Mormon FAIR-Cast

A Double Portion Promise by Autumn Dickson I love the tangible. I love when Christ takes vast, spiritual concepts and puts them into human parables that help us better understand. Even if those earthly parables are imperfect in comparison to God's plans for His children, they help me grasp things more solidly. Biblical scholars argue whether Job was a real man or whether he is a piece of literature simply meant to teach us. Job may be a person who truly lived upon the earth, or he may be a parable. I have no idea whether Job was real, but I do know that the Lord uses physical things to help us better understand. All things are spiritual unto the Lord. The book of Job is no different. There are beautiful spiritual parallels to be drawn from Job. Here is one of those spiritual parallels. Job's story begins with abundance. He has 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (1,000 oxen), and 500 female donkeys. He has 7 sons and 3 daughters. His life implodes with a series of horrible trials, and he loses everything including his children. Job remains faithful, and this is the end of his story: Job 42:12-13 12 So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. His material blessings from the Lord are doubled by the end. He also ends up with the same amount of children that he had before, 7 sons and 3 daughters. I found myself asking, “If I knew the end from the beginning, would I voluntarily choose to experience what he experienced to double what I had?” My knee-jerk reaction is “HECK NO.” Not only would I never give up my current children, but I'm also a total wuss when it comes to pain. So no thank you. I'm happy with half of my potential riches. Seems plenty sufficient to me. I don't know what to do with 1 sheep let alone 7,000, but I digress. Interestingly enough, all things are spiritual to the Lord, and that's actually exactly what we volunteered to do. Before we came to earth, we lived in a beautiful place with a loving family. We were safe. It was wonderful, but Heavenly Father wanted to give us more. In order to give us more, we would need to choose to go down to earth and experience opposition. We would have to walk away from all of that goodness, but Heavenly Father also had some promises for us. He would give us a double portion, and we wouldn't have to actually lose anything important (i.e. children) because we had a perfect older Brother who would take care of us. And so we volunteered to experience pain in order to receive that double portion, and we held on to the promises that the most important things would be restored to us. It is significant that Job had the same number of children. I don't know if Job was real and if he truly lost 10 children, but the spiritual lesson is poignant. Heavenly Father can double all of these other wonderful resources, AND we don't need to truly lose anything valuable. He didn't double Job's children like the first round was unimportant; the Lord restored what Job originally had. A double portion of resources was likewise significant. It describes the Lord's generosity and His willingness to overcompensate for anything we might have lost during our period of opposition. I truly believe that. I believe that anything I suffer here will pale in comparison to what He plans on giving me there, and I hold tightly to those promises. They fill me with peace. Honestly, part of that double portion is peace, but it's so much more than that as well. Sure, the Lord is going to give us a heavenly place with all that we need. We will have resurrected bodies that never grow old and die, but we will have more than that. Job was given double the resources, but he was given something much better as well. He became the blessing. He levelled up. He became more like his Savior. This is a parable for us. We can be someone worth being. We can be resilient, wise, and strong. We can be powerful. We can know the truth deeply because we were given an opportunity to live the truth. We can be prepared to serve as our Heavenly Father serves, which actually leads to another insight surrounding the idea of “double portions.” A biblical double portion refers back to inheritance laws and traditions. The firstborn son always received a double portion. This was both an honor and a responsibility. That double portion was given so that the firstborn son could take care of the vulnerable members of the family. When I picture heaven, I see a beautiful place with everything we could possibly ask for. I also see good people who take care of each other. It feels heavenly because we're all friends and build a community. Heavenly Father is actually trying to give us more than a beautiful place. He is trying to give us eternal purpose so that our forever doesn't feel meaningless and empty. He wants to give us responsibilities to serve the vulnerable who come after us. He wants to give us a double portion to serve, but He needs to know that He can trust us to stay strong through opposition just as He does. There are far more layers and parallels to study in the book of Job, but one of those layers echoes the Plan of Salvation itself. Job began with abundance. He experienced opposition. He had his abundance restored and doubled, and he likewise came out of the experience as a better man. I testify of a Heavenly Father who has a plan. I testify that He teaches His plans over and over and over throughout His word. We just have to find the patterns. I testify that He loves each of us and has the power to restore what's most important as well as offering a double portion. He is good and wise and powerful, and He adores us. We can trust Him as we wait to get to the other side of the opposition. 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 – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – 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 – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Integrity Under Pressure by Autumn Dickson Job is a profound biblical exploration of faith and loyalty to God. Job loved the Lord, and he stayed true to Him. In the midst of great tribulation as well as riches, Job kept himself close to the Lord. Here is a verse that tells us a bit about Job. Job 2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. By this point in time, Job has lost all of his property and riches. Worse than that, he has also lost his children. Despite this being the case, Job remained an upright man. There is one phrase in particular that I want to talk about, namely, “he holdeth fast his integrity.” What does it really mean to have the Christlike attribute of integrity? The more I try to write about integrity, the more difficult it becomes. Integrity is a mixture of things. Preach My Gospel gives us a great definition that I want to paraphrase. Integrity is when you love God and stay true to Him because of that love. Integrity means that you know there are absolute truths and you align your life with those absolute truths no matter what comes along. It includes deep honesty, and what you choose to do when you're alone is a good measure of your integrity. In order to develop integrity, you need two ingredients: a knowledge of absolute truth and then alignment with that knowledge. Ingredient one: a knowledge of absolute truth. There are different types of integrity. There is a general sense of integrity where you hold fast to your principles, and then there is a religious integrity where you hold fast to God's principles. It doesn't matter how much general integrity you have if your principles are weak. Creating a house entirely made of straw may be consistent. It may be honest in the sense that you're not pretending your house is anything other than what it is, but at the end of the day, it's still straw. It won't be able to withstand load or protect you. We have to start with strong principles, God's principles, in order to build something that will protect us and stand strong under the weight of adversity. It is worth starting with the right materials if you're going to build something. Starting with the right materials means understanding reality. If you understand that you're a child of God and that there is an eternity waiting for you on the other side, it's (hopefully) going to change your choices. Ingredient two: aligning with that knowledge. You would think that if you've got a solid foundation of truth, you would want to stay true to it. You would assume that if you could see that there are eternal realities, you would see the long game and hold on. Unfortunately, it's simply not always true. For example, King Zedekiah knew Jeremiah was a prophet. He protected and consulted Jeremiah. He even admits that he believes Jeremiah, and yet, he ignored Jeremiah's warnings. He didn't align himself with the truth that he knew, and tragedy struck because of it. In the face of fear and rejection, Zedekiah crumbled. And because he crumbled, his kingdom fell and the Jews were scattered. So in order to reach integrity (the ability to withstand pressure), we need knowledge of truth and we have to align ourselves with that truth. It's not enough to have one ingredient or the other; they have to come together in order to stand strong. Action without knowledge of eternal realities stops when pressure builds. Knowledge without aligning yourself is moot; it doesn't affect you or save you or bring you joy. I'm going to make up a ridiculous parable, but it teaches my point. A stranger comes to you, sets down a stool, and convinces you to step onto it. The stranger warns you that if you get down, you'll die. It's easy enough to stay standing on the stool for a little while, but then your legs get tired. You need to go to the bathroom. You're hungry and cold. Why on earth are you standing on a stool because a stranger told you to do so? Now imagine someone you deeply love and trust doing the same exercise. They warn you. You know they have your best interest at heart. You trust their wisdom and knowledge of reality. Despite mounting discomfort, you choose to hold on because you trust your loved one. Integrity is what you find when you keep standing on the stool even when it's difficult. It's a mixture of trust in eternal principles and resilience. And then there is the happy ending. Job is blessed with even more than he had previously. Even beyond the physical blessings, Job comes out a stronger man with a deeper appreciation of salvation and heaven. Integrity allowed him to conquer and come through on the other side. Recap. Ingredient one. Knowledge of God and eternal principles. Integrity is powerful because it takes our acts of faith and turns them meaningful. No longer are we reading scriptures because a stranger asked us to. We read them to get closer to our Father in Heaven. And because we know Him, we seek Him out in times of trouble and need. Rather than turning our back on Him in anger, we find all the solace we need. It helps us to escape bitterness. Ingredient two. Aligning ourselves with that knowledge. Resilience gives us personal power as we grow into what our Father would have us become. It forges strength of character. We come out refined on the other end, seeing more clearly and that much more convinced of the truthfulness of gospel principles. Integrity is powerful. It makes the gospel pathway worth it. We can see the blessings, and we stay on track to receive them. I testify that Heavenly Father is seeking to teach you truth. He wants you to see things as they are, and He wants you to choose to change your life according to that truth so you can experience the same joy He has 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 – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Her Hidden Names by Autumn Dickson Esther's story is one of courage. She is a remarkable woman who was placed in humble circumstances and rose to save her people. In a land that often looked down upon Jews, Esther's heritage should have prevented her from being able to save her people. And yet, she rose to prominence was guided by the hand of the Lord. Here is one verse that introduces Esther and sets the foundation for what I want to talk about. Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. In this verse, we learn that Esther's given Hebrew name was “Hadassah.” In an effort to protect her, her name was changed to “Esther,” a Persian name. Jews were often looked down upon, discredited, and hated. Having a Persian name would have protected Esther from some of the prejudice she would face in court. There is beautiful significance in the fact that Esther changed her name. “Hadassah” means “myrtle.” The myrtle was a fragrant, humble evergreen plant often symbolizing righteousness, peace, beauty, or God's people in biblical imagery. Esther was many of these things, and she rose to represent all of her people. The name “Esther” was also significant. Its Persian roots connect it to the word “star” which she certainly rose to be. Interestingly enough, the name “Esther” also has Hebrew roots, but those Hebrew roots mean “hidden.” Esther's names, with their many meanings, all tell her story very well. It also connects her back to Christ. Esther was placed in a position to save her people. So much of her identity was “hidden” so that she could fulfill her role to save her people. Had her true identity been known, she may have been barred from being queen due to prejudice. In the Old Testament, Christ is known as Jehovah, a latinized version of “YHWH.” This means, “I am.” It is a powerful statement of our Creator. It emphasizes self-existence, sovereignty, and eternal nature. When He comes to the earth, His name is revealed to Mary as “Jesus.” Jesus is the English version of Yeshua, which is a shortened version of Yehoshua. Yehoshua means “YHWH saves.” When Christ came to earth, He did so quietly. Much of His identity was hidden. It was so hidden that the people in Nazareth, who knew Him while He was growing up, rejected Him thoroughly. They were angry when He claimed divine authority and purpose, and they tried to kill Him. If He had come in all of His glory, would things have been different? How would they have felt about Him then? If He had come in all of His glory, He might not have been rejected and put in a position to save us. On a broader note than Nazareth, many of the Jews didn't recognize Him. They were looking for a powerful rebel who would throw off the Roman empire. They did not understand that Jesus was coming to save them in a more important way. Because He didn't come in all of the glory that was due to Him, He was betrayed and rejected. And though He didn't deserve it, we needed it. We needed His true identity to be rejected so that He would be able to fulfill His atonement on our behalf. His “hidden” identity placed Him in a position to save the entirety of the human family. Let's take it a step further. Esther's hidden identity placed her in a position to save her people, but it wasn't just her hidden identity. It was also her humility. Because of her docile and peaceful nature, the king really liked her. When she entered the throne room, the king extended his scepter towards her, sparing her life. Even after being spared, her humility continued. Rather than making a big fuss in the middle of court, she invited the king and Haman to a banquet. At the banquet, her request on behalf of her people was not widely viewed. This likewise ties her to Christ. When Christ saved the world, He did it quietly and without fanfare. As He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, He may have had an audience on the other side of the veil, but they were likewise hidden. His only companions fell asleep, and Christ accomplished His mission humbly. When it was all over, His success remained quiet as He was betrayed and taken to die. Not even His apostles seemed to understand just what He accomplished in that garden. Both Esther and Christ had identities that were hidden that placed them in a position to save. Both Esther and Christ did so quietly and humbly, and this likewise enabled them to fulfill their missions. What does this mean for us? Each of us has a mission given to us by the Lord. We made promises before we came here. The Lord can place us in the position we need to be in to set us up for our mission. Regardless of whether we are born as an exiled, lowly orphan or born in a stable, He has the power to place us exactly where we need to be. Though it is counterintuitive, sometimes it is the very humble circumstances we are given that enables us to fulfill our own personal missions. Christ utilized kings like Cyrus and Hezekiah to save His people, but He also used those in the humblest circumstances to save His people. None of your circumstances matter; those are easy enough for the Lord to manipulate. What truly matters is whether you're following the Savior. Your mission may be quiet and humble, but if that is the case, then you are in good company. We don't have to go over a loudspeaker to save His people. It doesn't have to look outwardly dramatic. It doesn't have to be filmed or livestreamed or hold a huge audience. We simply have to be willing to follow the Savior, and He will lead us to do good. I testify that we can learn about Christ when we study the scriptures. I testify that everything was set up perfectly for Him to save us, not just with the alignment of circumstances in the New Testament, but also in your own personal life. There is a Plan of Salvation at large, and it has been successfully won. There is also a Plan of Salvation for you, and through the power of God, the circumstances can align for Him to save you too. We can trust 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 – Esther – 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 – Esther – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Mordecai as a Type of Heavenly Father by Autumn Dickson The book of Esther is generally well-known. A Jewish orphan finds herself in the harem of the king, and she becomes queen after winning his favor. A plot against the Jews unfolds, and all of them are going to be destroyed. At the peril of her life, she stands before the king and invites him to the banquet to plead on behalf of her people. It is very easy to see how Esther is a type of Christ. She intercedes on behalf of her people. She is willing to die in order to do it. She delivers the Jews from death; she gives them a fighting chance. She “rises” on the third day of fasting to go to the king on behalf of delivering her people. There are many parallels that we could talk about. But after pondering on the fact that Esther is a type of Christ, it occurred to me that Mordecai is a type of Heavenly Father. It's not a perfect parallel, but there are two details that point to Mordecai being a type of the Father. Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. Esther was an orphan, and Mordecai raised her. He loved her. After Esther was taken by Persian soldiers, he walks in front of harem court to check on her everyday. In all the important ways, he was her father. And then, of course, there was this parallel. Mordecai asks Esther to intercede on behalf of the Jewish people. She responds that it might kill her. He responds with this verse. Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Mordecai warns that deliverance will come from elsewhere, but that she might not escape in the king's court. He encourages her to risk herself, and we get his famous line that suggests she had been placed in a very specific place where she was capable of saving the kingdom. I love this little parallel too. Christ likewise asked for the cup to be passed by Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He willingly took it when it was presented before Him. But it's actually Mordecai that I want to talk about. As Latter-day Saints, we believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate Beings. If it is true, then this is actually a very important theology. Combining them into one Personage, completely eliminates the sacrifice of the Father. There is great love in sacrificing yourself; there is also immense love in allowing your loved one to be sacrificed. But unlike with Esther, where deliverance would have risen from elsewhere, there was no one else to save us but Christ. Heavenly Father could have stopped the atonement of Jesus Christ because of His great love for His Son, but He didn't. He allowed Him to be sacrificed. This is no small thing, and we can't afford to look over Heavenly Father's sacrifice. Mordecai understood what it meant to sacrifice a child. Despite the fact that he had likely been moved upon by the spirit to help him see that Esther had been set up to save her people, I can't imagine that there weren't nagging little feelings. Did Mordecai ever think, “What if I ask her to do this and I'm simply sending her to her death for nothing? What if the Lord has a different means of deliverance but Esther is simply killed because I asked her to approach the king? What if her death is my fault?” Obviously, Heavenly Father knew what the sacrifice of Christ was really going to entail. However, Mordecai's experience of worrying over Esther helped him get a better taste of what Heavenly Father experienced as He watched His Son suffer. I've never been asked to sacrifice a child on behalf of the world or even a nation (or at all). Because I've never been asked to sacrifice in this manner, I can only imagine what Heavenly Father felt when He allowed the Savior to take on the sins and pains of the rest of us. Mordecai has a better understanding of what Heavenly Father went through. Esther was separated from her family and taken into the Persian court, a place of danger and intrigue. When Mordecai asked her to go walk into that court and face death, he was asking her to do it alone. Her handmaidens fast with her, but when she truly goes in to face her death, there is no mention of anyone standing with her. Heavenly Father likewise had to completely withdraw from His Son in order to complete the atonement. Christ had to understand what it meant to be truly rejected by God in order to fulfil the atonement completely. Not only did Heavenly Father have to ask the Savior to suffer what He did, Heavenly Father had to leave His Son to do it alone. We cannot overlook what Heavenly Father did for us without robbing ourselves of the chance to be grateful. We cannot combine them into one Personage without running the risk of completely disregarding the sacrifice of our Heavenly Father. The story of the atonement of Jesus Christ is a story of sacrifice. Christ willingly laid Himself upon the altar, but there is One who