LDS Freedom Forum

I have a family member who is on the verge of loosing his family and everything he has due to some poor choices he has made / is making. He is in a really vulnerable spot and at an all time low and I'm needing help finding or sharing quotes, scriptures, or clips that would inspire someone continue turning to God, placing the temptations and appetites of the world on the alter and staying penitent. After an intimate tearful conversation with him he looked at me with some desperation and asked me to please share anything that I feel would be beneficial and I would like to send him something each day. Because he is broken I also feel he is at a critical point where the spirit can really influence him through timely messages. Please if you have any thoughts about something that may help would you mind sharing, it literally may end up saving a soul and a family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVUPWd7s-4c
Not knowing the specific hurdles he is struggling with, this talk has helped me feel humble but at the same time my soul is worth something to the Lord. Listen and find out for yourself if it is helpful.
As a seminary teacher always said to me, "keep the faith" the Church is true!

My sister in law was in a bad spot and I was sending her music and it was really helping her. Marc has an uplifting music thread somewhere on her and there are some really great songs in that.

BTH&T wrote: ↑March 24th, 2018, 11:05 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVUPWd7s-4c
Not knowing the specific hurdles he/she is struggling with, this talk has helped me feel humble but at the same time my soul is worth something to the Lord. Listen and find out for yourself if it is helpful.
As a seminary teacher always said to me, "keep the faith" the Church is true!

This was wonderful thank you.

True wrote: ↑March 24th, 2018, 11:16 pm

I hadn't thought of that, and I agree, what a great way to invite the spirit.

Some of the really somber humble church hymns are good.

And think of the Restoration.

I was thinking about this recently and do often. The Restoration has many parts and that's why its so exciting.

Apostasy on Earth occurs...men live in darkness and lose their eternal identity. They lose all sight of a divine plan and divine 'RESCUE!' from God. They lose hope.

Then comes a man with the faith like the brother of Jared. God opens the heavens for the first time to man in over 1,500 years. Joseph Smith receives the inspiration that man will not be fallen forever, that he is redeemable and not beyond hope. Man is rescuable! The plan of salvation still applies! And it still applies to us today and tomorrow! How inspiring it is that there was an apostasy because it shows that we can come back, and repent. How great the gift of the gospel! Hope comes from the believe that a bright eternal future is possible! This is why the Joseph Smith story is so exciting, but people condemn it for not understanding that The Joseph Smith story shows that not all is lost. Man can be redeemed. The Lamanites can be redeemed and are, and will be the most faithful of people! They will be beautiful again. (Scripture references; put on thy beautiful garments O' daughter of Zion!)

The book of Mormon front page says..."...that they may not be destroyed...", "...that they may/are not be cast off forever..." These words are for anyone seeking to be redeemable, redeemed, and to be really brought out of an unhappy state. How great the gift of repentance!

Think of the great debate of faith and grace. The truth is that both "faith, grace, repentance and other traits are all seeking the gift of being redeemed to be brought back into God's prescence one day." Seek redemption and help people understand that what we're seeking is redemption. We can have a temporary feeling of redemption, that we are living right in the eyes of God, but we're ultimately seeking the full state of fully being redeemed to be in God's presence again one day.

That Book of Mormon talks about the theme of being destroyed if they don't repent. What is being destroyed? The loss of identity, eternal identity.

The simplest most plain truth of being a child of God is what we seek. Yet we gloss over that definition so easily thinking its not enough.

You can encourage this person to put references to beautiful, beauty, and whiteness next to all their repentance scriptures! Why? Because it's true. It fits. We need to understand that seeking redemption and repentance make us beautiful towards God. Yet our temporal minds and society want us to think that repentance is a drag. Repentance makes us beautiful. This is another point...

The Restoration ultimately leads to not just the Restoration of the Church but the Restoration of our eternal identity as children of God and going to the next step of the hope of being 'children of God --> to children of God "in his prescence to go no more out forever"' (reference in Alma I think...) Right now we trust that God and Jesus no more about who we are than we do. They remember our good traits from the pre-existence. They remember what we need and what we should be like to gain those traits, encourage them, and be restored to our true self.

The Restoration continues!

1 Nephi 11:8 beauty of the tree exceeds all beauty...(also around that verse the fruit is delicious above all things). The fruit is the love of God, and you can also say its Christlike works and attributes. The tree can be representative of a family. Note that there's room around the tree for more in Chapter 8 and in the Chapter afterwards of Nephi's version where he's told about the tree of life also.)

Family relationships can be restored just like the Restoration. (Although it can take a lot of time and patience. But the hope is there that we won't be alone after this life if we repent. This is the hope of the gospel!)

2 Nephi 8:24 Zion to put on beautiful garments --> Zion is a place of families, and love and beauty of the redeemed. We can seek this as a blessing. We struggle to comprehend it in this life but it ultimately means not just the pure in heart, but the family and society of angels. No wonder the scriptures talk about putting on beautiful garments!

