Yesterday my daughter called and wanted to know how she could feel better about being obedient to the will of the Lord. She wanted to want to do God's will, instead of just doing it because she had to. She explained how hard it was to move forward in the Spirit because there were so many things she wanted to do that she knew she shouldn't. She didn't do them because she had to remain obedient, it's her nature, but she wanted to want to be obedient. She wanted others to know how hard it was to be her, to change, to submit to the will of the Spirit, instead of doing what she wanted to do. There is nobody to share it with, to commiserate with, who would understand the deepest feelings of her heart, and know her pain and heartbreak. She felt so alone. It feels so hard.
Faith is persistence and steadfastness not because of how we feel, but rather in spite of it. The greatest miracle in the world is not healing the sick, causing the blind to see, the lame to walk, or even raising the dead. No, the greatest miracle is a single change of heart. When we submit to the will of God, through thick and thin, pain and suffering, against our own desires, our heart is changed. The process of going through this change is the greatest work of man. People make the promise left and right, starting on the path, but faint by the way and fall because they cannot do it. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41)
The heart, as defined by the Scriptures, refers to our desires, or what we want. We are all different, but there are a few common desires among us. We want ease, comfort, and things we like. We also want a connection with our Father in Heaven. We want the things of the Earth, and the corruptibleness thereof, as well as the things of Eternity. It's not that we have a heart that only wants evil, but rather we are divided and have to choose to sacrifice one or the other.
Satan promises to give us what we want, but never can fulfill the promise. So many people go for that promise like the poor to a gambling hall. It is so enticing to have our dreams come true, to have all we want, and fulfill our deepest desires. We put our whole heart into acquiring what we want in the world because it is so immediate and present. Chemicals such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco can give us comfort. Money can buy anything in this world. Intimate relations can seem like having a connection. He even promises that we can have both the things of the world and the things of Eternity. Few can resist a fruit that is so delicious to the taste, and so desirable!
On the other hand, God promises comfort in the strife, and Eternal Life in the world to come. There is no immediate gratification of desires. We have to put off the natural desires and sacrifice all we want of the world on the altars. There is no exchange here, it is a very real and true sacrifice. Everything of our heart must be burned up and entirely consumed to ashes. Everything we love, want, need, or desire that isn't Eternal must be willingly placed on that altar of the Lord. We can hold nothing back, or we cannot have the blessings of Eternity, and we will die, like Ananias and Sapphira. (See Acts 5)
This is why it is so hard to continue in the Spirit to Eternal Life. It's all about what we believe. If we only believe what we can see, feel, smell, taste, and hear then we will seek comfort in the things of the world. Many deny the part of their hearts that desires a connection with Eternity, spending their entire lives seeking the next thrill or sensual gratification. They get fat and lazy if they aren't forced to work. Few are willing to sacrifice all they want and desire in the world, including "houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands," (Matthew 19:29) and so forth. As long as we are in mortality, there is no end to the sacrifices we must make. Few are willing because they don't believe that it's possible. They live by the adage, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." However, this leads to death.
The few take the hard path. "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:14) The few persist and carry-on despite heartbreak and pain. They don't seek deliverance from their trials, or gratification of worldly desires, but rather understand that God gives comfort in their sorrows. They grieve. They go hungry. They have pain. They mourn the loss of all they wanted in life, but put their trust in the Lord. He gives them comfort in knowing Eternity. He tells them the end of the journey is more than worth all of the sacrifices made -- in fact, the more sacrifices are made now, the better it is in Eternity. Moreover, he gives tender mercies along the way -- beautiful vistas, knowledge, loving friends and family, and the good things of the Earth to help us on our way. He assures us we are not alone, sending the Holy Ghost to be our guide and constant companion. Certainly the straight and narrow path is hard, but the blessings are real, and worth every sacrifice of all that is temporal, temporary, and fleeting.
I know my daughter to be one of "the few;" she will not settle for less than the best. She will not make exceptions, but will persist in the path in spite of how she feels. The calling of God is rarely an "OH BOY!" experience; it's more commonly an "OH CRAP!" experience. The early Saints didn't want to trek across the United States to live in the desert. The prophets didn't want to be stoned, beaten, imprisoned, and killed. Jonah didn't want to preach to Nineveh. And, most of all, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, didn't want to drink the bitter cup. Nevertheless, He did what He was commanded, giving up what He wanted, suffering the will of the Father in all things, allowing all of us to be saved, in every sense of the word. I pray for my daughter, that she will follow Him.
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