loved Christ who also allowed it to happen. And honestly, I rather lay down on the altar than ask my child to do it. But in the case of Heavenly Father, He couldn't. He simply had to let Christ do it. The atonement of Jesus Christ preaches great love in the form of self-sacrifice. It preaches love in the form of watching a loved one suffer. Is there any greater love than that? I testify that Christ loves us and volunteered to do what He did. I testify that when Heavenly Father asked who He could send down to the earth to perform the atonement, He knew that only Christ could do so. Christ 100% volunteered, but Heavenly Father knew what He was asking for. I testify that Heavenly Father loved us enough to ask His perfect Son to do that. Between the two of Them, I can think of no greater love that has been offered to 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 – Esther – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Covenants, Gospel, and Protection by Autumn Dickson In the readings this week, we find three changes for the Jews under the kings in Persia. There were three men who helped with these changes. First, we have Zerubbabel, a Jewish governor who worked tirelessly to build the temple. Ezra 5:2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. Then we have Ezra who taught the people the Law of Moses. Nehemiah 8:2-3 2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And lastly, we have Nehemiah who rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah 2:17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. I want to talk about these three elements of the Jews returning to their homeland and why it's so relevant to the Lord working with us in our day. The three elements are this: covenants, gospel, and protection. When the Lord is seeking to build us and sanctify us and bring us to Him, those are the three elements He uses. It starts with the covenants. Covenants are promises to and from the Lord. They bind us to Him in significant ways and offer us protection. It gives us access to Christ's power. When I think of a covenant with Christ, I always think of it in terms of marriage covenants. Christ often uses the allusion of marriage to describe His relationship with us as well. When two people get married, they make promises to each other. They're going to stand by each other even in imperfection and trial. Traditionally, their finances also merge. Whatever debt or surplus they bring is combined. When we enter into a covenant with Christ, we promise to stand by Him, and He promises to stand by us even in imperfection and trial. Our “finances” merge with His. All of our debt is erased by His infinite surplus but beyond that, we have constant access to that surplus to call upon in times of need or want. This is the first step. We cannot be saved without Christ. We need to be bound to Him in a way that enables Him to save us. Hence, covenants. Hence, Zerubbabel and the temple. The next portion of rebuilding Jerusalem was the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses is often described as the “preparatory gospel.” It helped the people start to figure out Christ and what He meant in their lives. All of the rituals and remembrances were put in place to help them better understand Christ's role. In our day, the Law of Moses is fulfilled and we have the gospel. The gospel, with all of its truth, is taught to us regularly so we can understand Christ in our lives. What good is being bound to Christ if we don't know the point of Him? What good will a covenant do me if I don't know that my sins are paid for and I don't know that I can draw upon His strength and peace and power? We need the covenant, but we also need the information that enables us to draw upon Christ and take effect in our life. The last portion of rebuilding Jerusalem was the wall. City walls were tremendously important. When the walls of Jericho fell, the Israelites were able to immediately take the city. The walls around Jerusalem offered protection from enemies who would want to hurt what was inside of the city. It would be easy to put “protection” under the umbrella of covenants and gospel learning, and it would likewise be accurate to do so. Covenants protect us; covenants are our promises that allow us to call upon Christ in need. That is definitely protection. Gospel learning protects us; understanding our Savior and His love and power keeps us close to Him where we can remain safe. But I want to separate the wall from the temple and Law of Moses readings in order to highlight specific portions of protection. Joseph Smith taught the following regarding the gospel: The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it. The gospel (Ezra and the Law of Moses equivalent) is that the apostles and prophets testify of Christ and His mission; everything else is an appendage. The church is an appendage, an important and beautiful appendage, but it is separate. This is what I'm thinking of when I picture the wall around Jerusalem. There are additions to the covenants and gospel that protect us. For example, commandments protect us. The Word of Wisdom protects us from all of the terrible things that can happen when you don't have complete control over your body. The spirit of revelation protects us by warning us about certain situations or leading us towards where we need to be. There are a ton of different church programs that put us in safe and holy places to protect us. City walls were not foolproof. Christ could make our “walls” foolproof, but part of mortality was opposition. Sometimes we leave the walls and find ourselves in trouble. Sometimes the trouble finds us even when we stay behind the walls. However, city walls still provide more protection than we would otherwise have. Not to mention, when an enemy breaches the gate, we still have complete access to our temple covenants and gospel knowledge and that heals us. The opposition hopefully pushes us closer to Christ so that no lasting damage can be done. The stories we find in Ezra and Nehemiah have these overarching themes that point our minds back to Christ and what's important to Him. We see His patterns. We see what He utilizes when He's trying to build us and sanctify us: covenants, the gospel, and spiritual protective barriers. I testify that the scriptures contain beautiful messages that teach us about God's plans and purposes for us. I testify that Christ offers Himself to us by giving us covenants, knowledge concerning His gospel, and specific protections that build a barrier between us and our enemies. I testify that Heavenly Father thought of everything when He came up with His plan, and I testify that He is purposeful in preparing us to come home. 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 – Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 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 – Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

95 Years of Waiting by Autumn Dickson I'm going to give you a bit of a timeline to help you follow what is going on with these chapters. The bible is not chronological, and so it can get confusing. There are different names for the same people, and different names for the same ethnicity of people. Ezra also jumps around which isn't particularly helpful. So here is a brief timeline to help you keep track of where we're at. There are three main waves of Jews returning to Jerusalem. Context: Babylonians were the ones who took Jews away from their homeland. Cyrus easily defeats Babylon, and now Persia is in charge with a more tolerant hand. The first wave happens with Zerubbabel, a Jewish governor, and Jeshua (Joshua) is the priest who helps with the religious portion of returning to Jerusalem. This happens under Cyrus, and the temple foundation is laid. About 50,000 people have returned, and they brought sacred temple treasures with them. Opposition stalls the rebuilding of the temple. Cyrus has a son, but he's not mentioned much and there is simply more stalling that occurs from local opposition. Then Darius takes over, and he finds Cyrus' decree to let the Jews go back and build. The work resumes. It is still Zerubbabel and Jeshua who are leading the rebuilding. The temple is completed, and Passover is celebrated. Haggai and Zechariah were prophets who became involved at this stage in urging the continuation of rebuilding. Xerxes comes onto the throne. He is also known as Ahasuerus. Jewish rapport is building in high places within Persia, and this is the king who marries Esther. Now we get our second wave of people returning to Jerusalem. Artaxerxes comes on to the throne. He is sympathetic to Jews, possibly influenced by Esther. Ezra is part of this second wave, and he goes and starts teaching the Law of Moses again. Unfortunately, letters of opposition once again stop the work. Then there is our third wave. Thirteen years later, Nehemiah gains sympathy from Artaxerxes. He is the cup-bearer, and the king notices Nehemiah is sad. He allows Nehemiah to go and build the wall (which affords great stability and protection to the Jews against all of the local opposition). The king even gives Nehemiah resources to do so. Despite continued opposition, Nehemiah finishes the wall in 52 days. The people celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This entire timeline, from the first wave of Jews under Cyrus to when Nehemiah finishes building the wall around Jerusalem, occurs over approximately 95 years. 95 years of waiting. There were 70 years of exile under Babylon, and then there was another 95 years of waiting until they truly got any momentum in rebuilding their home. Despite the decrees of kings, the Jews found their work halted again and again and again by local enemies, primarily the Samaritans who held long-standing rivalries with Judah. And maybe that's my message this week. The Lord is patient even when we're anxious to reach our happy ending. Maybe we keep finding moments where we've finally “made it” only to have things fall apart again. Perhaps we find ourselves in the trenches, and it feels like no one is listening. God knew exactly where His people were, and He was not as worried about rebuilding His temple as He was about rebuilding His people. After all, the temple isn't the end-all. The temple is a tool to get to the end-all: a redeemed House of Israel. Perhaps it's time to realign our goals with the Lord. I'm going to keep referring to the goal of “rebuilding the temple and walls of Jerusalem,” but you can insert whatever goals you're currently working towards. I'm sure it was discouraging for the Jews to face all of that opposition. I'm sure it was discouraging every time a page turned, and they thought it was “finally time.” Perhaps they kept thinking, “This is it,” only to get halted all over again. I wonder if they felt like they were taking one step forward and ten steps back. Interestingly enough, the Lord sees the entire process differently. Where you see ten steps back, He sees 11 steps in the correct direction for His goal. The Lord wasn't just rebuilding Jerusalem; He was rebuilding His people. And despite the fact that it likely made them feel broken down, those trials were an important part of their refining process. He was making them powerful by helping them face obstacle after obstacle. I can only imagine how much more they appreciated their home because of how much longer it took to rebuild it, and that was really the successful part for the Lord. They had a holy city, but more importantly, He had a people who loved their holy city. If you're struggling to find peace in the midst of the ups and downs of trying to find your “happy ending,” might I make a recommendation? Prayer. Prayer is not about changing the Lord's mind or getting yourself out of a situation. Prayer is about talking with the Lord so that you see the way that He sees. So turn to prayer; not just so you can ask Him to save you but so that you can see how He is actively working within your life. Perhaps He might even show you how the seeming setbacks are the exact stepping stones you need. He has a glorious goal in mind: you. I testify that the Lord remains with us through the ups and downs. I testify that even when we're doing His work, He purposefully allows for opposition because opposition is an important ingredient for His goal. He can't accomplish His goal without that opposition so don't despair. It's all part of the plan. He loves you. He's got this. He knows exactly what He's doing. 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 – Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8– Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Turn Back to God by Autumn Dickson Time for another Old Testament story. Jehoshaphat is a king of Judah. He is a righteous king who worked on pushing the hearts of his people towards the Lord. He tears down idols. He seeks out the will of the Lord. He's a good man, though imperfect at times. At one point in time, Jehoshaphat finds himself in Israel with his ally, the wicked King Ahab. Ahab wants to go fight Syria to recapture a city that was taken from Israel. Jehoshaphat agrees but wants to consult a prophet first. After consulting 400 false prophets who declare that they will be victorious, Jehoshaphat insists on consulting a true prophet. The true prophet, Micaiah, comes and prophesies that they will lose and Ahab will die. Micaiah is actually quite awesome, but he is a story for another day. Despite Micaiah's prophecies, Ahab and Jehoshaphat try to fight Syria. It obviously doesn't go very well. Ahab tells Jehoshaphat to wear royal robes, and Ahab dresses like a common soldier. Syria immediately starts trying to kill Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat calls out to the Lord and is saved. Ahab takes a random arrow and dies. Jehoshaphat returns home and is greeted by a prophet from his own kingdom. 2 Chronicles 19:2-3 2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. 3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. After this experience, Jehoshaphat continues to make reforms to point his people towards the Lord. Jehoshaphat was not a perfect king, but he was a good king. In the Old Testament, we read a lot about the Lord punishing disobedience quickly and strongly. There is a reason for that; the Lord is warning us about the spiritual consequences of disobedience. And yet, the Lord doesn't do this with Jehoshaphat despite his multiple recorded failings. We see Jehoshaphat's weakness a few more times over his reign. Later on, Jehoshaphat makes another alliance with Ahab's son, the new king of Israel. They built a bunch of ships together, and the prophet, Eliezer, prophesies that the ships will get destroyed. They get destroyed. One of the ways that these two nations were allied was through a marriage. Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, marries Ahab's daughter. It comes back to haunt Jehoshaphat later when Jehoram starts worshipping idols and Ahab's daughter tries to wipe out the Davidic line. I love the nuance here. Jehoshaphat made mistakes, but God spares him. He has weaknesses; he keeps trying to connect himself further with the northern kingdom that is wicked and idolatrous. There are two “despites” here that teach something really important. Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat loves God, his disobedience and lack of trust come back to bite him. He loves God, but he has to experience consequences because of his flaws. Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat has flaws, God continues to save him. He is directly saved in the battle that he fought with King Ahab, but he is preserved upon the throne until he “rested with his ancestors.” This is a biblical phrase that suggests he died peacefully. I see it in my own life all the time. Despite the fact that I love God, I have flaws and they come with consequences. They drive me to be unhappy. When I get frustrated with my kids or get prideful or uncharitable, I find innate consequences that come back to bite me. And yet, despite the fact that I have flaws, God continues to save me. We just keep on trying to move forward. As I pondered this pattern, I thought of some of the other patterns I find in the Old Testament, specifically the pattern where God punishes those who trust mankind over Him. We see examples of kings that trusted Egypt but found themselves completely fallen to Babylon. Why didn't Jehoshaphat find himself in this category? As I pondered Jehoshaphat's exception, I was reminded that Hezekiah is another example of this. Hezekiah tried paying tribute to Babylon to get them to go away, and he even stripped the gold and silver out of the temple in order to pay that tribute. So why were Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat spared when they also didn't put their trust fully in God? There is one more verse I want to share. It's about Jehoshaphat, but Hezekiah did a similar thing. 2 Chronicles 18:31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. What was the difference? Jehoshaphat called out to God. Hezekiah did similarly. After stripping the temple and failing, Hezekiah went to the temple and pleaded with the Lord. When do we really lose the battle? When we turn on the Lord and don't turn back to Him again after. I think that's really one of the keys to life here. We all fail. It's inevitable. What keeps us in the pattern of Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah? We turn to the Lord again even after we failed Him. We plead to Him and ask for forgiveness even in the midst of the potentially devastating consequences that we got ourselves into. We just keep turning back, no matter how many times we've failed. I testify that we can turn to God, no matter how many times we've failed. I testify that this pattern is the one that really grants us success: turning to the Lord over and over and over and over. Even when we've failed Him, we turn right back. We trust that He will still love us, and we ask Him to help us get out of it and get better. 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 – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – 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 – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

God loves to make us work for it by Autumn Dickson Asa is one of the kings we read about this week. He was a king of Judah, the southern kingdom. He starts out his reign really strong, tearing down idol worship and deposing his own grandmother who worshipped idols. He encouraged people to seek the Lord. Unfortunately, he also took a turn for the worse and started trusting in human solutions over God, and he died. There is one verse in the midst of his story that I want to share. 2 Chronicles 14:6-7 6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. Asa had a time of peace during his reign, and in the midst of this peace, he built fortified cities in Judah. Asa goes on to face an Ethiopian army, and he is vastly outnumbered. As he faces his enemy, he cries out to God. 2 Chronicles 14:11 And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. The Lord proceeds to smite the Ethiopians, and they are driven back. So here is my question…why did they fortify their cities? Over and over and over again in the Old Testament we read about this same pattern. The Israelites (or in this case, Judah specifically), do all of the things only to have the Lord completely fight their battles. The Lord parted the Red Sea. He made the walls of Jericho come down. He struck down 185,000 Assyrians outside Jerusalem's walls during Hezekiah's reign. This is a consistent pattern throughout scripture. The Lord fights the battles. Entire armies are defeated or become confused or simply flee. So why bother even fortifying the cities? Even in this specific story where the Lord defeats an army of a million Ethiopians, it doesn't say that the fortified cities made a difference in the slightest. So why? Why fortify the city when the Lord defeats the enemy? The only way I can think to explain it is this: chores. Every Monday, our house gets totally cleaned. Bathrooms, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, all of it. Then, throughout the week, my three oldest kids are assigned one chore a day. It is usually the same list of chores that is done on Monday. I remember watching my four year old wipe down the mirrors in the bathroom on Tuesday. That mirror went from clean to streaked in no time flat. My soul kinda died a little bit watching her make the mirror dirtier, and then it died a little more when I had to sneak back in to clean it a third time in two days. But. I have to remind myself that it's not about a clean mirror. It's about a healthy, growing child. She doesn't clean the mirror so that I can have a clean mirror (obviously). She cleans the mirror so that she learns how to clean a mirror (eventually). The Lord paid for our sins. He paid for the sin you committed years ago, the sin you committed yesterday, the sin you're going to commit today, and the sin you're going to commit years into the future. The mirror is already clean. But He still asks us to learn how to clean a mirror. Even when we're actually just making the mirror dirtier again or when we're cleaning an already clean mirror. Being saved means you're clean again, and to some extent, all of us will be saved in some degree of glory. Being saved means you're clean, but being exalted means you grew up. And that's important because it determines our level of happiness. There is inherent worth in knowing how to clean a mirror. There is inherent worth in learning how to fortify your city and do labor. There is inherent worth in growth even if it's not actually contributing to anything yet. There is inherent worth in work even when it's not paying for our salvation. The Lord saves us. He cleaned the mirror. He protected His people throughout the scriptures. But He asks us to learn how to clean the mirror because we won't find happiness unless we know how. Some of the most miserable people I know are the ones who don't appreciate the value of working hard. It won't do you much good for the Lord to save you if you're still miserable, and He's not going to hook you up to constant happy drugs in heaven. Where do you think happiness comes from? It doesn't really come from the mirror simply being clean. It comes from growing, and the clean mirror enables you to live with God again. So we follow the Lord and His commandments so we learn how to be happy, and then He pays for the whole experience. He cleanses us so we can return to live with Him, and we return with the knowledge and experience required to find deep and lasting joy. I'm grateful for the scriptures that teach true doctrine. I'm grateful that I get to watch these patterns over and over and over throughout the Old Testament. The Lord does the work, but then He asks us to grow. I see it everywhere. I'm grateful He paid the price for me to get messy and come home with the knowledge and experience I need. I'm grateful that I get to learn, through my own experience, the good from the evil. I testify that the Lord saves, and I also testify that He gives commandments for our good. 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 – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

