It's hard to believe this is our final talk (our last week!) of our October 2020 Study!! It has been SUCH a pleasure to learn and deepen our discipleship together! We'll chat more later this week about all the exciting things we have coming up, including #confprepweek, but until this, I just wanted to say thank you for studying with us!! xoxo, Rio

from RUSSELL M. NELSON

Embrace The Future With Faith

1  |  You have chosen this, and you are chosen for this. We chose to come to Earth not because it was easy but because we knew what we would gain while being here. Not only did you choose to come here, but you are needed at this moment. You are chosen for this. You have the spiritual power to change the world. Some words from the prophet to seal this truth: “You have all been absolutely heroic!” “I marvel at your strength and faith. You have shown that in difficult circumstances, you bravely carry on." “Once again, you have proven that you are literally the hope of Israel!” “You can teach truth, even when it runs counter to prevailing opinions." “You are adept at creating places of security for yourselves and those you love.” “You have a divine endowment that enables you to build faith in others…and you never stop." If you are looking for specific promises about your call in this dispensation, take another look at all of the ways President Nelson talks about you. 

2 |  Having a secure foundation starts with preparation. Perhaps never before have we been so keenly aware of what we lack in physical preparation than what we experienced in the last year. There might have been moments where food storage and temporal preparations lacked what was needed in a time of distress. What about your spiritual preparation? The security you're yearning for and the peace that you're searching for is found as we yoke ourselves to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! We can look to our covenants, the Book of Mormon (also known as our ‘latter-day survival guide’), and exercising our faith to solidify our foundation and prove strong in the face of uncertainty. Let's remember President Nelson's promise that: “Life without God is a life filled with fear. Life with God is a life filled with peace”. 

3 |  Finding and establishing places of security. One of the ways Captain Moroni fought his enemies was by creating places of security with “embankments, forts, and walls." We also need to find and establish our places of safety, both physically and spiritually. Our homes are our first line of defense for our security. While beams and walls support our homes, we also need to look at the stability of our spiritual strongholds. Where do you retreat when you need a place of security? It might be physical places such as the temple, chapel, or a special room in your home. I even think of being able to retreat in moments if I can't retreat anywhere physically. Moments where we are washing the dishes, giving a presentation at work, getting the kids off to school, or laughing with loved ones. Our prophet tells us that our places of security be anywhere you can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and are able to receive guidance from Him. 

"My dear sisters, let us not just endure this current season. Let us embrace the future with faith! Turbulent times are opportunities for us to thrive spiritually. They are times when our influence can be much more penetrating than in calmer times."

RUSSELL M. NELSON

"Of course, our ultimate security comes as we yoke ourselves to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Life without God is a life filled with fear. Life with God is a life filled with peace. This is because spiritual blessings come to the faithful. Receiving personal revelation is one of the greatest of those blessings." 

RUSSELL M. NELSON

INVITATION:

President Nelson promises us that if we are prepared, we will be able to embrace the future with faith. He also reminds us of Captain Moroni's strategy to prepare his people against opposing forces that were “stronger, greater in number, and meaner.” 

Using Captain Moroni's example, create a Spiritual Preparation Plan for yourself. Pick one of these three principles and evaluate how you can strengthen your spiritual preparation by writing down your answer to these questions: 

For “Places of Security”: In what ways can your strengthen your home as the first line of defense? How can you follow the counsel of those whom the Lord has authorized to guide you more closely? How can you increase your understanding of priesthood power and of temple covenants and blessings? 

For “Preparing Your Mind”: How can you immerse yourself in the power of the Book of Mormon more fully? What does your spiritual foundation look like today? How can you strengthen it? How can you exercise your faith to increase it? Are you yolked to the Savior? 

For “Never Stop Preparing”: In what ways can you keep preparing? The adversary never stops attacking so how can you never stop preparing? Do you truly embrace the future with faith? In what ways can you increase your faith and act upon it for the future? 

We also invite you to join us for our #confprepweek next week where we seek to prepare our hearts and our minds for the special messages that will be shared!
 

AFFIRMATION:

I embrace the future with faith because God has a glorious future in store for me. I have an irreplaceable influence in His plan through personal revelation and preparation.