Spiritual Whirlwinds BY ELDER NEIL L. ANDERSEN Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Don’t let the whirlwinds drag you down.
These are your days—to stand strong as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s Not Take the Wrong Way BY ELDER
CLAUDIO D. ZIVIC Of the Seventy
I pray that we will not lose sight of the
way so that we may always be connected with the heavens.
Learner Readiness [How do I get them thinking? What stories
would be useful?
READ A - Quotation - Elder Anderson
A - Quotation - Elder Anderson, Spiritual
Whirlwinds
Many years ago while we were visiting our
family in Florida, a tornado touched down not too far from us. One woman living
in a mobile home went into her bathroom for safety. The mobile home began to
shake. A few moments passed. Then she heard her neighbor’s voice: “I am here in
the front room.” Coming out of the bathroom, to her great astonishment, she
discovered that the tornado had lifted and carried her mobile home through the
air, landing it perfectly upright on the top of her neighbor’s mobile home.
READ B Quotation - Elder Anderson
B - Quotation - Elder Anderson, Spiritual
Whirlwinds
My young friends, the world will not glide
calmly toward the Second Coming of the Savior. The scriptures declare that “all
things shall be in commotion.” Brigham Young said, “It was revealed to me
in the commencement of this Church, that the Church would spread, prosper, grow
and extend, and that in proportion to the spread of the Gospel among the
nations of the earth, so would the power of Satan rise.”
READ C Quotation - ELDER
CLAUDIO D. ZIVIC
C - Quotation - Elder Claudio D. Zivic, Let's Not Take the Wrong
Way
A little boy was practicing the piano, and a salesman, upon seeing
him through the window, asked, “Is your mother home?”
To which the child replied, “And … what do you think?”
Q: Why did the boy respond that way?
READ Quotation - ELDER CLAUDIO D. ZIVIC
D - Quotation - Elder Claudio D. Zivic, Let's Not Take the Wrong
Way
Our five dear children play the piano, thanks to the motivation of
my wife! When the teacher arrived at our home, our son Adrián would run and
hide in order to skip his lesson. But one day something marvelous occurred! He
began to love music so much that he continued practicing on his own.
If we could reach that point in the process of our conversion, it
would be marvelous. It would be wonderful to have a desire deep in our hearts
to keep the commandments without anyone constantly reminding us and to have a
firm conviction that if we follow the right path, we will have the blessings
promised in the scriptures.
SAY: If we could reach that point in the process of our
conversion.... Q: What is Elder Zivic talking about?
Q: Can our conversion wax and wane?
SAY: let's listen to a story from Elder Zivic's talk. While
listening to the story look for things in the story that Elder Zivic did wrong
or that could have been warning signs if he had given heed.
READ Quotation - ELDER CLAUDIO D. ZIVIC
E -
Quotation - Elder Claudio D. Zivic, Let's Not Take the Wrong Way
Several years ago I went to Arches
National Park with my wife; our daughter, Evelin; and
a family friend. One of the most famous arches there is called
Delicate Arch. We decided to walk about 1.5 miles (2 km), climbing the mountain
in order to reach the arch.
We started off on our pathway with great
enthusiasm, but after walking a short stretch, the others needed to rest.
Because of my desire to get there, I decided to continue on alone. Without
paying attention to the path I ought to take, I followed a man in front of me
who seemed to be moving forward with great surety. The pathway became more and
more difficult, and I had to jump from one rock to another. Because of the
difficulty, I was sure the women in my group would never make it. Suddenly I
saw Delicate Arch, but to my great surprise, I saw that it was in an area
inaccessible to me.
With great frustration, I decided to go
back. I waited impatiently until we met up again. My immediate question was
“Did you reach Delicate Arch?” They happily told me that they had. They
explained that they had followed the signs showing the way, and with care and
effort, they had reached their destination.
Unfortunately, I had taken the wrong way.
What a great lesson I learned that day!
Q: What were some of the reasons why Elder
Zivic never made it to Delicate Arch?
- His ego go involved - he felt he could
do things that his wife couldn't do (jump from rock to rock)
- He left his loved ones behind
- He followed somebody else
SAY: Isn't it ironic that that his wife
and family achieved the goal and he didn't?
Learner Involvement [What are our whirlwinds? How do we include the
Savior in resolving the whirlwinds?
READ Quotation - Elder Anderson
F - Quotation - Elder Anderson, Spiritual
Whirlwinds
More concerning than the prophesied
earthquakes and wars are the spiritual whirlwinds that can uproot you from
your spiritual foundations and land your spirit in places you never imagined
possible, sometimes with your barely noticing that you have been moved.
Q: Is it possible to barely notice
that you have been moved from a holy place to a place outside the embrace of
the gospel?
READ Quotation - Elder Anderson
G - Quotation - Elder Anderson, Spiritual
Whirlwinds
Not all the whirlwinds in life are of your
own making. Some come because of the wrong choices of others, and some come
just because this is mortality.
Q: What are some of the whirlwinds that we are dealing with today?
What are some of your personal whirlwinds?