When You Have Nothing but God by Autumn Dickson This week, we find a righteous but imperfect man surrounded by legitimate reasons to be afraid. How do you respond when you've been backed into a corner? Let's talk about how Hezekiah responded. Hezekiah was a righteous king especially when contrasted with his wicked father, Ahaz. When Hezekiah rose to the throne, he threw out all of the idolatry and tore down all of the false places and altars of worship. He was reforming Judah, and he was helping them repent and turn back to the Lord. Assyria was a superpower in the ancient world. They had just dominated the northern kingdom of Israel, and they set their sights on Judah next. I am a firm believer that the Lord protects the righteous. It's one of the main themes of The Book of Mormon, and yet, we see something interesting happen here. Judah is not completely protected. Assyria is able to take some of their fortified cities, and Hezekiah responds by offering to pay them a tribute to go away. In order to afford the tribute required by Assyrian, Hezekiah strips the temple. It doesn't work. Assyria sticks around. One of the Assyrian commanders comes to the walls of the city and starts speaking in Hebrew so that the people of Jerusalem can fully understand the danger they're in. It's psychological warfare, and the people respond with silence as instructed by Hezekiah. Hezekiah responds differently this time. He covers himself in sackcloth and ashes and goes to the temple to pray to the Lord. He prays and tells the Lord, “They're mocking Thee. Show them who You are.” The Lord does. He slays 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian army, and Sennacherib goes home to be assassinated by his sons. We get to see Judah change and repent at this particular period in time. There are many good details; let's cover a few. Detail one. The Lord allows Assyria to defeat some of the fortified cities in Judah. Judah was in the process of repenting. Hezekiah had torn down a lot of the idolatry, and this was incredible faith. Unfortunately, Judah had a long history of turning away from the Lord. Losing these cities was not an indication of the Lord being powerless. It was about discipline so that Judah could learn. I actually find it really poetic that the fortified cities were conquered, but Jerusalem remained. What was in Jerusalem? The temple. The kingdom of Judah was being stripped down to its center, specifically to that covenant relationship that it held with the Lord. I've seen this kind of repentance in my own life. I didn't actually recognize it until a couple of days ago as I sat in my car in a parking lot. There was once a time when the Lord dismantled huge parts of who I used to be in order to make way for more important things. Music used to be the most important thing in my life. I would drive down the highway, listen to some good country songs, and I always felt like I was on fire. It was such a strong feeling. So much of my identity revolved around music. There were a lot of reasons I was worried about getting married and starting a family, but I actually think music was a huge portion of those reasons. I didn't want to sacrifice music. Music was taken away from me. I stopped college to try and be a musician. I was working in the industry. I was entering competitions and playing small shows. I did it for months. Then it all collapsed a bit. I was surrounded by darkness, both within my own mind and in what I had surrounded myself with. After being separated from that dark period, I put up a barrier between me and music. It didn't touch me like it used to. I couldn't write anything anymore. It was too associated with darkness. As I sat in my car pondering this, I found myself bawling my eyes out that the Lord had taken it away. Only, I was bawling in gratitude not in despair. Music is powerful and wonderful and I don't think I'm done with it yet. However, it had become an idol to me. I needed it taken away because the Lord had something much more important in mind. If I had kept music, regardless of whether I was successful or not, I think it would have prevented me from fully stepping into more divine callings. I wouldn't have had room for these other things that the Lord wanted to give me. Would I have willingly chosen children or resented them? Would I have ever had time to bear my testimony in the capacity that I do now? Would I even have been able to enjoy my role as a wife as much as I do now if music hadn't been taken away from me? I can't totally be sure, but I think music would have robbed me of those things. I was that obsessed. It was an idol. I know that's not the case for other musicians, but it was for me. It would have kept me from some of the most important parts of my life. As I think about the beautiful life I've been given, it makes me sick to think that I could have missed it. The Lord stripped away all of these parts of me that felt so important, and He left just Himself and His covenant with me. With all of the problems I had accumulated combined with the music having been taken away, there wasn't much of me left. Just a covenant. And the Lord upheld that covenant. He somehow got me on a mission and gave me my family. He had to remove all of that other stuff so that He could build something better with nothing but the covenant protection He had given me. Detail two. Hezekiah goes from stripping the temple of riches to praying in it. Hezekiah originally tried to give money over to Assyria to get them to leave, and it didn't work. They camped outside of Jerusalem. He doesn't make the same mistake twice. Hezekiah receives a letter telling him, “Don't trust anyone who tells you that your God can save you. We've defeated so many other gods before you.” Hezekiah had overturned altars and torn down idolatrous images in Judah; he did all the things. Now he gets to prove how much he really trusts the God of his fathers. Hezekiah tells the Lord that the Assyrians have done all of these major feats of strength and power, but Hezekiah also acknowledges that it is only the power of mankind. He continues his beautiful prayer with this sentiment. 2 Kings 19:19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. He implores the Lord to show the Assyrians who the true God is. This isn't about saving his own skin anymore. Hezekiah's heart has turned towards God's glory. That is the result he wants: God's glory. God shows up with a whole lot of glory, and He shows Judah and the rest of the world who holds the real power. Hezekiah repented. He spiritually up-levelled. He went from knocking down idols to facing fear with nothing but his trust in God's covenants with Judah. He went from fear of losing his life and kingdom to simply wanting the glory of God. He stood to lose a lot in facing off with Syria, but he chose trust and it saved him. I testify that a covenant relationship with Christ is a powerful foundation. I testify that sometimes the Lord strips away parts of us that feel so important so that He can uncover that foundation and start anew with something more powerful. I testify that spiritually maturing means stepping into trust, and I testify that trusting in God saves us. It's not enough to keep the commandments and do the things. Hezekiah did the things, and they were SO important and necessary, but even that was not enough. Hezekiah still had to trust, and that was what turned the tides of Judah. It can turn the tide for you. 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 – 2 Kings 16–25 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Start Here QuestionWhy did King Josiah remove objects from the temple?Short AnswerKing Josiah removed temple objects because many had become closely associated with pagan worship and Assyrian religious practices. Rather than rejecting the temple itself, he sought to restore covenant worship by removing symbols that no longer pointed people toward God. According to this episode, these reforms represented spiritual cleansing and covenant renewal rather than political power or religious innovation. Key TakeawaysKing Josiah inherited Judah during a period of political, economic, and spiritual collapse.The rediscovery of the Book of the Law sparked a national covenant renewal rather than the creation of a new religion.Many temple objects Josiah removed had become symbols of idolatry under Assyrian influence.Jeremiah praised Josiah for defending the poor, seeking justice, and remaining faithful to God’s covenant.Josiah’s death at Megiddo marked the end of Judah’s last righteous king before the Babylonian captivity. Continue readingThe post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 16–25 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Learning to Accept the Lord's Consequences by Autumn Dickson For a few weeks, two of my kids were really struggling. They would fly off the handle at little provocations. I would ask them to do things, and they would throw a fit (or throw other things). It was beyond normal kid misbehavior. I still don't know whether it was a phase or something going on at school. I tried hard to figure it out, but couldn't. After trying to connect with them first, we ended up just spending a lot of time in our rooms. If they made my home miserable, they were going to spend time in their room. My normal philosophy is that as soon as they are truly repentant, they can come out. As soon as their ready to be part of the family, they can come join the family. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be cutting it. So we spent extra time in our rooms for just a couple of days. Some days, they would spend the whole afternoon into the evening in their rooms, and I would bring them dinner. There was one day where Warner tried talking to me through the door. He asked me, “Mom why are you being so mean? I'm sorry. Can I come out?” I had let him out previously, and we ended up exactly where we were within minutes. So he stayed. There are a lot of moments in parenting where you question whether you're getting it right. This was definitely one of those times. I didn't know what my kids needed in order to turn themselves around and choose happiness, but I had exhausted other options so we were trying this one. The spirit was super kind and as I walked away from their doors, a verse was brought to mind. In Mosiah 21, we learn that the Lord was slow to hear the cries of His people because of their iniquities. The Lord is perfectly loving, and He made a perfectly appropriate choice to be slow in responding to their cries. Sometimes we need to sit with the discomfort a little bit longer in order for the lesson to sink in. After a couple days of this torture (for them and for me), we finally started controlling our tempers and choices again. My home isn't perfect, but it's definitely more peaceful than it was for those couple of weeks. This week in the Old Testament, we read about some people who found themselves in similar situations. I want to specifically talk about Zedekiah. I want to tell Zedekiah's story. Many of the details are actually found in the book of Jeremiah who was the prophet at the time of Zedekiah. At this point in our timeline, the southern kingdom of Judah has been conquered by Babylon. Babylon puts Zedekiah in as a puppet king. Zedekiah swears an oath of loyalty to Babylon. Zedekiah reigns for a total period of 11 years. Around year 9, he starts rebelling against Babylon. He stops paying tribute and seeks help from Egypt. Most importantly, he ignores warnings from the prophet, Jeremiah. Over and over and over and over, Jeremiah warns Zedekiah to bow down to Babylon. Zedekiah receives a very clear warning: submit or the city will be destroyed. Egypt will not save you. Unfortunately, Zedekiah believes Jeremiah, but he keeps rebelling against Babylon anyway. He pays the price for it. 2 Kings 25:6-7 6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. Zedekiah's sons were killed, and he was blinded. The principle I want to teach in this post requires highlighting a very specific fact: Judah's subservience to Babylon was a direct result of breaking their covenants. Judah needed to repent, and the Lord sent Babylon to help them do it. Apparently, their repentance process was not quite over. The Lord was slow to hear their cries. They were not going to be immediately delivered from consequences because the Lord knew what they truly needed. Judah was unimpressed with the Lord's choices, rebelled against their consequences, and found even deeper consequences. Sometimes when we've found ourselves entrenched in the consequences of sin, we bristle against it. We get tired and want to throw it off. We believe that surely, we've repented enough. We can move on. We can do what we want again. We don't want to deal with the pain or humiliation anymore. I think of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies who almost broke their covenant and went back into battle. I think of the consequences of addiction and the continuous maintenance of keeping yourself clean. I think of people who believe it's easier to walk away from the church completely than to try and keep working towards worthiness. We rebel. We find consequences so that the Lord can soften our hearts and reach us. We are annoyed by the consequences, and we find ourselves in deeper trouble than before. We blame the Lord instead of recognizing His desire to help us step in a better direction. The kingdom of Judah hated being a vassal state of Babylon. The leaders and priests found it humiliating and degrading. They did not want their consequences anymore, and it cost them dearly. Consequences are not fun, but they are there for a reason. The Lord doesn't hand out consequences generously to uphold His own control. No, the Lord gives them out as necessary to get us to turn our hearts around. Consequences are a gift and bristling underneath them only drags out the pain further. It doesn't necessarily make the consequence longer, but it does drag out the pain. Let me explain what I mean by that. Think of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. They were about to break their pacifist covenants when they saw the Nephites suffering on their behalf. The consequences of their past violence was that they needed to keep their “swords bright.” They couldn't stain them with blood again. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies had changed hearts. They were hurting for their Nephite brothers. The consequences were too much to bear. And then I can imagine that it only got worse when their young sons volunteered to go in their place. Can you imagine the grief that filled their hearts? Can you imagine the regret they felt over past actions that kept them from defending their sons? The consequences were REAL. But they accepted the consequences and let their sons go. And because this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, we get a happy ending. The sons were all protected. They performed miracles. They made their fathers and mothers proud. And what's more? They probably developed an intense testimony because of their experiences. The fathers submitted to the consequences of their actions and because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, their submission to the ongoing repentance process became a blessing to them and their families. Any pain they might have felt at sending their boys off surely paled in comparison to the joy they felt at watching their sons come home as incredible, powerful, spiritually gigantic men. Zedekiah bucked against his consequences, and in doing so, told the Lord that he still needed his consequences. He hadn't learned anything yet. Consequences are not fun, but I testify that they are signs and reminders of the love of our Father in Heaven. He wants us to be better because that is the only way to be happier. I testify that the sooner we submit to whatever lessons the Lord is trying to teach us, the sooner we find hope and peace (regardless of whether the lesson continues on). I testify that even if we have to carry consequences the rest of our lives, it is not a sign that the Lord has rejected you. Be patient and submit to what the Lord sent. There is a bright horizon coming. 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 – 2 Kings 16–25 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The Eternal Significance of Seven by Autumn Dickson There are many patterns in the Old Testament. The story of Naaman, the Syrian, falls right in line with one of these patterns. Naaman was a Syrian captain. The Lord utilized Naaman to deliver Syria. He was a good man, but he was also a leper. A captured Israelite girl resided as a servant in his home. She audibly wishes that Naaman could visit the prophet in Israel because the prophet could cleanse him of his leprosy. The testimony of the captured servant girl reaches Naaman and through a series of diplomatic relations, Naaman finds himself outside of Elisha's door. Elisha doesn't come out, but he does send instructions for Naaman. 2 Kings 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. Naaman is supposed to wash in Jordan seven times. He's annoyed about these instructions for a number of reasons: Elisha didn't come out to greet him, the river Jordan isn't as nice as the rivers in his homeland, and it seems like such a silly thing. Despite his annoyance, his servants are able to convince to wash seven times. He does so, and he is cured of his leprosy. I actually talked about this story four years ago when I went through Come Follow Me the first time. I talked about how arbitrary it was for Naaman to wash seven times in the river Jordan. I still stand by the principles I taught in that post. However, I am now four years older and wiser, and I have learned that washing in the river seven times is not arbitrary at all. Seven is a very symbolic number. In the bible, the number seven symbolizes completeness, so let's look at this story from that angle and let's also generalize the details just a tad so that they become relatable. A man wants to be clean (it specifically says that he was “cleansed” from leprosy). He has to go to a prophet to figure out how to be cleaned. The prophet instructs him to “be complete,” and he will be cleansed. He is cleansed. I think this is so cool. If we want to be clean in our day and age, the Lord still works through the same patterns. He works through His prophets to point us in the right direction. Through his prophet, we are given instructions. If we follow through on those instructions towards completion, we are cleansed. Naaman's story is a parallel for receiving salvation. I was definitely mistaken in thinking that seven was an arbitrary number. However, I actually love that I made the mistake because it led me to an important realization: bathing in the river seven times is not what healed Naaman. I don't think there was some odd organism in the river that year that ate away at his chronic bacterial infection. I think the Lord healed him for his obedience. And isn't that the key here?! As Latter-day Saints, we believe in salvation through grace. Naaman didn't actually wash off his leprosy in the river. He was healed by the Lord. It was a gift that was given to him. But the Lord didn't cleanse Naaman until after Naaman was obedient in washing seven times, in being “complete.” Latter-day Saints believe that salvation is a gift; we also believe we will be judged by our actions and whether we followed the Lord. The Lord judges us, cleanses us, and gives us that gift of salvation if He judges us worthy. We see this same pattern multiple times in the Old Testament. It was the same with the walls of Jericho. The Israelites were instructed by the prophet to circle the city seven times, and the Lord made the walls come down so that they could enter into the promised land. The Israelites didn't make the walls come down; they were obedient and the Lord judged them and enabled them to enter into the promised land. We work towards completion, and the Lord cleanses us so that we can enter into the Celestial Kingdom. So what does it mean to be complete? There are probably a lot of things to be said about reaching completion, but the first thing that came to mind in this particular moment was the captive Israelite girl. There were skirmishes along the border of Syria and Israel. Syria would perform raids into Israel, and they would steal women and children and turn them into slaves. This is likely how she came to be a slave in Naaman's household. She was young. Some biblical scholars believe she was anywhere from 8-14 years old. We know nothing of her family, whether they were killed or put into slavery elsewhere or whether she was simply taken away from them. What we do know is that she was in a pagan household, and despite her youth, she believed in a prophet in Israel. Belief will take us so far, and yet, she takes it beyond belief. That little servant girl held true compassion. She loved Naaman's household enough to want Naaman to be cured and okay. Despite the fact that Naaman might have been partially to blame for her slavery, she had compassion. Completion does not mean perfection. If we specifically strive towards perfection, we often end up discouraged. Instead, I would hope that we strive for completion. In my mind, completion means that we become beings that mirror Christ. We have faith. We have enough love in our hearts that our actions follow suit. That little servant girl reflected Christ. She loved the very people who betrayed her. Being betrayed enabled her to save Naaman. We don't know if she had to work through homesickness or anger or deep depression, but we do know she loved. I think that love helped her be complete in the sense that she turned outwards and was like Christ, but I also have the distinct impression that her love healed her. No matter what she went through, that love healed her enough that she could be compassionate. I testify that the Lord teaches us His gospel in patterns. He teaches His gospel again and again and again through His servants, the prophets. I testify that He is the one who gives salvation to us, and I also testify that doing our best to become the kind of person who reflects Him brings healing and joy and peace into our lives no matter what we've been through. 