It’s the word that we always find accompanying “fasting” in the scriptures.

Prayer.

When we pray in true faith, we are able to secure blessings for ourselves and for others that are conditional upon our asking.

So why would we couple this with fasting?

Fasting is a principle of the gospel that helps us develop spiritual strength.

It is literally a physical manifestation of our desperate intent to commune with the Father and request certain blessings.

It is turning our desires for a basic human need over to God.

It is feeling just a small portion of suffering that our Savior felt.

It is humbling us to realize how quickly we would crumble with no strength if it weren’t for His constant blessings and mercy.

It is unifying when done with others for the same purpose.

It is powerful. And it is real.

When we fast and gain that spiritual strength and maturity, we couple it with prayer, and the spiritual power available is mighty.

Blessings require some sort of work on our part.

And prayers and fasting are the most humble and pure forms of work that we can show.

It is not “nothing”. It is not just to feel good.

Fasting and praying bring real, true, powerful blessings.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Fasting and praying first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Mormon is writing, hundreds of years after Christ came, and he has seen the destruction of all his people.

What a terrifying time. Absolutely everything was changing, and he didn’t know what would happen next for sure.

But he was still compiling the plates.

It seemed a little redundant to include the small plates with the large plates he had abridged, but he felt like he should do it, so he did.

Mormon probably felt in varying doses: loneliness, confusion, fear, and uncertainty for the end of his people.

And yet he shows a beautiful example of true faith in God.

He follows through on every single promoting he receives because he knows that the Lord is in control.

And that’s where true peace can be found.

I have felt similar feelings when waiting to give birth.

Sometimes, I would give in to the fear of the unknown, how would I deal with going into labor in every possible situation, what would we do with our daughter, what if labor doesn’t go as planned…

… and other times I would give it all to God.

Acknowledge that I had NO clue what was going to happen – but God did.
And if I listened to the little promptings (“mention this to your doctor”, “talk to this friend about plans”) and then ACTED on those little promptings, I felt peace.

Faith and fear can not live together.

So, to cast out fear of the unknown, we can learn from Mormon to tune into the little promptings, ACT on them, and give God the rest of the control.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post True faith and peace first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

He promised me that if I kept the commandments, I would prosper in the land.

And yet, he tells me to leave my comforts and walk through the wilderness.

It seems confusing. Even, scary.

Things are not the same, comfortable routines that I had in place.

This wilderness is messy, uncomfortable, and chaotic.

But he led me here.

And he will lead me through the wilderness.

It might get darker and thicker. It might get even more unpredictable.

But I have realized I have my true comforts around me.

The word of God. My personal revelations. Prayer.

He did not forget his promise that I will prosper.

He is fulfilling that promise by bringing me into the wilderness.

And he will bring me through it.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Through the wilderness first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Have you ever felt like it wasn’t enough?

That your contribution isn’t important or interesting enough?

That someone else is doing a better job at it than you are?

Jarom was asked to record the sacred revelations from his lifetime. He wrote: 

“I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations.

“For what could I write more than my fathers have written?”

Jarom had prophecies and revelations. I’m sure he gave great sermons. I’m sure he had a beautiful conversion story or a powerful prayer or some other unique experience. 

But he felt that his predecessors had already written better things. Their experiences were more worthwhile.

I don’t want to pass judgment on Jarom.

But it does make me wonder. What did we miss out on?

What story could I be diving into and marking up as much as the verses from Nephi or Enos? 

And it makes me reflect – where am I selling myself short? 

Other people are doing a better job at being a mom.

Other people are better writers than I am.

Other people are better at serving selflessly.

Other people are more creative than I am. 

But… I matter.

My experiences make me unique. My part on this earth matters.

So I will keep being a mom in the best way that I know how. I will keep writing to the best of my abilities. I will keep trying to serve more. I will create in my own way.

Because I matter. And what I do matters. And I will not sell my experiences short.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I Matter first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

After a long wrestle and many hours, he hears God’s voice reassuring him that his sins are forgiven.

And then, Enos begins to feel a desire for the welfare of his brethren. 

We usually look at this as a missionary scripture, right? When you feel conversion, you should naturally want to share the gospel with other people. 

While that is 100% a beautiful application of this scripture, what if there is a different way to look at it?

True prayer is when our faith in God is so strong, that our wills become the same. 

Enos went into the forest looking for freedom for his own soul. 

But as his faith grew stronger and stronger during this lengthy prayer, his desires began to change, too!

At first, he desired to help his brethren.

And then, he desired that God would preserve the record of his people so the Lamanites could one day read it and be converted. 

Numerous other prophets before him and after him would have that same desire. Why? Because they were all aligning their wills to God’s. 

In our lives, this looks like saying a prayer to know how to deal with your boss, and leaving the prayer with the desire to search for a new job. 

This looks like praying for your ministering sister who won’t respond, and leaving with a specific thought of something you can drop off. 

This looks like praying for your child to solve their problems, and leaving with a deep love for them, no matter what struggles they go through. 

When our faith in God increases, we trust that His will is really what is best for us. And when that faith and trust grow, we naturally allow God’s will to take precedence over our own. 

We just have to engage in the wrestle to let our own will go.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Aligning our wills first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.