My purpose is not to single out a specific type of person. Regardless of your activity with or in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this is simply dedicated to my witness of what I know to be true, to testify of truths I know by the power of the Holy Ghost. These are things I know for myself, independent of any earthly authority, having obtained an assurance of them from the source of them from the Source of all truth. This is my pure testimony.
The Nature of God and His Son
I know that God is our Heavenly Father, that He is completely perfect, flawless, all powerful and all knowing and that we are His children. We were created in His image and likeness, with bodies of flesh and bone. His love is infinite, unending and personal for each of us. His love is the force behind the elements behaving the way they do, the shaping of people's lives for the better, the miracles and otherwise unexplained good things we see throughout our lives. He is our literal Heavenly Parent, the author of the Plan of Happiness, designed to cleanse, heal, transform and exalt us and make us equal with Him.
His love for us is so all-encompassing and perfect that He sent us His perfect Son Jesus Christ for the sole purposes of setting an example for us, living every moment of His life in service to us and His Father, and making the ultimate sacrifice, Himself, for our weaknesses, sins, sorrow and pains. I know that, though separate in identity from His/Our Father, They are One, perfectly united in power, love, purpose, and pretty much everything else except physical identity. I love Him with all my heart and am eternally thankful for Him as my Elder Brother and Savior.
Scripture and Divine Guidance
I know that God has given us, through and because of His Son, His word and loving guidance through families and prophets, as recorded in scripture. He has provided us with His loving counsel, in the form of commandments, that He has promised us will bring lasting happiness if followed exactly. I have personally seen nothing but good come from complete obedience to His truths as we receive them via confirmation from the Holy Ghost. I have seen doubt, fear, pain and chaos come from disobedience as well as peace, strength and a change of heart and character for the better from faithful observance of His laws. The Book of Mormon is true. It's account of our Lord is factual. I know that the Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly, that revelation from our Father continues to flow from and through His prophets today.
Every six months when these prophets and apostles of our Lord speak to us, it is a feast more valuable than any earthly substance, a soul building experience like no other outside the temple.
His Church, His Order, His Prophets
I know that Jesus the Christ set up His church on this earth. I hear so many people bear truthful, beautiful testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His and, therefore, that it is the only completely true church on the earth, that He is at it's head, and I stand with them in this witness. I know that it is only within His church that the fullness of the His gospel, His power, His love and His authority are manifest. This is why religion is important, because God gave us religion to guide us back to Him, a religion formed by His Son, a means and organization whereby our Father's prophets, commissioned by Jesus Christ, act under His guidance to direct us to come to know Him; to continually build our relationship with Him and be changed by His almighty hand.
I know that Joseph Smith Jr. was the boy in the early 1800's through whom our God and our Savior restored Their church. They appeared to Him in person and directed Him in the formation of their church in these the last days in the history of this earth. The authority from God was conferred upon him by Jesus' original prophets and has continued in an unbroken chain of authority straight from Jesus Christ Himself to every priesthood holder in the Lord's church today. I feel humbled and privileged to be able to serve our Father and His children through such. In eleven steps I can trace this authority and my sacred calling to serve the children of God back to Jesus Christ Himself. I know that as I seek to be like Him I will be given the right and ability to bless the lives of others and bring His light into their lives. I have seen this happen in my life and my heart is thankful to Him for every opportunity to do good.
The Atonement of Christ
I know that Christ alone had the infinite, Godly capacity to make payment for our mortal, fallen, condition and it's effects. As the English translation of the Greek word "έχρισε" (echrise) - "Anointed" - suggests, He was the Anointed One, the Chosen Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that His payment to compensate for our mortal condition and it's effects was an act of divine love for us and enables us to return to He and our Father if we obey His gospel. I know that He lived without sin and entirely with love, that He was, therefore, the only one would could have saved us. He is our Savior from sin, weakness, pain and death in all forms, our Redeemer from the grave our Advocate with the Father, our Source of everlasting peace, the Light and Life of the world. The transforming, healing, cleansing power of His grace is accessible to all who will follow Him.
I know that as much as we use our God given ability to choose to follow Him we will be happy.
Missionary Work
I know that there many of life's greatest joys coming from serving others by continually inviting them to "come unto Christ and be perfected in Him" (Moroni 10:32). I have seen and felt the joys of watching the Holy Ghost change people and bring the infinite light of the Lord into their lives and the lives of their families and friends. As we set a Christlike example and unapologetically and deliberately hold up the standard of the Lord, others will want to have the happiness we do through obedience to God's Plan of Happiness. I look forward to the happiness I will share with those who I have been able to help bring into His church and gospel as I have worked with my Savior to serve them.