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 – 2 Kings 2–7 – 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 – 2 Kings 2–7 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Faith to Ask; Faith to Accept by Autumn Dickson One of our people from this week's readings is Elisha. He is the prophet who was called after Elijah. We don't get many of his words or sermons, but we do get to read about many miracles. One of those miracles includes a Shunammite woman who took care of Elisha. The Shunammite woman recognized Elisha as a man of God despite the fact that she lived in an idolatrous nation. Elisha and the prophet before him, Elijah, both worked to address the sins of the northern kingdom of Israel, but it only went so far. Widespread problems still occurred. Yet despite the widespread sin, the Shunammite woman chose faithfulness. She constrained Elisha to come in and eat one day. After that first time, he came in to eat as often as he passed by. The Shunammite woman takes it farther and convinces her husband to make up a room for Elisha, and Elisha stays for them some time. Because of her kindness, Elisha prophesies that she will have a son. The son later dies from a tragic reaping accident, and the Shunammite woman goes to see Elijah. 2 Kings 4:22-23 22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. 23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. Her son has died, and she wants to go to the prophet. Her husband asks, “Why are you going to the prophet? It's not a religious day.” She simply responds, “It will be okay.” She moves quickly to find Elisha and finds him at Mt. Carmel. Elisha sees her coming and sends his servant to meet her. 2 Kings 4:26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. I want to draw your attention to two details that speak volumes for this woman and teach us valuable lessons about approaching prayer. Detail one. Her husband didn't make the connection between the death of his son and his wife's desire to go and see the prophet. This implies that it didn't even cross the husband's mind to ask the prophet for a miracle. It occurred to the wife though. How often do we pray for miracles? What is our mindset towards miracles? When something tragic happens, does it even occur to us that we can ask for a miracle? Maybe we believe in miracles, but maybe we don't even think to ask for them. It makes me think of the quote from Elder Holland, “God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe.” It certainly didn't occur to the husband to dream and ask the prophet to bring back his son. This isn't a pronouncement of judgment on the husband, but it does reflect the strong faith of the wife. She had enough faith to dream up something miraculous in response to the tragedy. When her son died, she went for the prophet to ask for help. As I look back on my life, I think I got the concept of faith wrong sometimes. When something tragic would hit, I would often despair and think God was mad at me or I would try to press myself into faithfulness and acceptance of whatever the Lord was sending my way. Perhaps tragedy was the Lord's way of softening my heart sometimes, and it is always the appropriate response to accept what the Lord sends your way. But faith isn't just about accepting. Sometimes the Lord sends tragedies (or allows tragedies) because He wants to bless us directly. It draws us to Him. He wants us to have enough faith that we feel comfortable approaching Him in humility. There is power in humbly approaching the Lord. You see His hand when you've asked Him for it. My husband is super handy. I'm convinced he can fix anything, and apparently, my kids are likewise convinced. Whenever they break something that matters to them, it is placed on dad's desk. And he does fix it. Conner often fixes it. One time, near the end of a pregnancy, we were all gathered in the kitchen. I turned to my husband and said, “I think my water just broke.” I didn't realize my oldest was even listening, but she didn't miss a beat. Before my husband could respond to this life-altering detail, my daughter called out, “It's okay mom! Dad can fix it!” We all laughed pretty hard, but as I write this particular post, I actually find myself in tears. My kids trust their dad. They have faith in his abilities to fix things. They have so much faith that my daughter's immediate response to the word “broke” is to call for her dad's help. I hope that I can keep building my faith until my response is that immediate. What tragedy or uncertainty are you facing right now? What miracle can you pray for? What's your happy “ending” for this particular episode in your life? Have you prayed for it? Perhaps sometimes we simply forget to ask for a miracle, and other times, perhaps we're simply afraid the answer will be no. The second detail I want to point out can likewise help with this. Detail two. She responds with, “It is well.” The Shunammite woman, in the face of horrifying tragedy, responds, “It is well,” two times. When her husband asks and when Elisha asks, that is how she chooses to respond. Her son had just died but when asked if everything is okay, she says, “It's okay.” I don't think the woman was trying to downplay the tragedy. I don't think this is one of those quintessential stories where you ask someone if they're okay, and they sigh really big and say, “It's fine,” when it's anything but. I believe the wife was declaring trust in the Lord. I believe she was saying, “It's going to be okay. I can ask the prophet to save my son, but if not, it will still be okay.” As I mentioned before, maybe it's hard to ask for a miracle when you're scared of a “no.” When Elisha tells the wife that she is going to have a son, she responds with, “Please don't lie to your handmaid.” This could signal a lack of faith, but the fact she calls herself his handmaid is significant. She is calling herself his servant. She is saying “I serve you. Please don't lie to me if this isn't a real thing, but I'm your servant.” So even the Shunammite woman was afraid to ask at some point. However, turning to the Lord, even when He is going to say “no,” can still be a cathartic experience if we approach it with the right heart. Demanding a miracle sets us up for failure because the Lord won't take away every hardship. But turning to the Lord with a specific type of heart will always bless us. We find this type of heart in the Shunammite woman. Her heart trusted in the Lord's ability to fix things, but she also declared that it would be fine if He chose not to. She would trust Him. We talked about the blessing of the first detail, but the second detail can be just as important. When the Lord says no, we're willing to say “okay.” This faith enables Him to bless us even when He won't fix things. It is this humble, trusting attitude that allows Him to comfort our hearts with the life-altering facts that we have a powerful God who orients His every action towards giving us what's best for us. We trust that He can fix anything. We trust that He loves us. We trust that if He chooses not to fix something, He's got a good reason and all things will be made up to us. Even when He has told me no, I have found special comfort when I've responded with, “Okay.” I testify that prayer is healing. I testify that it brings great blessings into our lives. Building that childlike faith that the Lord can fix anything is powerful in our life. It brings joy and hope. Building that faith even farther brings a mature faith that withstands even the hardest of tragedies on earth. It is the kind of faith that will carry us. It is the kind of faith that can't be brought down because it leads one to trust that He will fix it, even if it's not immediately. I testify that He can and will fix everything. Trusting Him soothes and carries us in the meantime. 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 – 2 Kings 2–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel by Autumn Dickson Do you ever feel like you're desperately scraping at an empty barrel? Maybe it's with physical resources to take care of your family, or maybe you feel emotionally or spiritually drained. Well this week holds a story that can give us the key to finding peace with our barrel. There is a huge famine in the land, and the Lord is providing for the prophet, Elijah. Elijah is living by a stream and getting water from it, and some birds are feeding him. When the stream dries up, Elijah is instructed by the Lord to go to Zarephath where a widow will take care of him. When he gets to Zarephath, he finds the widow. He requests water and a piece of bread. Here is where our story continues. 1 Kings 17:12-14 12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. Elijah requests bread. The widow said she only has enough for her and her son before they die. Elijah tells her to get him some bread anyway and promises that if she does, she will have enough flour and oil until it rains again. HERE IS WHY I LOVE THIS STORY AND WISH IT WERE ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS STORIES IN THE BIBLE: There is always enough in the barrel. The widow of Zarephath chose to feed the prophet, and his promise was fulfilled. She had enough food for her and her son, and that food continued on. Absolutely incredible. But. What did the miracle look like? When the widow of Zarephath woke up in the morning and she lifted up the lid on her barrel, how much flour was there? Was the entire thing full? Did it always remain full? Did it empty over time and then one morning, she would awake to a full barrel again? Or…did it always stay almost empty? Was there always a slight tinge of fear that one morning, it would simply be gone? Every night when she used up the “last” of the flour, did it prick at heart and push her to pray for another day? How long did it take for her to trust the miracle? I'm going to highlight it again: There will always be enough in the barrel. But even more than always giving enough, the Lord is trying to teach us something important. I don't know how the Lord continued the miracle of flour, but I would feel pretty comfortable guessing that it was the last option. The barrel always had just enough. If we're going off of the Lord's past patterns in almost everything (not just physical and monetary resources but spiritually and emotionally), we see very clearly that the Lord likes to give us just enough. Here is my theory as to why I think the Lord chose the last option: that there was always just enough flour left. Let's say the Lord filled up the barrel and kept it perpetually full. There is not as much need, and therefore, there is not as much reliance upon the Lord. The widow always had plenty of flour. This is awesome, but there is an option that actually gives the widow more than just flour. Let's say the Lord filled up the barrel, let it empty, and then filled it up again. I don't know how big her barrel was, but let's say it took a week for her to empty the barrel. Once a week, the widow would go to bed with a prayer in heart that there would be more tomorrow. And then my personal theory: The Lord only ever gave the widow just enough. Every single time the widow opened the barrel, she was praying that there was enough. She had so much more need which meant there was more opportunity to rely on the Lord and learn to trust Him. There were way more opportunities to build trust, and so the widow had flour AND she gained trust. Some might argue it was cruel of a loving Father to not give her more flour and more security and confidence. I think the gift of trusting Him is one of the greatest gifts He can offer, and He's very limited in how He is able to build that trust. Hence, the withheld flour. So how does this relate to us? If He's withholding flour, it's not because He wants to torture you. It's because He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to trust Him, and giving you these repeated exposures builds trust even if it's stressful until you figure out that He's going to show up. So the solution? Trust! Trust that there will be enough. Perhaps the widow even had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to make sure there was enough, but the simple fact remained true: there was enough. Even if you're only ever receiving enough for your needs, your barrel might as well be overflowing because the Lord's resources are infinite. You don't have to worry about that part. The part you should really start to work on is trusting Him. Because even with a full barrel, there is never true security in this world. Everything could blow up tomorrow. But if you put your trust in the Lord instead of a full barrel, you never feel empty. In fact, I don't think scraping the barrel is the stressful part. I think worrying about whether you'll have enough is the stressful part. The real part that is killing you right now is not the physical motion of scraping the barrel; it's being terrified that there won't be enough tomorrow. If you can release that fear, the barrel will no longer feel tortuous. You'll see the miracle as it is. You will see infinite resources. If you can learn to trust, you won't feel empty. You will rejoice and trust in His infinite resources. You will feel confident as His heir. Your barrel will feel full. Every night, as you go to sleep, switch your thinking. Don't ask yourself, “Will there be enough tomorrow?” Instead, recount the many times there has always been enough. You will find that the worries begin to disappear on their own. The widow of Zarephath is one of my favorite stories because it teaches me that I don't have to be scared about what's in my barrel. I can look at my barrel and see the emptiness, or I can look up and see His infinite flour. Just because He's only giving me a scoop at a time doesn't mean I have nothing. It means I get as much flour as I need AND it means that I get to look up at Him everyday. I testify with all of my heart that there is enough for you. 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 – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – 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 – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

The Deadly Lie of the Old Prophet by Autumn Dickson There are major themes throughout the stories we read in the Old Testament. Some of the more negative themes are idolatry, fear over losing power, disobedience, and corrupting influences. The Old Testament does not shy away from showing the fallibility of humankind. There is great hope in faithful stories in the scriptures; there are also important warnings in the stories of people who were not obedient to the Lord. One of the stories we read this week shows themes of obedience and disobedience. We see people who have a connection to God and follow Him, but we also watch them choose against God and find themselves in deep water because of it. There are a lot of details for our story in this post, but stick with me. They are important because they set the stage for our principle. In 1 Kings 13, we read about a man of God and an old prophet. Those are the only “names” we receive for these men, and these titles can get confusing especially when you're reading the details of the story. Though they were labeled as a man of God and an old prophet, we see their fallibility on full display. For some quick background, Israel has split into two kingdoms: Judah and Benjamin in the south and the rest of the ten tribes in the north. The man of God was from Judah where the true temple was. The northern kingdom had fallen into idolatry. The man of God was commanded to go to Bethel (in the northern kingdom) and condemn the idolatrous practice. He does so and performs a couple of wonderful miracles as well. The Lord warns and commands the man of God to not eat or drink in Bethel. The man of God originally follows this command very well as he works to return to Judah. Unfortunately, another man, the old prophet, comes along and finds the man of God resting under the shade of a tree. The old prophet offers the man of God some food and drink, and the man of God refuses. The old prophet says this. 1 Kings 13:18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. The man of God listens to the old prophet and partakes in food and drink. While the man of God eats, the old prophet tells him that he won't make it home because of his disobedience. On the way home, the man of God is killed by a lion. The old prophet collects the body, gives the man of God an honorable burial, and requests to be buried next to the man of God when he dies. The old prophet calls the man of God a brother. He testifies that the prophecy made by the man of God earlier regarding the idolatrous altar in Bethel will come true. There are a lot of confusing details. I don't know if this was one of those parts of the bible that was translated incorrectly or whether it's simply highlighting the fallibility of real people who sometimes follow the Lord. Who was the old prophet? Was he an actual prophet to the Lord? He was in the idolatrous kingdom so when they called him a prophet, was he a false prophet? Was he trying to tear down the man of God for prophesying against the northern kingdom? We know that the old prophet received some revelation from the Lord. He prophesied of the death of the man of God, and he testified of the prophecy given by the man of God. So why did he lie? Was he threatened by the man of God or did he see no harm in his white lie? Was he trying to just nourish the man of God? Was he wicked but then received a testimony while he watched the man of God come and eat? There is a lot of ambiguity. Oftentimes, I'll try to take one biblical theory and talk about true principles from it regardless of whether the details are perfect. This time, I'm going to embrace the ambiguity. The man of God listened to the old prophet and found himself dead because of it. I've seen a pattern on social media. This is a pattern that has existed for a long time, but I've seen it more readily because of its prevalence on social media. On social media (and in real life), we find people who are disgusted by the church. They hate it. They actively fight against it. Their entire online persona can be defined by, “I hate the church.” But there is another group of people. They claim to be part of the church, to receive revelation, and to love the Lord. Some of their posts are uplifting and encouraging, but some of their posts teach things that can be found in direct conflict with the Lord's commandments. Some of their posts might not necessarily be in direct conflict, but they are critical of the church in the name of their love for the Lord. These people are much more ambiguous. What are their true motives? What does it mean that they call themselves members? Because heaven knows you can call yourself a member without actually following Christ. I don't have any real desire to discover their motives. If they are sincere, the Lord will work with them and hopefully they will listen. If they are not sincere, then the Lord can handle all of that. I don't need to know their motives or even condemn them. Rather, I'd like to highlight a warning from this story. The man of God died because he followed the ambiguous old prophet who had some claim to God but also lied. I don't think we'll get killed by a lion if we follow these accounts, but I do think it can spiritually deaden us. It can blind us. Isn't that funny? The rest of the world would call us blind and accuse us of drinking the Kool-aid, and yet, either side could be logically labelled as propaganda. Both sides label themselves enlightened. Everyone thinks their version is the closest one to the truth. So how do we know whether we can trust the old prophet? How do we know whether we should whole-heartedly follow the prophet of our church? I can't answer that question for everyone. All I know is that I talk to the Lord, and He responds. I can't answer for other people, but the more I study the gospel and the church, the more I see the Lord's perfect hand working with the imperfection of mankind. I have watched some of my loved ones listen to these posts and believe they can disobey the Lord in little ways and be fine, and I have watched some of my loved ones turn these voices off. With the experiences that I've had in the gospel, I have no desire to follow anyone (real or on the internet) who tells me that I can disobey the Lord. It's not just about avoiding dying either. I have found too much joy in the protection and safety of the Lord, and I refuse to lose that joy. I testify that being obedient to the Lord provides safety and warmth and true happiness. I testify that even in the darkest times, following Him is where we will find respite. I testify that He teaches us through powerful stories in the scriptures, and that His patterns reflect across all generations on the earth. I testify that there is safety in joy in following the word of the Lord as given from Him directly. 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 – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Solomon's Sword and Crazy Plans by Autumn Dickson This week, we get to learn a bit about Solomon's reign. Solomon was known for his wisdom, a spiritual gift that was the direct result of a request he made as he was ascending the throne. The story of the two women and the baby is well-known and highlights this wisdom. In the last post, we talked about how the Lord reflected Solomon's heart back to him when the Lord offered to answer a prayer for Solomon. This week, we get to read about Solomon imitating the Lord in the story with the two women. Here is a refresher on the story with the two women and the baby. Two women lived in the same home. They both had babies. One woman accidentally laid on top of her child and killed the child. She snuck into the room of the other woman and switched the babies. The second woman woke up to the dead child and realized he wasn't hers. They took their case to King Solomon. This is how King Solomon responded. 