desolate, the people came in and started to buy food from Joseph. When they ran out of money, they started giving their cattle and flocks to pay for the food. Ultimately, even that becomes insufficient. Then this happens. Genesis 47:18-20 18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: 19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate. 20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. It is at this point in time that the Egyptians become serfs to Pharaoh. Serfdom is an important distinction from slavery, especially as it relates to our conversation today.  It is much more accurate to call them serfs. They're not going to be bought and sold at will, but they're tied to the land they don't own. They have the right to work that land and provide for themselves, and they give back 20% of their food to Pharaoh. Let's talk about the implications of this policy that Joseph put forth in the land of Egypt as it relates to the symbolism of our last post, namely the atonement of Jesus Christ. Implication 1. We can't afford the atonement of Jesus Christ. Joseph saved Egypt as well as the surrounding countries and the House of Israel. Plain and simple, he saved them all, and he did it with generosity. He didn't resent the Egyptians for not being able to afford the food he had saved. In fact, he rejoices that his brothers betrayed him so that he could be placed in a position to save everyone. In the seven years of the famine, the people got to the point where they had nothing else to give. Even after devoting all of their money, cattle, flocks, and land, they still came up short. It was never going to be enough. Nowadays, we are encouraged to build up our own food storage and self-reliance, and there are different principles that come with that prophetic counsel. This story, however, does not play out like that. Joseph saved the food, not the citizens. This is indicative of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Grace is free. No matter how much money we bring to the table, no matter how much we have saved up, it is insufficient to save us. Justice is a harsh master, and we don't have the means to save ourselves. It's impossible. Christ saved you. Yes, we believe that He judges us by our works, but the eternal truth stands: He saved us, and nothing we offer can ever pay that back. Implication 2. None of this is ours; we can only give of ourselves. Even then, we are not our own. We become stewards, and Christ is a generous benefactor. The food was not free. The Egyptians couldn't afford it, and Joseph still offered it, but Joseph required something in return: their lands and themselves. The Egyptians agreed to this willingly. Some people would call this coercion. How can you say no if your only other option is death? My response? That's ridiculous. Why on earth would you be ungrateful? The best response you could have to this situation is, “Thank you. I couldn't do this on my own. I couldn't save myself. You saved me, and I will forever owe you for that. I recognize that I wouldn't have anything without you, and so I willingly devote myself to give back some of what You gave me.” In fact, this is how the Egyptians responded to their predicament. Genesis 47:25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. Christ saves. We can resent Him for that. We can resent Him and falsely accuse Him of taking away our agency, but that's not it at all. Joseph didn't make them slaves so he could do whatever he wanted with them. He made them stewards and asked them to give back. He didn't save them because he wanted to own them. He saved them so he could provide them with the opportunity to keep living. Christ gave us an opportunity to make something of ourselves. He asks for a portion of what He gave us back. He asks us to devote ourselves and make the land fruitful. If we hate Him for it, then it's tragically ironic. Not only does He own everything anyway, but He's also trying to teach us how to make the best use of our land. He wants our land to be overflowing. He wants us to rejoice in what we've been given and gratefully give back. The more we do with what He has given, the more we have. Even when He asks for a portion back, it is actually continuing to serve us. There are so many perfect, poignant details of Joseph's story that teaches us about the atonement of Jesus Christ. It teaches things as they really are, and it gives us an opportunity to have the correct attitudes towards our true state of reality. I testify that Christ can save us. We can reject His bread and try to find it elsewhere, but we're going to come up empty. I testify that He didn't perform the atonement so that He could own us and subject us to whatever He wanted. He performed the atonement so that our own agency didn't ruin our eternity. He literally freed us, gave us more opportunity, and He teaches us how to make more of ourselves. We did not come out as slaves. Because of Jesus Christ, we have won. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

More Than Food Storage; Famine and Atonement by Autumn Dickson The Old Testament is full of stories, and oftentimes, those stories come as a type of things to come. They teach us about life. They teach us about our relationship with God and our dependence on the Savior. Joseph's life is no different. We can look at the parts of his whole life and find incredible symbolism, and we can look at his life as a whole for symbolism. There is so much there. Let's talk about just some of it. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. After a series of miracles and difficulty, Joseph is made a ruler in Egypt after interpreting a dream for Pharoah. Pharoah puts him in charge of gathering food to save up for a horrible famine that is going to spread throughout the land. Here is what happens when the famine hits. Genesis 41:54-57 54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands. First, the Egyptians come and get food from Pharaoh. Other countries, including Joseph's brothers, follow suit and start coming in to get food from Pharaoh. We believe in food storage and self-sufficiency, and this is a powerful example of that. However, that's not the most important lesson we can learn here. Believe it or not, this is an incredible example of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Before we delve into the deeper symbolism, I want you to think about some of these poignant details. Joseph was originally with his family who would grow to be the twelve tribes of Israel. After they rejected him, he ended up with Gentiles – Egyptians. He saved them from the famine first, and then his brothers came to buy bread as well. Christ originally stuck with the House of Israel until they rejected Him. Then the gospel went to the Gentiles before returning to the House of Israel once again. The details are too beautiful. Even beyond the incredible parallels, there are deeper principles here. As I mentioned previously, this isn't a story about self-reliance despite its ability to teach that principle. This is a story about the atonement of Jesus Christ. Joseph knew the dearth that the people on earth would face. It was revealed to him, and he had been foreordained to handle it. He had been prepared throughout his life to handle it. He had the gifts necessary in order to prepare for it. A plan was set in motion to save everyone from this dearth. He was betrayed and placed into a position where he would be enabled to provide that saving grace when no one else could. Joseph had the corn that saved everyone. There was nowhere else to go in order to be saved. Joseph was the only one who had legitimate bread to offer. Perhaps other people and sources tried to offer and lie about having some, but you had to go through Joseph to get bread. Christ knew the dearth that the people on earth would face. It was revealed to Him, and He had been foreordained to handle it. He had been prepared throughout His life to handle it. He had the gifts necessary in order to prepare for it. A plan was set in motion to save everyone from this dearth. He was betrayed and placed into a position where He would be enabled to provide that saving grace when no one else could. Christ provided salvation. There is nowhere else to go in order to be saved. Christ is the only one who has legitimate salvation to offer. Perhaps other people and sources tried to offer and lie about having some, but you have to go through Christ to be saved. There are implications for this, implications for your personal life as well as missionary work. Implication one. The Egyptians could have stood in line, filled their buckets, gone home, and put those buckets in the corner. They could have looked at the buckets, maybe even opened them, and still refused to eat the food that had been given to them. The dearth still would have killed them. It didn't matter if they did all the things that enabled them to have food if they didn't consume the food and let it fill their bellies. Are you going to church? Are you doing Come Follow Me? Are you studying the scriptures, going to the temple, serving, doing your calling, praying, and studying your patriarchal blessing and conference talks? Here's a more important question. Are you allowing those things to fill you? It is very easy to cross things off a to-do list. It takes a different kind of work to internalize the to-do's and bring them into your heart to fill you like they were always meant to. Which leads me to the next implication. Why did the other countries come to Egypt for food? The other countries, including the House of Israel, came because they saw that the Egyptians had full bellies. Is your belly full? Other countries looked at the Egyptians and saw that they had food. They didn't look at the Egyptians and notice that they were standing in lines or carrying buckets. Other countries saw that their bellies were full. Missionary work becomes simpler when the gospel is filling your life with light. When you are utilizing the to-do's of the church to internalize the light of Christ's gospel (not just doing the to-do's), people will come to you. They will be drawn to you. In a world that offers empty bellies, we have the sustenance that a person can live and thrive on. Bring the sustenance home. Do the to-do's. Consume the sustenance. Let the to-do's fill you up and make you whole. The other countries will see what you have and want it. One of the most powerful ways to share the gospel is to let the gospel fill you so that everyone can see your light shine and glorify your Father in heaven. I testify that there is salvation in the world, and I testify of a Savior who offers it. There is bread to fill your belly. I testify that it feels good to have a full stomach, and I testify that there are so many people out there consumed by emptiness. They will be drawn to what we have. Share it. Internalize the Savior and His promises, and share it. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 37–41 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 37–41 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

When Doing What's Right Brings Pain by Autumn Dickson It is no question that Joseph went through some tough stuff despite trying to do what's right. Being betrayed by your brothers and sold into slavery, thrown into prison, being forgotten after helping someone. None of these things should be skimmed over or treated lightly. Those are the kinds of things that can really take a toll on a person, especially when it all happened because they were trying to do what's right. I think that's key here as well. These things didn't happen despite doing what's right; some of these things happened because Joseph was doing what's right. I can imagine that would be frustrating. Let's talk about a couple of these roadblocks. The first roadblock was when his brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. His brothers didn't just betray him; they betrayed Joseph because Joseph had received revelation from God that they would honor him. It was one of the reasons they chose to sell him (though their original plan was to kill him). Genesis 37:19-20 19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. He did what was right and was punished for it. Then there was Potiphar's wife. Joseph found himself in an honorable position in Potiphar's home when Potiphar's wife came and tried to seduce him. He rejected her, she lied about him, and he was thrown into prison. He did what was right and was punished for it. There are a couple of tender mercies that happened along the way before Joseph is truly lifted out of this dark era. His brothers could have killed him but didn't. Under normal circumstances, Potiphar would have killed Joseph for the accusation alone but didn't. Joseph's life was spared both times. There were tender mercies, but I imagine that for most people, it would have been hard to see the tender mercies amidst everything else that was going on. So it begs the question…why do you do what's right? When Joseph is tempted to sin by Potiphar's wife, he responds in this epic way. Genesis 39:9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? How can I sin against God? Potiphar gave him so much, but Joseph rightly asks how he could possibly sin against God. Choosing righteously is certainly an act of faith, but that act of faith is fragile without doing it for the right reasons. If Joseph had refused Potiphar's wife for lesser reasons, how would his loyalty have measured up against prison? Probably not favorably. Joseph's concern was about being loyal to God, regardless of how things played out. This is so powerful. Choosing to do what's right for the right reasons makes you powerful because it grants you access to God in a way that you can't get by any other means. Let me elaborate by zooming out. We came down here to be tested. We came down here to grow and that requires pain. Honest, eternal truth right there. True growth is impossible without difficulty. So what happens when difficulty gives us the opposite result? What happens when our mind assumes that blessings immediately come from loyalty? First of all, it's not true loyalty if you fold with difficulty. Second of all, you are completely destroying the Plan of Salvation in your own life. You are making it impossible for God to bring about His purposes in your life. Let me describe it in this way with Joseph's example. Imagine if Joseph had said, “What the heck? You sent me a dream that my brothers would honor me and because of my dream, I find myself a slave. How does that work? I'm done. I'm not serving you anymore.” The irony here is that the slavery (the difficulty) is what enabled him to save his brothers and receive that honor. Would they have ever honored Joseph otherwise? Would he have always been the favorite child, and therefore, the most resented brother? The difficulty made the blessing possible. If we fold after the difficulty, we miss the true blessing. Folding after difficulty is the epitome of irony. God is trying to make us marvelous. He is trying to make us amazing. The only way He can do that is by sending difficulty. If we get annoyed and turn on Him the second we face difficulty, it makes it impossible for Him to bring about the Plan of Salvation in our lives. He doesn't give us difficulty=We don't grow. We don't become amazing. He gives us difficulty=We turn on Him, and we still don't become amazing. Embrace the hard. You don't have to love it, but lean into it. He is delivering on the promises He made to you before you came here. Let Him. Stand by Him through it, and He will stand by you. I testify that the Lord loves you and is trying to bless you. I also testify that blessings often come in the form of tests and opposition. Those are some of the biggest blessings because they deliver the hoped-for purposes of the Plan of Salvation. I testify that loyalty to God through whatever He gives you is powerful. It's life-changing. It helps you become all you were meant to be. Doing what's right for the right purposes is the only way we become all we were meant to become. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 37–41 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