[homosexuality, living together outside the bounds of marriage,
historical concerns from internet, old age, health issues, loosing your loved
one, personal sorrows, influential people]
READ Quotation - Elder Anderson
H - Quotation - Elder Anderson, Spiritual Whirlwinds
How do you prepare for your whirlwinds? “Remember … it is upon the
rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your
foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, … his shafts
in the whirlwind, … when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you,
it shall have no power … to drag you down … because of the rock upon which ye
are built.” This is your safety in the whirlwind.
Q: What is our safety in whirlwind?
READ Quotation - ELDER CLAUDIO D. ZIVIC
I - Quotation - Elder Claudio D. Zivic, Let's Not Take the Wrong
Way
A marvelous teaching is found in the book of John:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I
in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:4–5).
Using this analogy, we can see the very close, transcendent
relationship we have with Jesus Christ and the importance He places on each one
of us. He is the root and the trunk that conducts the living water to us, the
sap that will allow us to be nourished so that we can produce much fruit. Jesus
Christ taught us in such a way that as branches—or beings dependent upon Him—we
would never underestimate the value of His teachings.
Q: How do we deepen our foundation, our connection with Jesus
Christ?
Learner Application [How do we stand strong? How do we endure
to end? What can we we do on a daily basis to stay strong? What is the
hope behind all this?
READ Quotation - Elder Anderson
J - Quotation - Elder Anderson, Spiritual
Whirlwinds
The worst whirlwinds are the temptations of the adversary. Sin has
always been part of the world, but it has never been so accessible, insatiable,
and acceptable. There is, of course, a powerful force that will subdue the
whirlwinds of sin. It is called repentance.
Q: When we are caught in a temptation whirlwind what do we do?
Q: If we were following someone's teachings that we are beginning
to realize is leading us down the wrong path, what do we do?
Q: If our best thinking concerning philosophies of the world have
caused us to be at odds with the teachings of the church and the gospel, what
do we do?
SAY: Pres. Monson said the following "We also can be in
the world but not of the world as we reject false concepts and false teachings
and remain true to that which God has commanded."
Application : How to take a stand without being judgemental.,,,
READ Quotation - Elder Anderson
K - Quotation - Elder Anderson, Spiritual Whirlwinds
Recently, I spoke with a Laurel from the United States. I quote from her
email:
“This past year some of my friends on Facebook began posting their
position on marriage. Many favored same-sex marriage, and several LDS youth
indicated they ‘liked’ the postings. I made no comment.
“I decided to declare my belief in traditional marriage in a
thoughtful way.
“With my profile picture, I added the caption ‘I believe in
marriage between a man and a woman.’ Almost instantly I started receiving
messages. ‘You are selfish.’ ‘You are judgmental.’ One compared me to a slave
owner. And I received this post from a great friend who is a strong member of
the Church: ‘You need to catch up with the times. Things are changing and so
should you.’
“I did not fight back,” she said, “but I did not take my statement
down.”
She concludes: “Sometimes, as President Monson said, ‘You have to stand alone.’ Hopefully as youth, we will stand together in being true to
God and to the teachings of His living prophets.”
Conclusion - Quotation - Elder Claudio D. Zivic, Let's Not Take the Wrong Way
What is the hope behind all this?
Build more firmly your foundation upon the rock of your Redeemer.
Treasure more completely His incomparable life and teachings.
Follow more diligently His example and His commandments.
Embrace more deeply His love, His mercy and grace, and the powerful gifts of His Atonement.
As you do, I promise you that you will see the whirlwinds for what they are—tests, temptations, distractions, or challenges to help you grow. And as you live righteously year after year, I assure you that your experiences will confirm to you again and again that Jesus is the Christ. The spiritual rock under your feet will be solid and secure. You will rejoice that God has placed you here to be a part of the final preparations for Christ’s glorious return.
The Savior said, “I
will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” This is
His promise to you.
Notes:
On Living Together
This past month the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve
published a letter to leaders of the Church across the world. In part it read:
“Changes in the civil law do not, indeed cannot, change the moral law that God
has established. God expects us to uphold and keep His commandments regardless
of divergent opinions or trends in society. His law of chastity is clear:
sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and
lawfully wedded as husband and wife. We urge you to review … the doctrine
contained in ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World.’
Notes: Same Sex Attraction
Of special concern to us should be those who struggle with
same-sex attraction. It is a whirlwind of enormous velocity. I want to express
my love and admiration for those who courageously confront this trial of faith
and stay true to the commandments of God!12 But everyone, independent of his or
her decisions and beliefs, deserves our kindness and consideration.13
The Savior taught us to love not only our friends but also
those who disagree with us—and even those who repudiate us. He said: “For if ye
love them which love you, what reward have ye? … And if ye salute your brethren
only, what do ye more than others?”14
The Prophet Joseph Smith warned us to “beware of
self-righteousness” and to enlarge our hearts toward all men and women until we
feel “to take them upon our shoulders.”15 In the gospel of Jesus Christ, there
is no place for ridicule, bullying, or bigotry
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