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Posts Tagged ‘Prayer’

Mormons are Praying to a God They Don’t Know

Posted in January, Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , on 01/07/2024| 1 Comment »

 January 7 — Mormons are Praying to a God They Don’t Know. 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” (more…)

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Proper Guideline for Praying to Jesus

Posted in November, Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , on 11/24/2022| 1 Comment »

 November 24 – Proper Guideline for Praying to Jesus. John 15:13-15 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

(more…)

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Prayer Blueprint: LDS v. Jesus

Posted in Prayer, tagged , on 09/22/2020| 1 Comment »

Ensign, ‘How Can I Pray as the Savior Taught?’ October 2020 “When Christ visited the Nephites, He prayed with them 11 times.  Through word and example, He taught them how they should pray. Latter-day prophets, seers, and revelators continue to teach what the Savior taught about prayer. … Don’t multiply many words… “Our prayers should be simple, direct, and sincere.”” (more…)

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Prayer Guideline Given at General Conference

Posted in General Conference April 2020, tagged , , , , on 05/08/2020| 1 Comment »

General Conference, ‘Come and Belong’, April 2020 “There is no threshold of perfection you must attain in order to qualify for God’s grace. Your prayers do not have to be loud or eloquent or grammatically correct in order to reach heaven.” — Dieter Uchtdorf (more…)

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Mormons Pray to a God They Don’t Know

Posted in January, Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , on 01/07/2020| 1 Comment »

 January 7 — Mormons Pray to a God They Don’t Know. 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” (more…)

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Endless Path of Duty

Posted in December, Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , , on 12/01/2019| 1 Comment »

December 1 – Endless Path of Duty.  2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

(more…)

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Proper Guidelines for Praying to Jesus

Posted in November, Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , on 11/24/2019| 3 Comments »

witnessing-tip-of-the-day-november-thxgvng November 24 – Proper Guidelines for Praying to Jesus. John 15:13-15 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

(more…)

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3 Major Deceptions in Liahona

Posted in False Prophecies of the Mormon Church, tagged , , , , on 02/22/2019| 1 Comment »

Today we’re looking at an article from the February 2019 Liahona. What caught my attention was its title; ‘A personal relationship with heavenly father’. It didn’t take long to see the many falsehoods in what the author said, and how his words culminated in a host of lies. My heart breaks for those who will believe this guy because I know people like my mother will worry themselves and think they must not be good enough to experience what this guy told people they can achieve.

To start off with, if you’re new to Mormonism it’d be helpful to know the words used in the title of their article aren’t the standard Mormon way of phrasing things. Complicating things further, for years Mormons were told they could not have a personal relationship with Christ, and then they were told they could.

I was a 6th generation Utah Mormon, and in the 30 years I was a member I never heard the phrase ‘personal relationship’ unless it was referring to a loved one. Having a personal relationship with their heavenly father has been an on again, mostly off again event in the history of Mormonism.

Moreover, there’s a laundry list of rules they must observe when praying to their heavenly father. See Prayer Life of Mormons.

With our brief overview behind us, I’ve pulled some of the comments from Juan Uceda’s article to compare his comments with what our Lord has said in His word. To read the Liahona article in full see Liahona, ‘A Personal Relationship with Our Father in Heaven Through Prayer,’ February 2019 Juan A. Uceda. As an FYI, Mr. Uceda is a member of the Seventy.

Here we go – (more…)

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Witnessing Tip of the Day December 1

Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , on 12/01/2016| Leave a Comment »

december-witnessing-tip-of-the-day  December 1 – Salvation comes through keeping commandments.  2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

(more…)

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Tip of the Day, November 24

Posted in November, Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on 11/24/2016| Leave a Comment »

witnessing-tip-of-the-day-november-thxgvng November 24 – John 15:13-15; “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

(more…)

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Praying for the Victims of the Islamic Terrorist Attack at a Christmas Party

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on 12/05/2015| Leave a Comment »

Praying for America

I’m posting this now not because I needed more confirmation what happened this week was indeed a terrorist attack, but because of scheduling interference. No doubt, this is a turbulent time for our beloved country.

