Be Happy Cause I Said So!

        So why is Hank so happy? ........ Any ideas? Hmmm I really don't know either.
        Well is there a reason for him to be happy? Yea im sure.
        Is there a reason for any of us to be happy?    Think about this one.
        Is there a reason for any of us to be happy?

      Yea I really don't ever think that hard. Ha ha
      Well I really want to convey this in the best possible way that I can. I start with a profound doctrinal truth. God is our Father. He being Gos is a supreme, endless and eternal being. He is all powerful, all knowing, and almighty! Truly he governs the Heavens and the Earth. The universe's, however many of them may be, and all of its elements are subject to his matchless power and will. Every principle, law, and governing force in this life is all to the will of God. He loves us and wants our eternal happiness. He wants us to learn and grow so that we can become like him. But he doesn't send us here to feel alone and forsaken. He has given us blessings throughout our lives. And if we are faithful to him and keep his commandments he will indeed bless our lives more than we could ever imagine!

     I always can appreciate a good flowchart ha ha. So this states of yer not happy then change something. Well what we need to change is our perspective and our look on things. Lets realize that God loves us  and he will bless us. Lets do the things that he will bless us for. Obeying his commandments, praying, loving all of his children and serving him, and there are so many more thing we can do. God is great! He wants our happiness:)

    Its my prayer that we can all learn to recognize the wonderful blessings that God gives us daily. Even if ts as simple as the breath we breathe, the food we eat, or the happiness we have in our families. So I admonish all of you to look always on the brighter side of things and be happy:)

Love Yall
Elder Savage

The Aurmor of God

We are all enlisted till the conflict is o’er. …

Soldiers in the army, there’s a bright crown in store;

We shall win and wear it by and by.

Haste to the battle, quick to the field,

Truth is our helmet, buckler, and shield.

Stand by our colors—proudly they wave. …

Hark! ’tis our Captain calls you today;

Lose not a moment, make no delay!

Fight for our Savior, come, come away! …

Fighting for a kingdom, and the world is our foe. …

Glad to join the army, we will sing as we go;

We shall gain the victory by and by.

Dangers may gather—why should we fear?

Jesus, our Leader, ever is near.

He will protect us, comfort and cheer.

(Hymns, no. 210.)

        

     This analogy I take this directly from the Bible which is from Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. He speaks of The whole armour of God, and how it is important in strengthening our testimonies, building our faith and protecting us from the Adversary. This is what Paul has to say....

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day. …

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” (Eph. 6:11–18.)

The great unrest in the world today and the wars and rumors of wars are affecting us greatly; but as Paul says, our greatest and most deadly struggle will be “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, [and] against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

     Consider the following questions:

Are we studying the scriptures so that we can increase our knowledge and faith and testimony regarding the gospel? Do we keep the commandments? Are we honest and truthful in our dealings? Do we keep the Sabbath day holy? Do we observe the Word of Wisdom? Do we pay an honest tithing? Do we attend our meetings and respond to the calls made of us by our authorities? Are we virtuous and clean and pure in heart and mind and deed?Do we fight against the evils around us—pornography, abortion, tobacco, alcohol, drugs? Do we have the courage to stand up for our convictions? Can we truly say we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ? Do we live peaceably with our neighbors and avoid gossip and backbiting and spreading unfounded rumors? Do we truly love our neighbors as ourselves?

    If we can answer yes to these questions, then we will have on the whole armor of God, which will protect us from harm and preserve us from our enemies. If we must answer no to these questions, then our armor is weak, there is an unshielded place which can be found, a vulnerable area for attack, and we will be subject to injury or destruction by Satan, who will search until he finds our weaknesses, if we have them.

       Examine your armor. Is there an unguarded or unprotected place? Determine now to add whatever part is missing. No matter how antiquated or lacking in parts your armor may be, always remember that it is within your power to make the necessary adjustments to complete your armor.

Through the great principle of repentance you can turn your life about and begin now clothing yourself with the armor of God through study, prayer, and a determination to serve God and keep his commandments.

     Remember, keep your armor on! Always, Satan never stops trying to bring us down or to hurt us. He will do all he can to drag us away from Jesus. Let us make sure we are always ready for battle! And when we do fight, let us always repair our armor for the next fight.

     Most of this analogy I stole from my awesome companion Elder Richins, and I now claim it for my own! Ha Ha I'm kidding the credit is his.

  

Love Yall

Elder Savage

Jake the Rancher

                  

                  Jake, the rancher, went one day to fix a distant fence.

          The wind was cold and gusty and the clouds rolled gray and dense,

As he pounded the last nail in and gathered tools to go.

The temperature had fallen and the snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup, he felt a heavy heart,

from the sound of that ignition, he knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us do if we'd have been there.

He humbly bowed his balding head and sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key for the last time, he softly cursed his luck.

They found him three days later, frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life and done his share of roamin'.

But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked -- it look just like Wyomin'.

Of all the saints in Heaven, his favorite was St. Peter.

Now, this line, it ain't needed much, but it helps with rhyme and meter.

So they set and talked a minute or two, or maybe it was three,

Nobody was keepin' score -- in Heaven time is free.

"I've always heard," Jake said to Pete, "that God will answer prayers,

But one time I asked for help, well He, just plain wasn't there.

Does God answer prayers of some, and ignores the prayers of others?

That don't seem exactly square -- I know all men are brothers.

Or does he randomly reply, without good rhyme or reason?

Maybe, it's the time of day, the weather or the season.

Now I ain't trying to act smart, it's just the way I feel,

And I was wonderin', could you tell -- what the heck's the deal?

Peter listened very patiently and when Jake was done,

There were smiles of recognition, and he said, "So, you're the one!

That day your truck, it wouldn't start, and you sent your prayer a flying,

You gave us all a real bad time, with hundreds of us a trying.

A thousand angels rushed to check the status of your file,

But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard from you in quite a while

And though all prayers are answered, and God ain't got no quota,

He didn't recognize your voice, and started a truck in North Dakota.

  Moral of the story? Say your prayers!  

    I know that God is in fact our loving Father in Heaven, and because he is, He loves us! Well because he loves us, his children, He will bless our lives. He does this by answering prayers, telling us what to do, what path to follow, or to testify or truth, comfort when in need, and teach things we need to know. Well how he tells us, he doesn't come in a pillar of fire or anything but He tells us through the Holy Ghost, and He tells us by feelings, promptings, happiness, truths, and just down right makes us feel awesome about something. Example praying about the Book of Mormon he will testify of the truth, and we will feel it by feelings we cannot describe. If it is a decision to get baptized, when praying about it we will feel completely convinced that it is right by the Holy Ghost. We will feel good about the decision and we will feel happy and joyful.

   I add my testimony today that I KNOW that God hears and answered our prayers, maybe not in the way we wish or the way we hope, like ol Jake, but He does love us, and He will hear us forever.

Love Yall

Elder Savage