Drawing On The Powers Of Heaven

Drawing on the powers of heaven

Drawing on the powers of heaven is a little book that President Craig has made into some slides for us so that we can better use our time out here in the field and it is basically all about how we can better involve God in our life choices. 

To give you a bit of a background on the book it says "No amount of knowledge or skill can compensate for the absence of the powers of heaven in your life. With the powers of heaven to assist you, you can be successful in this mortal life in spite of the weaknesses because, in a very literal sense, the powers of heaven compensate for human weaknesses. Of you learn to call down the powers of heaven, your limitations- background and physical characteristics- become insignificant."

President Benson said "Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that he can make a lot more out of their lives then they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up their friends and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life to God will find eternal life. "

 

Faith. 

Powers of heaven are governed by spiritual laws. Faith is needed to seek miracles unless you exercise sufficient faith, you dent the lord the opportunity to help you in the course of your daily life, and to bless you with miracles. 

(Ether 12:8) The lord’s hands are tied until you exercise faith. Faith is a principal of action and power, and is the key to excellence. 

The powers of heaven cannot be controlled or handled only upon principals of righteousness. "Faith is a gift bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God's laws the greater the endowment of faith." said Bruce R. McConkie. 

There are many steps to obtaining faith and how we can use that faith properly to draw on the powers of heaven in this book and I'm not going to put out everything it says in the sections but I'll give you the headings and you can determine the meaning of them. 

• Righteous desires and faith. 

• Righteous desires and paying the price. (What will you do to obtain what you are seeking?)

If you truly desire something you will have the necessary motivation to pursue your goal thoroughly. By contrast, if your goal is not a sincere desire, you will not be inclined to pay the price required to achieve it. 

 

Principals that govern faith. 

1. Selecting righteous desires

2. Plead your case before the lord

3. Exert yourself mentally

4. Sustained effort

 

Goals.

We must have goals to make progress, encouraged by keeping records... As the summer or the jumper or the runner does.

 

“When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates." 

     –President Thomas S. Monson

 

Goal setting.

1. State your desire

2. State your resolve

3. State help needed from the lord

4. State your commitment

5. Measure your actual performance and revise goals under inspiration

 

Goals should be means, not ends.

Goals are not the end result; they are simply milestones that lead us to set and accomplish other goals. For example going on a mission is not an end goal; when we get there we set other goals.

 

Seek the gift of the spirit. Generally your ability achieve goals will be greatly enhanced if you first seek the gift of the spirit.

(D&C 46:8)

Gifts of the spirit include power to recall renewal of body, etc.; they are virtually unlimited. 

 

Exert yourself mentally. 

The thoughts process itself is the key to exercising faith. To a great extent we accomplish what we think about. In other words, what you think about today, tomorrow, or next month will mold your attitude and determine what you will accomplish during your life. Your life is influenced more by your own thoughts than anything else. 

A quote I like that goes along with this is 

“The mind is like a field, you will harvest whatever you plant and nourish."

In here it's says "do not confuse the preoccupation of worry and anxiety with the preoccupation involved in exercising faith. When your mind is prone to dwell on the adverse consequences of events which you assume you have very little control over, that is worry. In contrast, if your mind dwells on the possible consequences of various courses of action which you will control to a great extent, you are exercising faith. "

(Moroni 9:27)

 

Control your mind.

1. Train yourself be conscious of your thoughts.

2. Learn to scrutinize your thoughts to determine if they add to or detract from your faith.

3. If thoughts detract from your faith, replace it with thought that is based on faith.

Another quote I like that goes with this is "starve your distractions, feed for focus."

 

Sustained effort. 

Be willing to pay the price! Your faith will be tried. Maintaining faith in the face of opposition (Alma 36:3 D&C 58:4)

 

How to enhance your faith.

Express gratitude.

 

The summary of how to exercise faith to draw on the powers of heaven.

1. Have a clear understanding of faith as a principal of power.

2. Have a realization that the powers of heaven are governed by individual faith.

3. Live righteously.

4. Prayerfully select righteous goals (desires).

5. Specify when your goals (desires) will be obtained.

6. Specify your goals (desires) in writing.

7. Plead your case before the lord, telling him what effort or sacrifice you are willing to make to achieve your goal (desires).

8. Consistently think about [and visualize] your goal (desires).

9. Use all of your willpower to think positively about [and visualize happening] your potential to achieve your goal (desires) with the lords help.

10. Consistently remind yourself that the added power and strength from God that is now at your disposal is based on individual faith.

11. Remember the lord is anxious to grant your righteous desires if you will but qualify yourself.

12. Make your specific goal (desires) a matter of constant prayer [specify the specific blessings you will need from the lord which will require you to draw on the powers of heaven]

13. Pray that the lord will enhance your ability to exercise faith as a principal of power.

14. When you face a situation that causes you to doubt your ability to achieve your goal (desires), learn to offer a mental prayer to request the lord’s help, then exercise faith that he will help you, remembering that if you lack faith you deny the lord the opportunity to assist you.

15. Repeatedly reflect on the promise made by the savior: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7)

16. Recognize at the outset that your faith will most likely be tried.

17. Make certain you do your part in your efforts to achieve your righteous goals (desires).

 

Caution

There will be times when you will begin to exercise faith in a desire that is not approved by your heavenly father. When this is the case you experience a stupor of thought and it will be virtually impossible to be able to focus on your mind on your desires. When this happens you should cease your effort to exercise faith regarding that desire and make every effort to prayerfully determine why the desire was not appropriate.