Our prayers go out to the families and friends of the 14 victims gunned down without mercy for the sake of a false god, and for the 17 others who are still in hospital. May God intervene in the decision making process  of our country’s leaders.

May He have mercy on each one of us because right now, we are in desperate need of it.

† With Love in Christ;

Michelle

1 Cor 1:18

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Discovering Grace – Prayer

Posted in Discovering Grace, tagged , , , on 07/29/2015| 1 Comment »

Discovering GraceThe ability to communicate directly with God in prayer is one of the greatest blessings a believer possesses, and yet it’s the one thing many don’t access very often (myself included). When I take the time to think about why my prayer life isn’t what I’d like to be I have to admit that it has a lot to do with laziness, and pretty much just letting the business of life take over my time. Also it has to do with feeling my prayers are weak, and not knowing what I should say, or how I should say it. Anyone else ever feel that way?

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Yikes!

Posted in New Age, tagged , , , , on 07/09/2015| Leave a Comment »

This is an email I sent to Michelle this morning. She thought it would make a great mini article, so here you go. At first I thought about titling this What in the world is going on within the body of Christ?,  but I think “Yikes” will do. 🙂

“And here I thought my area was still somewhat Christian (even though it’s mostly Democrat), but it looks like this weird stuff is everywhere. This was on my FB feed under the “Good Things Happen in Fayette County” page. Oh, and the person who posted this has a rainbow on their avatar. (eye roll) You have no idea how much I want to say something about this in the comment section, or maybe you do? 😉 “

(more…)

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Prayer of Faith?

Posted in Mormon Dilemmas, tagged , , , , on 10/08/2014| Leave a Comment »

Mormon Decisions 10Today’s dilemma is courtesy of Melissa!  Here’s what she sent to me the other day –

I just read the first paragraph and had to comment.

From the October 2014 Ensign we read:

  “When prayer works as it should, we express the feelings of our hearts in simple words. Heavenly Father typically answers by putting thoughts in our minds accompanied by feelings. He always hears the sincere prayer we offer when we pray with a commitment to obey Him, whatever His answer and whenever it comes. The Lord makes this promise to all who read and pray about the Book of Mormon.” – Henry B. Eyring

(more…)

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Prayer Life of the Mormons

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , , , , , , , on 08/30/2013| 5 Comments »

praygA few weeks ago I was asked by a Christian what the prayer life of a Mormon was like.  Because their inquiry caught me off guard I gave an answer that was actually incomplete. After I got home and began thinking about it I began thinking of all the dos and don’ts in Mormon prayer etiquette and my heart sank as I began adding up all the rules.

It’s hard to keep track of everything when there’s always a laundry list of requirements so we’ve laid them out and listed them here.

(more…)

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Discovering Jesus

Posted in Jesus, tagged , , , on 06/20/2012| Leave a Comment »

As a Mormon I never related to Jesus on a personal level, but an impersonal one. By that I mean that anytime I referred to Him it was always “the Savior”, meaning He’s the savior of the world. I never thought of Him as being my Savior, as in He went to the cross to pay for my sins so that He could save me from the punishment I deserved.

Come to think of it I never called Him by His name either, but instead called Him “Christ”. Even when I left Mormonism I had a hard time breaking that habit, and it took me awhile before could call Him by His name, Jesus. And as for my prayer life, it never occurred to me that it was ok for me to pray to Him. Praying to Jesus isn’t something you do in the Mormon Church. Mormon prayers are always addressed to their “Heavenly Father”, and closed in the name of Jesus Christ.

(more…)

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Power of Prayer

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , , , , on 07/07/2011| 1 Comment »

Power of Prayer

By

Axi Grim

Introduction:

My daughter Axi wrote this article a few years ago when she was 16 years old.  She and I were talking about the beauty of the book of Deuteronomy and how it is God’s love letter to His children of how to keep safe in this world.  It’s the do’s and don’ts of life.