1 Kings 3:24-25 24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. The lying woman wanted the child cut in half. The true mother offered to let the other woman have the son; she just wanted him to be alive. Solomon obviously gave the baby to the woman who wanted to protect the baby at all costs. Now, I want you to imagine being the true mother of the child who found herself in this nightmare through no fault of her own. I don't know exactly what she was feeling, but I think my response to this wild suggestion from the king would be this: “What?! I thought this guy was wise! Why would he do this? Is he crazy?” I think this is sometimes how we react when the Lord makes decisions in our lives as well. Sometimes the Lord sends or allows trials to happen in our lives. Sometimes we respond with, “What?! I thought the Lord was wise! Why would He do this?” Throughout my life, and especially while working through sharing my testimony online, I have received this testimony over and over and over: The Lord loves me and works very carefully as He makes decisions to interfere in my life. He is wise! He knows what He's doing! I know this testimony. I believe it. I find a lot of comfort in it. And yet, even though I already had a testimony of this fact, I've found that there were limits to this testimony that needed to be expanded. When certain events have cropped up in my life, such as getting pregnant three months after having a baby, I have tried to trust in that growing testimony that the Lord loves me and is trying to give me the best of what mortality actually has to offer. Despite my desire to trust that He was trying to do what was best for me, I simply felt scared and betrayed and powerless. I'm sure that woman was terrified when Solomon made the crazy suggestion to cut the baby in half. He was a king, and she was a harlot. I'm sure she knew what it meant to feel powerless and to have someone making decisions regardless of what was best for her. And yet, Solomon wasn't trying to torture her. He had very specific purposes. He was not rash or ridiculous. He was intentional. He was a mortal man blessed with wisdom to discern what was going on in his kingdom. He “sent a trial,” and it revealed the hearts of the women he was judging. The Lord already knows our hearts, but He still sends little tests in mortality. I'm becoming increasingly convinced that He isn't testing our hearts for His own sake, but for our's. We spoke about this in my last post as well: He reflects our own hearts back to us. Solomon actually needed to see the reflection of the hearts of the women so he could judge well. He was wise, but he did not know these women perfectly. He needed a way of seeing their hearts. The Lord's purposes are slightly different, but His methods are similar. His purpose is showing us our own hearts. Sometimes that means sending or allowing trials that allow the deepest parts of our heart to go on display. It highlights the boundaries of what we truly know and feel and desire. It gives us opportunities to expand those boundaries. Going back to my example of getting pregnant so quickly, I felt incredibly betrayed by God. I am so miserable when I'm pregnant, and now I was going to be in that dark state of mind for 18 months with very little reprieve (honestly, with no reprieve since my body and mind still hadn't completely recovered in between babies). I thought I had a testimony that the Lord loved me, and I did. But apparently there were limits to that testimony. This specific experience showed me the boundaries of my own testimony. It brought my heart right up to the surface where I could look at it very clearly. I then had the opportunity to work through those experiences and expand those boundaries. Despite the fact that this woman likely thought King Solomon was out of his mind, I would guess that she felt differently after the experience. Despite the initial fear and distress it caused her, she gained a testimony that Solomon acted with purpose. By the end of this, she knew that Solomon wasn't crazy. He was trying to be a good king and make sure that baby went back to its rightful mother. Surely, the experiment could have gone poorly. What if both mothers had pled for the life of the baby? Yes, it could have failed, but this story is a parable. Even if Solomon's experiments fail, the Lord's “experiments” never have to. Solomon was a mortal man. The Lord has much more to offer in the way of helping us discern the boundaries of the testimonies that will carry us and help us get where we need to go. The Lord also has the ultimate power of delivering what will be best for us. Even when He sends or allows dark times, He has the power to help those difficult times become sacred experiences. I testify that the Lord loves us. I testify He knows what He's doing. I testify that He already knows our hearts, but like Solomon, He sends and allows trials that bring our very essence up to the surface where it's noticeable. We get to find the holes and limitations of our testimonies, and in turn, we can fill the holes and broaden the boundaries until we are fully protected and constantly uplifted by them. 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 – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – 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 – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

What Would You “Wish” For? by Autumn Dickson Solomon, David's son, has become king. Very early on in his reign, Solomon has a dream in which the Lord appears to him. 1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. This is a really incredible experience as Solomon is stepping into his kingship; the Lord appears and offers to grant a prayer to Solomon. Solomon asks for wisdom and discernment in judging his people. The Lord is pleased with what Solomon asked for especially since Solomon could have asked for more selfish things such as riches, long life, or the defeat of his enemies. Solomon does none of this; he wants wisdom. For a moment, I asked myself what I would ask for. It turned into quite the exercise as I pondered what I really wanted. Going through this experience taught me a couple of principles. Principle one: No dream required. I began thinking of all the things that would bless my life the most. I thought of a grateful heart, seeing people clearly, or or to see His hand moving in my life. I thought of spiritual protection for my kids. I tried to think of which spiritual gift would be the most effective for my own life. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't have to wait for a dream from the Lord in order to ask for things, and I didn't have to pick just one gift. I could ask for all of them. That's my first principle. The Lord answers prayers regardless of whether He came to us in a dream and agreed to answer a prayer. What would you ask for? What do you ask for? What will you ask for now? Ironically, I haven't prayed for any of those things in a long time. I don't think my prayers have been bad by any means, but I thought so hard about what I really wanted from the Lord and realized that those values had gotten buried by the day-to-day. Principle two. It is powerful to have your heart reflected back to you. The normal pathway for prayers and answers goes like this: We are encouraged by prophets and scripture to pray to the Lord, and He answers according to His wisdom. The pathway for Solomon in this specific experience: The Lord appears directly to Solomon and essentially offers a wish. So here are the differences: The Lord appears directly instead of going through a prophet. He basically offers a wish which is highly unusual (at least in my experience). The experience that Solomon had was very different than normal. Why? The Lord is intentional so why did He make this particular choice with Solomon? Both of these differences combined to make a special thing happen. Whether this was the Lord's intentional purpose is a question that only He can answer. However, one of the side effects was that Solomon had his heart reflected back to him. Let's talk about both differences. Difference 1: He appeared directly. The Lord does not often appear when we have sufficient for what we need. For example, He doesn't always answer “yes” to everything we ask Him about; sometimes He simply refrains from saying “no.” In my experience, He directly interferes only as necessary. Obviously, He is very involved in our lives and manipulates the details in our favor. I'm talking about when His actions would affect our faith. So the Lord is taking care of me behind the scenes and influencing things to help me out, but He's not appearing in a manner where I can have a very clear conversation with Him. And there are reasons for this. Later in life, Solomon turns towards worshiping other gods, influenced by his many foreign wives. I wonder how much more intense Solomon's betrayal was because Solomon had this dream from the Lord directly. The Lord is very involved in our life, but He also keeps direct interference to a minimum in order to protect our faith. And yet, despite the fact that the Lord could have allowed Solomon to simply pray without receiving a dream, the Lord chose to come to Solomon to ask and offer. This extremely direct experience opened up Solomon's heart in a way that normal prayer doesn't always achieve. Perhaps ideally, normal prayer would achieve this, but I'm not sure that it often does. If the Lord came to you, I have a feeling you would be much more intentional in comparison to praying in faith. As least, I would be more intentional…and because it forces intention, you get to see what really matters to you. It reflects your heart back to you. Difference 2: He offers a wish. If you knew you had the opportunity to ask the Lord for something that He had offered to grant, it changes how you approach what you're asking. The Lord has already offered to answer prayers, but this is different. He offers to directly answer one prayer. It's almost like He offered to give Solomon a wish. When I approach normal prayer, I am very open and talk through things and ask for little things. I'm not always perfectly focused. I ask for a lot of things. When I was thinking about what my request would have been, I suddenly got extremely intentional and this wasn't even my experience! This didn't even happen to me, but all of a sudden I was way more concerned about what I was asking for. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on what really mattered to me. What are my values? What do I really want? It's interesting because the Lord already knows our hearts. While mankind looks on the outside, the Lord looketh on the heart. So this wasn't about the Lord trying to figure out Solomon's heart. One of the effects was that Solomon was able to take a good look at his heart as he ascended the throne where he would have power and responsibility. Not only do we pray more intentionally, it also pushes us to live more intentionally. How did Solomon feel when he approached that throne to govern his people? How did this experience change how he approached that throne? I have not stepped onto a throne recently. I have not received a dream or a wish, but even my less-intense experience of pondering what I would ask for has changed my prayers. And in turn, as I pray for help with specific gifts, I'm more intentional as I approach experiences that call upon those gifts. I testify that the Lord is intentional. I testify that He already knows our hearts. I testify that He is very involved in our lives and acts with purpose. If we can learn to act with purpose as He does, we start to change more readily. Our lives become much more available to 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 – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

David Fought Goliath Without Armor by Autumn Dickson In 1 Samuel 17, we read about one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament: David and Goliath. It's an incredible story of faith that can teach us a lot about following Christ. The fact that David saved the Israelites was a big deal, but how he defeated Goliath is likewise significant. Let's talk about a couple of those “hows.” Goliath taunts the Israelites for 40 days. David comes forward and offers to battle Goliath. Saul agrees, and he even puts his own armor on David. It doesn't go well… 1 Samuel 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. David tried on the armor and “assayed” to go. In other words, David had a hard time moving. David hasn't “proved” the armor, or in other words, David has never trained with it. He doesn't know how to fight like a soldier, only like a shepherd. So David takes his shepherd weapons, forgoes the armor, and goes on to defeat Goliath. Let's talk about how David defeated Goliath and what it teaches us. Detail 1. He went up with nothing but faith in God; the armor specifically hindered him. A couple posts ago, we talked about how Israel came to Samuel and wanted a king. One of the direct messages we pulled from that story was the fact that the Israelites were rejecting God by wanting a king. They had a King; they wanted a different king. In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites specifically requested a king because they wanted someone to go out before them in battle. Like other nations, they wanted a physical defender in front of them when they were at war. This is significant. So now we've found ourselves in 1 Samuel 17, and the Israelites are facing the giant Philistines. Goliath goes out and taunts the Israelites for 40 days. And where is Saul? Definitely not out in front of the Israelites. Samuel gave the Israelites their king, King Saul, and then what do you know…Saul doesn't go out before them. No one saw that coming. Shocking, right? When we originally read this story, it would be easy to think David was being an arrogant punk by refusing the armor. Earlier on in the chapter, Eliab (David's oldest brother) gets annoyed with David and accuses him of pride. But this isn't about pride (even if David possessed some of that). This is about the fact that once again, the Lord was saying, “Hey Israel! I will go before you, not some mortal king!” David didn't just outright refuse the armor. He put it on, and it weighed him down. David was better off without man's attempts to fight off Israel's enemies. The principle is NOT this: Don't use anything manmade or you're faithless. Refuse medicine. Refuse gear. The Lord will protect you if you have enough faith. That is not the principle here. Sometimes having faith is understanding that the Lord inspired man to build tools. However, for THIS specific example, it is important that David went without armor that weighed him down. The fact that David went without armor in this specific scenario can teach us the true principle: relying on man over God hurts us. It doesn't help us. This is not every scenario. This is a very specific scenario in which the Lord was very clearly telling the Israelites that He was their King and Defender. The Lord didn't want any confusion about why David won against Goliath. This detail is poignant with the backdrop of the Israelites rejecting God and choosing Saul. They didn't want God's protection; they wanted man's. David and his lack of armor was God's response. Using tools is not wrong, but relying on tools over God is wrong. The armor in this story represents the same thing King Saul represented: insufficient protection from man. King Saul did not help the Israelites. The refused armor would have prevented David from defeating Goliath. Detail 2. David showed up after Goliath had taunted the Israelites for 40 days. So maybe the fact that David showed up after 40 days doesn't necessarily seem like one of the “hows” of David defeating Goliath, but in my unqualified opinion, it is. Gospel according to Autumn teaches this: If David had come sooner, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Goliath because the Israelites wouldn't have let him battle Goliath at all. The number “40” is significant. It is used to describe a period of testing and trial. Christ fasted for forty days. It rained and flooded the earth for forty days. The Israelites wandered the wilderness for forty years. Did Goliath truly taunt them for 40 days exactly or was this the Lord's way of describing a full cycle of testing for the Israelites? Does the 40 really mean 40 or does it teach us that the Israelites had finally reached a point of desperation and were willing to utilize a young boy to fight Goliath? Regardless of whether it was exactly 40 days of taunting, the lesson for us is clear: the Lord allows us to go through a period of testing until we finally reach the point where we are willing to rely on Him alone. Have you ever reached that point in a trial where you're like, “Hey Lord, if you could show up right now, I would really appreciate it! I'm dying down here!” And then He waits even longer before showing up? Perhaps it's not forty days for forty months or forty years. Maybe it's just the right amount of time for your testing period. Maybe it's the right amount of days for us to finally reach a point where we are ready to rely on Christ alone and then recognize His hand when we come out on the other side. That second part is just as important. If the Lord doesn't allow us to wait for the full period, we might attribute our success to something else like our own fortitude. Allowing us to wait until we feel really lost serves the unique purpose of forcing us to realize that He was the only thing that could have saved us. Would the Israelites have let David try his hand against Goliath if they hadn't waited their full “forty” days? Honestly, I have no idea. What I do know is this: They got desperate enough to let him try and when he succeeded, all heaven broke loose and they cheered and ran against the Philistines at the same time. Their faith had been bolstered, and for a small moment, they recognized who was standing at their side. I testify of a Lord who teaches us about Him in incredible detail in these stories. I testify that we start to see patterns as we study these details in the scriptures. More and more and more layers come out and teach us and refine us and help us invite Christ into our lives more fully. I'm so grateful the Lord has taken me on this journey to teach me these lessons in the scriptures. I testify that Come Follow Me can change your life if you use it, and I testify that Come Follow Me can change your life because it can teach you about 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 – 1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7 – 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 – 1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Correction Without Condemnation by Autumn Dickson David is one of our center characters this week as he rises to the throne and protects Israel. There are a lot famous stories this week, including the famous story of David and Goliath. However, I want to talk about a lesser studied portion of the Old Testament. It's a relatively tiny detail, but it can teach us a lot. David has conquered Jerusalem and brought the Ark of the Covenant there. After all the celebration, David is sitting in his palace and it occurs to him that the Lord doesn't have a proper place of worship. David is living in a house of cedar, but the Lord only has a tent. David feels a desire to correct this and approaches Nathan about it. Nathan approves and tells David to do what his heart desires; the Lord is with him. Later on, the Lord corrects Nathan. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. So interestingly enough, the Lord disagreed. That night, the Lord sends a revelation to Nathan. David will not build the temple; his son will. David is associated with war, and the Lord approved much of that conquest. However, from a symbolic and theological standpoint, the temple is associated with peace and rest. Solomon's reign was associated with rest, and so he was the one to build the temple. Nathan passes the message on to David, and David accepts this answer from the Lord. Perhaps this doesn't seem like that big of a deal in comparison to other scripture that we're reading this week, but that's actually partially my point. Making a decision all on your own and then being corrected by the Lord doesn't have to be that big of a deal. Let's delve in a tad deeper. Sometimes we get really caught up in making sure we're following the Lord. The problem isn't wanting to follow the Lord; the problem comes when we make it a problem. There are two fears that we can often run into in regards to revelation: Fear one. We don't want to do wrong by the Lord and get in trouble. I'm not 100% where this fear comes from…probably Satan? The Lord tells us over and over and over that He loves us and wants us to try and act. Yet despite His assurances, we get nervous about doing things wrong. As far as I can tell, the Lord wasn't angry with David or Nathan for getting excited about building a house for Him. I would be shocked if the Lord was anything less than beaming over two of His sons trying to worship Him. That didn't mean it was the right direction, but the Lord wasn't mad about it. The Lord wants us to act and move forward and do good things of our own free will. He will course correct as necessary. Which leads me to my next point. Fear two. Even if the Lord isn't angry, we don't want to end up in the wrong direction. We're often afraid to move forward without the explicit green light from the Lord. We don't want to take the wrong steps. When we were looking to get a house, I was really worried about making the wrong decision. I was praying about it and praying about it and praying about it. Conner didn't. I had a hard time wanting to move forward without the Lord's approval, but he approached the situation very differently. He weighed the pros and cons and went over our finances. He made the best decision he could with the information he had. And that was it. I don't think he prayed about it even once. It used to worry me. I wanted him to seek out the Lord's will more often than I thought he was, but I had an experience with him that shifted my perspective. We were looking at getting a car years and years ago. We stopped to look at this van on our way to a family dinner. I stayed in the car while he went and looked at the van. When he climbed back in, I asked if we were buying it. He answered in the negative. I asked him what was wrong with it (he's worked as a mechanic previously), and he told me that he didn't see anything that was wrong with it. When I asked him why we weren't buying it, he replied, “I had a bad feeling about it.” Conner didn't necessarily wait for green lights, but he listened to red lights when they came along as needed. That was the first step in a journey that changed how I approach revelation. I no longer feel held back by fear. I'm not afraid of the Lord being mad. I recognize that the Lord wants me to be wise like Him, and that requires practicing my decision-making skills like Him. He knows that allowing me to make decisions also means that I'm going to make mistakes, but He's not worried about that. Not to mention, He's happy to course correct as necessary. I make a decision that I truly want and think is best, and I trust Him to speak to me if I'm wrong. That's how I pictured the context of this particular conversation between David and Nathan. They were rejoicing and ready to worship the Lord. They were purposefully thinking of Him and trying to do good works without being directly asked. Then the Lord simply corrected them as needed. We can move forward in faith and excitement and trust the Lord to close the door or correct us if it's not the right path. There is no reason to be afraid. I testify that the Lord wants us to make decisions and become wise like Him. There is no other way to do this except to practice. I also testify that He is powerful and knows how to speak with us. He doesn't give us our agency so that He can condemn us when we make mistakes. He paid for those mistakes and stands ready to help us along. He knows how to speak to you if you're trying to listen. Trust that He can lead you along. Be excited about the decisions before you; the Lord can turn them all for your good when you're seeking to worship 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 – 1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

