So some people think we are in a huge depression. Others think it's just a little recession. I think it doesn't matter because if you are doing as God would do, He will bless you with everything you need.
Even though we don't always get everything we want when we want it, God will provide for our necessities. In the Book of Mormon there was a people who took an oath to never take up weapons of war ever again. These people were called the Anti-Nephi-Lehites, and they had the promised protection of the Nephites. When their mutual enemy, the Lamanites, came to war against them, the Nephites struggled to defend themselves as well as those who they had sworn to protect. When the time came that the Anti-Nephi-Lehites wanted to take up arms to aid their brethren, Helaman forbade them lest by breaking the covenant, or promise, which they had made with the Lord, they would have been slain. However, they had many sons who had not entered into this covenant, and these sons valued the liberty of their fathers, even more than their own lives, and they 'enlisted' to join the army against the Lamanites. See
Alma 53:14-16.
Thus we see that once you say you are going to do something, you need to do it. We also see that the liberty of the fathers was protected by the hard work that their sons gave in service. However we cannot look to someone else to fulfill the requirements the Lord has set to enter His kingdom.
When Joseph, son of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, was sold into Egypt, he served in several positions where everything was 'commited into his hand'. After more than a couple years since seeing his family he was brought before Pharaoh to interpret a dream.
The dreams of Pharaoh, and Joseph's interpretation, are as follows:
(the teal is my own interjections)
"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine(good cows), fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
And, behold, seven other kine(sick cows) came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
And the lean and the ill favoured kine(sick cows) did eat up the first seven fat kine(good cows):
And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears(good corn) came up in one stalk, full and good:
And, behold, seven ears(bad corn), withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
And the thin ears(bad corn) devoured the seven good ears(good corn): and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."
Here we see that everything the Lord does is done by the 'mouth of two or more witnesses'. He gave Pharaoh two dreams, plus the testimony of a Prophet. Three witnesses were given that there would be a time of plenty, and then a time of famine.
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God,
that I will send a famine in the land,
not a famine of bread,
nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord:
And they shall wander from sea to sea,
and from the north even to the east,
they shall run to and fro
to seek the word of the Lord,
and shall not find it."
"Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first,"
And thus we can plainly discern,
that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God,
and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness,
and then have fallen away into sin and transgression,
they become more hardened,
and thus their state becomes worse
than though they had never known these things."
Here we have more than two times that the Lord has told us there would be a falling away, or an apostasy, before His second coming.
"And he shall send Jesus Christ,
which before was preached unto you:
Whom the heaven must receive
until the times of restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken
by the mouth of all his holy prophets
since the world began."
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren"
The famine of hearing the words of the Lord is over, the church that Jesus Christ established has been restored again to the earth, which is the restitution of all things, including the Priesthood which is Authority to perform sacred ordinances in the name of Christ.
We are told to "WORK out your own salvation"(
Philippians 2:12), and the way has been shown in the scriptures. The Book of Mormon stands as SECOND witness of Jesus Christ. Through the Book of Mormon we find that we must indeed have FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ, REPENT of our sins, be BAPTIZED by someone holding the proper authority to do so, receive the GIFT of the Holy Ghost, and ENDURE to the END.
I promise that if anyone is struggling with life right now, be it because of family problems, lack of employment, depression, or addiction, by reading the Book of Mormon for 5 minutes a day you will find peace, hope, and balance in your life and family.