(more…)

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Praying to Jesus

Posted in Praying to Jesus, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 01/15/2011| Leave a Comment »

Mormons Told Not to Pray to Jesus

Our relationship with Jesus Christ must be the most important relationship that we ever have.  In addition, the most important avenue we have in cultivating any relationship is through communication.  On March 2, 1982 Bruce McConkie delivered a ‘Fireside and Devotional Speech’ at BYU on the correct protocol for having such a relationship with the ‘godhead’.  Today we’re looking at what McConkie said and comparing it with what God says about a relationship with Him.

 “There are yet others who have an excessive zeal that causes them to go beyond the mark.  Their desire for excellence is inordinate.  In an effort to be truer than true they devote themselves to gaining a special, personal relationship with Christ that is both improper and perilous.”

 Get ready…he’s going to tell us that having a personal relationship with Jesus is a hobby that is unholy.

 “I say perilous because this course, particularly in the lives of some who are spiritually immature, is a gospel hobby that creates an unwholesome holier-than-thou attitude.  In other instances it leads to despondency because the seeker after perfection knows he is not living the way he supposes he should.  Another peril is that those so involved begin to pray directly to Christ because of some special friendship they feel has been developed.  In this connection a current and unwise book, which advocates gaining a special relationship with Jesus, contains this sentence – ‘Because the Savior is our mediator, our prayers go through Christ to the Father, and the Father answers our prayers through His Son.’  This is plain sectarian nonsense.”     –Bruce McConkie, March 2, 1982

 Shocking isn’t it?  I found this to be one of the top ten most heretical teachings of the Church.  All throughout scripture we read that God wants nothing more than for us to have a personal relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.  The apostle John goes into great detail on how to achieve this and what it means to know and love Him in 1st John, in fact the letter was directed to the saints to beware of the Gnostics.  The theme for chapter one is fellowship with Christ.  Then Peter tells us in his second epistle how important it is to know Jesus Christ.

As you’re aware, there are different kinds of knowledge.  I know President Bush.  I’ve seen him on television and heard him speak.  And then there’s the knowledge that is on the more intimate level.  I know my good friends; I’ve shared meals and prayed with them.  Most importantly I know Jesus Christ.

In 2nd Peter 1:8; it says; “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He’s telling us that we need to know Him, really know Him.  Our salvation is dependent upon this knowledge of the Lord and He wants nothing less than for us to be with Him.

In vs. 8 the word knowledge in the Greek is epignosis.  It means the full discernment or recognition of.  This is the same type of knowledge as found in 1 Peter 3:7; having the experience of knowing someone very well.

Let’s look at 2 Peter 1:5;   “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.”    The word knowledge here is gnosis.  This means the act of knowing (as by science).  This type of knowledge enables us to avoid error.  We see this example again in 2 Peter 3:18; “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

The next example is the word gnosko.  It means to know experientially, to be sure of.

1 John 2:13-14; “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.”

Hebrews 3:10; “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.”

Oh dear ones don’t be tempted or fooled by statements such as the ones given by McConkie.  It is vital and necessary to really know Jesus Christ.  Your relationship with Him can and should be the most important relationship you’ll ever have in your life.  It should be above your relationship with your spouse, your children and your friends.  No one can compare with Him!

Here are some other things said by McConkie in this speech:

 “I shall speak of our relationship with the Lord and of the true fellowship all saints should have with the Father.  I shall set forth what we must believe relative to the Father and the Son in order to gain eternal life…

There is no salvation in believing any false doctrine, particularly a false or unwise view about the Godhead or any of its members.  Eternal life is reserved for those who know God and the One whom He sent to work out the infinite and eternal atonement…”

 I pray the Mormons think about the statement by McConkie and sincerely contemplate the following things;

 Why isn’t it arrogant to believe you can become a god?

What is so improper and perilous about having a relationship with Jesus Christ?