You Haven't Ruined Your Life by Autumn Dickson My first message of this week was about Rebekah and Jacob tricking Isaac into giving Esau's blessing to Jacob. Rebekah had received a revelation that the older would serve the younger, and she took matters into her own hands to make that happen. It worked, and Jacob was blessed. Unfortunately, Jacob also had to run for his life from Esau. He was sent to his uncle's house far away to keep him safe. It had been prophesied that the younger would rule over the older, but there was also some favoritism going on. The bible literally tells us that Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. Rebekah went above and beyond to make sure Jacob came out on top. Unfortunately, the opposite seemed to occur. Rather than ruling over his father's house, Jacob ended up exiled. He was anything but a ruler for a very long time. Jacob's uncle tricked him, and Jacob had very little power to protect himself. His wages were unfairly changed up on him. He was separated from his family, not a ruler of his family. When Rebekah sent Jacob away to live with her brother, I wonder if she regretted what she did. When she was separated from Jacob, did she wish she could do things differently? I wonder if she asked herself whether she had made a mistake and ruined everything. I don't know about Rebekah, but I think I would have had those feelings. I wonder if Jacob ever felt a little bitter. I wonder if he was angry that the ruse had upended his life so thoroughly and ironically did the opposite of what it was supposed to be. Did he regret listening to his mother and tricking his father? Did he feel that everything was ruined? Have you ever wondered if you ruined things too much? I'm not just talking about sinning so deeply that the atonement of Jesus Christ can't reach you. I'm also talking about mistakes or sins that seemingly messed up what we believed we were supposed to become. Maybe there was a promise in your patriarchal blessing, a revelation that you felt strongly about that seems to have fallen flat, or a direction you never anticipated your life taking that led to heartache rather than increased ability to go out and serve. One of the beautiful things about this story is the fact that the Lord can lead you there and make things come together even after mistakes and pitfalls and detours and even sin. Rebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac. They deceived him, and they did so in the name of a revelation given to Rebekah by the Lord. And honestly, I don't know if that makes it better or worse. I guess she was trying really hard to follow the revelation, but we also need to be supremely careful about doing wrong things in the name of getting to the “right” destination. As in, we shouldn't need to do wrong things in the name of getting to the right destination. I digress. They sinned. They weren't evil people, but they did sin. And yet, despite this sin and interference, the Lord still helped them get where they needed to be. Jacob prospered and returned home and reconciled with his family. Esau likewise prospered independently. Esau's descendants ended up serving Jacob's descendants (Edom and Israel). Things turned out how they were supposed to, and no damage was permanent. When I was dating Conner, I was very confused. We were really struggling. That era of our lives was very dark for both of us. I really don't understand how we ended up together, but we did. In the middle of all that difficulty, I had people telling me that I could miss out on the man God had prepared for me if I kept wasting time with Conner. This became a legitimate fear of mine. I was so afraid God would be angry with me for being confused and not being able to find my way. I would break up with him, and I felt led back to him but then things were so hard and very few people (I think 4 people total and even that was iffy) supported us being together. I was afraid that I would miss out on what was supposed to be mine because I wasn't good enough to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. In the midst of all this, I had a dear friend who was so faithful and trusting. She had dated her boyfriend on and off for years. It had stretched on and on, and they finally reached a point where they truly broke up. I remember asking her the questions that were pressing on me. I asked her if she was afraid that she had missed out on someone she could have married because she was so distracted with this other guy. Her response was simple and profound. She wasn't worried at all. She didn't believe in a God like that, a God who would punish her for not knowing immediately. She was trying the best she could with what she had, even if it wasn't perfect, and she believed that God would honor that and help her along. If your heart is turned towards God and trying to follow Him, you don't need to fear. He can lead you along. Even if you make mistakes along the way, even if you end up on roads you never pictured yourself on, He can lead you back to where you need to be. I remember another time in college. They had just changed the missionary age, and I was suddenly able to serve. I had wanted to serve a mission my whole life, but in that moment, I shied away from it. I found myself in a bit of trouble. I was very mentally sick. I had taken a break from classes to pursue a music career. I had a couple of friends who didn't let me totally lose myself, but I wasn't headed in the direction I needed to be going. I was pretty adrift and lost, and though not all of it was my fault, some of it was a direct result of my own naive or selfish choices. I remember sitting on my bed one night, knowing that I wasn't where I needed to be. I didn't kneel down or fold my arms. I didn't open or close the prayer. I just quietly whispered, “If You could get me out of this, I would appreciate it.” And He did. Very shortly after, I found myself on a plane home to Texas where I had grown up. One thing led to another and I found myself serving in Indiana, right where I needed to be. It didn't matter to Him that I had taken myself all over the map. The detours and “lost” time ultimately meant nothing. I ended up right where I needed to be. I didn't truly lose anything. There was difficulty and regrets, but there wasn't anything that couldn't be salvaged through the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. I have a feeling that if Rebekah and Jacob could have seen the exile they were setting into motion, they wouldn't have done what they did. I have a feeling that there was some real introspection going on after everything went down. There were detours and difficulties on account of their own choices, but the Lord never lost sight of them. I testify that He never loses sight of you. He is leading you along even if you don't know it. I testify that He can take the worst parts and mistakes and turn them into good. I testify that all roads can lead home if we apply the atonement of Jesus Christ. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 24–33 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 24–33 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Feeling Alone? Trust Him. by Autumn Dickson The Old Testament is full of imperfect people. There is strife and difficulty. Families struggle together. We see people who are trying to follow God, sometimes in desperation, and they make mistakes along the way. We see a whole spectrum of human emotion. It makes me wonder how much we're missing in the New Testament. We often tease about how the Old Testament and New Testament are so different, but are they truly? Or were they just written differently? Perhaps the curtain just gets peeled back a tad bit more with the Old Testament and we get to see the bad along with the good. This week, we read about some of those imperfect people, and there is much to learn from them. We can learn from their mistakes in our own quest to follow after God. We can learn to watch our own predilections and flaws and hopefully avoid some of their same obstacles. I want to look at Jacob and Rebekah specifically. It took a while for Rebekah to get pregnant, but when she did, she got pregnant with twins. They wrestled within her and caused her to ask the Lord what was going on. He spoke to Rebekah (likely through the Spirit) and told her that from the two brothers, two nations would be formed. It was also prophesied that the older would serve the younger. Esau was born first and was Isaac's favorite, and Jacob was born second and was Rebekah's favorite. Rebekah had received a revelation that Esau would serve Jacob, but she took matters into her own hands. Isaac spoke to Esau and told him to prepare a dinner so that Esau could be blessed. Rebekah pushes and convinces Jacob to trick his father. This is what she tells Jacob. Genesis 27:8-10 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: 10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. She convinces Jacob to pretend to be Esau. Isaac is blind, and so the idea is that Isaac will give Esau's blessing to Jacob. She takes the ruse even further by placing the hairy skins upon Jacob to further trick Isaac into thinking that Jacob is Esau (since Esau is hairy and Jacob isn't). Her ruse works. Isaac is tricked and gives the birthright blessing to Jacob rather than Esau. Esau comes home and is bitter and upset about what happened. He mourns his father but promises to kill Jacob when the mourning is over. Rebekah sends Jacob far away to her brother, Laban. Jacob's life isn't made easier after this. He has been separated from his family. He starts working for his uncle and is tricked more than once. His uncle likewise changes his wages unjustly multiple times. The Lord calls upon Jacob to take his large family back home to where Esau is and Jacob fears his uncle and cousins enough that he tries to do it secretly. It's a long story, but I told the whole thing because the context is key in order to understand the principle I want to teach. I'll shorten it to these four details. God whispers to Rebekah. Rebekah takes matters into her own hands, and Jacob listens. Jacob finds himself exiled. Now the fraud and sin are not upon the head of Jacob alone. Rebekah pushed for this pretty hard; Jacob gave in and listened and did as his mother bade him. Both of them found themselves with poignant parallels. When we don't trust the Lord, we can find ourselves separated from family. Let me explain what I mean. I don't necessarily mean that the Lord is going to exile you. I'm not prophesying that your children are going to be taken away. What I am teaching is this: not trusting the Lord can keep you separated from the family of God, spiritually and emotionally. It can make you feel like you're all alone in the world. Jacob had to go off on his own and try to make his own way. He didn't have anyone to lean on. Do you feel that way? Do you feel that you have no one to lean on? If you've been baptized and made covenants and kept those covenants and love the Lord but still don't trust in His power to handle things (including your sins), you're going to find yourself separated from Him. Not because He rejects you for not trusting Him, but because you are putting up a wall and keeping yourself from enjoying the relationship that's possible. Trust in the Lord is an irreplaceable part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can do all of the things, but it won't matter without the trust. Rebekah was trying to help the prophecy along, and all it did was take her son away from her. She didn't trust the Lord to handle it. It separated her from her loved one. Jacob listened and found himself separated from everyone. I sat down with a loved one a couple of years ago, and she confided in me that she didn't think she would make it to the Celestial Kingdom. She insisted that she had made many mistakes and didn't know whether God would count her worthy. It made me so thoroughly sad. Sure, there had been mistakes, but there wasn't a drop of rebellion in her. She loved the Lord and wanted to do what He wanted her to do. And yet despite her goodness, she didn't believe she could make it. Her lack of trust kept her from enjoying so many aspects of salvation right here and now. It kept her exiled and alone without anyone to lean on. Do you know how good it feels to be a child of God? To feel close to Him even when you can't see Him? It feels good. It feels tangible. I do not feel alone. I do not feel like I have to do this life on my own or figure out how to be okay all by myself without anyone to back me up. Trust in the Lord (whether that's timing or unwanted answers or His ability to save) gave that to me. If you feel that you're supposed to be somewhere and it's not coming together, don't force it. Work appropriately, and trust Him. Trusting Him will keep you close rather than alone. I testify that the Lord loves us. I testify that He wants to be close to us. I testify that His command for us to trust Him is a command because He knows it's one of the most powerful tools for joy and peace. We are not alone. We do not have to take things into our own hands. We have an all-powerful Lord to guide us and lead us and open doors at the right times. We can rest, knowing He has our best interest in His capable hands. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 24–33 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The Subtle Destruction of Looking Back by Autumn Dickson The story of Lot's wife is an intense one. Sodom and Gomorrah was a wicked city, and God commanded Lot to flee with his family and not look back. They are told to leave immediately or be swept away in the destruction. Lot goes and tells his family members that they need to flee, and they laugh at him. Despite trying to warn family, he keeps lingering. It finally gets to the point where the angels grab the hands of Lot, his wife, and his daughters and run. Then Lot's wife looks back. Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Lot's wife was destroyed because she looked back with longing and regret. It seems a bit harsh, but this is true to life. Regardless of how this story played out in real life, it teaches us something important. It is a warning. Looking back has the power to destroy you even if you technically follow the commandments in other ways. He's not even warning you saying, “I will destroy you if you look back.” He is saying, “Looking back can lead to destruction.” If you look carefully at the wording, it says that she became a pillar of salt. It doesn't say that God turned her into one. Let's look at these principles in the context of Lot. The citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked. The Lord did rain down justice upon them, but honestly, they probably would have destroyed themselves anyway. The fact that they were trying to hurt the visitors at Lot's house is proof of this. Not to mention, there comes a certain point where a person can be “destroyed” even if they're still physically living. I would imagine that many within the city had found this emotional scarring, trauma, emptiness, and hopelessness. The Lord rained down justice on them. But here's the important principle I want to talk about today: He also rained down justice upon Lot's wife as she looked back longingly at what she had left behind. The scriptures show a direct and immediate destruction of Lot's wife. I have wondered what this looked like in real life, but regardless of how the details played out in reality, the principle is crystal clear. When we choose to look back in the same manner as Lot's wife, we will find the same consequences even if they're not immediate like they were in the scripture story. What was Lot's wife longing for? There are two potential answers. Perhaps Lot's wife was legitimately longing for the sin within the city; she valued sin and set her heart on it. Or…perhaps she was longing for something more neutral. This is equally important to understand because its subtlety can make it even more dangerous. We know loving sin can lead to destruction, but do we also understand that looking back with longing at something more neutral can hurt us? Perhaps she wasn't looking back at sin but at her home and belongings, things that aren't inherently evil. Either way, this looking back has the power to eat away at us until we are destroyed (if not physically, then emotionally). When we're looking at our own lives, I want to focus on that second potential. Perhaps we are not secretly longing for sin. Perhaps we long for what might have been or for good things that we left behind, or even neutral things that we left behind. Let me give you some potential examples of longing that could lead to personally destroying oneself. “I wish I had married so-and-so. I wish I could rewind the clock and try again.” “Why did the Lord ask me to leave my home behind? I hate this place. I hate that I lost so much.” “I miss high school and college. Life is so hard now. It's not fun.” “The Church didn't let me do anything. I missed out on so much growing up.” In cases like this, we don't often immediately turn into pillars of salt. Oftentimes, the consequences aren't immediate either which is precisely why they can be so dangerous. Despite the lack of salt or immediacy, these thoughts have the power to destroy us anyway. Even if these thoughts never technically lead us all the way “back into the city,” they still hold enough power over us to make us miserable despite new and good circumstances. We can live our whole lives sitting at the window and looking back at what we lost, sacrificing what the Lord is trying to give to us or sacrificing the things that could give us happiness now and in the future. Discontent poisons the present. Regret can become our identity. Your life right now feels barren, not because it is barren but because you refuse to see the good. These kinds of thoughts can poison your current relationships, the ones that have the power to offer the joy you apparently miss so much. You may have plenty, but you're too busy emotionally investing yourself in an empty past. There is no gratitude, and therefore, no happiness. Bitterness has the power to leave you destroyed even if you're not turned into a pillar of salt. Let it go. It's going to take a while to become something new if you have repeated old patterns of looking back over and over and over throughout the years. When you have trained yourself to fall back into seemingly rosier times whenever you hit roadbumps in your present, then it's going to take some time to retrain yourself. But it is only in retraining yourself that you're going to avoid that emotional destruction and bitterness and find happiness in what the Lord can give you in your present circumstances. You have to make a decision to leave it behind, and then you have to make that decision over and over and over until your eyes are opened to the gifts in your present, until you no longer automatically fall back into reminiscing instead of investing in your present. The destruction of what you thought you wanted isn't the end. There is more ahead in your life beyond what you're leaving behind. Maybe you're not longing for sin. Maybe you're just longing for what you once had, but it can still hurt you. I testify that Heavenly Father loves you. I testify that there is more goodness ahead and that looking at the past can prevent us from finding that goodness. I testify that He can send all the goodness in the world to your front door, all the most important goodness, but it won't matter if we are looking back. We leave ourselves empty and bitter. I testify that the scriptures hold powerful lessons that give us a pattern to follow to make us happy. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 18–23 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer and guest Sarah Allen discuss the topic of polygamy. Sarah Allen was a Senior Researcher with FAIR, a former member of Scripture Central's research team, and the 2022 recipient of the John Taylor: Defender of the Faith Award. An avid reader, she loved studying the Gospel and the history of the restored Church. After watching some of her friends lose their testimonies, she became interested in helping others through their faith crises. That's when she began sharing what she'd learned through her studies. She was a co-moderator of the LDS subreddit on Reddit and the author of a multi-part series rebutting the CES Letter. She was also a co-host of FAIR's “Me, My Shelf, & I” podcast. Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 18–23 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

On Behalf of Ten by Autumn Dickson The Old Testament is chock full of stories. One of the stories this week is about Sodom and Gomorrah. They were an incredibly wicked city, and the Lord destroyed them. Before the Lord does so, He talks to Abraham about it. Abraham has a whole conversation with the Lord where he asks the Lord not to destroy the city if he can find righteous people within it. First, Abraham asks the Lord to spare it if he can find 50 righteous people. Then he keeps decreasing that number until we reach this point: Genesis 18:32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. The Lord agrees to not destroy it for the sake of ten righteous people. This is an oft-repeating principle throughout scriptures. The Lord preserves nations because of a few righteous within it. The first example that comes to mind is Ammonihah. When Ammonihah killed and exiled all of the believers, it was ripe for destruction, and that was precisely what happened. The entire city was demolished by the Lamanites. The second one that comes to mind is in Isaiah 65 where the Lord talks about preserving the vine on behalf of a small cluster of good grapes. It repeats far more than that, but those are just a couple of examples. And of course, there is a type in this. Let's talk about it. Sometimes it's not about preserving a nation but a person. Abraham loved people enough that He pleaded with the Lord to save the city if he could find even a little bit of righteousness within it. Abraham is a type of Christ, and Christ pleads on our behalf even when there is only a little bit of righteousness within us. He loves us and wants us to have time to figure it out. It is important to understand what that means and why He does it. When the Lord preserves a nation on behalf of the righteous who are dwelling there, He isn't declaring the entire nation righteous. He isn't turning a blind eye to the wickedness found there. He doesn't plan on interceding on behalf of those who are unrepentant. For them, it will be as if no atonement had been made. Can you imagine how Lot's daughters might have felt if Heavenly Father ignored what they had tried to do? Can you imagine how minimalized and cast aside and unsafe they would feel? Mercy and intercession are not about ignoring wickedness. Rather, it is because He is providing the righteous with an opportunity to grow if possible. In Alma 13, we read more about the king of Salem, Melchizedek. Melchizedek is a person from the Old Testament who blessed Abraham at one point. He was also king over a city that had waxed strong in abomination. They had “all” gone astray and were “full” of wickedness, except for Melchizedek. It was just Melchizedek. And yet, through the preaching of Melchizedek, the people repented and were saved. When it comes to our own hearts, the Lord is willing to intercede if we repent. If there is a shred of goodness in us that holds sway, there is a chance to be saved. On the flip side, we read about Ammonihah that I mentioned previously. Alma went there, was rejected, and left. He was commanded by an angel to return again, and in doing so, he came to Amulek. Amulek's home welcomed him in and blessed him. After Alma and Amulek were preaching, some were converted but the leaders of Ammonihah killed them by fire. Alma and Amulek escape, and Ammonihah is destroyed. If we willfully kill those good seeds within us and reject Christ that thoroughly, He will not plead on our behalf. He does not save us in our sins. He saves us from our sins when we're trying to escape them. He saves us long enough to let our choices play out in either direction, to the ultimate rejection of Him or to our repentance. I want to expand the example of Ammonihah just a bit. There are times when the Lord chooses to rain down His justice on purpose. There are times when He actively brings down trials and tragedy upon His people. When the wickedness is so bad that a softer answer won't hit the mark, the Lord is not afraid of using a hard answer. There are times that He directly brings about difficulty in an attempt to reach us. I wonder if it's just a tad different with the city of Ammonihah. I wonder if the Lord didn't have a hand in bringing the Lamanites to their doorstep to destroy them. I wonder if the Lord simply didn't protect them any longer. There is a type in this. Sometimes the Lord purposefully rains down difficulty to try and shake us awake to our awful condition. But when it comes to a “final” judgment, He simply steps aside and doesn't plead on our behalf. It is as if there is no atonement of Jesus Christ. Ammonihah wasn't a final, final judgment, but it was a type of final judgment. It was meant to teach us something about the nature of eternity. The Lord wasn't trying to reach them anymore; they had already shown that they didn't want Him. Rather, He simply stepped aside and didn't save them. His atonement simply didn't apply in their lives. Abraham pleaded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah because he couldn't stomach the idea of such destruction. It was hard for him to watch. After Lot was gone, I'm sure Abraham hated to watch it happen, but accepted the tragic necessity. Abraham is a type of the Lord. Our Lord and Savior pleads on our behalf. If there are even ten good people, He wants to give us time and let us play out our choices. He intercedes on our behalf and preserves us until the day that we completely reject Him. He performed the atonement, the intercession, because He couldn't stand to watch us be destroyed when there was good in us. Honestly, I think He can't stand to watch us be destroyed even after we have rejected Him, but He weighs that option with letting us destroy everything around us. I testify that the Lord wants to save us. He is pleading with us to come and be saved. He isn't standing there with a ruler ready to kick us out at any infraction. He is doing everything He can to get us to hear Him and find peace in Him. He stands ready to save us and then walk us through repentance towards a happier state of being like He did with Melchizedek and the city of Salem. He wants to save. Let Him. Work with Him. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 18–23 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Do You See the Angels? by Autumn Dickson The beginning of Abraham's story is a well-known one in our church. He was almost sacrificed on an altar because he believed in the one true God. The priests “laid violence” upon him, and then this happened. Abraham 1:15 And as they lifted up their hands upon me, that they might offer me up and take away my life, behold, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and he filled me with the vision of the Almighty, and the angel of his presence stood by me, and immediately unloosed my bands; Abraham calls out to God, and he receives a vision of the Almighty. An angel stood by him and loosed his bands. Here's my question. How did this event play out for the priest? Did he see the angel or did he turn around and Abraham was free and running? The scriptures later note that the priest was smitten, but that could mean anything. Did the angel smite him right there? Did he die later for something that seemed natural? The rest of the land was smitten by famine; this comes from the Lord, and yet, how many of the people saw the Lord's hand in it? And then, of course, this also happened. Abraham 1:11 Now, this priest had offered upon this altar three virgins at one time, who were the daughters of Onitah, one of the royal descent directly from the loins of Ham. These virgins were offered up because of their virtue; they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or of stone, therefore they were killed upon this altar, and it was done after the manner of the Egyptians. What did the priest see when he sacrificed these three women? I'm almost positive that he wouldn't answer, “Divine intervention.” What did the virgins see? Maybe nothing at first. Maybe there was no vision or angel to comfort them as they passed through to the other side, but they saw enough that they refused to bow down to idols. And then, after passing through to the other side, I'm sure they saw something wonderful. When you look at your own life, what do you see? Do you see the angel? Do you see the loosed bands or are you still laying on the altar, convinced that you're still tied down? Do you see the intervention of God? Do you see the Lord standing ready to welcome you to where you're going? Do you see the end from the beginning? Maybe not exactly, but do you see it? I type my prayers. I've said it before, and I'll say it a million more times. Writing down my prayers has changed my life. In this specific context, I have realized that writing my prayers helps me see. There have been times where I have seen the Lord's hand as I've looked back. There have been times when I've written and asked for something very specific in my prayers only to find them answered with exactly what I asked. There have been times when I was subconsciously led to write something down, and I found the Lord intervening on my behalf according to what I wrote down. But it goes beyond that. Writing my prayers has helped me see, to an extent, what the Lord has coming for me. One of my favorite games to play is, “How do I want this to turn out?” Whenever I'm facing hard decisions or moving parts or uncertain details, I pray for the end that I want. I pray for my most important things, sometimes I add in a couple of extras that I would like, and then I end it with asking for His will. It is so soothing. Our world is often plagued with anxiety. People find themselves overwhelmingly frightened by what the coming days could bring. Writing my prayers often placates that anxiety, not because Heavenly Father is going to give me whatever I want, but because praying reminds me that He's going to give me what's best for me. There are times when I'm praying, and I feel guided. He starts to guide my words in a different direction. Sometimes I pray for a different solution that addresses things I didn't anticipate. Sometimes I pray for deliverance, and He guides me to pray for growth and spiritual gifts to rise to the occasion. Even if I'm not delivered, I often feel empowered. There are times when I'm praying, and I don't necessarily feel guided. I simply feel much better after visualizing some of the best ways my scenario could play out. Honestly, it increases my faith. Even if my idea of a best-case-scenario doesn't play out, I am reminded that the Lord is writing the best-case-scenario. I get to look at what I believe is a neat and tidy “happy ending” and remember that the Lord is writing my story. I'm not sure Abraham or the virgins would have written their stories in the same way that the Lord wrote them, but I'm pretty positive that after seeing their “endings,” they applauded the Lord for His wisdom, mercy, justice, and foresight. The Lord is on our team, and He truly does have the ultimate foresight. We can lean on Him for all of it. We don't have to see the end from the beginning in vivid detail. The only end we truly need to see is the one where we are standing by the Lord. That's the happiest ending, and no matter where your road takes you, that ending is available to you. No one can take it away. So can you see it? Can you see the Lord leading you along where you need to go? Can you picture a future where He has taken care of everything? Do you see the angels and the intervention? Do you see the bright future with a grand inheritance like the one He had for the three virgins and for Abraham? Can you see it? He can. I testify that the happy ending is available. When we look at our lives and whatever it is that we're going through, the Lord can lead us to that happy ending. We just need the eyes to see it. It's there. I testify that there are many ways that we can develop the eyes we need to see, but one of those powerful ways includes deep and heartfelt prayer that allows the Lord to guide us along throughout our lives. I testify that He is doing so, and I testify that seeing His hand changes your perspective on everything. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 12–17; Abraham 1–2 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 12–17; Abraham 1–2 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

What True Worship Looks Like by Autumn Dickson I have been thinking a lot about what it means to worship God lately. It keeps popping up through random little avenues in my life. We've had the opportunity to have the missionaries in our home who taught about the ten commandments and only worshipping the one and true God. I've engaged in a couple of conversations about our beliefs of exaltation and what it means to become like our Heavenly Parents. I also recently saw a post about how celebrating Halloween is worshipping the occult, and so I asked myself, is that the truth? I love Halloween, and so I wanted to speak with the Lord and make sure I wasn't doing anything He didn't want me to do. What does it mean to avoid idolatry and only worship Heavenly Father? Let's read a couple of verses in Abraham to give us some principles to live by. Abraham 1:6 For their hearts were set to do evil, and were wholly turned to the god of Elkenah, and the god of Libnah, and the god of Mahmackrah, and the god of Korash, and the god of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; “…their hearts were wholly turned to the god of…” Your heart is representative of what you truly love. You can go to church and still have your heart oriented somewhere else. You can profess belief in our Heavenly Father and still not worship Him. You can watch Come Follow Me videos all you want, but if your heart is not engaged, it won't save you. And I believe that's the key here. Only the Lord can save us. There are many ways that He saves us, one of which being an entrance into the kingdom of God, but there are many ways that He holds us and cares for us here on earth. He saves us by bringing true joy and peace. That's what it boils down to. He doesn't save us for the sake of saving us, and though that may seem like a silly nuance, it's really important. He saves us because He wants us to be happy. Part of worshipping the only true God is understanding that. Only the Lord can save us. Only the Lord can bring us true joy and peace. We often ask: Is your heart centered on Jesus Christ? Do you only worship the true and living God? Perhaps a fantastic follow-up litmus test is this: Is your search for joy and peace centered on Jesus Christ? The key word here is “centered.” That doesn't mean you can't have other things that make you happy and bring you joy. I believe that the Lord did what He did in order to give us an opportunity to enjoy other things in the context of eternity. There is a reason we keep hearing about the mansions in heaven. We can enjoy incredible things, but what matters in relation to the word “worship” is where our enjoyment is centered. Let's make it come full circle. Why is it important to center our worship, joy, and peace on the Savior? Because everything else will leave us ultimately empty. Nothing else can save you. Nothing else can truly bring joy and peace. There are many wonderful, incredible things out there that bring deep and lasting joy, but all of it will come to naught unless you have something more solid and capable: namely, Jesus Christ. So I go and have fun and enjoy Halloween, all while keeping an eye on the fact that it doesn't matter without Christ. My joy and peace are anchored in Him. Here is another verse to give us a second litmus test of worship. Abraham 1:8 Now, at this time it was the custom of the priest of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to offer up upon the altar which was built in the land of Chaldea, for the offering unto these strange gods, men, women, and children. Before, we covered, “What is bringing you happiness? Is your peace and joy centered on Christ?” My next question is this: what are you willing to sacrifice for these other things that you love? What are you paying for it? There are more questions we can ask that relate directly back to the experience of Abraham. Namely, are you sacrificing others? Are you sacrificing precious relationships with your family members? Are you sacrificing the needs and wants of others who are depending on you? Look at how you spend time throughout the day. Look at the things that bring you a lot of happiness. What do those things cost in time, energy, and resources? What are you dedicating to it? Are sports taking up so much time that you fail to spend quality time with family? Are you so obsessed with to-do lists that your kids are viewed as obstacles rather than purpose? Are you so caught up in social media that your kids miss you? Are you so caught up in anything else on earth that you're sacrificing true joy? Which leads to another follow-up question. Are you willing to hand what you love over to the Lord should He ask? I think of my love of Halloween. If the prophet came out tomorrow and said that we weren't going to celebrate Halloween anymore, would I listen? It's okay to mourn things you love, but are you willing to hand it over as a sacrifice if the Lord asks? He should stand above all other things in your life. Your peace and joy should be centered on Him to the extent that you're willing to give up other forms of joy should He ask. That's what it means to worship. Only worshipping the true and living God means that your peace and joy are centered on Him. It means a deep and abiding understanding that only Christ can really save you, and your ultimate source of relief comes through Him. It means that you're willing to let go of other forms of happiness should He ask you to. It means that you are weighing the costs of where you are investing yourself. The cost of what you love should never tip the scales dangerously away from the most important things, and it should never come at the cost of your relationship with Christ. I testify that true joy and peace is only found in Christ. I testify that He is worth any sacrifice. I testify that anything He asks us to sacrifice is actually only leading us closer to truth and joy. I testify that there is nothing that is more valuable than a relationship with Christ. He is worth the cost of anything else. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 12–17; Abraham 1–2 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Was the Flood an Act of Mercy? by Autumn Dickson Noah's ark is one of the most classic bible stories. Even when you're not Christian, many people are aware of the story and what it means. I read these verses in the last post for this week, and I'm going to read them again with a new angle. Genesis 7:19-20, 23 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. The Lord destroyed everything. Oftentimes, this is rightfully seen as an act of justice. According to the Come Follow Me manual, the flood was also an act of mercy. I love that justice and mercy often come together, and I want to expand upon that. Here is a quote from the Come Follow Me manual. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “corruption had reached an agency-destroying point that spirits could not, in justice, be sent here.” During Noah's time, the world had become so dark and devastating that bringing new children into the world would have been wrong. When you study child abuse and neglect, this makes complete sense. There comes a point when you are so traumatized that trauma is all you can offer others. And if there are no healthy adults to save the children, then society will just get darker and darker until it destroys itself anyway. Perhaps God destroyed the evil, but they would have destroyed themselves anyway. Because of His decisions, He was also able to save many of the spirits that would have gone down and been destroyed alongside the rest. Now this was an extremely large scale event, but that's what makes it such an easy example to observe. Here is another scriptural example on a slightly smaller scale. In The Book of Mormon, Nephi is teaching his brothers and trying to get them to repent, but they hate the things of God. Here is a verse that shows some of Nephi's pleadings. 1 Nephi 17:45 Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder. The Lord had to be severe to reach them. We see this over and over and over again throughout scripture. Paul the apostle, Alma the Younger, the Israelites all throughout the Old Testament. You will see this theme all throughout Come Follow Me this year. The Lord is willing to do what's necessary in order to reach us, but there is an important, adjacent understanding that goes hand in hand with this. Jeffrey R. Holland taught, “Justice is not the work of an offended tyrant. It is the loving labor of a Father who is trying to get His children safely home.” I LOVE this quote. He is not an offended tyrant. God is a loving Father, and He is wise enough to know how to reach His children. He's not trying to punish us into submission. He's trying to get through to us. In 1 Peter, we learn that Christ went and preached to those in prison, specifically to the disobedient from the times of Noah. I wonder if they were finally ready to listen. I wonder if the flood and spirit prison reached them so that they were ready to live their life in a manner that brought happiness. I wonder if they are friends with Noah now. If they have repented, then I know this. They are grateful for the Lord and His wisdom in raining down justice and reaching them. All of God's decisions are based on love for His children, the seemingly severe and the softly spoken answer. He chooses the option that will most powerfully reach us. We've seen this on a large scale like with Noah and the flood, we've seen it on a smaller scale with Laman and Lemual. What does it mean for your own life? We have to be careful not to take this principle beyond its proper bounds. The principle is this: God will use tragedy to reach us if it's necessary because He loves us. The principle is not this: If you're experiencing something tragic, it is because God is using tragedy to punish you or because you really need to repent. Tragedy does not equate to wickedness, but it can be a tool that God uses sometimes. It just depends. I testify that all of God's decisions are based on love. I testify that suffering in mortal life is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. I testify that death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. I testify that God is wise enough to do what it takes to reach us, and I testify that He sent His Son to wash us, heal us, and suffer with us so that He could succor us when we're prepared to accept that loving kindness. I testify that God uses justice to be merciful in our lives. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 6–11; Moses 8 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 6–11; Moses 8 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