Mosiah 5:7 "...because of covenants (or keeping covenants, and the sacrament!) ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons and daughters of Christ! (Isn't this love and life? And the promise of a family?) Family relationships can be grown and given back after repentance. (It can take some time. But we are seeking a long lasting happiness and eternal state.)

It all begins with repentance and the Sacrament.

It helps to think about the 12 step repentance program, as given through LDS family services.

Study the sacrament and what it means...what it cost the Savior. And who the Savior is.

https://youtu.be/Zq-KhxsUxNo

My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee

https://youtu.be/_uAxVPWs0RM

Let us All Press On

https://www.juliebucker.com/reflections.html

drtanner wrote: ↑March 24th, 2018, 10:55 pm I have a family member who is on the verge of loosing his family and everything he has due to some poor choices he has made / is making. He is in a really vulnerable spot and at an all time low and I'm needing help finding or sharing quotes, scriptures, or clips that would inspire someone continue turning to God, placing the temptations and appetites of the world on the alter and staying penitent. After an intimate tearful conversation with him he looked at me with some desperation and asked me to please share anything that I feel would be beneficial and I would like to send him something each day. Because he is broken I also feel he is at a critical point where the spirit can really influence him through timely messages. Please if you have any thoughts about something that may help would you mind sharing, it literally may end up saving a soul and a family.

This talk from Catherine Thomas is profoundly insightful. My best to your family member. May they find peace and the spirit of at one ment with the Savior.

https://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=959

drtanner wrote: ↑March 24th, 2018, 10:55 pm I have a family member who is on the verge of loosing his family and everything he has due to some poor choices he has made / is making. He is in a really vulnerable spot and at an all time low and I'm needing help finding or sharing quotes, scriptures, or clips that would inspire someone continue turning to God, placing the temptations and appetites of the world on the alter and staying penitent. After an intimate tearful conversation with him he looked at me with some desperation and asked me to please share anything that I feel would be beneficial and I would like to send him something each day. Because he is broken I also feel he is at a critical point where the spirit can really influence him through timely messages. Please if you have any thoughts about something that may help would you mind sharing, it literally may end up saving a soul and a family.

Pray hard and long and do something positive for him at least once a week until and after you see some results, don't give up unless you have to or are inspired to stop. If you can do something with him, like fishing, where you can let him allow you to monitor his behavior and thereby offer more insights you should. He obviously needs YOUR help otherwise he would not ask YOU for it, that is a huge blessing for you and for him. This sounds like a golden opportunity to make a difference.

drtanner wrote: ↑March 24th, 2018, 10:55 pm I have a family member who is on the verge of loosing his family and everything he has due to some poor choices he has made / is making. He is in a really vulnerable spot and at an all time low and I'm needing help finding or sharing quotes, scriptures, or clips that would inspire someone continue turning to God, placing the temptations and appetites of the world on the alter and staying penitent. After an intimate tearful conversation with him he looked at me with some desperation and asked me to please share anything that I feel would be beneficial and I would like to send him something each day. Because he is broken I also feel he is at a critical point where the spirit can really influence him through timely messages. Please if you have any thoughts about something that may help would you mind sharing, it literally may end up saving a soul and a family.

I'm sad to hear this problem, I've few knowledge but I like to share or to do something, I think it will be more helpful if we know some details like what's the exact black ideas that make him away than the way of God. If he has a problem with spirits, I can simulate some Quran verses but with gospel ideas and concepts, 'cause the form of Quran verses affect on some dark spirits, I didn't try this before, but it just an idea that may be work, any way I wan to help with my weak abilities.

This is like a small prayer, you can find the number of the original verse and it's chapter of Quran, I think may be it works if the problem is spiritual, there's no conflicts as I think between it and the Christianity.

"My enemy wanted to bring me out of light, so Lord drowned him and all of who're with (103 of 17)
He said "I made you for myself" (41 of 20)
O Lord, expand my breast (25 of 20), and ease my affair (26 of 20)
He said "All sons of world are in vain, but not those who are repentant" (2,3 of 103)
He can't be questioned about what he's doing, and they're questioned (23 of 21)
Jesus sent his messengers with Gospel and Lord will question those to whom sent and will question the messengers (6 of 206)
Amen"

I have been a somewhat similar situation. I realized that I could not repair any relationships until I repaired myself. I also realized that I could not repair myself. I had to learn to let my Savior repair me. Because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, which became evident to others in my family, they then began to live their lives doing the same, thus naturally repairing relationships with one another. There is a movie called Fireproof that I recommend sharing with your family member if you can find it.

I like to review the stories of Alma the Elder, Alma the Younger, the Sons of Mosiah. All had been wicked yet repented and became great examples.

"Jesus knew that the Father would have to treat Jesus like Barabbas so that He could treat Barabas like Jesus..."