God Gives Us What We Ask For by Autumn Dickson In the last post, we talked a bit about how the people implored Samuel for a monarchy. They were insistent, and Samuel saw their folly. He tried warning them; he understood what they were really asking for even if they didn't. Here is a modern rendition of that conversation. Israelites-We want a king! Give us a king like other nations! Samuel-Do you even understand what you're asking? Kings take your sons for war and your daughters to be servants. They take the best of your property. They serve themselves. Why do you want a king? Israelites-Give us a king! Samuel knew Who they were rejecting, and he knew they were trying to replace the ultimate Defender with a mortal. The Israelites already had a King, but they wanted a different one. They insisted on it. And interestingly enough, the Lord tells Samuel to go ahead. Samuel 8:22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. The Lord tells Samuel to give them a king, and then He guides Samuel through the process of selecting and anointing kings. He gives the people what they want. The Lord literally just gives it to them. He didn't directly condemn them. He literally just gave them the curse they asked for. What I want to share today is my own interpretation of Judgment Day. I do not know exactly how Judgment Day or the eternities will look, but this is what I have come to believe thus far as I've studied the words of prophets and scripture. I'm sure it will evolve as I grow older, but this is my working theory. Part (and I emphasize part because I'm sure there are exceptions to this) of Judgment Day is the Lord saying, “Give them what they want.” I think we often picture the Lord condemning and cursing and exiling people, but I think we've got it a bit wrong. I think people choose where they're going more often than not. Let me give some examples of what I mean. Woman-I refuse to be a baby factory. I won't be oppressed like this. Heavenly Father-Okay. I won't force you. I'm not trying to make you a baby factory, I'm trying to make you a mother. I'm trying to save you from eternal emptiness, but I will give you what you want. Woman-You can't fool me! You're just trying to control me! The woman separates herself from what she perceives is a controlling, power-hungry god. She separates herself because she doesn't know the true God, because she doesn't understand what He's trying to offer her. It drives me nuts when people mischaracterize the Lord. Eternity is going to be painfully empty without posterity. PAINFUL. What do you even live for? Do you really think being single and childless is going to fulfill you for eternity? Sure, you'll be fine for a while, but there will come a day when you realize that you have no purpose because there is no progression or struggle. Eternity will be hell, and you will have put yourself there. Someday you're going to wake up and realize that God was trying to bless you, and you cursed yourself instead. It often blows my mind how people get things so wrong, but this has been prophesied. In the latter-days, people will call good evil and evil good. As a mother, I've been experimenting with how much agency to give my kids. And when I say “experiment,” I mean I get so tired of giving them instructions and being labelled a bad guy that I hide out in my room and let them go Lord of the Flies on each other. It usually gives me a small reprieve in exchange for hours of fixing the problems that cropped up while I was hiding. If I were to let them choose exactly what they wanted, they would refuse any kind of schooling, sports, self-development, and anything else that is essential for healthy adjustment to adult life. The irony is that for a long time, they would likely think they were happy, but I can see the misery that would come from never learning to read or work with a team. I can see the misery that would stem from watching their friends move on without them, watching the whole world move on without them. And if I allowed them to completely sink into TV and iPads, they would live there and be miserable and not even know it. If I let them take full control of their tiny-human-inclinations, they would scream at each other and kick each other, and they would turn into mean, miserable little gremlins who no one wants to be around. I get it, Heavenly Father. It's exhausting. It's so frustrating to give your loved ones everything they need to be truly happy and live a worthwhile life only to be labelled bossy and mean. Now that's a pretty bleak assessment of my parenting right there, and it's not always like that. Sometimes they appreciate me coaching them into better people. Sometimes I wake up and they're making bagels for their baby sisters without me. Sometimes I watch them play games with each other for hours. I watch them control their anger or forgive each other or do any number of wonderful, mature, Christlike things. So we're not complete failures over here, but I've definitely learned important lessons after becoming a mom. I have learned that humans often love making themselves miserable. Heavenly Father doesn't even have to curse us or send us to hell. We walk there willingly. We choose oppressive kings and empty saviors to fight our battles. We choose hell. How much of Judgment Day will be arrogant people cursing His name because they supposedly know better? How much of Judgment Day will be people walking away from the Lord because they have Him all wrong? How long will it take for them to wake up and realize the path they took is a curse and He was trying to save them? I testify of a Lord who is not a tyrant. He doesn't force our hand. He is the one who gave us our agency and protects it. Despite all that it costs Him, He preserves our agency while Satan would try to destroy it and enslave us. Despite the fact that He had to pay for it with the blood of His Son, despite the fact that He is spit upon by His enemies because He allows them to, despite the fact that He gets labelled as an oppressive tyrant (ironic when you consider the fact that He is allowing them to call Him a tyrant), He protects our agency. He will let us walk away and choose those difficult lessons. Don't choose the difficult lessons. I testify that He knows what He's doing. Follow Him! Let Him be your King. 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 – 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16 – 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 – 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

What King Will You Follow? by Autumn Dickson At the beginning of chapter 8, we find Samuel getting older. He made his sons judges, and they were corrupt. The people went to Samuel and asked for a king. Samuel didn't like that much, and he turned to the Lord. Here is the Lord's response. 1 Samuel 8:7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. The people wanted a monarchy instead of a theocracy. They wanted to be like other nations despite the warnings that Samuel gave them. He warned them of all the problems that come with a king, but they insisted. We're not in the same situation as the Israelites. None of us are asking President Oaks to give us a king, but there are still lessons for us here. Let's look at some details. Israel wanted a king; they wanted someone who would rule over them. The irony here is that if you had asked Samuel whether the Israelites had a king, he would have answered, “Yes.” The Lord was meant to be their king. The Lord had a mouthpiece, a messenger for how He wanted His kingdom ruled, but He was meant to rule over His own people. So when the Lord says that the Israelites rejected Him, He is accurate. They had a king, but they wanted a different kind of king. There are a lot of parallels we could find in our own lives. Rather than explicitly stating the parallel, I rather just give one potential manifestation of this parallel. The Lord has come before each of us and promised to bless us. He wants to make us kings and queens, priests and priestesses. He wants to make us like Him. He wants to shower us with warmth and promises. He wants to open our eyes and show us everything. There is so much to be had as heirs of God. All of that sounds pretty wonderful. Unfortunately, these things don't just get bestowed upon us. We have to grow into it. So when we are faced with the decision of opening our scripture app or social media, we often find ourselves on social media. The Lord comes and says, “Let me be your king. I won't ever betray you. I won't take from you; I only want to give. I want to show you all that you can become.” The Lord comes and warns us, “Taking a different king can be dangerous. The king will take your children, and it will take the best parts of what you have. It only serves itself; you will be its servant.” And yet, like the Israelites, we insist on choosing social media. We choose a different king. We choose a king that robs us of moments with our loved ones. We choose a king that does have the power to take our children away from us. We choose a king that is only looking to profit itself, and we make ourselves slaves to it. Why?? Why do we do this?? And it's interesting. The Lord doesn't mind if we have a mortal king. In Mosiah 29, Mosiah tells his people that it would be fine to have a king if they could guarantee that their kings were righteous. The Lord doesn't mind if we have social media, TV, video games, or any other of these other banal activities. The Lord can utilize these tools to enhance our life and make it better. The problem comes when we essentially reject the Lord for something pathetic. If you had asked the Israelites if they were rejecting their God, I wonder what they would have said. Maybe they would have told us, “We're not rejecting our God. We will still follow our God. We just want a king too. Having a king doesn't mean that we don't worship God.” If you ask us if we're rejecting God when we pull open something vapid instead of something inspiring, we would probably answer that we're not rejecting God. Perhaps that's true. Perhaps you're not outright rejecting God. But have you ever tried to connect with someone who was too busy on their phone? Have you ever gone to someone for help only for them to be too distracted to love you? Have you ever done this to someone else? Perhaps you're not turning to that person who is seeking a connection with you and saying, “Stop. I don't like you. Go away. I hate you.” But aren't you still rejecting them? Don't you feel rejected when it happens to you? So we can tell ourselves all we like that opening instagram instead of the scriptures isn't rejecting God, but isn't it? He's trying to connect with us. He's trying to draw us higher, and we turn away. That is rejection too. I'm not describing a world where we become monks that don't take part in any other type of material. Social media isn't evil. I just think it's wise to take inventory of who is ruling us. Our phones often do this cool thing where it keeps track of where we're spending our time. Look at your phone. Where did you spend your time today? And as a sidenote, this isn't a message about social media. I'm sharing an example that shows an overarching principle. What is ruling us? Is it God? As I was reading about the Israelites choosing a king, I thought of all the pain that was coming to them. I thought of everything we would read about Israel and the trials that were coming. If they could have seen what was coming, would they have chosen differently? If we could see what our kings would bring us, would we choose differently? The Lord has warned us about how to spend our time. He has warned us about what to invite in and what to leave be. Who is your king? What is your king taking from you or giving to you? I testify that there are many good things to enjoy in life, but only one King who is willing to give rather than take. I testify that the Lord knows what He is talking about in how He directs our lives. I testify that you don't have to verbally reject the Lord to be cutting Him out of your life, and that being careful of what we choose will bless us in the long run. It may seem easier to choose something else, but it's not. 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 – 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Trusting the Lord With Your Child by Autumn Dickson The story of Hannah is almost too much for me. Hannah struggled with infertility. She went to the tabernacle and prayed her heart out. She told the Lord that she would dedicate her son to Him. Her prayer was so intense that Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk. He tells her the Lord will grant her petition. She goes home, and it is fulfilled. She conceives a son. Hannah kept him until he was weaned. This could have happened as early as 24 months and as late as five years old. After he is weaned, she takes him to Eli. She reminds Eli that she was the woman who was fervently praying for a child before, and then she says this. 1 Samuel 1:27-28 27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there. Hannah leaves her son with Eli. She gets to see him annually when they go to the tabernacle to make their sacrifice. This is the part that makes my heart desperately ache. I have two children who currently fall within that age group, and I can't imagine dropping them off and only seeing them once a year. I am quite certain that it would kill me. But Hannah had promised her son to the Lord, and she stuck to that promise. Samuel went to Eli at the temple. Samuel goes on to do incredible things in the name of the Lord. He became the first centralized prophet to Israel in a long time. His ministry is marked by attempts to pull the Israelites out of apostasy and idolatry. He helped Israel transition to a monarchy first with Saul, and then he later anointed David and protected him from Saul. He was known as a great prophet like Moses. When I attempt to put myself in Hannah's shoes, I think there is really only one testimony that would bring me any semblance of peace in the midst of handing my child over. The Lord can do better with him than I can. Luckily, I don't think most of us are facing a time where this sacrifice is required of us. We don't drop our kids off at the temple and dedicate them to the Lord, but there is still a lesson here for all of us. The Lord can do better with your loved one than you can. That doesn't just apply to our children. The Lord can do better with your sister, brother, friend, parent, cousin, grandchild, niece, nephew, spouse, or anyone you love. We can “hand them off” to the Lord and be at peace that the Lord can take them on a journey that's going to be better than the one we can take them on. What does that look like? I can think of two different ways that we can hand our loved one over to the Lord. 1) We closely follow what the Lord has in store for them. I can think of two contrasting examples that depict one principle: I have two family members that strayed from the gospel for a while. They had zero interest in taking part of what the Lord wanted them to have. The first relative was forced to go to church. As long as he lived under the roof of his parents, he would be attending church. His father was adamant about it. And you know what? One day, this relative of mine went to church and one of the speakers said something that reached him. He was no longer forced to go to church because he didn't have to be. My second relative went a different route completely. Her mother received the impression that she should allow her to stay home. This was the right way for my second relative. Because of her personality, forcing her to go would have only caused her to hate it more. It wouldn't have fixed anything. In all honesty, it would have made things worse. Two different approaches that teach a principle when placed side by side: We don't always know what to do, but the Lord does. We may think we know what to do, but we have to let go of trying to control the situation and turn to the Lord for what's going to be best for our child. If one of my children grows to hate the church, my knee-jerk reaction would be to force them to go as long as I could in a desperate attempt to draw them back. And perhaps that's the right answer, but the key is to turn your loved one over to the Lord and follow the path that the Lord has in store for them. Even if part of that path means letting them choose a different path for a while, it's going to end up being the most powerful path if we're following the Lord. Even if that path takes them on a journey like the prodigal son, that journey may be the very thing that makes them so powerful in the end. It may be the very experience they need to finally develop a relationship with a Savior who can watch over them. Fear is natural when we worry about our loved ones, but we can hush our fears and lean on the promises of the Savior. His atonement reaches wide and far. It can turn sin into stepping stones. Consequences become opportunities to turn to the Savior. The Savior has earned our trust. We can lean on Him and let Him lead. 2) Sometimes trusting the Lord with your loved one is an internal battle. Hannah's path looked a little different than both of my relatives. She wasn't trying to save Samuel. In many ways, she was simply letting him go. Sometimes that is the path we have to take. Even when our children are young, we can't really control them. It can be easier to force them to do something when they're little. However, even then, control is often an illusion. As they get older, the illusion disappears and you have to hope they're wise enough to follow the Lord. But no matter how we hope, sometimes they take a different path. Sometimes the Lord is going to seem rather silent on the matter when we're desperately trying to save our loved one. That isn't a sign that you screwed up or that He doesn't love them; sometimes, that loved one is simply going to choose what they're going to choose regardless of the path that you choose to take. Sometimes turning your loved one over to the Lord means seeking out the Lord's will for them; sometimes turning your loved one over to the Lord means finding peace in the midst of being powerless to help them (at least for a time). Even if the Lord is silent, that doesn't mean He doesn't have a plan. It likely just means there isn't anything you can do to help that plan along at this point. When there is nothing you can physically do to help your loved one, you do what Hannah did. You let go and trust that the Lord has a plan for them. Just like with Hannah's situation, I think a knowledge of my Savior's power and love is the only thing that would bring peace. I can't change anything externally, but I can orient my heart towards the Savior and let His promises enable me to hope. I testify of a Savior who does have a plan. He has the Plan of Salvation which included the creation, fall, and atonement, but He also has individual Plans of Salvation for each of us. He knows exactly where your loved one is. He has steps to take and action to follow through on, and He will do so. It may take a long time, longer than you want or even imagine right now, but the Lord's plans can stretch that far. You can trust Him to take care of them, and you can put that burden down and rest. That doesn't mean you don't mourn, but it does mean you simultaneously carry the Savior's promises in your heart so that you can keep going. I testify that He will fulfill His promises. 