A Flood and a Fresh Start by Autumn Dickson This week we read about a couple of classic Bible stories, one of which is Noah and the ark. Let's read a couple of verses. Noah was led to build and ark, and then he went into the ark with his sons. God shut them up in the ark, and then this happened. Genesis 7:19-20, 23 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. The earth was completely covered with water, and everything was destroyed except for Noah, his family, and the animals who went with them. The Guide to the Scriptures teaches us that, “During Noah's time the earth was completely covered with water. This was the baptism of the earth and symbolized a cleansing.” There is so much symbolism here, but I want to talk about one of the most important aspects of this symbolism. When we are baptized or take the sacrament, our sins are washed away and we start over. The earth was filled with violence and corruption. Every imagination and thought of the people was evil continually. That is a lot of cleansing. I have a feeling that you have not yet reached this point in your life. I have a feeling that if you're reading Come Follow Me posts, your imaginations and thoughts aren't evil continually. Maybe you've got some flaws that you can't kick, but I'm guessing that if you're inviting good into your life, you can't possibly be thinking about evil continually. And if God can wash away all of that evil at the time of Noah, He can wash away your sins too. He can make the baptism as “big” as it needs to be. He can “flood the earth” so to speak if that's what it takes to wash away the sins that you do have. And that little tiny piece of you that is trying to do well and good will be preserved and provided with an opportunity to start over. Every Sunday when you take up that little piece of bread and that little cup of water, you are remembering how the Lord paid for your sins. There was a tremendous amount of suffering, both in the flood and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Honestly, it's crazy to think that there was more pain in that one night in the Garden of Gethsemane than there was during the flood. But it is done. The suffering already happened. The price was already paid. It was a gift. The gift offered is not automatic salvation. When Noah and his family were preserved, it wasn't automatic salvation. They weren't going to immediately experience joy just because all of that evil was all swept away. They still needed to build something after the water was gone. What would they build in the blank slate that the Lord gave them? The gift is that the Lord is going to provide you an opportunity to build your life again without being weighed down by past sins. And you get to use that gift all the time, every time you repent. We go to church on Sunday, we take the sacrament, we wash away all of the evil, and the Lord leaves the good. He doesn't wipe away all of our flaws. Noah and his family weren't perfect. He just wipes away all of the residue of sin, and from there, we begin to build again. What are we going to bring into our new world? What will we bring into our new selves? As you look at the landscape of your life, it has been washed clean again. What will you create? What will you turn your life into? Because it is about building. This is a story of grace, and it is a story of what we create with what we were given. Hopefully, we take the blank slate and choose to build up incredible things that bless us and bless those around us. We are given frameworks and blueprints that we can use to build our lives. It is not enough to want something beautiful built; the Lord gives us the beautiful opportunity to do the work alongside Him. And as time moves on, hopefully we don't need an entire flood every time we choose to take the sacrament. Hopefully the cleansings get smaller and smaller as we become more and more Christlike. You may still grieve. I don't think Noah and his family walked away from this experience lightly. I think they walked away with a lot of sorrow for what happened alongside the gratitude for being saved. Like Noah, washing away your sins won't erase the memory of it. Even though it may bring grief, it's a gift. It's a gift because it can prevent you from walking down the path towards an earthwide flood again. It will bring depth to your gratitude. We don't want to forget what happened, not really, despite the pain it may bring. I testify that the Lord can wash away what you have. I testify that there are so many parallels with the flood and our own lives that can teach us about what the Lord did and what He offers. I testify that He did not automatically give us salvation; He gave us a blank slate so that we could build something worth having, so that we could enjoy eternity like He does. I testify that He will keep washing as long as it takes, as long as we need to build what He has in mind for us. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 6–11; Moses 8 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay by Autumn Dickson In Moses 7, Enoch watched some of the most devastating events in human history. He watched the earth be traumatized. He watched violence and the consequent justice of God. There was death and abundant evil. I'm not sure I want to see the vision that Enoch saw. And as Enoch watched these traumatic events, he also observed this. Moses 7:28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? The God of heaven looked at what was occurring on the earth and wept. At one point in Enoch's journey, he even “refused” to be comforted, and yet, God wasn't angry with Enoch's deep depression. There are things that will feel dark and unbearable even as we approach being like our Heavenly Father. In fact, there are things that will feel dark and unbearable simply because we are becoming more Christlike. When Enoch asked Him why He could cry, the Lord responded with this. Moses 7:32-33 32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency; 33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; The Lord is saying, “I chose this. I helped create this plan. I created all of this, gave knowledge to them, and I gave them their agency. I asked them to love each other, but they hate each other instead.” The Jews in the Holocaust were the children of God, but so were the Nazis. Those who perished in the attacks on 9/11 were the children of God, but so were those who attacked. Abel was the son of God, and so was Cain. The children of God included the Israelites, the oldest sons of the Egyptians, and the slave drivers. Regardless of wickedness, God loves and mourns His children. Regardless of what His children chose to become and regardless of the justice that He will choose to rain down, God knew His children when they were young and innocent. He loved them and cared for them. He had to face what it meant to put the Plan of Salvation into motion. He had to face the victims who perished and those who continue on suffering. He has to face His children who are perpetrators and mourn the fact that they refuse to come be a part of the family. Despite all that they did, He has to face what it means to separate them from the rest of the family in order to preserve any semblance of peace and happiness within the rest of the family. He shoulders that burden, and despite being from all eternity to all eternity, it weighs on Him. Despite His omnipotent strength, the weight that He carries is heavy. Can something be heavy when you're perfectly strong? Apparently. Is it okay to be upset even when you know the happy ending? Apparently. Let's take it a step further. Is it righteous to be upset even when you know the happy ending? I think sometimes I picture God as colder than He really is. I picture Him without all of His emotions because for some reason, I have come to associate omnipotence with being above that kind of thing. What if the opposite is true? As Enoch became more like God, as God taught him immense things in this vision, “his heart swelled as wide as eternity.” Perhaps eternity (and therefore this life) is not about becoming so powerful and knowledgeable that the suffering doesn't affect you. Perhaps looking forward with an eye of faith is not about saving yourself from deep and hard feelings. Deep feelings are a part of eternity, deep feelings that are both happy and sad. If we are trying to become like God, then deep feelings will be a part of it. And if Enoch is to be believed, our feelings only grow deeper as we learn and experience more. Even as I write this, I keep trying to take this principle further, but the Lord is stopping me. Perhaps that is the principle He is trying to teach me; that is the principle He is emphasizing today. Deep feelings, and not just the happy ones, are part of an eternal existence. How does that change how you approach life? How does it change how you approach your difficult times? I testify that God's eternity is full. I testify that part of that eternity is difficulty and grief because the happiness and joy would be hollow without it. I testify that we can lift up our hearts and be glad despite the other half of our eternity being heavy to bear. They come together. We do not need to fear that depth. I testify that because of Jesus Christ, we can feel hope alongside that difficulty. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Moses 7 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Moses 7 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Why We Build Arks When We are Saved By Grace by Autumn Dickson Moses 7 is powerful. There is so much. I have so many thoughts, but let's keep it to a few. One of those thoughts came to me while reading this verse. Moses 7:43 Wherefore Enoch saw that Noah built an ark; and that the Lord smiled upon it, and held it in his own hand; but upon the residue of the wicked the floods came and swallowed them up. Noah and his family were surrounded by wickedness and danger. They built an ark, and the Lord protected them. The rest of the people were wiped out by the flood. I want to draw your attention to two details. Noah built an ark, and the Lord held it in His hand. There is a type in this. Let's talk about one of my favorite subjects: grace and works. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is frequently attacked for not being Christian because we believe that we will be judged by our works and desires and not just by whether we believe in the right Jesus. Other Christians believe that it's just about accepting the Savior, not following Him. They believe that you don't have to do anything. Some believe that if you try to do anything, you're only taking away from His glory (or so I've been told by some of my friends; I recognize that there are nuanced beliefs within the Christian faith in general). I know others believe that it's all about belief and works simply follow belief, but the works are just not necessary. It is extremely important to note that Latter-day Saints believe 100% in grace. We believe that works are necessary, but works don't save us. Christ saves us. Works are necessary, but they perform a different function, not saving As I read the bible, over and over and over and over and over I get the message that the Lord does require works even if it's not ultimately the works that do the saving. There are places in the bible that more directly teach this concept, namely in the letters of Paul, but there is also story after story after story that teaches this principle. Noah and the ark is just one of these stories. Noah and the ark can teach us about how Christ does the saving, and it teaches us about why the Lord requires works and will judge us by our works. What do we learn from Noah's story? How does Noah's story teach us about grace and works? Let's talk about it. First of all, let's look at it before Noah even builds the ark. The Lord saved Noah and his family because they were righteous. There is a type in this. Noah and his family weren't perfect, but they were righteous. And even though they loved God, it didn't save them. It just meant that God saved them. Would God have saved them if they hadn't built the ark? My personal opinion is no. Why would He command Noah to build an ark if He didn't actually care whether Noah built it? Let's look more specifically at Noah and the ark and not everyone who died in the flood. Our verse teaches us that the Lord held Noah's ark in His hand. That's the grace right there. The Lord protected Noah. The Lord saved Noah. The verse could have said, “Noah obeyed God and built the ark, and it saved him.” But that's not what it said because that's not what Latter-day Saints believe. In fact, it doesn't even specifically say that God looked upon Noah, smiled at him, and saved him. It very specifically says that God looked at “it,” as in, the ark. God looked at the works of Noah. The works didn't save Noah, but God looked at the works, judged them as good and smiled at them, and saved Noah. If God is the one who saved Noah, then why did He have him build an ark? Why perform works? That's the million dollar question for Latter-day Saints. We believe that we are saved by grace, 100%. So why build an ark? Why do we believe in doing our best and performing works if the ark doesn't do the saving? It's because God has to judge. He has to judge who will destroy heaven and who will be able to appreciate heaven and preserve it. He could have saved all the wicked by smiling at them and holding them in his hand, but the wicked would have destroyed heaven. They would have made it as miserable