In 3 Nephi 18:15, Christ implores the people to, “Pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil.”

True, sincere prayer is often viewed as speaking to God.

And while that is absolutely a beautiful purpose for it, there is another powerful aspect, too:

“Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other.” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer”)

Prayer doesn’t have to be us thinking of a one-sided laundry list of “asks” and “thanks”.

It can be a beautiful, powerful, back and forth conversation where we ask for assistance, and then become inspired for the things we should even be praying for.

There is a flow of love, of energy, of light, until our wills are brought into correspondence.

And it can take a long time.

My conversation last night with Heavenly Father?

“I’m overwhelmed and feeling very inadequate. I need help.”

And after a moment –

“I need to feel some peace first. I’m having a hard time thinking rationally.”

Peace.

“Thank you for that peace.”

A quick tug of the Spirit.

“I think I need to ask you what I need to change.”

Peace.

And a moment to think.

“I’m going to try this new strategy. Is that a good decision?”

A pause.

“I’m thinking I might need to really ponder this question for General Conference weekend.”

Peace.

“Thank you for all of your guidance and peace.”

That was it. You aren’t getting the full conversation, since that started months ago and probably will keep continuing in the future.

But it was a little glimpse of alignment.

A hair closer to my ultimate destination of desiring to desire what He desires.

Prayer can be a conversation.

And when we practice unlocking this power, of conversing and aligning and communing, Satan doesn’t stand a chance.

Artwork: “Heavenly Guidance” by KenzieJo @kenziejoscollection

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

No one likes feeling like a project.

We all want to matter to other people in real ways, which makes fake friendships or an obvious “project-status” especially harmful.

Before your mind starts to fill with anger or resentment toward others as you remember past grievances, I encourage you to use the “Lord, is it I?” mindset.

Do we sometimes treat others just like an assignment?

Do we avoid the vulnerability of “real” for the comfort of “safe”?

Jesus Christ, of course, taught the perfect example of this.

First, he instructed the Nephites that if someone isn’t worthy, they should not be partaking of the sacrament anymore.

(A command that always seemed harsh to me until I realized that “being damned” is less about a curse from an ruthless God and instead a natural consequence of stopping our own progression.)

But then, Jesus tells his disciples to never cast out those who have become unworthy.

Instead?

“Ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him”. (3 Nephi 18:30)

So how do we accomplish this without making someone feel like a project?

This is something I’ve been working on for a while – developing and showing true, authentic love.

And something that I’ve only been able to do by seeing beautiful examples from other women that I look up to. What they’ve taught me?

Listen much more than we talk.

Most people just want someone to connect with, and connection comes through conversation and shared experiences.

And when I listen to a sister who has lived a very different path than I have, and I listen and pray and listen some more…

I am filled with the true love of God towards them.

Some people aren’t ready to open up and talk yet, which means finding small ways to show them I care and remember them.

But at the end of the day, we all crave true connection.

So I challenge you to reflect today: How can I become more authentic in my relationships with others?

How can I show love, no matter what they choose to do?

Happy Studying!

– Cali Black

The post More than a project first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

In fact there are many days where she is the one to remind us to do it before she goes to bed!

Just last night, we were reading about Jesus appearing to the Nephites, and she stopped and said, “Mommy, Jesus was really happy and really nice.”

So sweet.

And then we knelt down to pray, and after months and months of family prayers where she runs around and jumps on the beanbag and talks while we are trying to get her to stay reverent and still…

She closed her eyes the entire time. (I may have peeked while my husband was praying a few times because I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Whoops.)

She was reverent and stayed on her knees, not moving a muscle during the prayer, and then gave me a big hug before going upstairs with daddy.

And my heart was filled with joy.

2-year-olds are often a lot of work. Frustrating. Impatient. Constantly in need.

But other times, I catch a glimpse of her pure and powerful Spirit.

She’s a real person. She’s got a full mortal life and a spiritual forever ahead of her.

And although she needs to mature developmentally…

She has faith now.

She has pure, simple faith, without a touch of Satan’s pull.

And I think that’s why Christ wept when he was with the little children.

His joy was full because of their great faith.

President Henry B. Eyring once shared that he felt frustrated with a son who was jumping on the bed.

He grabbed his son by his shoulders, and immediately the Spirit spoke to him:

“You are holding a great person.”

Children are not easy to raise. They are not always obedient, kind, and willing to share. They are not perfect in that sense.

But they are perfect in their faith.

It is unwavering. It is pure.

And that is what filled Christ with such joy that he wept.

I like to reflect on whether or not I’ve lost that Christlike faith. If I’ve become just a touch too cynical or conditional.

I want my faith to become more childlike and pure, so that I can make my Savior’s joy full.

Artwork by Gary L. Kapp

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Behold your little ones first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

How would you prepare?

No traveling, no driving through the night, just staying where we are and listening.

When Christ told the Nephites that he would be returning the next day, he asked them to “prepare” their minds. (3 Nep. 17:3)

So how do we prepare ourselves for things that we know will be life-changing?

Preparing for a baptism, to receive endowments in the temple, to be sealed, to listen to a stake conference, to listen to General Conference…

What do we do beforehand?

I’ve had stakes give indexing challenges before stake conference, I attended temple prep classes prior to receiving my endowment, I re-listen to all the previous Conference’s talks prior to the upcoming one…

What I’ve discovered is that preparation usually involves some kind of sacrifice.

And when we sacrifice, we are humbled and focused.

And when we are humbled and focused, we make it very easy to feel the Spirit.

And when we feel the full presence of God’s Holy Spirit, our joy is full.

I think we saw this with April’s General Conference – we were asked to prepare by studying the First Vision and Restoration.

For those who did, it was powerful and life-changing, BECAUSE of the preparation and sacrifice that cleared the way for the Spirit’s full presence.

For those who didn’t, there were powerful moments, but the lack of sacrifice yielded a lesser reward.

So what would you do in order to prepare to listen to the Savior?

And what are you doing to prepare to listen to his apostles this weekend?

What are you giving up in order to be qualified for the Spirit to be with you?

For if we are prepared, we shall not fear.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Prepare your minds first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.