The Arm of the Flesh...

Hello again constant readers.  I again concede to the fact that I am a horrible blogger.  My posts usually only appear once every few months, if we're lucky.  However, I felt particularly inspired today to write about something that has been bothering me since I moved to Portland.  I am talking about the trend that is starting to happen within our world of people choosing to rely on outside sources other than the Spirit to give them an understanding of life.
Now I know what you are probably thinking:  What's wrong with seeking knowledge?  It's true, even President Gordon B. Hinckley said that we should seek knowledge out of the best books and become learned in the ways of our modern world.  That being said, I feel that many of my friends have unfortunately chosen to let the knowledge and philosophies of the world creep into their testimonies and knowledge that comes from a source that surpasses our own earthly understanding:  the Holy Spirit of the Lord.
What exactly do I mean by this?  I will try to illustrate with some examples from my own life.  I went through a period of about two years where I found myself in darkness, without my usual safety nets under me.  I felt angry and confused for a long time.  Because of this, I tried to drown out the existence of Heavenly Father and forget about the things that I had been taught all my life.  I tried to dismiss all the notions of spirituality that I had and what's worse, I tried to use the faults of the earthly organization of the Church, its members, and the overall culture of "Mormonism" to justify my actions.  However, as I tried to immerse myself in the doctrines, philosophies, and teachings of the world outside the Church and convince myself that my new found philosophies were making me happy, I discovered that it was all a lie.  Though I don't know why (and I don't suppose I ever will in this life), Heavenly Father still was present in my life and at the very back of my soul, there was still a flicker of the truth I had been running away from all along.  As I finally conceded to Him, and allowed the Holy Ghost to begin teaching me anew, I was able to find the peace that I was looking for.  The more we try to look for reasons to leave the light, the more the lamps of our testimonies burn out.  I found myself completely in the dark before I had an idea of how serious my situation had become.  In addition I have seen many of my friends, both here in Portland and in other places that I have lived who lose their way in favor of becoming more "enlightened" through studies of various philosophers, teachers, and other earthly authority figures outside of the Church, citing the need for "logic" and "explanations" for everything that happens in life.  So here is my plea to those of you, my dear friends and family, that may be struggling with your feelings about the Church, Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and the Plan of Salvation:  Look for your answers in prayer, meaningful scripture study, and the words of ancient and modern day prophets of the Lord.  But this is not all.  Most importantly: YOU MUST BE HUMBLE AND SILENT ENOUGH FOR THE SPIRIT TO TEACH YOU!  There will be many, many distractions in this modern world of ours that will lead you away from the Master Instructor, who is the Holy Ghost.  Ask Heavenly Father to help you feel His guidance in all of your struggles.  No matter how many philosophers you study or books on psychology you may read, there will be NO GREATER KNOWLEDGE than that which you can obtain from meaningful prayer, study, meditation, and communion with the Holy Ghost.  I challenge you, readers, to take time each time to quiet the noise around you.  Turn off the TV, the computer, the music, and all other earthly inventions.  Listen.  He will speak to you and if you let Him, He will teach you ALL things that you need to know and calm your anxieties about the things you don't need to know right now in this life.  And as always, if you need a friend to lend a listening ear, I am always here for you too.  You are a child of God and are entitled to receive the confirmations that you need about the details of why you are here on earth, what He would have you do, and what you need to do to be happy.  One last encouragement, dear friends:  IT IS 100% OKAY TO NOT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.  There are going to be many instances in your life where something devastating happens to you.  This is all part of the experience of being here on earth.  Do not let these instances shake what the Spirit has confirmed to you.  I recently had someone express to me that the phrase "unshakable testimony" didn't make a lot of sense to them because they felt that it is the "shaking" that helps us to grow.  I slightly disagree.  I close my post with this thought:  Your testimony can be unshakable if you do not let outside sources cloud your judgement on what the eternal principles of progression are.  The way we grow and learn is by bettering ourselves according to the guidelines set by our Heavenly Father.  These guidelines are not boundaries, but keys to unlock the chains of addiction, depression, wickedness, and self-loathing.  If we live within these guidelines, they will act as a shield to protect from the turbulence or "shaking" that life throws at us.  We can take comfort in the fact that no matter how crappy life gets, the nature of our Heavenly Father and his Kingdom remain constant.  That is what "unshakable" means.   Just try to not be happy as you truly discover these principles through the influence of the Holy Ghost.  I dare you.  More to come...