Single Most Important Skill

This week I had an amazing opportunity. I went to my stakes conference. Brother Ron Bartholomew was the key speaker. He is an amazing institute speaker at UVU and BYU. The topic he focused on was Personal revelation, Step 10. 

It was so beautifully perfect I had to share:

He quotes Sister Beck: “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life.” ( May 2010 “And Upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit”)

How we can prepare our minds and hearts to hear the spirit? 

We need the following 3 things:

Natural Darkness: absences of video. absences of phone. 

Natural Silence: absences of audio distraction, any sound at all!

Personal Solitude: absences of personal thoughts. 

He then explain why having all of this absent from our live is important. 

3 Nephi 11. It starts out explaining that a group were gathered in a temple and “they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one with another the great and marvelous change which had taken place…conversing about Jesus Christ”. They were engaged in something wonderful! They were not doing anything that would clearly offended the spirit. 

The scriptures go on to explain that as they were talking they heard a voice “from heaven, they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard…it being a small voice….they heard the voice again, and they understood it not. And again for the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and is said unto them: Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased in whom I have glorified my name- hear ye Him”. Then Christ Himself descend from heaven (3 Ne 11:1-11)

Brother Bartholomew explained that they could not hear and understand the voice until they stopped talking and stopped looking. 

His talk touched my heart so much, I will definitely be sharing more of it sometime. I am so grateful that he had the spirit with him while he spoke. I took away so much from his talk. What a blessed man he is. 

I hope that we can all adhere to President Monson’s when he said, "The boy prophet Joseph Smith sought heavenly help by entering a grove which then became sacred.  Do we need similar strength?  Does each need to seek his or her own "Sacred Grove”?  A place where communication between God and man can go forth unimpeded, uninterrupted, and undisturbed is such a grove." (Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Choose You This Day, Ensign, November 2004) 

My personal "grove" is waking up before any else is.  Being completely alone, silent: no music, no TV, no phone, absolute silence. I am so thankful for that time I have. I don’t use it ever day. I hope that I can, because what a beautiful gift it truly is. 

Much Love, 

Rachel 

Inspiring Podcast(s)

What uplifting podcasts do you listen to?

Podcasts are AMAZING! I listen to them every day and they are free. I usually listen to: 

- Take control of your money. By: Dave Ramsey (Financial  counselor)

- Inspiration with Val; “get inspired, unstuck and happy” (just  starting listening to her. She has guest speakers come on that  are inspiring for sure! 

- Life Habits by: Karel Vredenburg. Super inspiring. 

- Believe in yourself/Confidence on the Go by: Trish Blackwell

The last one that I mentioned has been a favorite since Day 1! Trish is a recovery from an eating disorder. She is now such an inspiration for others and I really admire her for that. She now spends her time as a personal trainer, author and coach. 

Every episode Trish has a "listener of the episode". On Feb 12th I was the listener (she shared part of an email I sent her). The last 3 minutes she talked about it and thanked me for sharing my story and for changing. I was jumping up and down. I rewinded it probably 5 times. NO JOKE! I was so happy that she would share a tiny bit about me. It helped me see my progress. 

I am so grateful that the Lord is changing who I am in His own time and in His. As I rely on Him with all my might, mind and strength. I love Him. I am so grateful that everyday I get a chance to make a difference and to learn more about who I really am through the Lord. 

I hope that I can add more good to my day. There are so many good movies, book, songs and podcasts that can change your day. Get rid of ANYTHING that puts you down, triggers you or doesn’t invite the spirit. 

What podcast or books have your guys read/heard that you inspire you? I would love to know. Post them below. 

Have a wonderful day. And know that things will get better. 

Much love,

Rachel 

I will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.

2013 was a roller coster. Last January I started to feel ill. Little by little it got worse and worse. I was in and out of emergency rooms. Every test in the book was being ran and I was sent from specialist to specialist. Unfortunately, all the tests and blood work came back normal.  Leaving me with no answers!

As a recovery addict being sick is a HUGE TRIGGER. Today as I was watching New Testament videos I watched the one about the women with “the issue of blood”. Tears filled my eyes.

I was so frustrated this week trying to do every single thing that I could do to get rid of headaches. They have been coming on for the past week constantly. I let Satan step in because of my frustration. He tricked me into thinking that God was not helping me anymore. Telling me it had been a year and what has come of it, well as I tried to reach for God's help, He showed me what has come of it:

The Lord guided me to this video. I was reminded that God has power to do all. We must have faith. In Mark 5 it says,” Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague”. How beautiful! 

In last April Conference Elder Erying gave a talk called "In the strength of the Lord":

“The combination of trials and their duration are as varied as are the children of our Heavenly Father. No two are alike. But what is being tested is the same, at all times in our lives and for every person: will we do whatsoever the Lord our God will command us?

Knowing why we are tested and what the test is tells us how to get help. We have to go to God. He gives us the commandments. And we will need more that our own strength to keep them. 

..The restoed gospel makes plain the simple things we need to do. And it gives us confidence that the help we need will come.”

I can bear my testimony that God knows me better than I know myself. He has given me challenges, as well as all of us, because He knows you can handle it. We can do it with Him, we must have faith. Deep in my addiction this scripture used to make me so upset: 

 1 Corinthians 10:13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

I used to think that God was mad at me and gave me this addiction and struggles. I could not understand it. I am so grateful to be reminded today that I choose to come down to earth and go through EVERY single trial because I loved my Father in heaven so much that I would do whatever it took to return to him. 

Today was a hard day, but I will do anything to get back with Him. I know it will be worth it. Day by day, moment to moment always, always rely on Him. A great reminder for today and every day. 

Thank you Lord.

Much Love, 

Rachel 

“The test of a loving God has set before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered Him and the commandments He gave us.”

Look Within

In the LDS 12 Step Addiction Recovery Manual Step 10 focuses on daily accountability. 

Throughout Step 10 it asks some questions, such as:

Am I doing too much or too little?

Am I taking care of my basic spiritual, emotional and physical needs?

Do you serve others?

A few weeks ago I listen to Trish Blackwell’s pod cast, Confidence on the go, highly recommended. I love love love her!! She really does bring me confidence, very grateful for her. 

In this podcast she stated that she asked herself these following questions:

   

    What are three core values?

    What are my three core strengths?

    What are my three core weaknesses?

    What is out of balance in my life and am I willing to address it?

    What do I think is really possible for me?

    What would I do if I could really accomplish anything?

    What holds me back, fear of success or fear of failure?

    What makes my heart sing?

    What doesn’t make my heart sing that I keep doing anyways?

    What am I really doing with the gifts and talents I have been given?

    What was my biggest disappointment of 2013?

    What will I celebrate most in 2014?

I love these questions! I am so grateful that as I have worked the steps and that now the Lord can help me look within. LDS Addiction Recovery Manual says,” We realized how much our addictions had robbed relationships and robbed us of sense of worth”. (Step 1, pg.1)

In my addiction I compeltely lost who I was. I am so extremely grateful that these questions can help me look within and be in tune with me, the real me. 

Much love,

Rachel