as they were making the earth with their violence and idolatry. They wouldn't have been able to enjoy heaven because of their choices, because of their works. Beyond that, they would have ruined heaven. Our works don't save us, but God judges us by our works and saves us accordingly. That's what Noah's story is teaching us. The works don't save us; they just allow us to appreciate heaven and preserve it. They determine whether God steps in with the atonement of Jesus Christ, saves us, and brings us back into our heavenly home. So do Latter-day Saints believe that we are saved by works? No. We believe we are judged by them, but we believe that Christ does the saving with His atonement. I think parents of addicts understand this more than most. If you have a child who is extremely addicted to dangerous drugs, you don't keep bringing them back into your home just because they love you. They would destroy your home and any heavenly feelings that reside there. Even if you have the power to keep taking care of everything despite their addiction, I would hope that you wouldn't bring them back in to destroy everything (unless God says differently, listen to Him for specifics). If you do choose to bring them back in, then it's not home anymore. It's not heaven so no one really got saved anyway. So you make a judgment call. You pray your guts out for the child. You love the child, but you separate the child because of their works. You judge their works and preserve the home. If they repent and truly change, then they get to come back home. Not because of their works. Quitting drugs doesn't pay for the house; it just makes it so that you trust them enough to bring them home. I think it's important to also note that not everyone's ark looks the same. That's one of the beautiful things about the atonement of Jesus Christ. It removed the absolute justice that kept us from heaven. It enabled Christ to be the judge and save who He decides to save. Some of us will build an ark. Some of us will look at the barren desert before us and be lucky to build a canoe, but you know what? The Lord judges perfectly. He looks at your entire situation and what you have, and He judges perfectly. I testify that the Lord saves us with His grace. I testify that your ark is not enough to save you. I testify that even though your ark can't save you, it builds you and God judges you by your circumstances and your ark and determines whether you're going to contribute to our heavenly home. I testify that the relationship of works and grace is taught all throughout the bible. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Moses 7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The Power of a Spiritual Record by Autumn Dickson I've given this message before, and I'll probably give this message again someday. This message has been repeated so frequently throughout scripture so I figure it's not the end of the world if I repeat it too. It is something that has been taught by modern day prophets. It has changed my life profoundly. If someone were just beginning their family, what advice would you give them? What would you focus on? If you could give them advice that they were supposed to read over and over and over throughout their lives, what would you emphasize? If you were trying to teach a group of people how to build a society, which principles do you think would be some of the most valuable to learn? Over the past couple weeks, we have been reading about the beginning of one of God's projects. It includes the building of a world. It includes the building of God's family, and the building of a new society upon the earth. There was a father and mother and a whole lineage of people. I have so many questions about how some of these things came to pass. How did they build their society? How did it change? Did they even consider the idea that they were setting up the foundation of a society? I'm not sure. But out of every message that the Lord could have sent us, one of the messages that He gave us was this. Moses 6:5 And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration; A book of remembrance was kept. It was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration. Was this one of the pieces of advice you would have chosen to give to this new society you were directing? Because it was one of the pieces of advice that God thought was important. Do you call upon God? If you do, here is the bible teaching us that you've been called upon to write by the spirit of inspiration. Please stay with me for a moment if you don't feel like you're ready for this message. If you hate writing and reading, if it's not something that you particularly enjoy, stick with me. A book of remembrance doesn't have to look like what you're picturing. I almost feel bad sharing this message because writing is something that comes naturally to me. Even if I wouldn't classify myself as overly talented, I love writing. I've written regularly in a journal since I was 14 years old (and boy do I wish I could burn those journals). My journals were not always written according to inspiration. For a lot of my life, my journals were where I angrily wrote about my angel parents that I didn't appreciate, about boys, about friendships at a time in my life when I didn't know how to be a good friend. It wasn't until later that my journals became filled with true, uplifting purpose. Writing in a journal has blessed my life. I have gone back to read what I used to care about. I have been able to observe the growth I had and watch how the Lord guided my life, page by page. It's actually pretty fun. Not to mention, I record all the absolutely ridiculous things my children say and that is one of the best blessings of my life. But the commandment we find in this verse is not necessarily what you think. It's not about writing what you did every day or even every month; I love writing, and I think that would bore me to death. My life isn't exciting enough for that. We need to rethink what it means to keep a journal. When God gives a commandment, it's to draw us closer to Him so let's look at our book of remembrance through that lens. And as a matter of fact, let's look at another phrase from the verse that we read from Moses. Write by the spirit of inspiration. If that sounds intimidating, let me try and ease your worries. Let's look at what it means to receive inspiration. Inspiration is when God gives you thoughts and feelings to propel you in a specific direction. He gives it to you. When someone gives something to you, are you the one who is supposed to be stressing about how the gift makes its way into your lap? No! That's not your job. You just have to make yourself available to receive it. Hence the writing. Make yourself available and trust the Lord to give you what you need. He knows how to give. I have one practical piece of advice for starting your book of remembrance. It's just one piece of advice to start things out so that God could push you in the correct direction that will fit your personality and circumstances. Open a journal when you're praying, open a note on your phone, or open your computer to type. Just open it and make it available once a day for one week. When you're praying. That's my tip. You don't have to write your prayers like I do. I just do that because it helps me focus when the last seven years of my life have been interrupted approximately every three minutes. Don't do it before bed; I never write my prayers before bed because I'm not in the proper mindset to write by inspiration. I'm too tired. The Spirit can whisper through a lot of things but apparently not my exhaustion (or maybe I'm just bad at listening through my exhaustion?). It doesn't have to be a long prayer. It doesn't have to be an impressive prayer. Open it, and simply start talking. He may not say anything immediately because He usually only talks when He needs to. You may start to feel like you should pick up your pen. Trust the feeling and do it. Even if you don't know what you're going to write, just start and open yourself up and He will speak. It's remarkable. You will feel so close to God. Just as the verse taught, if you have called upon the name of God, you have been called to write by inspiration. He wants to talk to you too. I testify that God loves you and knows how to give you inspiration. I testify that it's not your job to figure out how to receive a gift; it's just your job to try and make yourself available to receive it. I testify that writing by the inspiration of God will change your life as it has changed mine. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 5; Moses 6 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 5; Moses 6 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Revelation, Submission, Sacrifice by Autumn Dickson For this week, we get to read more about Adam and Eve and their posterity. While reading about this posterity, we find a really beautiful summary of how to live. It is so simple and yet so profound. Moses 6:3 And God revealed himself unto Seth, and he rebelled not, but offered an acceptable sacrifice, like unto his brother Abel. And to him also was born a son, and he called his name Enos. I want to take it one phrase at a time. God revealed Himself to Seth. Seth didn't rebel. Seth offered an acceptable sacrifice like his brother did. Though this is about the personal life of Seth, there is a pattern that all of us can follow. First, God revealed Himself. It is not enough to try and interpret the bible perfectly. You can't. It's not possible for man to interpret it correctly even if it had been translated perfectly. God has to reveal Himself and the truth concerning why we are here and how we get back. You can't go to school and have other people teach you about God because they have studied a ton. No matter how hard you think or how long you ponder, it is insufficient unless God chooses to reveal Himself. He does this through a variety of ways. He reveals Himself through His prophets. He teaches us as we're reading the bible. He teaches us as we listen to other people, but we have to remember that He is the one who gives us the information. Then comes the next part. We decide what to do with it. Seth rebelled not. Honestly, it reminds me of something that I read about the Tower of Babel. One of the reasons that God was so frustrated with the people in relation to the Tower of Babel was because He had told them how to reach Him. These people were descendants of Noah's sons after the flood. Noah walked with God, and so it's easy to assume that these descendants had been given a knowledge of how to form a relationship with God. We do not know exactly what this looked like. We know that after Moses, there were more extensive ordinances contained in the Law of Moses that helped the people reach for God. In our day, we likewise make covenants and perform ordinances in order to reach Him and develop a relationship with Him. I'm not sure what it looked like in Noah's day, but these people had a prophet and it was likely that they had oral traditions to lead them along. Unfortunately, they rebelled. They didn't want to reach God in that way. They wanted to do it how they wanted to do it, and they ended up with chaos and confusion. Through modern-day prophets, God has revealed how we can draw closer to Him. These avenues are not exclusive; they're available to everyone who wants them. Some have had incredible experiences with the gospel but have chosen to only accept some avenues of closeness. Some believe they don't need these extra things in order to draw closer to Christ rather than gratefully receiving any options He gives us to think of Him and follow Him. I think of Cain and Abel. Cain was mad that God didn't accept his crops even though God had asked him for a lamb originally. Cain only wanted to give what Cain wanted to give. And when God didn't accept it, he was angry. Interestingly enough, God didn't ask for a lamb for fun. It was very specific and meant to help Cain understand Christ. Cain missed the memo. If you've had good experiences with the gospel, I can promise that accepting all of the gospel will only bring more goodness. Don't rebel against it. Give it a chance, soften your own heart and see if God doesn't bless you. Then there is the last portion of this pattern that we'll talk about today. Seth offered an acceptable sacrifice like his brother. I love this part. We can offer acceptable sacrifices like our Brother. There is much to be said of sacrifice, but I want to focus on one specific principle here. The Lord asks for specific sacrifices. There are general ways that we draw closer to Christ through ordinances and covenants, but there will also be very personalized sacrifices that the Lord asks us to make. Christ had a very tailored sacrifice to give. It was perfectly picked just for Him. There are very tailored sacrifices we will be asked to make. They are tailored in two ways: how we can give and how they can bless us. Some of them are because God gave us gifts and expects us to use them to bless others. In ancient times, the oldest brothers received an extra portion in order to take care of the mother and sisters. Each of us have received some kind of specific extra portion, spiritual gifts that are not given to everyone. We are expected to take care of those who don't have what we have. It is completely fair for Heavenly Father to ask us to give when He has given us more precisely for that purpose. We have also been given a responsibility to make specific sacrifices because of how they will bless us. They will mold us to be more like the Savior in the exact ways that we need. Just like the lamb wasn't random, our sacrifices don't need to feel random. They can refine us. I got pregnant 3 months after having a baby. My fifth child was born when my oldest was just six years old. I despise being pregnant. I'm grateful for it. My children are my greatest blessing, but I can't begin to describe just how much I lose myself when I'm pregnant. Conner was out on the east coast every other week for work. I was overwhelmed and sick. My body was destroyed, and I still had a tiny baby that needed me so much. I had three other kids who also needed me, and I still felt the Lord telling me that I needed to keep sharing my testimony of Christ. There were a million lessons learned through this specific trial given to me. The Lord needed me to change in specific ways in order to step into the life I wanted for myself and my family. I let go and let my kids step up in ways that were powerful for them, a beautiful blessing that I would have never voluntarily given over. I miraculously finished my work and still got a desperately needed nap almost every day. Both of these specific lessons have set me up in exactly what I want for my life. Most importantly, I learned that God really is on my side. When I first found out I was pregnant again, I felt utterly betrayed. Believe it or not, we had taken some pretty intense measures to prevent pregnancy. This wasn't a mistake on our part. It was a definitive choice for the Lord. I had told Him that I wanted to wait a bit. There have been numerous times in my life that the Lord has chosen different for me than I chose for myself. I grumbled and fought it just like anyone else. Getting pregnant again and losing myself for 18 months instead of 9 months felt like more than I could bear. For the first time, I felt truly betrayed by God. I felt like He had completely ignored everything I had wanted for myself. I felt like He had ignored what I needed, that He didn't care what I needed. He was going to choose what He was going to choose. I knew logically that wasn't the case. I had experiences with God and knew He loved me, and maybe that's why it had been so painful. I had trusted Him, and this felt too far. It took some time, but I learned the tailored lesson He sent me. I turned my heart around and accepted the sacrifice that had been asked of me and just like with any sacrifice, it was for me. He was trying to bless me, and He did. I thought I trusted Him before. It multiplied after this last baby. The Lord tailors our sacrifices for us, and in the end, we make them acceptable by putting our heart into it. I testify that the patterns of the Lord are simple. I testify that He can guide our individual details in the midst of those grand patterns. I testify of a Lord who made an ultimate sacrifice and set an example for how we can draw closer to God. I testify that the scriptures can teach us of these patterns, and if we choose to accept them, He blesses us more than we can imagine. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 5; Moses 6 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The Power of Giving God the Glory by Autumn Dickson We are learning all about how man came to be on the earth. The Lord is setting the stage for us to understand the context in which we were placed on the earth. Part of that context is understanding the Fall and everything associated with it. Here are a couple of verses that help us understand what we're trying to emulate in the midst of this fallen world. Moses 4:1-2 1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. 2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. The Lord is telling Moses, “You were just tempted by this Satan guy, and you commanded him to leave in the name of Jesus Christ. Before the world was created, Satan wanted to redeem everyone, take away their agency, and keep all the glory. Christ came prepared to do My will and offered the glory back to Me.” As a church, we talk a lot about following the will of the Father; this is a frequent discussion. We have also discussed how Satan wanted to take all the glory, and how Christ rightly placed the glory with the Father. Much of this life is a lesson in those two aspects: bending our will to match our Heavenly Father's will as well as recognizing that the glory belongs to Him. I want to focus on that second lesson: recognizing that the glory belongs to Him. Glory is an interesting one because everyone likes to get credit for how they contribute. Christ gets credit for His role in the Father's plan even if Christ is offering all of the glory back to His Father. Our prophet is just a man trying to follow the Lord, and yet, we honor him for the sacrifices he makes in order for us to hear the will of the Lord. I honor my parents for the continuous, ongoing sacrifices they make to bring me closer to Christ. Hopefully, there is credit given when someone makes a sacrifice for you to draw closer to your heavenly home. This is a righteous principle. And yet, Christ told the Father, “…the glory be Thine forever.” I think everyone knew Christ would be honored for what He did, and it is righteous to honor Him for what He did. He could have stopped at, “Thy will be done,” and left it at that. We all knew He deserved to be worshipped for what He was sacrificing, but He chose to keep speaking. He ended it with, “The glory be Thine forever.” I'm sure Christ was aware that He would be loved and worshipped for it, but Christ was also aware of an important, adjacent principle. Seeking glory sucks the happiness out of life, and the entire reason He made the sacrifice was on behalf of our happiness. Setting the example for us to willingly hand over the glory whenever we follow the will of the Father was setting us up for success; it was setting us up to find happiness and joy more readily. This wasn't humble brag. It wasn't lip service. Christ wasn't saying, “I'll go make this sacrifice and tell everyone that the glory is Thine because everybody knows I'm going to be worshipped for it anyway.” No. In His heart, Christ was saying, “If no one ever knew what I did, I would still choose to do it. If no one ever had an inkling of the sacrifice I was going to make, I would choose it if it means they can be happy.” I'm sure when the prophet steps up, he knows that there are those who will respect him for his position. He knows that there will be honor for it. We don't have to pretend there is not. It is righteous to love those who teach you about Christ. However, it can't be about seeking honor or glory. If you choose to step up and help with the Lord's work, and if you do it with the right heart, you end up feeling grateful. You feel floored that the Lord let you come along anyway. Despite mistakes, lack of wisdom, and natural-man-tendencies, He let you be a part of it. When you're participating in His work with the right heart, you're filled with gratitude. If you do not currently feel that way but want to feel that way, there is hope. If you find yourself with creeping feelings of vanity, if you find that you enjoy the praise of others a little too much, if you find this burning secret desire to make your sacrifices known, AND if you simultaneously don't want those feelings, fear not. I've been there, and they don't have to tear you up. I battle those feelings often enough. I have always found guilty pleasure in people thinking I'm wonderful and smart and wise. Because of that weakness, I tried running anything that would tempt me. I didn't want to experience that spike of happiness when someone told me that I was amazing. I didn't want to be crushed when someone corrected me. I didn't want my pride, and so I didn't want to face my pride. I wanted to bury it. And sometimes, the right choice is to bury it. Sometimes it's better to run in the opposite direction. However, I have learned that sometimes the right choice is to face it and keep practicing day after day after day after day after day. When it comes to serving in the Lord's kingdom and not seeking personal glory, there really isn't another way. We are all asked to serve in one form or another. It is a responsibility to serve, which means you have to face the idea that someone is going to thank you for your service, and you're going to have to face the weakness that isn't gone yet. So what do you do? Let's discuss a general principle and then a couple of more practical tips. General principle: You practice day after day after day after day after until you become. We battle our desires for glory until our desires no longer automatically jump towards glory. You school them. You become someone who knows better. That's really what life is. You come down here and continually fight sin and weakness and consciously take hold of the direction of your growth. This is the overarching principle. Here are some practical tips to help you fight that weakness when you're presented with it: It is easier to fill your life with good than it is to push out bad. Replace your pride with something that is more lasting, more important, more filled with joy. When I'm struggling to fight off desires for glory and it's interfering in my ability to build the kingdom, I pray for a couple of things. To see things clearly. I pray to help me see things as they really are. If I can see reality, then I don't have to fight off feelings that I'm amazing and doing it all on my own. He helps me see the truth of how He's holding me up. Beware of this one in high pressure environments; He is willing to teach you and let you flop on your own. Gratitude. Rather than praying for gratitude (though that's an option too), I just start being grateful within a prayer. When I start having those intrusive thoughts that say, “You're the best. You help everyone. You're so amazing. Everyone is lucky to have you,” I replace them with, “You are so lucky that Heavenly Father is taking you along for the ride. You are so blessed to be around these people who are carrying things you don't understand. You are fortunate to be able to learn from them and be with them.” Oftentimes, when I start praying and focusing on gratitude, my feelings follow and the desire for glory gets silenced. It can't stand up to that. Charity. I mentioned earlier that Christ probably knew being honored was a part of making the sacrifice. It would be almost silly to pretend that's not the case. Rather, the key here is that Christ wasn't seeking glory. He would have done it without the glory because He just loved us so much. When I'm feeling prideful or wanting glory, I pray for charity to replace it. Loving others and wanting what's best for them fills you. Trying to get enough validation and appreciation is like trying to fill a cup that has no bottom. Filling yourself with love for others pushes that cup aside completely and you find yourself overfilling. I testify that our Savior is the ultimate example. He is the ultimate example in laying aside His own will, but He's also the ultimate example in being so filled with love that glory seems silly. It's not about the glory. He wants our love for sure; that brings Him joy. He knows how to live an eternal life that allows happiness rather than emptiness, and He set the example of filling yourself with love rather than glory in order to find that happiness. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 3–4; Moses 4–5 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 3–4; Moses 4–5 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

From Sin to Stepping Stone by Autumn Dickson This week we get to read about how Adam and Eve made their way out of the garden and into the world that we know today. There are principles here that can change how you see your own efforts to follow Christ. Some of the principles we read about this week have the power to bring you out of perfectionism and into true salvation because they are not the same thing. Background on the verse we're about to read: Moses is learning about Satan because Satan had recently come to him to tempt him. The Lord starts to teach Moses about the man who was trying to get Moses to worship him, specifically about Satan's role in the beginning of the Plan of Salvation. Moses 4:6 And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world. Satan wanted to tempt Eve in order to destroy the world. He wanted to destroy the plan of God because he was mad. Despite his original pleadings to come down and save everyone and bring them all home, now Satan threw away his supposed love for us and merely sought to destroy what God was planning. He was a fraud; he never loved us. He just wanted glory and honor. There is beautiful irony here. Satan would have destroyed God's plan if he had left Adam and Eve alone, but he knew not the mind of God. He didn't know that tempting Eve and convincing her to sin was part of the plan. One more time. He didn't know that tempting Eve and convincing her to sin was part of the plan. I want to switch up the verse just a little bit. I'm going to put in my name. You put in your's. Moses 4:6 And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguile Autumn, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world. Satan tempts me because even though he already lost his chance to destroy the plan with Adam and Eve and then again with Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, he wants to destroy the effects of the plan in my life. There is beautiful irony here. Sin was part of the plan, and not just as some unfortunate byproduct of a fallen world. It was one of the most powerful tools utilized to save Adam and Eve. Let me explain myself. Let's pretend for a moment that Satan predicted the mind of God and left Adam and Eve alone. We would have remained in the exact state where we were. Adam and Eve would have remained innocent in the garden, and we would have stayed in our heavenly home with God. God's plan would have been thwarted. No sin would have occurred, but no true happiness would have occurred either. Sin was part of the plan, and not just as some byproduct of a fallen world. Sinning teaches us powerful lessons. Now we have to be careful with this principle and have the right attitude towards it. I don't teach this principle so that someone feels like they can go try cocaine in order to learn that it's bad. That's ridiculous. I'm not even teaching that it's okay to lie or cheat so that you can learn your lessons. I'm not teaching that it's okay to go sin as long as your purpose is an education. I am trying to break apart the ridiculous arguments of perfectionism. We came here to grow and become. Our purpose in life should not be to stand frozen and still so that we don't do anything wrong. Our methods should not include berating ourselves into perfection. We were meant to come down here and return to live with God, prepared to live His life and participate in His work. How do we get from Point A to Point B? There are a lot of ways we acquire that growth. One of those ways is sinning. I have learned so much from reflecting on the times that I screwed up. This doesn't give us license to go out and sin on purpose for the supposed goal of learning because that doesn't get you to Point B. If you're using “learning” as an excuse to sin, you're not returning to God, prepared to live His life and participate in His work. Rather, this gives you license to look at your sins the way Adam and Eve came to look at their sins. Here is another verse from this week. Adam and Eve sinned. They disobeyed God and were driven out of the garden. They toiled, suffered, had children, and offered sacrifices to God. One day, an angel came to them and taught them about Christ. The angel told them that they could be redeemed after they sinned and return to live with God again. Moses 5:10-11 10 And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. 