If the verses I used are mistranslated, what are the correct translations?

Why does the Bible have so many references to having a relationship with His Son if we aren’t supposed to do that?

Why is praying to Jesus wrong?

 My heart is so sad over this speech.  I think of all the blessings that are missed out on by not having a deep relationship with Jesus and cannot imagine what it would be like to live like that again.  The main blessing of course is our salvation.  This subject is far more important than just the ‘little red school house’ or ‘mother love’.  I don’t get my feathers ruffled over such trivial things.  The truth is that he is lying about God and Jesus Christ.  The truth is that we are told by God to love and know Jesus Christ and not to be tricked into believing that knowledge will gain our salvation.  You can read about all these things from the epistle of second Peter of being diligent, to John’s first epistle teaching us about the love of God and how to abide in Him; these are the quintessential truths of His Word.

The basics of Christianity are to know and worship God.  We do this by accepting His Son as the atoning sacrifice on the cross.  We also worship Him by knowing that having a true relationship can only be done through communication.  My husband and I have a strong marriage because we have an open line of communication at all times.  I can’t imagine not talking with my husband each day of my life.  It would be no relationship at all.  Prayer is and must be the necessary element of any Christian’s life!

Being a Christian also means knowing our position within the boundaries of the relationship, being a follower of the Lord and knowing His Word.  I’m not bringing God down to my level by worshipping His Son.  I’m worshipping God the Father by worshipping His Son.

I’ve been in ministry work for over ten years now and each time I quote McConkie I am told that his writings, etc., are not what the church believes.  To this I say; hogwash!  This is what the church believes, they do listen to him and they do obey his council, even since his death in 1985.  His writings and speeches are listed all over their products and still sold in their bookstores.

He didn’t teach anything that the church didn’t already teach.  I would encourage the Mormon to visit the website of BYU to see the speech in full.  You can read it for yourself and then read what Jesus has to say about a relationship with Him!

 www.byu.edu   You’ll find his speech under ‘Devotionals’.  The title of the speech is; ‘Our Relationship with the Lord’.

 

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Praying to Jesus

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 01/15/2011| Leave a Comment »

Mormons Told There is No Salvation in Praying to Jesus

Our relationship with Jesus Christ must be the most important relationship that we ever have.  In addition, the most important avenue we have in cultivating any relationship is through communication.  On March 2, 1982 Bruce McConkie delivered a ‘Fireside and Devotional Speech’ at BYU on the correct protocol for having such a relationship with the ‘godhead’.  Today we’re looking at what McConkie said and comparing it with what God says about a relationship with Him.

 “There are yet others who have an excessive zeal that causes them to go beyond the mark.  Their desire for excellence is inordinate.  In an effort to be truer than true they devote themselves to gaining a special, personal relationship with Christ that is both improper and perilous.”

 Get ready…he’s going to tell us that having a personal relationship with Jesus is a hobby that is unholy.

 “I say perilous because this course, particularly in the lives of some who are spiritually immature, is a gospel hobby that creates an unwholesome holier-than-thou attitude.  In other instances it leads to despondency because the seeker after perfection knows he is not living the way he supposes he should.  Another peril is that those so involved begin to pray directly to Christ because of some special friendship they feel has been developed.  In this connection a current and unwise book, which advocates gaining a special relationship with Jesus, contains this sentence – ‘Because the Savior is our mediator, our prayers go through Christ to the Father, and the Father answers our prayers through His Son.’  This is plain sectarian nonsense.”     –Bruce McConkie, March 2, 1982

 Shocking isn’t it?  I found this to be one of the top ten most heretical teachings of the Church.  All throughout scripture we read that God wants nothing more than for us to have a personal relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.  The apostle John goes into great detail on how to achieve this and what it means to know and love Him in 1st John, in fact the letter was directed to the saints to beware of the Gnostics.  The theme for chapter one is fellowship with Christ.  Then Peter tells us in his second epistle how important it is to know Jesus Christ.

