LDS Freedom Forum

The more I get to know God the more I become convinced that the way we learn to love God is through receiving His love.

Perhaps the thing we struggle with most in this life is receiving the love of God- how often do we cut our selves off from God believing we can not receive because or weakness or sin?

Yet what was the purpose of Christ then? Did He not reconcile us with God? How can I consider myself reconciled and cut off at the same time? Either I believe God's word or I reject it. At some point we must let God love us. We must let the immense grace of Jesus Christ and His mercy wash over us- receiving and believing His love for us- in so doing we become transformed. In humbling ourselves and letting God love us despite our faults, we allow God to then work in us. Letting God love us is the beginning of wisdom. It is understanding with awe the incredible nature of God and His view towards us and how much He desires us to be formed in His image.

He sent His Spirit and gave us His Spirit- so we might be a temple. Do we believe we are temple? But, I messed up, but I sinned. Yes, but at what point do you think your sin might trump the power of God to heal and raise you from the dead? If you believe, you begin to understand this is not an "excuse" to sin- it is grace. In letting God love you and knowing His love, it takes away the desire to sin. God's love is manifest through Jesus Christ- HE is the foundation, He is the chief cornerstone and if we do not see God, it is because we do not see Jesus Christ.

If you struggle to believe God loves you, drop to your knees and thank Him for loving you and the proof He loves you is through Jesus Christ - who gave His life when you didn't even know Him, before you believed, He gave His life so you could latch onto Him and become reconciled to Him, through faith on His name- faith means to be fully persuaded, to trust entirely in. Do we believe What Jesus said? Do we believe He gave His life so we might have life more abundantly? Do we accept that life or live below our privilege because we don't see ourselves as God sees us. Ask God for the belief to believe His love for you, ask Him to remove unbelief if you find yourself believing He doesn't love you. Yield to Him, let the enticings of the Holy Spirit teach you His love- for if it is in you, or you have felt it- it is God wooing you to Him.. that is proof you are loved.

It is time to rise up, many have awoken, but now is the time to rise, to let God raise you up, to trust His word concerning you. Let Him treat you as His bride, precious and loved. Let Him grow you up into Him and to receive all He has for you because of His Son Jesus, who from one Son, God now has many Sons (and Daughters). Be His Son. Be His Daughter. Cry out to Him saying "Abba" Father, and let Him embrace you as the child you are and let Him teach you His ways. Let Him love you, so you can know how to love and love Him. For He is our First love (1 John) and we love because He loved us first.

"..let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:18

Very well-spoken John!

I have very little to add as your post is complete. I will testify that God is indeed gracious in his love for us. When I cry out, as a rebellious child full of doubts and despair... He hears me and soothes my soul.

When I give thanks and offer my love and gratitude... He embraces my being with warmth and joy.

Self-doubt is the work of he who strives to keep us from our Father's love. It is tough to shake off and keep off as evil is waiting around the corner to place the cloak back upon our shoulders.

I am printing your post and putting it where I will read it often. A very solid reminder... Thank you sincerely!

Just wanted to add more to why I responded with the scripture in my above post. I agree with what John has said about receiving the love of God, and when I think of the questions asked in his post I am reminded of Christ saying that by serving others we are serving God. Like you said, it's very important to connect with God through prayer, meditation, contemplation, etc. but if we also don't add selfless action to that, in doing good deeds and also standing for truth, we will be one of those who Christ says did not really know him.

To be like Christ is to emulate the principles of love and wisdom that He is the embodiment of. One of Christ's purposes was and is to bring the principle of love to the earth; to enable us to raise up this physical body to become a holy temple.

By keeping His Torah https://seekingyhwh.org/torah/

creator wrote: ↑November 29th, 2023, 12:29 pm Just wanted to add more to why I responded with the scripture in my above post. I agree with what John has said about receiving the love of God, and when I think of the questions asked in his post I am reminded of Christ saying that by serving others we are serving God. Like you said, it's very important to connect with God through prayer, meditation, contemplation, etc. but if we also don't add selfless action to that, in doing good deeds and also standing for truth, we will be one of those who Christ says did not really know him.

To be like Christ is to emulate the principles of love and wisdom that He is the embodiment of. One of Christ's purposes was and is to bring the principle of love to the earth; to enable us to raise up this physical body to become a holy temple.

Thank you - refreshing thoughts!

Just as we were first loved as babies and then we learned to love, I also believe we seek to feel God’s love and then can love others as ourselves. And “God is truth” not lies. So loving God is loving truth - not casually - especially in a world of such deception. We need to love truth with passion - and being humble to realize when we’re mistaken.

I believe the ultimate Antichrist is in the act of twisting Christ’s words to mean the opposite of what was meant. It’s to take rich, symbolic parables intended to rise us above this world and turn them into the deification of the literal, superficial signpost intended to damn us - or keep us back - from progressing.

But how much easier to pretend Christ did our exercising for us!

“We all must do what Christ did. We must make our experiment. We must make mistakes. We must live out our own version of life. And there will be error. If you avoid error you do not live.” - Jung


“The God-image in man was not destroyed by the Fall but was only damaged and corrupted (“deformed”), and can be restored through God's grace. The scope of the integration is suggested by the descensus ad inferos, the descent of Christ's soul to hell, its work of redemption embracing even the dead. The psychological equivalent of this is the integration of the collective unconscious which forms an essential part of the individuation process.” - -Carl Jung

Christ was not Jesus’s last name but what he became and encouraged us to become. He wasn’t the great exception but the great example.

Jesus Christ is the only name where we can find the real peace of God

The fruit of of real discipleship is obvious to anyone who's tasted it. It changes the internal and submits the external.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"
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This is real thing, you cannot give it to yourself. It is HIS yoke. It only comes by way of the Savior....through the merits of the man lived without sin, by the God who laid down His life for the sins of the world.

As the Jesus Christ movement continues to intensifies, be careful not to dismiss non-LDS who claim authority to speak in the name of Jesus Christ.

49And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
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And watch for those who preach against the cross and claim that you can save yourself without the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This is the counter movement that is growing among the people of our nation.
It's based in pride. You see it in all the churches rebranded as "exaltation" among the LDS, or outward ordinances among the Catholics...

or as "natural innocence" ....among people who outright deny Jesus of the Bible....these people claim that God made us perfect, that a kind God wouldn't require our debt at the feet of one who had no debt. These people are simply unaware of reality. They don't know God, so they make themselves into their own god with the tutelage of the beings who have practiced self-worship since before the earth was.

The fruit will always boil down to:

"Don't worship Jesus Christ, only worship God"

Sidestep the blind who are silly enough to think to lead you and tell you there is no such thing as green

28 And now behold, my people, ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the prophets and the law.

29 And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.
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12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God;

13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.
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6 I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.

7 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat.

8 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.

9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.

12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

13 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.

14 And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day.

15 For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.

Keep His commandments.

Find out which ones are of Him and which ones are from the minds of men.