Have ye spiritually been born of God?

1. Have ye spiritually been born of God? www.kevinhinckley.com

2. Time for Vacation?

3. President Kimball "This impression weighs upon me—that the Church is at a point in its growth and maturity when we are at last ready to move forward in a major way. . . . (1979) The basic decisions needed for us to move forward, as a people, must be made by the individual members of the Church. The major strides which must be made by the Church will follow upon the major strides to be made by us as individuals. We have paused on some plateaus long enough. Let us resume our journey forward and upward." (Conference Report, April 1979, p. 114.) Why would we, as Saints, “pause” in our spiritual growth?

4. President Benson The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 77.

5. Alma in Zarahemla Captivity Mercy Deliverance And now behold, I say unto…you that belong to this church, have you: 1) sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? 2) … sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? 3) And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell? Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God.

6. Elder Oaks I have spoken about miracles.  I have given illustrations of miracles in the Church as a whole and in many different circumstances involving a few individuals or a crisis of weather or war.  But the greatest miracle is not in such things as restoring sight to the blind, healing an illness, or even raising the dead, since all of these restorations will happen, in any event, in the Resurrection. Changing bodies or protecting temples are miracles, but an even greater miracle is a mighty change of heart by a son or daughter of God. . . If of the right kind, this change opens the door to the process of repentance that cleanses us to dwell in the presence of God. It introduces the perspective and priorities that lead us to make the choices that qualify us for eternal life, ‘the greatest of all the gifts of God’ (D&C 14:7).” Ensign, June 2001, p. 17

7. Alma goes on… And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? … Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God.

8. President Benson Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is ??? Enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.

9. C.S. Lewis We are not merely imperfect creatures who must be improved: we are…rebels who must lay down our arms. The first answer, then, to the question why our cure should be painful, is that to render back the will which we have so long claimed for our own, is in itself, wherever and however it is done, a grievous pain…But to surrender a self will inflamed and swollen with years of usurpation is a kind of death. We all remember this self-will as it was in childhood, the bitter, prolonged rage at every thwarting, the burst of passionate tears, the black, Satanic wish to kill or die rather than to give in. The problem of Pain, p. 91

11. Even more C.S. Lewis The natural life (natural man) in each of us is something self-centered, something that wants to be petted and admired, to take advantage of other lives, to exploit the whole universe. And especially it wants to be left to itself; to keep well away from anything better or stronger or higher than it, anything that might make it feel small. It is afraid of the light and air of the spiritual world, just as people who have been brought up to be dirty are afraid of a bath. And in a sense, it is quite right. It knows that if the spiritual life gets hold of it, all its self-centeredness and self-will are going to be killed and it is ready to fight tooth and nail to avoid that. Mere Christianity, p. 53

12. One last thought… When I am hot and rebellious, bitter and cynical and sarcastic; when it seems as though evil can win in the world and the battle is to the strong; when it seems as though pride possesses all the high places, and greatness belongs to those who can grab the most; when it seems as if faith is mocked, love fails miserably and humility is trodden in the dust; when pity seems weakness and sympathy folly; when a foul egotism rises up within me and would bid me assert myself, plan for myself, serve my own interests, play for my own hand and "take care of number one"; then, O my Lord, may I hear in imagination the gentle splashing of water falling into a basin, and see the Son of God washing His disciples' feet! (Leslie D. Weatherhead, The Eternal Voice, New York: Abingdon Press, 1940, pp. 81-82.)