Sometimes when God wants to teach me something, He has to repeat it over and over and over again before I get it. For example, just recently a BYU-I talk from President Eyring has come up over and over again. One day I stumbled upon it while looking for something to listen to. Then it showed up in a letter to my stake presidency. And then, just this past Sunday it was brought up repeatedly in my Stake Conference. Coincidental? I think not.
“The Lord is anxious to lead us to the safety of higher ground, away from the path of physical and
spiritual danger. His upward path will require us to climb. And as the world becomes darker and more
dangerous, we must keep climbing. It will be our choice whether or not to move up or to stay where we
are. The mists of spiritual darkness will become more dense as we climb. But the word of God will guide
those who develop the capacity to receive it through the ministrations of the Holy Ghost. A clear light
piercing the darkness will show the way to those who have taken the Holy Ghost as a trusted and constant
traveling companion.
“And others will he pacify, [again speaking of Satan] and lull them away into carnal security, that they
will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and
leadeth them away carefully down to hell” (2 Nephi 28:21).
We are promised that the scriptures and the Holy Ghost will tell us all things that we should do. As the
challenges around us increase, we must commit to do more to qualify for the companionship of the Holy
Ghost. Casual prayer won’t be enough. Reading a few verses of the scripture won’t be enough. Doing the
minimum of what the Lord asks of us won’t be enough. Hoping that we will have the Atonement work in
our lives and that we will perhaps sometimes feel the influence of the Holy Ghost won’t be enough. And
one great burst of effort won’t be enough. Only a steady, ever-increasing effort will allow the Lord to
take us to higher ground. - President Eyring "Raise the Bar"
Heavenly Father does not want us to be comfortable. President Eyring says we must climb higher. Climbing takes effort.
"Doing the minimum of what the Lord asks of us won’t be enough." We have to be prepared. We have to know what the Spirit looks like in our lives, and we need to quickly act on the things we feel impressed to do. I loved what one speaker at my Stake Conference said, "It's called a prompting because it's suppose to be prompt."
We have to get in shape for the last days. Just like when we get in shape physically, we can't do a two hour workout and expect a miracle. ". . .One great burst of effort won’t be enough. Only a steady, ever-increasing effort will allow the Lord to take us to higher ground." We must consistently put forth the effort a little every day, and as we get stronger, then we increase "the weight". We step it up a notch. We climb a little bit higher.
How are we allowing ourselves to be distracted? You know the story in the New Testament about the rich young man who comes to Jesus and asks to be one of his disciples. Jesus tells him all he has to do is sell everything he has. That wasn't the answer the rich young man wanted to hear. He was not willing to give it up. What about us? What do you think the Lord would ask us to give up in order to follow Him more fully? Are we willing to give it up?