As you’re aware, there are different kinds of knowledge.  I know President Bush.  I’ve seen him on television and heard him speak.  And then there’s the knowledge that is on the more intimate level.  I know my good friends; I’ve shared meals and prayed with them.  Most importantly I know Jesus Christ.

In 2nd Peter 1:8; it says; “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He’s telling us that we need to know Him, really know Him.  Our salvation is dependent upon this knowledge of the Lord and He wants nothing less than for us to be with Him.

In vs. 8 the word knowledge in the Greek is epignosis.  It means the full discernment or recognition of.  This is the same type of knowledge as found in 1 Peter 3:7; having the experience of knowing someone very well.

Let’s look at 2 Peter 1:5;   “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.”    The word knowledge here is gnosis.  This means the act of knowing (as by science).  This type of knowledge enables us to avoid error.  We see this example again in 2 Peter 3:18; “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

The next example is the word gnosko.  It means to know experientially, to be sure of.

1 John 2:13-14; “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.”

Hebrews 3:10; “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.”

Oh dear ones don’t be tempted or fooled by statements such as the ones given by McConkie.  It is vital and necessary to really know Jesus Christ.  Your relationship with Him can and should be the most important relationship you’ll ever have in your life.  It should be above your relationship with your spouse, your children and your friends.  No one can compare with Him!

Here are some other things said by McConkie in this speech:

 “I shall speak of our relationship with the Lord and of the true fellowship all saints should have with the Father.  I shall set forth what we must believe relative to the Father and the Son in order to gain eternal life…

There is no salvation in believing any false doctrine, particularly a false or unwise view about the Godhead or any of its members.  Eternal life is reserved for those who know God and the One whom He sent to work out the infinite and eternal atonement…”

 I pray the Mormons think about the statement by McConkie and sincerely contemplate the following things;

 Why isn’t it arrogant to believe you can become a god?

What is so improper and perilous about having a relationship with Jesus Christ?

If the verses I used are mistranslated, what are the correct translations?

Why does the Bible have so many references to having a relationship

with His Son if we aren’t supposed to do that?

Why is praying to Jesus wrong?

 My heart is so sad over this speech.  I think of all the blessings that are missed out on by not having a deep relationship with Jesus and cannot imagine what it would be like to live like that again.  The main blessing of course is our salvation.  This subject is far more important than just the ‘little red school house’ or ‘mother love’.  I don’t get my feathers ruffled over such trivial things.  The truth is that he is lying about God and Jesus Christ.  The truth is that we are told by God to love and know Jesus Christ and not to be tricked into believing that knowledge will gain our salvation.  You can read about all these things from the epistle of second Peter of being diligent, to John’s first epistle teaching us about the love of God and how to abide in Him; these are the quintessential truths of His Word.

The basics of Christianity are to know and worship God.  We do this by accepting His Son as the atoning sacrifice on the cross.  We also worship Him by knowing that having a true relationship can only be done through communication.  My husband and I have a strong marriage because we have an open line of communication at all times.  I can’t imagine not talking with my husband each day of my life.  It would be no relationship at all.  Prayer is and must be the necessary element of any Christian’s life!

Being a Christian also means knowing our position within the boundaries of the relationship, being a follower of the Lord and knowing His Word.  I’m not bringing God down to my level by worshipping His Son.  I’m worshipping God the Father by worshipping His Son.

I’ve been in ministry work for over ten years now and each time I quote McConkie I am told that his writings, etc., are not what the church believes.  To this I say; hogwash!  This is what the church believes, they do listen to him and they do obey his council, even since his death in 1985.  His writings and speeches are listed all over their products and still sold in their bookstores.

He didn’t teach anything that the church didn’t already teach.  I would encourage the Mormon to visit the website of BYU to see the speech in full.  You can read it for yourself and then read what Jesus has to say about a relationship with Him!

 www.byu.edu   You’ll find his speech under ‘Devotionals’.  The title of the speech is; ‘Our Relationship with the Lord’.

 

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