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 – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 – 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 – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Ruth Had Nothing to Offer by Autumn Dickson Ruth was a woman in an extremely vulnerable position, and she placed herself in an even more vulnerable position with Boaz. Let's talk about it, and let's talk about how it relates to us. Ruth was a Moabite who followed her mother-in-law to Bethlehem. She was not originally part of God's people, but she voluntarily chose to be a part of them at great risk to herself. She was vulnerable as a widow, and she was stepping into a life of poverty by following after her mother-in-law instead of going back to live in her father's house. Not only did she face poor circumstances and the necessity of providing for herself and Naomi by gleaning the fields, she likewise faced potential ridicule and social rejection because of her foreign status. But she wanted to be with Naomi and follow after the God of Israel, so she chose that sacrifice. After spending some time in Bethlehem, taking care of Naomi and gathering up meager amounts of food from hard work, Ruth put herself in an even more vulnerable position. Boaz, a respected and wealthy man in the area, had taken note of Ruth and took steps to make sure she was okay. After hearing about Boaz watching out for Ruth, Naomi encourages Ruth to essentially propose to Boaz. According to the direction of Naomi, Ruth follows Boaz to the threshing floor one night, uncovers his feet, and goes to sleep there. Boaz wakes up and finds her, and she asks him to essentially take her under his wing. She asks him to marry her and bring her into his protection. Boaz agrees to do so if another relative relinquishes his first claim upon her. In order to understand the vulnerability that Ruth found herself in, it's important to understand the context of the threshing floor. Threshing floors were not inherently evil; they were community spaces where people went and prepared their different grains to finish the harvesting process. However, threshing floors were associated with a celebratory period that sometimes got out of hand. It was a male-dominated space, and there was drinking. It was not uncommon for prostitution. Let it be known, it was also common for wealthy men to sleep there and protect their grain piles. Boaz wasn't there to get in trouble; he was there to protect his grain. And yet, I want to highlight the potential danger for Ruth. Naomi trusted the integrity of Boaz and sent Ruth anyway. Beyond just protecting her, here is an extra thing that Boaz did for her. Ruth 3:14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. So Boaz protected her in every sense of the word. He could have taken advantage of her and probably gotten away with it. He could have thrown her to the wolves and ruined her reputation. As an outsider, she already faced scrutiny. She could have been branded a loose woman and made herself ineligible for future marriage. Regardless of whether it's just or moral that he had the power to do this is a question for another day. The fact remains that he did have power to do so, and he didn't. Not only did he avoid taking advantage of her, he also protected her from potential shame. If we generalize some of these ideas, we might find some personal parallels in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Here are a couple of reflections. 1) Boaz didn't actually have a responsibility to take care of Ruth. It is important to note that Boaz didn't have to legally take care of Ruth. In ancient Israelite custom, a brother of the dead husband would marry the widow and buy the land to keep the inheritance in the family. Boaz was a more distant relative. He was eligible but not required. It wasn't expected of him. In fact, the relative who was closer to her wanted the land but refused when he found out he would also inherit Ruth. Boaz married Ruth. He went above and beyond what was required of him to protect her. And how poignant is that? Christ was eligible to save us but not obligated. He chose to do it. He wanted to protect us. 2) She had nothing to offer Boaz except loyalty and need. Boaz didn't reap any benefit for marrying Ruth other than receiving her love and gratitude. Even beyond the fact that he didn't have a legal obligation, he was essentially bringing on “dead weight.” I understand that sounds heartless, but let me expound. Boaz had the option of marrying advantageously. He had to pay to get the land that had belonged to Ruth's previous husband; it didn't just come to him. He could have married someone that would have contributed to his own wealth or social standing without any complications of marrying a foreigner. Not to mention, any children he had with Ruth would be considered heirs of her first husband. That's why the other relative had refused. It endangered his personal estate. Boaz was willing to pay the price for kindness. Obviously Ruth had value as a human being. However, when she is logically compared with other options, she isn't bringing much to the table. Sound familiar? We hold very limited benefit in the traditional sense. Even as long-term investments, the Lord gives us everything we have and then gives us more when we try to serve Him. We don't offer much. And yet, Christ knows the value of being loved in return. Boaz recognized a woman who would add much more to his home despite the costs. He watched her love Naomi, and he knew that she would be the kind of person that brings joy. Christ is willing to pay the price of kindness, and He recognizes that investments don't necessarily bring joy. Our loyalty and gratitude and willingness bring joy. 3) And then, of course, the point I highlighted before: Ruth was vulnerable and Boaz protected her. Ruth could have been ridiculed and rejected. She was already prone to it because she was born a Moabite. It became that much more dangerous when she voluntarily chose to approach Boaz on the threshing floor. Someday we will stand vulnerable before the Lord. Someday we will live in a time where secrets are shouted from the rooftops. What secrets are you worried about? What do you want protected and kept private? I testify of a Lord who “forgets” our sins when we repent. I believe in a Lord who is willing to cover for us and take us under His protection. I believe in a Lord whose name is so powerful that we don't have to fear rejection and ridicule. He covers us when we approach Him in faith and humility. He doesn't despise our weakness; He honors it by taking it upon Himself. I testify of a Lord who pays the price of kindness and simply wants our love in return. It brings Him joy. Do not withhold it from Him. Do not withhold yourself from Him. He loves you. 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 – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

God's Mercy With Gideon's Doubt by Autumn Dickson The book of Judges records a time period in which Israel had no centralized prophet. There was apostasy and partial restorations as the Israelites would sway into worshipping like the Canaanites did. The Lord sometimes sent judges to help Israel against their enemies. These judges were charismatic, military leaders. Some of the judges would save all of Israel; other judges were more regional. Gideon was one of these regional judges, primarily protecting Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Ephraim. Gideon is interesting because he struggled with his faith in the Lord, and yet, the Lord was merciful. There are plenty of instances in the scriptures where the Lord doesn't seem to respond to that very well. Right after the Red Sea parted, the Israelites demanded a sign of Moses to show his favor with God. They were complaining and challenging Moses to show a sign. The place was named Massah as a memorial to their lack of faith. When Zechariah was told that his wife would have a son, he didn't believe it because she was old. He was struck as a mute. Thomas the apostle was likewise rebuked for his lack of faith. Gideon receives not just one, but multiple signs from the Lord. The angel burns up his offering to the Lord. His blanket is covered with dew while the ground is dry one night; his blanket is dry while the ground is wet one night. As he stands in the camp with his 300 men to go against the Midianites, the Lord encourages him to go spy on the Midianites and see what they're saying in order to receive comfort. He does so and overhears a Midianite sharing a dream in which a barley loaf came and flattened a tent. The Midianite's companion interprets it as God helping Israel defeat them. Here is Gideon's response. Judges 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. Multiple signs! God continually blesses Gideon and gives him signs to encourage him along. In fact, Gideon didn't even ask for the last sign. The Lord just gave it to him, and He gave it to Gideon in a powerful way. It would have been one thing to send a dream to Gideon about defeating the Midianites. It would have been easy for Gideon to wonder if it was just wishful thinking. In comparison, hearing the mighty Midianites have a dream and interpret it as defeat by the Israelites was much more powerful in calming Gideon's fears. So why did Gideon get multiple signs while others seem to be rebuked for asking for the same thing? I think there are a lot of reasons because the Lord works according to individual circumstances, but I want to talk about two potential reasons that can be applied in our own lives as we work to approach the Lord. The first reason the Lord was willing to work with Gideon is because the Lord is wise enough to understand that Gideon didn't have much of a relationship with the Lord. The fact that his father had a Baal altar implies that Gideon's family had fallen into idolatry. How much did Gideon know about God? We know Gideon had some knowledge of God because he asks about the deliverance from Egypt, but how much had Gideon experienced God? There's a difference. How much could the Lord reasonably expect Gideon to trust Him? The Lord knew Gideon, but did Gideon know the Lord? The Lord isn't looking for blind, obedient dogs. He is looking to have a true relationship with us. The fact that Gideon was cautious about running into danger isn't a sign that Gideon is faithless; it is more an indication that Gideon did not yet know the Lord. So what does this teach us about our own lives? The Lord will not begrudge us the time it takes to learn how to trust Him; He doesn't mind allowing us to approach Him until we've built up a number of encounters and start to understand His character. David fought off two wild animals before he fought off Goliath. We recently read about Moses whose trust in the Lord was extremely fragile in the beginning; Moses grew to the point where he encouraged the Israelites to have faith in the face of certain death even though he did not yet know the plan for rescue. The Old Testament gives us a front row seat to watching people experience the Lord and grow in their trust of Him. In contrast, imagine a powerful stranger coming up to you and saying, “Trust me.” When you ask them why you should trust them, they respond with, “Because I told you to.” Um…what? You may not immediately hate them or be wary of them, but you're not going to give them your darkest secrets or social security number (or hopefully you won't…). The Lord understands that He is a stranger to us; He is the one who put the veil there. He understands that we need experiences with Him before we're ready to run into danger when He asks. Once again, He isn't looking for blind, obedient dogs. He wants His children to be wise and consciously and voluntarily choose Him. He gave Gideon experiences because Gideon likely hadn't had many previously. He was patient with Israel. He was patient with Moses. The Lord has no problem being patient. If He seems impatient in specific scenarios, we can usually assume it's for the benefit of the person He is working with. He is trying to get their attention or get them moving. Which leads me to my second reason: The Lord allowed Gideon to approach Him multiple times for signs because Gideon's heart was soft. Over and over and over and over and over we read about the Lord responding with intensity in response to a hard heart and responding with mercy and encouragement to a soft heart. Gideon's heart was obviously soft. Look at this verse. Judges 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Gideon approaches the Lord so humbly. When the angel gave him a sign, Gideon immediately built an altar unto the Lord. That night, Gideon went and took down the altar of Baal according to the direction of the Lord. We see this multiple times with Gideon. He approaches the Lord in humility and asks for help knowing the truth. Gideon was willing to follow the truth and power and peace; Gideon was just trying to make sure he was looking in the right direction before moving forward. It is only when we've closed our heart off to that truth and power and peace that the Lord shakes the earth to reach us. I think of the Egyptians that saw all the same signs as the Israelites but didn't bother to ask whether they should follow after the same God as the Israelites. I think of Rahab and her people. The Canaanites were all terrified, but it didn't change who they put their faith in. Only Rahab was willing to follow the Israelite God and was spared because of it. You would think that people would open their eyes and ask, “Is there something here?” You would think that they would pause long enough and open their hearts so that the Lord could speak to them. Gideon asked, but Gideon was likewise prepared to follow through. This was part of why the Lord was so willing to encourage him along. I testify of a Lord that responds with wisdom. He knows what He is doing. He will not condemn us for approaching Him for reassurances if we're doing so with the intent to follow after Him. He doesn't even condemn us when we struggle; His intensity is not a sign of condemnation. It's a sign of God's love in trying to reach us! However the Lord is working in your life, you can take it with the perspective that He is trying to do what's best for you. I'm grateful for a Lord who is wise and can train me so purposefully and deliberately. 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 – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – 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 – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

What Does it Mean to be a Prophetess? by Autumn Dickson In a day and age where many are curious as to why women can't hold specific positions in the church or be ordained to priesthood offices, reading about Deborah the prophetess can be confusing. Here is a verse that describes her as a prophetess. Judges 4:4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. If Deborah can be a prophetess, can we have a prophetess in our day? What does it even mean that she was a prophetess and what are the implications for women in the latter days? I think it's important to note that I'm not an official representative of the church. However, I'd like to share some of my own perspectives and interpretations surrounding Deborah and what it means as a female Latter-day Saint. But first, some context. Judges is a book of scripture that describes the time period when Israel had no king. Joshua, the prophet after Moses, died, and there was no prophet that directly succeeded him. We don't know exactly how long it took before the Lord called another centralized prophet (Samuel), but educated guesses suggest 300-450 years. As a society, they had the Law of Moses, and the government could be described as a tribal confederation. Despite having a law given unto them from God, they often fell in with Canaanites and found themselves in varying levels of apostasy. Sometimes, in response to the Israelites finding themselves in trouble, the Lord would send a “judge.” The way that we define “judge” is not necessarily accurate in this particular book of scripture. In this context, a judge was a charismatic military leader that would help Israel. There were some major judges such as Samson; there were other minor judges that would help regions rather than the entire nation of Israel. So who was Deborah? Deborah was one of the major judges sent by God to help Israel. She was a judge in every sense of the word. She was a military leader, but people also literally went to her for guidance to settle their problems. She was also a spiritual leader over the nation of Israel. Was she a prophet? The scriptures describe her as a prophetess, and she led all of Israel politically and spiritually. But was she a prophet in the way that we define “prophet” in our day? At this point, I think it's important to clarify what it means to have a prophet. Definition One. The way that we usually define “prophet” in our church in the Latter-days is unique. It's not just someone who studies the scriptures and knows them really well. It's not just someone who receives revelation. When Latter-day Saints speak of prophets, we are often describing the man who has the authority to speak for God on behalf of the entire church. He is the only one with spiritual jurisdiction to lead (under Christ) the church. He holds all of the priesthood keys. And yes, he is a male. We don't know if that will ever change. I don't know if it's doctrine that means this particular role will always be male, or if someday the Lord will use His unchanging love and wisdom to adapt His church according to circumstances as He has throughout the course of history. But there is also a broader definition of this term, “prophet.” Definition two. Anyone can have the spirit of prophecy which is defined as a “testimony of Christ.” We know that Jerusalem had centralized prophets in ancient times as well as lesser “prophets” who would also be sent by the Lord to teach and call upon people to repent. I am not a prophet in the sense that I hold all the priesthood keys or can define doctrine on behalf of the Lord for the entire church. However, I have come to view myself as a prophetess within my own family. Beside my husband, I lead our home. I receive revelation on behalf of our kids and what we need to do. I learn the will of the Lord for our family. I fulfill so many of the “prophetic” responsibilities often associated with prophets; I simply do it within the context of my own family. Most importantly, I am a witness of Christ to my family. What kind of prophetess was Deborah? With the information we've been given, I feel pretty safe assuming she was the second kind of prophet. The Lord had declared that priesthood responsibilities would go through male descendants of Aaron and the tribe of Levi. Deborah was not ordained nor did she hold any keys. So Deborah was a prophetess but not necessarily how we often define it in our day. Perhaps there are some who are disappointed by this news. Perhaps there are some who hoped that because Deborah was a prophetess, we could have one in our day. Perhaps there are some who cling to the idea that things will change and long for the day to see a prophetess lead the church. I don't know whether that will be a thing. If anyone has any insight into that particular doctrine, feel free to comment. But as far as I know, we don't know. Here's what I do know. Deborah doesn't need to be disappointing. In fact, if we understand her properly, we should be exultant. If we understand what the Lord would like to bestow upon His daughters and His sons, then we would hold no fear. Deborah is excellent proof of what the Lord would have all of us do. Deborah may not have been a prophetess in the modern sense of the word, but guys! She was still a prophetess! She was a national leader, and people followed her. She changed Israel. She made a difference. She has been regarded with respect by millions who learned about her generation after generation. And she didn't need the priesthood keys to do it. The Lord is wonderful and wise and set up a priesthood organization with offices and keys. I know that can be a painful sticking point for some. I understand that. I'm personally grateful for this organization, but I can simultaneously understand why it's painful. But that's not really my point today. My point is that you have all that you need to become everything God wants you to become, and He has much more in mind for you than you have for yourself. This has implications for men too. About 3-5% of men will hold priesthood keys at any given time in the church. That number jumps to 10-20% of men who will hold priesthood keys at some point in their lifetime. BUT YOU DON'T NEED KEYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND CHANGE THE WORLD. No one came to Deborah and ordained her as a prophetess. The bible doesn't tell us how she rose to that role, but I have my guesses as to how it happened. It happened because she was a faithful daughter of God who chose to follow the Lord wherever He chose to lead her. Following the Lord and handing your life over to Him in faith (female or male) does not mean you will be recorded for people to pore over your life story for generations to come. It doesn't mean you'll be famous or even particularly loud. But if that's what you're looking for, then you're in the wrong place anyway. I love the example of Deborah, if for no other reason than her story means that I can be a powerful tool for the Lord regardless of what mankind recognizes in me. Regardless of whatever official roles I've been given, I could part seas or change lives. Really what it comes down to is what the Lord wants for me and what He's trying to teach me. Having enough power to change the world isn't really the question here; the Lord will give me everything I need. The true question is whether I will give my life over to Him in whatever capacity He asks. I have as well as I can, and I love my life. I testify that we have everything we need to do everything the Lord wants us to do and become everything He wants us to become. I likewise testify that He has much more in mind for you than you have for yourself. If you (female or male) feel left out because you can't be or aren't a bishop, then hold tight. The Lord has much bigger plans for you. He loves you so much. You are so important to Him. It would be silly to ask more from Him when He already plans on giving you everything that He has. 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 – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Rahab: From Prostitute to Type of Christ by Autumn Dickson How could I not take some time to speak about Rahab? She was incredible. Here is our introduction to Rahab. Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. Rahab was a prostitute who hid Israeli spies as they were coming to look at Jericho. In exchange for hiding them, she asked them to spare her and her family. They gave her a red cord to put in the window, and all of Jericho was destroyed except for her and her family. In order to understand precisely why she was so great, it's important to understand the background she was born into. Jericho was getting utterly destroyed. There have been times throughout history where the Lord helped His people conquer without utterly destroying everything. Jericho was not one of those times. The land of Canaan was “full” of sin to the extent that destruction was necessary. It was so filled with misery that it needed a clean slate. Except for Rahab. The fact that she's a prostitute during this time period isn't unsurprising. What she's had to go through is not a sign of her moral failings but of her society failing her. We can see the type of person she is from her reactions. She is willing to follow the Lord after hearing the testimony of others. She wants to save her family, not just herself. She utilized her circumstances for the Lord's work. These are not the only reasons Rahab is incredible. The fact that she married is also amazing when you learn what trauma she likely accrued because of her circumstances. This is not a comprehensive list of her good qualities, but I specifically chose these ones. These qualities are what make her like the Savior. Rahab is a type of Christ. Let's talk about a couple of things in her life that reflect the Savior. 