Talents
I know that as we find, develop and serve others with the talents God has given us, our self worth will be enhanced, our abilities will be exponentially multiplied and the lasting peace we will find in doing so will be sweeter than any other. I have been blessed with gifts in music. Developing and using this gift as He would have me do so as best I can has brought me the most complete satisfaction and the most rewarding kinds of success I could have ever wanted from it. As I have sought out, noticed and developed some of my other gifts and talents from God and used them to improve myself, bless others and further His work I have come to better know the purity and value of His love for us. He wants to bless us, build us up and improve our abilities, motives and character.
Home and Family
I know that the family is ordained of God as the fundamental unit of mankind, the most effective means of gaining the full benefits of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including life's deepest love and joy. As families live by principles such as love, hard work, prayer, forgiveness, patience, service, faith, sacrifice, repentance and righteous habits they will stay unified and eternal. The ultimate projection from the forces of satan, aside from temples of the Lord, is in a Christ centered home, uncompromising to the standards of the world and consistently conducive to peace, love, revelation and inspiration from Holy Ghost.
Conclusion
I know that as we willingly, joyfully, selflessly, boldly, humbly, lovingly and thankfully give our all to serving each other and the Lord Jesus Christ we will be cleansed, healed, restored to our divine nature, have our individual worth magnified and be strengthened and transformed beyond anything we could ever accomplish without Him.
I know these things because God has witnessed of their truth to me via the Holy Ghost and pray that the truth of these words will be carried to the hearts and minds of readers so that it may be clear in their hearts and minds that I bore my witness of truth to them and I do it in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Atonement of Christ
I know that Christ alone had the infinite, Godly capacity to make payment for our mortal, fallen, condition and it's effects. As the English translation of the Greek word "έχρισε" (echrise) - "Anointed" - suggests, He was the Anointed One, the Chosen Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that His payment to compensate for our mortal condition and it's effects was an act of divine love for us and enables us to return to He and our Father if we obey His gospel. I know that He lived without sin and entirely with love, that He was, therefore, the only one would could have saved us. He is our Savior from sin, weakness, pain and death in all forms, our Redeemer from the grave our Advocate with the Father, our Source of everlasting peace, the Light and Life of the world. The transforming, healing, cleansing power of His grace is accessible to all who will follow Him.
I know that as much as we use our God given ability to choose to follow Him we will be happy.
Missionary Work
I know that there many of life's greatest joys coming from serving others by continually inviting them to "come unto Christ and be perfected in Him" (Moroni 10:32). I have seen and felt the joys of watching the Holy Ghost change people and bring the infinite light of the Lord into their lives and the lives of their families and friends. As we set a Christlike example and unapologetically and deliberately hold up the standard of the Lord, others will want to have the happiness we do through obedience to God's Plan of Happiness. I look forward to the happiness I will share with those who I have been able to help bring into His church and gospel as I have worked with my Savior to serve them.
Talents
I know that as we find, develop and serve others with the talents God has given us, our self worth will be enhanced, our abilities will be exponentially multiplied and the lasting peace we will find in doing so will be sweeter than any other. I have been blessed with gifts in music. Developing and using this gift as He would have me do so as best I can has brought me the most complete satisfaction and the most rewarding kinds of success I could have ever wanted from it. As I have sought out, noticed and developed some of my other gifts and talents from God and used them to improve myself, bless others and further His work I have come to better know the purity and value of His love for us. He wants to bless us, build us up and improve our abilities, motives and character.
Home and Family
I know that the family is ordained of God as the fundamental unit of mankind, the most effective means of gaining the full benefits of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including life's deepest love and joy. As families live by principles such as love, hard work, prayer, forgiveness, patience, service, faith, sacrifice, repentance and righteous habits they will stay unified and eternal. The ultimate projection from the forces of satan, aside from temples of the Lord, is in a Christ centered home, uncompromising to the standards of the world and consistently conducive to peace, love, revelation and inspiration from Holy Ghost.
Conclusion
I know that as we willingly, joyfully, selflessly, boldly, humbly, lovingly and thankfully give our all to serving each other and the Lord Jesus Christ we will be cleansed, healed, restored to our divine nature, have our individual worth magnified and be strengthened and transformed beyond anything we could ever accomplish without Him.
I know these things because God has witnessed of their truth to me via the Holy Ghost and pray that the truth of these words will be carried to the hearts and minds of readers so that it may be clear in their hearts and minds that I bore my witness of truth to them and I do it in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.
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