Mosiah 5: 1-5; Ezekiel 36: 26-27; Alma 5: 14

How did the Spirit of the Lord change your heart?

" 1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them.

2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.

4 And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.

5 And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God." (Mosiah 5: 1-5)

"26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36: 26-27)

"14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?" (Alma 5: 14)

And here's the commentary entitled: "The Spirit of the Lord can cause a mighty change in my heart." :

"It’s common for people to say, “I can’t change. That’s just the way I am.” In contrast, the experience of King Benjamin’s people shows us how the Spirit of the Lord can truly change our hearts. As you read Mosiah 5:1–5, think about how the “mighty change” leading to true conversion has happened—or can happen—in your life. Think about the subtle, gradual changes as well as the “mighty” experiences. How do these experiences help you when you face temptation?

See also Ezekiel 36:26–27; Alma 5:14; “A Change of Heart,” “The People of King Benjamin Make a Covenant” (videos), Gospel Library."

The mighty change leading to true conversion happened in my. life and is still happening. There are more subtle, gradual changes than "mighty" experiences. The transformation from being less consistent to being more consistent with doing the right things daily like getting up early and then doing my whole morning routine--praying and studying the scriptures first thing in the morning, and then doing my dance workout, was subtle and gradual. Setting my goal for marriage and achieving that goal--finally getting married is mighty especially since I was already at the advanced age of 42 when I wrote my marriage goal. (Actually, I wrote my marriage goal the first time when I was about to graduate from the university. Yet I didn't feel I could achieve that goal at that time. I didn't feel I deserved the right person for me to marry. The mighty change in my life didn't happen yet, by then, I realized.) And it's been around 2 decades since I wrote my marriage goal for the first time. This time around, in my 40s,  I feel I'm the right person for the right person I want to marry because I've been working on becoming the right person myself--following the saying, "Be the right person, and the right person will come along."

These experiences give me strength in the face of temptations. It's easier to stay focused in doing my morning routine now more than ever before, despite distractions, because I've been really consistent with it for quite some time now. My marriage truly brought a mighty change in my life. Having an eternal companion who's been quietly and consistently showing his good example has been inspiring me to be more consistent with doing the right things myself. The peace and joy that I feel because of doing the right things also motivates me to keep doing it. I want to keep myself aligned with the very purpose of being in this earthly life--to have joy and happiness. And from my own experience, giving in to temptations doesn't lead to this purpose. It leads to its opposite instead. I already know better now more than ever before. I am older and wiser (and more beautiful🤩). And I'm grateful for the Spirit for leading me all along throughout my whole life to learn what my own choices bring, figure out which choice is better, and make up my mind to stand for the right more than ever before.

Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right. If you believe you can change, you can do it. The same is true if you believe otherwise. It's a great challenge to strive to change on your own. And yet with God, all things are possible. With God, we can do all things. I can do all things through Christ. Because of Him, I can change. Without Him, I can't do it. And it's the same with you. Remember, you are not alone. If you need a miracle for you to change, even have a mighty change in your heart, the God of miracles it there for you, especially if you turn to Him for help. 

Mosiah 4: 29-30

 

If you are a soldier, how does keeping your armor on, and guarding (watching over to protect and control) help you survive in a war?

"29 And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.

30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." (Mosiah 4: 29-30)

And here's the commentary entitled: "I must watch my thoughts, words, and deeds." :

"God doesn’t give us a list of every possible sin. According to Mosiah 4:29–30, what does He do instead? Ponder how your thoughts, words, and deeds affect yourself and others. How do they affect your relationship with God? How do you “watch [yourself]”?"

God gave us instructions and warnings through his servants to provide us with enough knowledge and give us a heads-up on the challenges we're about to face as we navigate through our journey in this earthly existence. He also promised to send us His Spirit to guide us. He gave us our agency so we could make our own choices. We can choose our own thoughts,, words, and deeds which affect ourselves and others. It's important to watch ourselves if we want to stay on the right path, the covenant path. And when we are consistently making the choice to stay on the right path, we're able to show Heavenly Father that we are worthy to return to His presence someday. 

There's a video I watched when I was a seminary student. A soldier with all the pieces of his armor on was in the position ready to strike with his weapon whenever the enemy arrived. His were constantly watching, observing what was going on around him, and his ears were listening constantly to the sounds as he was anticipating an attack from his enemy anytime. And so when his enemy did attack him, he was all ready and was able to defend himself and conquer his enemy. On the other hand, there's another soldier, who took no thought of what could be the consequence of his actions. When he saw how the water of the river could refresh him, he immediately took off some pieces of his armor and started heading off to swim in the crystal-clear water. And as he was about to plunge in to start swimming, the weapons of the enemy started coming and he was easily hit and hurt by them. 

