Breathtaking Blast Offs

The following is from Patrick…

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Not more than a year ago I believed the Lord would be there for us whenever we needed him, but that he really wouldn’t be involved in the details of our lives–like if we bought a car or other routine, worldly duties. I believed we should use our experience and knowledge to take care of these small (or large) tasks and leave the life-changing events to the Lord.

I was wrong.

My change started with a good lifelong friend of mine, Troy. Several years ago we had read “The Cleansing of America” by W. Cleon Skousen. Later Troy came across “Visions of Glory” and he instantly called me and bought me the book so we could read it at the same time. The similarities of these two books were amazing, and how both books came to be published is even more of a miracle. To me, this testifies to the truth of Spencers vision.

Spencer’s vision helped me realize how much the Lord does help us and always provides the assistance we need, that angels are always standing by. We only need to come closer to the Spirit and constantly pray to overcome our fallen state to be in tune with that Spirit.

Spencer also shared how quickly our thoughts can summon the souls that are trying to deceive us, and how important it is to constantly fight that influence. We need to surround ourselves with positive uplifting activities, and most importantly, service.

After reading “Visions of Glory”, getting a glimpse into the building of Zion, and reading the many experiences revealed to Spencer and how close we are to the veil, I was changed. I looked at the world differently, I looked at people differently. The best way I can describe this is that I started seeing the world in a more eternal nature; the veil became slightly thinner to me. It made me realize how much I needed to change if I wanted to prepare myself or my family.

Up to this point in my life I had been whatI call a part-time member: I went to church, paid my tithing and did OK in my callings. At this point I had also had plenty of trials and lessons in my life. I was a 42 year-old divorced father with custody of his kids. I was raised in the Church, and had had a life-changing moment where I was “born again” twenty years ago.

Yet now for the first time in my life I looked forward to fasting, and fasted with a purpose. I put more dedication into my church callings. I prayed more fervently; instead of asking for what I wanted, I would pray for the path that the Lord wanted me to travel. I started teaching myself to pay more attention to the Spirit and try to discern my own thoughts from those of the Lord.

I have received many experiences where I have identified the Spirit speaking to me, helping out in my everyday life. They were such small whispers that I would have previously missed them. One example is when I was working in my office and leaving for the day. I started to close the door when a simple command stated, “Don’t lock it.” I paused and sat there for a moment. I questioned my own thoughts on why I would think that, but I didn’t lock it. As I started walking to my car I realized my keys were still in the office. I normally kept them in my back pack but had taken them out to get into another door during the day and placed them on the desk instead of back where I kept them.

This was by no means a life-altering event; at the worst I would have been delayed a few hours until I could have gotten the door unlocked. As a single father, I would have had to call and have a pizza delivered for the kids to eat.

So why would I get what I felt was such an insignificant whisper from the Spirit? It was nothing more than an inconvenience that I was saved from. But since I had started listening to the Spirit, I quickly identified that it could have come from no other source. I had locked that same door every day, yet this time a simple command stopped me from doing what I had always done. It was at this moment I received my own testimony about what Spencer had described, which was how very much the Lord is involved in the details of our lives.

The Lord is constantly giving us experiences and placing lessons before us to sculpt us into who He needs us to be. He loves us, He wants us to be happy, and by obedience to the Spirit we will be shown the way. Trials and burdens will still come upon us; Joseph Smith learned this in D&C 121 & 122. But instead of feeling regret, fear or despair, we will understand the reason why this trial was given to us, and what we should learn from it.

In “Journey to the Veil”, we read;

“When anyone sets his or her heart on a course of obedience and taps daily into the empowerment and grace available through the Atonement of Christ, they will soon accomplish all of this much more quickly than they ever thought possible…..A commitment to total obedience will blast you off so fast and high that it will be breathtaking, with a spiritual height that’s unimaginable, and the promised blessings will be very near.”

Since making this change of heart, I find myself constantly recommitting to the life-long struggle of total obedience. As a result of that commitment, the missionary moments have increased, and I have more joy in my heart. I find more joy in service. I work to stay on the path the Lord wants me upon, and I find myself living without fear. There is nothing to be afraid of because you know you are supposed to be there. Such a small effort can make a profound change in your life.

The reason I am sharing this story with you is a result of listening to the still small voice and making a comment to someone that needed to hear it. I didn’t even know at the time it was the whisperings of the Spirit until I received an unexpected response from the other person, confirming it to me.

My friend Troy and I have made this journey together; we compare notes and see the significant changes in our lives. This is an amazing miracle that can only be experienced to explain.

Thank you, Spencer, for sharing your eternal experience. Thank You, Brother John, for setting the example. Thank You, Sister Pontius, for carrying the torch. All of you have changed our lives and brought us closer to God.