LDS Freedom Forum

2 Nephi 32:9
9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

Let's break it down a little.

1. ye must pray always
2. that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray
3. that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee
4. that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul

Why should we do this?

What things could we do that we could confidently approach the Lord with in doing?
What things would we be confident in asking that he would consecrate our performance?
What type of things could we do that would not be for the welfare of our soul?
If we were to practice this often, would it change the way we do things?

Thoughts

This can be applied to various instances, but to me personally, to pray always and not faint is to importune the Savior as he admonishes us repeatedly in scripture. To consecrate my performance for the welfare of my soul is to seek to know my part in His plan; my mission in mortality and appointed tasks that will make me worthy of abiding His presence and glory. I want the welfare of my soul; the well being of my life to coincide with these labors that I may find rest in this life and to be called friend by Him, until such time that I find rest with Him in heaven.

coachmarc wrote:This can be applied to various instances, but to me personally, to pray always and not faint is to importune the Savior as he admonishes us repeatedly in scripture. To consecrate my performance for the welfare of my soul is to seek to know my part in His plan; my mission in mortality and appointed tasks that will make me worthy of abiding His presence and glory. I want the welfare of my soul; the well being of my life to coincide with these labors that I may find rest in this life and to be called friend by Him, until such time that I find rest with Him in heaven.

This is good. But what I am asking is this, for one instance of many, many. Could we ask God to consecrate unto us for the welfare of our soul...the performance of voting for the lesser of two evils? Would God say, "very good, even though you are still choosing evil, it's fine with me?
This is where I'm going with this thread. What performances would God accept and which ones would he not accept, provided we ask him in the first place as directed? Seems to me we would choose more wisely what we ask him to consecrate for the welfare of our soul.

He gives us our freedom to choose, even though we often tend to ask Him the wrong question(s) rather than asking what His will is, even after He has told us clearly in the scriptures or through prophets. If I recall, Joseph Smith once said he would vote on principle rather than vote for the lesser of two evils and by doing so, is not throwing his vote away. I don't have time to look it up, though.

I think the key is inside the question 3:

How come "to consecrate our performance" will be accounted for our salvation?
in which sense?

We can look at the the four sons of Mosiah as an example. Their desire was to teach the gospel to the Lamanites. I am sure they had already prayed about it, but wanted their father's permission (none of them wanted to take over as king). The Lord consecrated their performance so much that they brought thousands to repentance AND He preserved their lives.

There are many potential thoughts I have about this, depending on what the circumstances are or what it is that we are considering.

Given the example you just gave...my thought was of my first marriage that ended in divorce. I don't really imagine that God loves divorce, the dissolution of a family, or any of that stuff. And yet, there were many prayers that I directed to God, and though I may not have used the words that Nephi uses here, I was in a sense asking that he would consecrate this messy portion of my life, that it would be to the welfare of my soul.

And He did.

What should have been one of the darkest moments of my life beginning with my wife confessing infidelity and a desire to go figure things our on her own, ended up being one of the most holy experiences of my life. What could have resulted in bitterness, hatred, grudge holding, anger, doubt, judgement, etc....resulted instead in compassion, forgiveness, mercy, charity, hope and faith.

I was filled with a peace which did not match my circumstances. Truly God was a Light in my wilderness.

So, in that moment, God truly did consecrate my performance, that even something as ugly as divorce ended up being to the welfare of my soul.

coachmarc wrote:He gives us our freedom to choose, even though we often tend to ask Him the wrong question(s) rather than asking what His will is, even after He has told us clearly in the scriptures or through prophets. If I recall, Joseph Smith once said he would vote on principle rather than vote for the lesser of two evils and by doing so, is not throwing his vote away. I don't have time to look it up, though.

This is a start.
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

-- John Quincy Adams

LDX wrote:I think the key is inside the question 3:

How come "to consecrate our performance" will be accounted for our salvation?
in which sense?

If we ask God to condone something we know may be a little shady or off, we pause and lack confidence in asking. Sometimes we already know the answer because of the light of Christ within us. But if, however, we desire to do good for someone, for instance, we are confident before God that our choice is a righteous one, and we want Him to recognize it and consecrate it for our eternal welfare. He loves it.

Some good stuff from Hyrum Smith

We engage in the election the same as in any other principle: you are to vote for good men, and if you do not do this it is a sin: to vote for wicked men, it would be sin. Choose the good and refuse the evil. Men of false principles have preyed upon us like wolves upon helpless lambs. Damn the rod of tyranny; curse it. Let every man use his liberties according to the Constitution. Don't fear man or devil; electioneer with all people, male and female, and exhort them to do the thing that is right. We want a President of the U. S., not a party President, but a President of the whole people; for a party President disfranchises the opposite party. Have a President who will maintain every man in his rights.

I wish all of you to do all the good you can... I despise the principle that divides the nation into party and faction... Damn the system of splitting up the nation into opposite belligerent parties.

