God Comforts Us In All of Our Tribulation and Trials

We live in perilous times, and each of us will face hardships that may seem more than we can bear. But as emphasized in my post "How Jesus Christ Helps Us Overcome Sin", we will never be forced to face anything that is more than we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13).  God loves us, and is there to help us, comfort us, and heal us during times of trouble and despair.  In 2nd Corinthians of the Bible, Paul and Timothy face much persecution and troubles. However, despite all of the abuse and confusion that they face, they are able to avoid despair because they knew they have their Father in Heaven and Lord Jesus Christ watching over them, just as do we all. 

"Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation."

(2  Cor. 1:3-6)

Blessed is our God, he loves us and is merciful unto us and will comfort us in all of our afflictions. That is why He gave His son, His beloved son who endured endless suffering and torment for our sakes. And we can find comfort through the hardships that Christ bore for us. We need not bear as much because He bore for us and can take any amount of load off of our shoulders to bring us comfort. By taking advantage of that consolation that is found through Christ, we can aid others in finding the solace they need during their trials. 

Although our trials may seem like they will last forever, they are only for a small moment in time (D&C 121:7). We must endure through those short, difficult times, and if we can prove ourselves faithful God will exalt us on high (D&C 121:8). Our afflictions help to create for us an "exceeding weight of glory"; we need to remember that the things of eternity that we can't always see are of much more importance than the temporal things we are facing right now (2 Cor. 4:17-18). There is so much more for us to gain in the eternities to come. 

There are multiple scriptural accounts of prophets who have had to endure more than the average person. For example, Paul when he received "forty stripes save one" (2 Cor. 11:24) which is the severest form of whipping that he could receive under Jewish law (New Testament Manual). Another huge example would be Job, who lost his children, his friends, his house, and more, yet he remained faithful to God and didn't blame Him foolishly for his misfortunes (Job 1:22). Instead, Job sought comfort through God. And one more great example is "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, [who] has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it" (D&C 135:3). Joseph Smith endured beatings, jail cells, starvation, freezing conditions, lost children, and more all for the restoration of this gospel. He continued on through everything he faced, until his reputable martyrdom, which God will exalt him on high for. God will bless us in and for our tribulations. However, it isn't usually until after we have passed through the tribulation that we will find our blessings (D&C 58:4). That should bring us comfort and aid us in enduring as we will know that the pain will end. We will know that God will bless us for our afflictions and for our faith in enduring. Christ has overcome all the pains of this world, and through Him we can find healing and peace.

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
 (John 16:33)

Christ's grace goes hand in hand with assisting us in overcoming our tribulations. As grace is a "divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ...This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts" (Bible Dictionary).
So even though you may feel beaten down and lost, God will see that. He will see that you have nothing left to give, as you have given your all, and His grace will lift you up and bring you back and into His comforting embrace. There you will find rest from your pains, and there you will find peace.

How Jesus Christ Helps Us Overcome Sin

Jesus Christ is our ROCK and our Redeemer, and through Him we can overcome anything, even the worst of sins. Christ is like a rock in various ways. He is our rock and foundation of this gospel, if you are founded upon Him, then you will not fall when the storms of life come against you (Matt. 7:25).  As long as the church is built upon Him, then "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18), and it applies the same to us, if we are built upon Him then we shall never fall (D&C 50:44). Jesus Christ and this gospel are so entwined that they are both considered a rock in our lives (D&C 11:24); and we need them both in our lives in order to stay strong amongst all the evils of this world. There is so much evil prevalent in our world today, so much sin amongst us. Despite all of the evil around us, Jesus Christ is what brings us HOPE. He promises that even though we will be tempted by the devil, we will not be tempted above what we are able, and along with that, He has also created a means of escape from both temptation and sin (1 Cor. 10:13). Jesus Christ is that means of escape; He created that escape through His atoning blood and sacrifice. He was the only one capable of making this sacrifice because He kept Himself free from sin (D&C 20:22).  Christ bore the sins of all, along with all of our pains, temptations, and infirmities, He bore it all for our sake. Christ has made it possible for us to "blot out [our] transgressions according to the power of his deliverance" (Alma 7:13).

D&C 19 provides an incredible account of our beloved Savior's Atonement as He emphasizes for us to repent or else we must suffer even as He suffered and how exquisite that suffering is, verses 15-18 put it straightly from the mouth of God when He said,

"Therefore I command you to repent-repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore-how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit-and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink-"

Our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ love us. That is why our Father gave His only Begotten Son as a sacrifice in order to save us all from our sins. He is what brings us hope and light in this increasingly darker world. And if we are humble and have faith, and remain steadfast with Jesus Christ as our foundation, then we will be able to withstand temptation much more readily and overcome sin all together. Pray continually to God so that you may not be "tempted above that which ye can bear" (Alma 13:28). Let God forever be your rock and your guide so that you can return back to live with Him someday, as He yearns for nothing more than your safe arrival back into His arms.

