How will your “words,” “works,” and “thoughts” become better when you ensure that you have God's words in. you most of the time?
"9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.
12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.
13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.
14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence." (Alma 12: 9-14)
"9 Now Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma.
10 Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance.
11 Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto him: Behold, we know that thou art Alma; and we know that thou art high priest over the church which thou hast established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; and we are not of thy church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions." (Alma 8: 9-11)
"5 Now they knew not that God could do such marvelous works, for they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people.
30 And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to bring forth works which are meet for repentance, seeing that your hearts have been grossly hardened against the word of God, and seeing that ye are a lost and a fallen people.
31 Now it came to pass that when I, Alma, had spoken these words, behold, the people were wroth with me because I said unto them that they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people." (Alma 9: 5, 30-31)
"6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.
25 But Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them, saying: O ye wicked and perverse generation, why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth?" (Alma 10: 6, 25)
"7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." (Jeremiah 24: 7)
"16 And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—" (Alma 16: 16)
"35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God." (Helaman 3: 35)
"13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned." (Alma 12: 13)
"14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence." (Alma 12: 14)
And here's the beginning part of the commentary entitled: "If I do not harden my heart, I can receive more of the word of God." :
"Some people may wonder why Heavenly Father doesn’t make everything known to us. In Alma 12:9–14, Alma explained one possible reason. These questions could help you ponder what he taught:
What does it mean to harden your heart? What are the results of having a hard heart? (see also Alma 8:9–11; 9:5, 30–31; and 10:6, 25).
What can you do to turn your heart toward God? (see Jeremiah 24:7; Alma 16:16; Helaman 3:35).
What can you do to ensure that God’s word is “found in [you]”? (Alma 12:13). When you have God’s word in you, what effect does it have on your “words,” “works,” and “thoughts”? (Alma 12:14)."
Consistently reading and studying God's words daily is what would ensure that God's words is found in me...Having God's words in me has been helping me to ensure that my "words", "works", and "thoughts" are aligned with God's will most of the time.
Putting together the scripture passages and the commentaries being mentioned in this blog, writing my own comments to complete each of my daily blog posts, and then sharing them have been truly helping me to stay motivated, and to stay consistent with my reading and studying God's words daily. If you are reading my blog post every day, you're one of those who are inspiring me to keep doing this, so you're helping me to stay consistent with my reading and studying God's words every single day, and to keep my words, works, and thoughts aligned with God's will as often as possible. I've never been more consistent with scripture study, sharing what I'm learning, and keeping my words, works, and thoughts aligned with God's will than I am now. I'm so grateful for this because this is bringing me more joy.
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