11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. They rejoiced. Because of his transgression, Adam's eyes were opened. He got to experience joy because he had transgressed and he still had an opportunity to return to live with God whom he knew personally and loved. Eve rejoiced that she learned the difference between good and evil as well as the joy of Christ paying for them to come home. We don't look at a choice ahead of us and disobey God in the name of learning good from evil. However, we do have permission to look back at our transgressions through the lens of a testimony of Christ. We rejoice that He took our sins and turned them into powerful stepping stones that brought us closer to Christ. Honestly, it makes me think of the Come Back podcast. Some of the stories we hear about on that podcast are so incredibly powerful. People learned from their mistakes and found rejoicing in Christ. We can find that too. We don't have to let our sins weigh us down unto death. We can rejoice in Christ's ability to save us from our sins and utilize our sins to help us become prepared to live God's life and participate in His work. When we beat ourselves up with perfectionism over our mistakes, it's only because we don't yet know the mind of God. Satan wants you to believe that your sins and transgressions are the end of the story, that he's destroyed you. He has since learned that his desire to thwart God's plan ironically fell apart because of his own participation in that plan, but if he can keep you from understanding that, then he can win a couple of battles even if he can't win the war. He doesn't want you to know the mind of God which is offering you joy, peace, and salvation. Thwart Satan. Let go of everything that keeps you from the feelings associated with salvation, namely shame and guilt that has been blown out of proportion and continues to hold you down. Rejoice! Gain a testimony of Christ like Adam and Eve did. I testify that God didn't fear Adam and Eve's transgressions. He knew it would happen. He planned on it. It needed to happen. I testify that God isn't afraid of your sins; why would He be? They're already paid for and taken care of. Sometimes the only thing holding us back from salvation is our own inability to know the mind of God and let go of the sins that were already paid for. I testify of Christ's saving power, and I testify that gaining a true testimony of that power can light up your life like you've never experienced. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 3–4; Moses 4–5 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer is joined in this episode by Ben Spackman to talk about Genesis chapters 1 and 2. Ben Spackman is a historian and scholar whose work spans Semitic languages, biblical studies, the history of science, and the history of Christianity—particularly the Reformation and modern American religion. He completed doctoral coursework in Comparative Semitics at the University of Chicago before earning his Ph.D. in American Religious History from Claremont Graduate University. Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Not Meant to Be Alone by Autumn Dickson The world is so confused. The more I learn about the gospel and the more I observe the world, the more I'm amazed at how lost the world is. The world is constantly seeking happiness, but it still seems so elusive. I testify that there is joy to be found, and it is found in following the patterns of the Lord. Moses 3:18 And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten, that it was not good that the man should be alone; wherefore, I will make an help meet for him. And the Lord created Eve for Adam. They were married for eternity. They went through the “dating” stage where everything was perfect, and they also crossed over into the mortal, fallen world where they had a lot to learn and figure out. They had to toil and sacrifice together. They worshipped together. This is one of the ultimate patterns of the Lord. The ideal is marriage. It is not good for man or woman to be alone. That is the truth. God declared it Himself in the beginning. We were not meant to be alone. Let's talk about a couple of ways that our world is fallen and tries to take this away from us. We live in a fallen world, full of hurt and selfishness and abuse and apathy and neglect. Somewhere inside, we know that we were meant to have true joy and so in a confused attempt to achieve this joy, we walk away from difficult and painful things. We shy away and assert that we're happier on our own. And honestly, that is probably true in specific circumstances. Perhaps a person who has been abused for years in a scary marriage has finally found peace in the quiet that has been left behind after that marriage has fallen apart. Perhaps this person has found themselves again and likes who they are. Of course they are happier than they were in a toxic relationship. But ultimate joy is found in following the pattern of the Lord and no matter what you've been through, the Lord stands ready to walk that hard path back towards healing and peace so that you're prepared to find joy on the other end. We live in a fallen world where many find themselves without a partner through no fault of their own. We live in a fallen world where many long for this pattern but it hasn't come to them yet. Just because the Lord has an ideal and you haven't received that blessing yet does not immediately equate with being unloved or being unworthy. It does not mean that your life has to be void of joy or meaning. When I say that marriage is the ideal, I'm not simultaneously testifying that being alone means worthless. It's not worthless. The Lord can take any journey on any path and turn it into powerful, meaningful, joy-filled growth opportunities. We teach that marriage is ideal, not because we want to rub salt in the wounds of those who find that truth painful but because we want to testify of what the Lord wants them to have. He wants you to find what Adam and Eve found. He wants you to find what it means to labor alongside an eternal partner. He wants you to find what He has found with your Heavenly Mother. That blessing is there. He can see it. We live in a fallen world where the ideal is far away from many. Even if you're not abused, there are many who worship without a spouse who has stepped away. There are many who long for an eternal sealing, a full bench during sacrament meeting, someone to engage in the deepest parts of life with. There are many who have been victims of infidelity, and there are many who are the ones who engaged in the infidelity and also feel far away from the ideal. I testify that the truth is this: It is not good for man or woman to be alone. I also testify of another truth. Christ can take you exactly where you're at, no matter how far away you feel from the ideal. I testify that Christ knows how you feel. I testify that He stands ready to walk the path before you with you. In The Book of Mormon, we learn about the strait and narrow path to walk towards the love of God. It is not “straight.” It is “strait,” meaning “narrow.” I understand that this partially refers to the covenant path, but I also believe there is another layer of meaning. When we picture the traditional life in church, we see finishing high school, going to college, serving a mission, coming home, getting married, finishing college, and having kids (sometimes with varying order). That's the path. It's straight. We can see it. We know how it's supposedly meant to happen. But God set us up for a fallen world, and that means that there isn't a “straight” path. There are only “strait” paths. There is a path for you to walk, and along that path, there are pieces of salvation that you will be picking up. A spouse, selflessness, compassion, knowledge. God can see your strait path, and Christ stands ready to walk it with you. The ideal is available to you even if it's not the path you would have chosen for yourself. Trust me; the path that God chooses is so much better even if it feels painful right now. I testify that the ideal is to not be alone. The world will tell you that you're better off alone or that you don't need a relationship, and they're right but only to an extent. You can be happy on your own. However, the ideal, the most amount of joy available, comes from being in a relationship centered on Christ. God declared this truth, Himself. Sometimes this truth feels unbearably painful because it feels withheld or tangled up with trauma, but it is still the truth. Luckily, I can simultaneously testify that if we cling to the Savior, He can help us find that ideal and He can help us be able to find joy in the strait path that eventually leads to the ideal. You can find joy now in less than ideal circumstances if you include Christ, and you will also eventually find the ultimate joy if you continue to hold to Christ. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Creation: What I Learned Watching My Husband Build a House by Autumn Dickson This week, we read about the Creation story. I don't have a specific verse to share, but I have an overarching idea that I want you to contemplate while reading the Creation story. There are many principles that we can talk about; we could talk about the power of God or His creative abilities. However, there is one principle I want to focus on because I feel like I'm watching a mini-version of it right before my eyes. These scriptures are rather poignant for me right now. My husband, Conner, is currently working alongside others to build a house for our family. He has worked so hard on it; he has been actively involved in every step of the process including the construction itself, and he has the chemical burns from the wet concrete to prove it. It has been an exhausting process for him; there have been extra challenges to face that I won't go into detail over, but I wish I could describe the depth for which he fought for us to have this. There have been many times that I have watched his tenacity with fascination and curiosity because it's so different from my eager willingness to walk away and give up. I legitimately don't understand how he can be so obstinate and relentless to have made this come together for our family. There have been endless nights of research, gray hairs, even legitimate nightmares over the challenges that we (but mostly, he) faced in trying to make it all come together. There were a lot of times when I felt like, “Enough is enough. Let's cut our losses. We're happy enough where we are.” But not Conner. He wouldn't let it go. Conner had more than one motivating factor that kept him going when I'm convinced that 99% of people would have given up. When he was a young boy, his family moved to Sharon, Vermont. It's a tiny town where Joseph Smith Sr. met Lucy Mack. We went back to visit this town a couple of years ago, and they were still using the same General Store that had been used in Joseph Smith's time. You could see through the floorboards. Conner's family lived on an obscure piece of land, and it was heaven for Conner. He spent all day every day outside, playing in the stream and running through the woods even when the snow was as tall as him. He loved it. He was so proud to take me back and show me. Conner is building us a house on a bit of land where our kids can experience the happiness that he experienced. I'm convinced that's his motivating factor. That was what caused him to continue on despite obstacles that would have chased away anyone else. I have watched my husband labor (and honest, labor seems like a euphemism for what he's done) on behalf of my family. I have watched him go through the wringer because he wants his kids to have what he had. And yes, one of the parallels of THE Creation story and our mini-creation story is the fact that there was sacrifice involved. However, I want to draw your attention to another detail. You are so loved. Christ worked so hard to make this come together for us, and He gave an unfathomable sacrifice all because He. Loved. You. I look forward to the day that my kids can walk into what my husband built. I look forward to sitting on our porch and watching them play, get dirty, wash off, and do chores alongside us in order to grow. I hope that one day, I can convey the price their father paid for them to have what they have. I don't want them to become depressed over the price or feel like they can't go out and learn for fear of ruining everything. I don't want them to sit and mope and lament that they didn't deserve all the work their father put into it. Of course they don't deserve it! Of course they didn't earn it! It wasn't meant to be earned. It was a gift. I hope they are filled with tremendous gratitude that only sweetens the gift that we want them to enjoy. I hope they take advantage of the gift. I hope they run their little hearts out, following our rules for safety. I hope the gift helps them grow so that they can be as good as their father. I currently try to teach my children about the gifts that their Savior gave them. I don't want them to become depressed over the price that He willingly paid. I don't want them to be terrified of going out to learn for fear of making mistakes. I don't want them to sit and mope and lament that they didn't deserve it. Of course we don't deserve it. Of course we didn't earn it. It wasn't meant to be earned. It was a gift. I hope we are filled with tremendous gratitude that sweetens the gift that our Savior wants us to enjoy. I hope we take advantage of the gift. I hope we wear ourselves out utilizing His gift, following His rules for safety and also trying to grow to become as good as Him. I hope my kids look at their father one day and realize what it cost him to build this. I KNOW that my husband will look back at them and feel like he got a gift back just because he had the pleasure of watching them grow and receiving their love in return. I hope that we look at Christ and realize what it cost Him to build this. I KNOW that Christ will look back at us and feel like He got a gift back just because He had the pleasure of watching us grow and receiving our love in return. I testify that our Savior gave us many gifts. I testify that He sacrificed and built us a home. I testify that it cost Him more than we can understand. I also testify that He did it because He wanted to. He really just wanted the pleasure of watching us find what He has. He wanted the pleasure of us loving Him for it. He just wants us all to be happy together. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.