Click here to read more about Christ's Atonement.

Progressing Each and Every Day

Each of us has qualities that we are particularly good at; however, each of us has much room for improvement. There is always some way that we can work to better ourselves. We should be pursuing to be better each and every day.  There is always progress to be made. 

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 4:1-12, 5:1-22, and 2 Thessalonians 3:1-6, 11 give a large list of attributes and areas that each of us has room for improvement in. These qualities include:

• loving one another and all men
• having holy hearts, blameless before God
• walking with God
• abstaining from fornication
• keeping yourselves clean and pure
• never taking advantage of another
• despising no one
• endeavor earnestly to be in holy places
• work with your own hands
• be honest
• watch for the day of the Lord
• put on the breastplate of faith
• encourage yourselves 
• edify one another as you edify yourself
• esteem other's highly
• be at peace among yourselves
• warn them that are unruly
• comfort the feebleminded
• support the weak
• be patient toward all men
• render evil unto no man
• follow that which is good
• rejoice evermore
• pray without ceasing
• in everything, give thanks
• quench not the Spirit
• despise not prophesying's
• examine all things and hold fast to that which is good
• abstain from all appearance of evil
• do the things which the Lord hath commanded of you
• direct your hearts into the love of God
• patiently wait for Christ
• withdraw yourselves from anyone that follows not in the ways of Christ
• don't be a busybody

3 of these attributes that I feel I could be better at would comprise of:

being patient toward all men, having a holy heart; blameless before God, and being honest.

Now it's not like I struggle immensely with these qualities, but I definitely feel like I could be better at them. I would like to go over each one.

Be Patient Toward ALL Men:

Sometimes people will do things that frustrate us, sometimes people can be slow or annoying, but we can't allow ourselves to get impatient. Elder Robert D. Hales says it wonderfully when he says, 

"Too often we pray to have patience, but we want it right now."

We need to have patience. I will pray to have more patience, although I may not become the most patient person overnight, if I continue to work on being patient, I will slowly become a more patient person and capable of being patient with all men no matter what they may do. If I find myself getting frustrated and impatient, I will retrieve to a quiet place and pray for peace and help. 

Have a Holy Heart, Blameless Before God:

God knows the thoughts and intents of our heart, so we must keep those intents pure and holy. I know at times I can desire for unnecessary and even extravagant things. I need to keep my desires pure and humble. My desires should pertain to holier things.  Because God knows all, I need all of my notions to be pure so that I can be found blameless before Him. We must take advantage of the Atonement in order to have pure and holy hearts, because it is only through Christ Jesus that we can be made and found clean at the last day.

David A. Bednar shares another way for us to have a pure heart, saying,

"Hearts are purified as we receive His strengthening power to do good and become better."

I will strive to better myself every day and in any way that I can. I will strive to keep my thoughts pure and all the desires of my heart clean and humble. I will seek forgiveness for when I am weak and have unholy thoughts and intents, so that I can take advantage of the Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ and be found holy and blameless before God.

Be Honest:

We as humans are weak and prone to making mistakes. However, we don't enjoy being viewed as weak, which can cause us to have dishonest behavior. There are times where I am dishonest with my money and spend more than I have. I desire a material matter now and because I feel like I can't wait, I make the excuse that I can pay it back later. And one dishonest behavior can lead to another. Because my husband knows our budget, he may ask me where I got a certain item and if that item is one that caused us to go over budget I may lie about the exact cost of that item or I may hide that item altogether, being the only one aware of its existence. These acts are unhealthy and can lead to more dishonest acts in the future so we must always strive to be honest in all matters.

"All of us can climb high[er] when we honor every form of truth."

-James E. Faust

There are multiple different forms of dishonesty, which is why we need to strive to be honest in all of our works, words, and endeavors. We need to be honest with ourselves and all of our fellow men. I will strive to be honest in every form. I won't speak a lie or act in a way that is dishonest to myself and my beliefs. If I find myself weak, I will pray to God for help and I will keep myself away from things that may entice me. I will let the Savior be my guide and follow after his perfect, honest example.

"People of integrity and honesty not only practice what they preach, they are what they preach. And the Savior stands as the finest example."

-David A. Bednar