D&C 19:
23 Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me


https://player.fm/series/byu-classic-sp ... l-sep-1982

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/neal-a-m ... eek-lowly/

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.” —Moroni 10:32

“Whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.” —Alma 36:3

“Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.” —2 Nephi 26:28

“But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.” —1 Nephi 1:20

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.” —Alma 7:11–12

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” —Ether 12:27

“For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” —1 Nephi 20:10

“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” —1 Nephi 3:7

“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.” —Mosiah 4:27

God Will Forgive - https://www.lds.org/ensign/1982/03/god- ... e?lang=eng

Word of Jesus - https://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/02/word ... s?lang=eng

"Forgiveness means that problems of the past no longer dictate our destinies, and we can focus on the future with God's love in our hearts."
--Elder David E Sorensen ,, "Forgiveness Will Change Bitterness to Love", May 2003, Ensign pg 10

"As you consider your own life, are there things that you need to change? Have you made mistakes that still need to be corrected? If you are suffering from feelings of guilt or remorse, bitterness or anger, or loss of faith, I invite you to seek relief. Repent and forsake your sins. Then, in prayer, ask God for forgiveness. Seek forgiveness from those you have wronged. Forgive those who have wronged you. Forgive yourself."
--C. Scott Grow, "The Miracle of the Atonement", April 2011 General Conference

"With faith in the merciful Redeemer and His power, potential despair turns to hope. One’s very heart and desires change, and the once-appealing sin becomes increasingly abhorrent. A resolve to abandon and forsake the sin and to repair, as fully as one possibly can, the damage he or she has caused now forms in that new heart. This resolve soon matures into a covenant of obedience to God. With that covenant in place, the Holy Ghost, the messenger of divine grace, will bring relief and forgiveness."
--D. Todd Christofferson, "The Divine Gift of Repentance", October 2011 General Conference

Some really good and pertinent books worth reading, IMO -

Bonds That Make Us Free - C. Terry Warner
Putting on the Armor of God - Steven A. Cramer
The Worth of Every Soul - Gerald & Loanne Curtis
Conquering Your Own Goliaths - Steven A. Cramer
In His Image - Steven A. Cramer
The Peacegiver - James L. Ferrell
The Crucible of Doubt - Terryl & Fiona Givens
The Sin of Certainty - Peter Enns
Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt - Patrick Q. Mason

All the best to you and your family, dtanner.

This may sound silly and perhaps a bit juvenile, and isn't exactly what you've asked for, drtanner, but may be worth sharing nonetheless. A couple of times recently, I have asked HF that any blessing I might have "earned" by some type of service or sacrifice I had done be sent someone specific who needed it more than me. I have felt some sort of power and peace in doing so.

This is one of my favorites. Always brings the spirit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEpPISSEmv4

drtanner wrote: ↑March 24th, 2018, 10:55 pm I have a family member who is on the verge of loosing his family and everything he has due to some poor choices he has made / is making. He is in a really vulnerable spot and at an all time low and I'm needing help finding or sharing quotes, scriptures, or clips that would inspire someone continue turning to God, placing the temptations and appetites of the world on the alter and staying penitent. After an intimate tearful conversation with him he looked at me with some desperation and asked me to please share anything that I feel would be beneficial and I would like to send him something each day. Because he is broken I also feel he is at a critical point where the spirit can really influence him through timely messages. Please if you have any thoughts about something that may help would you mind sharing, it literally may end up saving a soul and a family.

I went through a period where my wife was a near invalid requiring very high levels of care, and I thought that I may never have her functional again. I had 7 children, with 5 of them 5 years old or younger (4 in diapers) - which requires a high level of patience and physical care. I attempted to lean on family and the local ward, but it was often more stressful to do so and after repeated reports to DCFS for minor things I stopped including them in my child care needs to reduce my burdens. I did lean on the Lord, every other avenue of assistance was a dry well from which I could not draw. Through some fasting for spiritual power and giving up some of my unworthy appetites and just hanging on by my fingernails the trial eventually subsided.

After things started to stabilize the Lord saw fit to grant me blessings I wasn't sure I'd ever achieve. Through that pit I grew a great deal and found myself being compensated with a very clear set of temporal blessings and a small opening of the heavens. These are the depths of the refiners fire and how the Lord brings out the gold in the hearts of those he loves so dearly.

EDIT:
One of the hard parts can be submitting to the events as they come and not getting angry or dwelling in a self destructive pit of self pity or self loathing. To this end, it helps to really understand that the Lord's purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. To that end, he is a master of his art. Expertly bringing trials, challenge, sorrow, pain, warmth, assistance, enemies, companions, and family in proper mixture, depth, strength and length to someone to refine and elevate that soul if it will respond as well as it can to the circumstances. So great is his skill in this it puts the finest symphony or display of skill of man to appear utterly insignificant.

Another thing I've learned, that when all is revealed in the end. Many people's lives will be more tear wrenching, glorious, and heroic than any hollywood movie ever produced. We can be a dramatic people, and some people have sought and agreed upon rather dramatic paths to their own lives. Such stories are no good without proper opposition and resistance to the protagonist Even if he is a little bit (or a lot) foolish in how it comes about.

Hope this helps? I really like what is taught in Preach My Gospel;

“Repentance includes forming a fresh view of God, ourselves, and the world.”