1) She is willing to follow the Lord despite what the society around her is doing. Rahab could have been blinded by her own society. She could have followed what everyone else was doing and simply been afraid. Imagine if the rest of the Canaanites had the heart that Rahab had. Imagine if all of them had approached the Israelite army and were like, “We heard how your God protected you and took care of you. We would like to follow Him too.” Imagine if all of us were able to look at what was going on around us and be willing to follow a better way. The Jews were not especially righteous when Christ came to fulfill His mortal ministry. In fact, many of them were evil. If Christ had been born to any other nation, they would have recognized Him as God. Some of the Jews of this time period were too wicked to see Him for what He was. Jesus broke a lot of their made up rules. He followed the Law of Moses perfectly, but He broke a lot of the rules that they had built up around that law. He looked at society and knew there was a better way to live. 2) She wants to save her family, not just herself. Rahab could have followed the spies out. Perhaps that would have been easier than sitting in her home and hoping all the soldiers followed the direction to spare her. We don't know all the reasons why Rahab stayed, but we do know she sought out her family and brought them into her home where they could be protected too. She cared enough about her family that she sought saving them too. Maybe she even felt that being saved wouldn't be worth it if her family couldn't be saved too. Christ's heart also pushed Him to look beyond Himself. Christ is the only One who was perfect enough to go to heaven. He could have come down here, lived perfectly, and gone on to live in heaven forever, but He loved us too much. He put Himself through difficult things in order to save us too. He was concerned with saving His family. He obviously didn't think heaven was going to be good enough without us despite our many failings. He loved us, and looked beyond Himself. 3) She utilized her circumstances for the Lord's work. It was actually important that Rahab was a prostitute. With all of the tension in the air from the Israelite army, it would have been difficult for the spies to get into Jericho. Because she was a prostitute, it allowed them to enter into the city. It wasn't as uncommon for strangers and foreigners to visit brothels in comparison to visiting repectable houses. Not to mention, Rahab's house was within the city wall and allowed them to escape. Now, the fact that she was a prostitute did not mean that the spies went undetected. Somehow, the residents of Jericho noticed the spies and they came knocking. Rahab hid them on the roof before helping them escape. This is actually also an important reflection of Christ. Only Christ was in the correct circumstances to save us. Because of His birth, He held power that no one else had. He had the ability to save us because of His circumstances. But, it was still ultimately His decision to save us. Rahab's circumstances put her in an ideal situation to save her family and help the Lord's work, but her choices and faith were absolutely key as well. Sometimes our circumstances make it difficult to believe that we could ever be like Christ. Sometimes what we've been through or are currently going through make us think that we can't serve. Sometimes our circumstances are the very things that put is in a position to be like Christ. I testify that like Rahab, we are all given opportunities to be like our Savior. I also testify that like Rahab, following the Lord and His prophet will ultimately save us. It doesn't matter where we started; we can make choices that will put us in line with the Lord's people. He can save us, and He can utilize us if we're willing to leave our old lives behind. 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 – Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – 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 – Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Why They Marched Around Jericho 7 Times by Autumn Dickson The Fall of Jericho is epic for many reasons. There are a lot of details that we could talk about that would teach us about the Savior, but let's just cover a few. Jericho was a large city that was meant for the Israelites. The Lord was helping them gain their land one bit at a time. When Jericho saw the Israelites coming, they closed their gates and settled in for a siege. The Lord commanded the Israelites to circle the city every day for six days. Then on the last day, they were to do this. Joshua 6:15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. I can't speak for the whole of the commandment (walking once a day for six days); I would need to study it further. However, I want to talk about the last day. The Israelites were to walk around the city seven times, trumpets would blow, and the people were to start yelling. They did so, and the walls fell. The Israelites flooded in and took the city. No one was spared except for Rahab and her house because she had helped the Israelites. It is significant that the Israelites had to walk around Jericho seven times. Seven was a symbol of the covenant, and it was also symbolic of fullness or being complete. Jericho was the promised land; the Israelites needed completeness. In the New Testament, the Lord commands His people to be perfect. Perfect was a translation from the word “teleios,” which has an alternate translation. It also means “end” or “complete.” The Savior might also be commanding His people to reach their full spiritual maturity in comparison to going constantly without error. I find it beautiful that the Israelites needed to symbolically be “complete” in order to enter the promised land. I also find it beautiful that their completeness didn't make the walls come down. They needed to keep the commandment to go around the city seven times, but that's not what brought them into the promised land. Here is another important verse. Joshua 6:16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. The walls hadn't fallen down yet when Joshua said this to the people, and yet, Joshua is speaking as though it already happened. “The Lord has given you this city, so shout!” Joshua knew the promises of the Lord were good for the money. He had no doubt that the city was their's, and it reflected in the way he spoke to the Israelites. So what do we learn from this? The Lord was the one who brought them into the promised land, and He did so after they had become complete. The Lord is the one who brings us into heaven, and He does so “after” we are complete. I use quotation marks because “after” is a bit relative. There are many aspects of heaven that we already get to enjoy: family relationships, peace, freedom from past sins, and many more. In some ways, the Lord has already allowed me into heaven. I know that those blessings are a direct result of His atonement, and yet, He still wants me to walk towards completion. It is only when we have become complete, that we can truly enjoy heaven. For example, in my imperfection, I am still working on fully appreciating the most important things in order to bring more heaven into my life. Because of my insistence on completing tasks, I often prioritize my to-do lists over my relationship with my kids. It is very difficult for me to set aside these tasks that I make monumentally important in my life, and my ability to feel heaven suffers. I inadvertently start to view my kids as obstacles rather than the treasures that they are, and my happiness lessens because of it. I get irritable and don't treat them as good as they deserve, or I simply don't go out and be with them. Becoming complete isn't about never losing my temper again, though that's a nice side effect. Becoming complete is about spiritually maturing. It means taking a step back often enough that I change. I change to value my kids the way that Heavenly Father values me, and as I do that, I find more happiness than I could ever find within my completed tasks. It means that I become the kind of person who no longer feels a need to yell; it's much better than trying the perfectionist route. As I walk towards completeness, I gain more and more access to the promised land. This is not because I'm taking a hammer to the walls. I just work towards spiritual maturity, and the Savior is the one who actually delivers the promised land. He is the only one who can offer the promised land. We can't get it ourselves; it has to be given to us. And yet, the Lord still asks us to walk towards completeness. He does this because it's no use being in the promised land if we're all keeping ourselves from being happy through our own values and choices. The Lord asks us to keep His commandments and change towards completeness, but keeping His commandments doesn't earn heaven. It enables us to appreciate the heaven that He is delivering to us. The Old Testament is cool. The scriptures are cool. The Lord knows exactly what He's doing as He tries to teach us about the reality of the Plan of Salvation. The more I study the scriptures, the more I see that He knows what He's doing. I testify that the Lord knows us. I testify that He is the One who delivers heaven through His sacrifice. He gives it to us. It's a gift. He simultaneously pushes us and gives us commandments because He knows our growth is essential for our happiness. We can't enjoy His gift unless we become like Him. I'm grateful for His sacrifice, His commandments, and His support every step of this process. I'm grateful He loves me enough to work this hard for my joy and benefit. 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 – Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The Promised Land You Can't Enter Yet by Autumn Dickson In the chapters this week, Moses is led to the top of a mountain where he is shown the promised land. Deuteronomy 34: 1, 4 1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan… 4 And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that the Lord led him there to show him the promised land, Moses wasn't allowed to go into the promised land because of prior disobedience. He had led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the wilderness. It had not been easy. At one point, Moses had even asked the Lord to kill him rather than deal with the Israelites anymore. Moses suffered plenty of hardship, and he learned many great and important lessons. But despite this, Moses was still not allowed to step foot in the promised land. The Lord held true to Moses' consequences for disobedience. According to modern revelation, Moses was translated and taken up to the Lord before the Israelites entered the homeland that was meant for them. Details are always key. One of the details this week is the fact that Moses was taken up into a mountain where he could overlook the promised land that he couldn't enter. Mountains in scripture are often compared to temples. Holy things often take place on the tops of mountains, and the Lord gives knowledge and power to some of His children in the tops of mountains. Hold that thought. I wonder how he felt looking over the lands that were meant to be the inheritance of the Israelites. Did it hurt him that he would not be joining them or had he come to terms with the consequences that had been laid out for his disobedience? Did it hurt to see what had been meant to be his inheritance? Did it hurt to see the promises of the Lord that he would not be receiving? Whether it hurt or not, I can assure you that it no longer hurts Moses. He was translated, and he ended up in a different promised land than he had pictured or seen on the top of that mountain. It was a better promised land. Yes, Moses is just fine. I have found a surprising pattern in my life. I have multiple friends who dislike the temple, not because they don't agree with what happens there, but because they can't see the promises of the Lord being fulfilled for them. I have friends who have faced infidelity or family members who don't want to participate in ordinances in the the temple. Going to the temple and hearing the promises that were meant to be theirs doesn't feel particularly good. It is painful to hear about it and desire it deeply and not have current access to it. I fully recognize that I have not been in their shoes, nor do I understand what it's like to feel barred from those promises. Even as I share my testimony of these things, I fully own that I dont understand what it's like to have to come to terms with feelings like that. But sometimes objectivity is precisely what is needed. Strong emotions can be so overwhelming that it's difficult to see the end from the beginning. So let me testify of the end. Moses did not enter into that promised land here. He could see it. He was so close, but it was something that wasn't available to him. I promise you that he's okay. More than that, I promise that he is far more than okay. The Lord has taken care of Moses beautifully. There are two specific promises I want to testify of if you are facing the same problem as Moses or my friends. If you feel that there is no happy ending in sight, these are the promises I want you to hold to. Promise one. There is a promised land available for you even if it feels like mortality is barring you from in it one form or another. Mortality is not strong enough to keep you from your Savior's ability to give you a joyful existence. He is mighty to save. He can take care of you. You are not actually barred from those promises. And in all honesty, you don't even have to wait to step foot in the promised land. Moses' disobedience was what kept him from the promised land, and even his own disobedience didn't ultimately keep him from eternal joy. If you feel innocently barred, then Satan is lying to you. Christ can offer peace and comfort right now. You can go to the temple and listen to the promises and cling to them. Find comfort in them. You don't have to know the how in order for those promises to take affect in your life. Those promises ARE for you even if you don't know exactly how they will look. And if you don't feel strong enough to cling to those promises, He has the power to bring peace even when it's illogical. You can go to the temple and call upon the blessings He promised you there. You can tell Him, “I'm here. I came like You asked. Can you help me feel peace?” And then allow Him to offer peace. Allow Him to comfort you. Unfortunately, sometimes promises of joy feel empty without our loved ones who refuse their own promises. Which brings me to promise two. The Lord can take care of those around us, just as He can take care of you. Elder Orson F. Whitney, an apostle, taught this: The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught a more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. I don't believe the sealing power only applies to children. There is a reason we all get sealed together; I believe this likewise applies to spouses who have chosen to stray. The Lord has a plan for everyone who ever lived upon the earth to be sealed together. That sealing power is so strong. And in the meantime, He will sorrow with you. He knows what it's like to watch loved ones stray. He cannot force them to come back, but He knows how to succor you in your pain. He knows exactly how you feel, probably even stronger because His love is deeper. Take comfort in the fact that He has found eternal joy and hope. You can too. Looking at the promised land doesn't have to feel painful. I testify that if Moses had seen what was coming for him, any sting from being barred from the promised land would have been soothed. It would have had no power because Moses knew what the Lord had in store for him. We can be like Moses. If you could see the end, it would take away much of the sting for you as well. I testify that as we consciously strive to strengthen our testimonies of His promises, we find the balm He promised us now, not just in the next life. I testify that the Savior can deliver on His promises of eternal joy. I testify that the ending is beautiful. I testify that He knows how to reach our loved ones, and we can trust Him with them. 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 – Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 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 – Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Why Moses Never Entered the Promised Land by Autumn Dickson Moses was not allowed to go into the promised land with the rest of the Israelites. He wandered in the desert with them for 40 years, saw the promised land from a mountaintop, and returned to God before he could step foot into that land. Deuteronomy 34:4 And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. The event that caused Moses to be barred from the promised land came at a time when the Israelites needed water. At one point in their sojourn, Moses was commanded to smite a rock in order to provide water for the Israelites, and it worked. At another time, Moses was commanded to speak to the rock in order to provide water. Instead, Moses hit it again. Because of this, the Lord told Moses that he would not step foot in the promised land. And the Lord was true to His word. Moses never did enter the promised land that he had led the Israelites to. Despite the miracles and work and lessons that Moses had in his life as he led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness, Moses didn't get to help them take those last steps into the promised land. Seems a bit harsh for those of us who are also not exactly obedient. Everything that Moses contributed was not enough to earn him entrance into the promised land. Despite its seeming cruelty, this consequence handed down by the Lord is not harsh. It's true to life and important to understand. There are two portions that we need to understand in relation to Moses being barred from the promised land. 1) When we are not exactly obedient, it can bring lifelong consequences. It was such a small thing. Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it. He was supposed to hit the rock the first time. Was it really such a big deal that he hit it a second time? I wonder how Moses came to accept this punishment handed down by the Lord. Perhaps Moses accepted his punishment meekly and perfectly, but I'm going to show you a couple of potential responses from Moses that might reflect how we sometimes receive our own consequences. “It was such a small thing. Why am I being punished so severely? I've done so much good. Isn't that enough for the Lord?” “I have to live with this the rest of my life. Every step I take towards the promised land is a reminder that I can't ever go in. It's too much to bear.” “Why am I even walking towards the promised land if I can't go in? Why can't someone else lead them? What's the point of me wandering for forty years if I can't ever step foot in there?” Sometimes the consequences of our disobedience seem too much to bear, but the fact remains that the Lord warned us. He doesn't control us, and honestly, we would likely rail against Him if He tried. People rail against Him even when He merely tells them to stay away from certain behaviors and actions. He doesn't want to control us, and we don't want Him to control us, not really. So He warns us, and then He leaves us to decide whether we want to risk it. No amount of service to the Lord is going to erase a DUI that hurt you, another passenger, or someone in the other car. Even if you're doing everything right, pausing to look at pornography has the power to destroy your marriage or your happiness in marriage. Breaking the Law of Chastity just once can carry disease or bring a baby into the world who deserves two parents. None of these are things that you can't overcome, and yet, these consequences follow you even when you continue walking towards the promised land. All of these little commandments handed to us by the Lord are meant to protect us because they carry potential consequences that will follow us for life. This isn't meant to shame; it's meant to warn. You can choose what you want, and perhaps you'll be one of the lucky ones. But don't rail against the Lord if you end up with consequences that you have to carry with you until you die. He tried to warn you. He tried to help you set up a life that would be healthy and full of joy. He gave commandments for a reason. Now here is my second point, and it is every bit as important as the first point. 2) Moses went to heaven even though he didn't go to the promised land. The Lord forbade Moses from entering the promised land, and that consequence followed him throughout his journeys in the wilderness. BUT. According to modern revelation, Moses was translated, so I'm not really worried about him. Maybe it hurt while he was alive. Maybe he carried that disappointment throughout his journeys. Maybe it hurt even as he stood on that mountaintop and the Lord showed him where the people were going without him. But it's not hurting anymore. Moses is just fine. He carried those consequences; that's an important part of life. Even despite our best efforts, most of us will carry consequences for life. We will have things we wish we had never done. We will have things we terribly regret that come back to haunt us occasionally. But it's worth continuing our walk towards the promised land even while carrying those consequences that are teaching us powerful lessons. Because even if we don't get to walk into the promised land here, there is one waiting for us on the other side. That's the beauty of the atonement of Jesus Christ. The consequences are important for lessons, but lessons don't have to be carried forever. Christ paid for it. We get to leave them behind and receive the fullness of the Lord if we keep walking towards the promised land. I testify that the Lord tries to warn us and prevent us from carrying around things that hurt. I testify that even when we do it anyway, those consequences are gifts that teach us to rise to another level. I testify that we don't have to carry those consequences forever, that Christ paid for them and we still get to go to the promised land even if it's not the promised land we originally had in mind. I testify that Christ has something better in mind than we had for ourselves. 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 – Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

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.