Dannyk wrote:There are many potential thoughts I have about this, depending on what the circumstances are or what it is that we are considering.

Given the example you just gave...my thought was of my first marriage that ended in divorce. I don't really imagine that God loves divorce, the dissolution of a family, or any of that stuff. And yet, there were many prayers that I directed to God, and though I may not have used the words that Nephi uses here, I was in a sense asking that he would consecrate this messy portion of my life, that it would be to the welfare of my soul.

And He did.

What should have been one of the darkest moments of my life beginning with my wife confessing infidelity and a desire to go figure things our on her own, ended up being one of the most holy experiences of my life. What could have resulted in bitterness, hatred, grudge holding, anger, doubt, judgement, etc....resulted instead in compassion, forgiveness, mercy, charity, hope and faith.

I was filled with a peace which did not match my circumstances. Truly God was a Light in my wilderness.

So, in that moment, God truly did consecrate my performance, that even something as ugly as divorce ended up being to the welfare of my soul.

Well articulated. You did what Proverbs 3:5 and 6 says.
Trust in God with all thine heart
And lean not unto thine own understanding
In all thy ways acknowledge Him
and He shall direct thy paths.

In other words, He consecrated thy performance because it turned out righteous in many aspects. Confusion, hurt and bad feelings were replaced with love and good will.

5tev3 wrote:Some good stuff from Hyrum Smith

We engage in the election the same as in any other principle: you are to vote for good men, and if you do not do this it is a sin: to vote for wicked men, it would be sin. Choose the good and refuse the evil. Men of false principles have preyed upon us like wolves upon helpless lambs. Damn the rod of tyranny; curse it. Let every man use his liberties according to the Constitution. Don't fear man or devil; electioneer with all people, male and female, and exhort them to do the thing that is right. We want a President of the U. S., not a party President, but a President of the whole people; for a party President disfranchises the opposite party. Have a President who will maintain every man in his rights.

I wish all of you to do all the good you can... I despise the principle that divides the nation into party and faction... Damn the system of splitting up the nation into opposite belligerent parties.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

freedomfighter wrote:2 Nephi 32:9
9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

Let's break it down a little.

1. ye must pray always
2. that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray
3. that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee
4. that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul

Why should we do this?

What things could we do that we could confidently approach the Lord with in doing?
What things would we be confident in asking that he would consecrate our performance?
What type of things could we do that would not be for the welfare of our soul?
If we were to practice this often, would it change the way we do things?

Thoughts

So think about this: what is prayer? Is it saying the words "Heavenly Father" then saying "we thank thee" and then "we ask thee" and then closing "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen"? Is it bowing your head and closing your eyes? It is kneeling?

The Bible Dictionary defines prayer this way: "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other"

Study how people pray in scripture, particularly the Book of Mormon. How do they address God? The Bible Dictionary states that "Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship." Namely the relationship between us and God, that "God is our Father, and we are His children", remembering this relationship allows prayer to become "natural and instinctive on our part".

Perhaps an examination of prayer as demonstrated by those in scripture will teach us about how to truly pray. Perhaps the spirit will guide us on how to pray and why not simply be brave enough to cast aside tradition for a moment, take a deep breath and approach God and do whatever comes instinctively.

5tev3 wrote:

freedomfighter wrote:2 Nephi 32:9
9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

Let's break it down a little.

1. ye must pray always
2. that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray
3. that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee
4. that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul

Why should we do this?

What things could we do that we could confidently approach the Lord with in doing?
What things would we be confident in asking that he would consecrate our performance?
What type of things could we do that would not be for the welfare of our soul?
If we were to practice this often, would it change the way we do things?

Thoughts

So think about this: what is prayer? Is it saying the words "Heavenly Father" then saying "we thank thee" and then "we ask thee" and then closing "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen"? Is it bowing your head and closing your eyes? It is kneeling?

The Bible Dictionary defines prayer this way: "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other"

Study how people pray in scripture, particularly the Book of Mormon. How do they address God? The Bible Dictionary states that "Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship." Namely the relationship between us and God, that "God is our Father, and we are His children", remembering this relationship allows prayer to become "natural and instinctive on our part".

Perhaps an examination of prayer as demonstrated by those in scripture will teach us about how to truly pray. Perhaps the spirit will guide us on how to pray and why not simply be brave enough to cast aside tradition for a moment, take a deep breath and approach God and do whatever comes instinctively.

I think you are correct. While we must show respect, we can express ourselves anywhere, any time and for whatever reason. I express gratitude many, many times while walking, having foot pain and a lack of cartilage in one knee, and arthritis in both hips. As I walk I look up to the heavens and thank him for the ability and energy just to do it. Many times afterward, I feel an increase of strength and stamina. He loves it when we show gratitude in all things. Thus, in a sense, God is consecrating my performance of showing thankfulness.
We can see many blessings if we are still and know that He is God.