This contrasting story of the two soldiers did have a great impact on me. I realized how it's so important for me to watch myself--my thoughts, words, and actions. Every word we say and every action we take starts with a thought. And so it's important to stand guard at the door of our minds, as the author and speaker Jim Rohn taught. The actions taken by the two soldiers in the story start with their thoughts. Their own thoughts moved them to action. The first soldier could be thinking,, "My enemies are everywhere and they could hit me anytime soon and I want to be prepared so I'm gonna watch myself." And the second soldier could be thinking, "I'm strong enough to fight my enemies. I can fight them even if I'm not wearing some pieces of my armor." 

I'm grateful for this powerful story. Even though I've watched it on video only once, I remember every detail and what each of them meant to me until now. I learned the value of watching myself and I've been able to apply what I learned in my life. Learning to watch myself consistently just as the first soldier did is a challenge. And yet as I learn more from my reading of the scriptures, the general conference talks, and other books, I've been able to rise above this challenge. I've had mindset shifts over the years and my mindset has never been stronger. I've been able to make the choice to look at the brighter side or think positively more than ever before. The choice to change the way I think led to the change in the way I speak and the way I do things. For example, I used to complain whenever I was sweating a lot because of the hot weather. When I decided to look at the sun differently and appreciate it for the good things it's doing for the plants and all the living things, I stopped complaining whenever I'd be sweating. I even notice my sweating no more and even love how I feel when I'm sweating. And I realized that my body actually loves summertime! Before I would wish that I lived in a country where there is snow. And now I would just wish I could visit such a country so I could experience winter and play with the snow at least once in my whole lifetime. Living in Asia is just perfect for me. I'm really happy that I was born and grew up in this part of the world. 

In the 2023 general conference talk given by President Henry B. Eyring, he mentioned the tendency to choose to feel lonely. This tells us that we also choose how we feel. I understand we can't help to feel a certain way in some circumstances we don't really have control over. Initially, when we feel hurt, we feel like crying and it's totally ok to cry. It's natural for us to feel sad and want to cry because of this emotion. There are times we also cry because of joy. And yet we can make the choice whether to reach out to that feeling that we want more of or to stay feeling such that we don't want to feel more of. If we are making the choice to watch ourselves more, what kind of feeling do we want to have more of? We know that "happiness is the object of this existence" (Prophet Joseph Smith) and our common enemy wants our lives to be miserable and we would want to make the choice to feel more joy, don't we? 

Jeremiah 32: 17; 1 John 4: 8; 2 Nephi 9: 17; Alma 32: 22; Mormon 9: 9; Ether 3: 12; Doctrine and Covenants 19: 1-3; 88: 41; Mosiah 4: 1-3, 6

How deep is your belief or trust in God? 

" 17 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:" (Jeremiah 32: 17)

"8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4: 8)

"17 O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled." (2 Nephi 9: 17)

"22 And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word." (Alma 32: 22)

"9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?" (Mormon 9: 9)

"12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie." (Ether 3: 12)

"1 I am Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord; yea, even I am he, the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world.

2 I, having accomplished and finished the will of him whose I am, even the Father, concerning me—having done this that I might subdue all things unto myself—

3 Retaining all power, even to the destroying of Satan and his works at the end of the world, and the last great day of judgment, which I shall pass upon the inhabitants thereof, judging every man according to his works and the deeds which he hath done." (Doctrine and Covenants 19: 1-3)

"41 He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever." (Doctrine and Covenants 88: 41)

"1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.

2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.

3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them." (Mosiah 4: 1-3)

"6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—" (Mosiah 4: 6)

And here's the continuation of the commentary entitled: "I believe and trust in God." :

"Consider searching some of these additional scriptures to make a list of God’s attributes: Jeremiah 32:17; 1 John 4:8; 2 Nephi 9:17; Alma 32:22; Mormon 9:9; Ether 3:12; Doctrine and Covenants 19:1–3; 88:41 (see also the video “Christlike Attributes,” Gospel Library). You could use your list to come up with various ways to complete a sentence like this: “Because I know God is , I can trust Him to .”

Our trust in God increases as we have experiences with Him. In Mosiah 4:1–3, what helped King Benjamin’s people “come to a knowledge of the goodness of God”? (verse 6). Think about the experiences you have had with God. What have these experiences taught you about Him? What steps are you taking (or could you take) to deepen your belief or trust in God?

See also Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Grandeur of God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2003, 70–73; Gospel Topics “God the Father,” Gospel Library; “I Know My Father Lives,” Hymns, no. 302."

My own experiences taught me that God is indeed merciful and He is love. I can always trust Him to always make me feel His love and extend mercy to me even when I don't see things the way He does because of my tendency to rely on my own understanding. Despite my own weaknesses and tendency to commit sin, He never left me alone. He would gently lead me back to the covenant path as I continue to draw close to Him in prayer. I am learning more of Him consistently as I study His words from the scriptures daily and as I strive to do my part in doing His work.