Wednesday, August 22, 2012

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I created a talk for Sacrament Meeting in my sleep. Pretty impressive, I know. :) I was given very little time to prepare, and I could choose the topic. I was mortified about standing up in front of my new ward without my talk written down and well practiced. That is when I thought of a topic which, by merely talking about, would help me rid my fears of public speaking. The topic comes from 1 John 4:18 and also Moroni 8:16: "Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear." (This scripture comes from The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). Perfect Love Casteth Out All Fear. Faith also casts out fear. If we have adequate love for something or someone, this should give us the faith we need to act. And even if we lack the love for someone else, God has perfect love for us, and His love can eliminate our fear. Sometimes we are blessed with the Spirit, prompting us to help someone else. But fear too often comes in the way, causing us to worry that the person will not accept the help or will think we are strange for suddenly wanting to help them. But if we truly love the person, be it a family member, someone we home or visit teach, or someone we don't even know, but a child of God, we will see that the ramifications of us listening to the Spirit will be better than ignoring him. Heavenly Father knows all, and He blesses us with the Spirit on occasion, according to our faithfulness and necessity. He knows better than we can guess what is going on with the person we are prompted to help. It is best to trust Him, follow the Spirit, and help, casting out our fear. And as we do so, Heavenly Father gives us more promptings from the Spirit, allowing us to more often become instruments in His hands. To be a servant of God, and His hands upon the earth, is the most wonderful and rewarding feeling.

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