As I listened to the lyrics though, I pretty quickly realized it was not-so-awesome. ⁣

Kyle and I were going to the temple that evening with some friends as soon as I got home from work. ⁣

I had the thought to turn the radio off. ⁣

But… I didn’t. ⁣

Later, in the temple, guess what song kept popping into my head?⁣

I sat there and sang a bunch of primary songs and hymns in my head, trying to get rid of these terrible lyrics that kept coming to my mind. ⁣

Nothing was working. ⁣

I eventually just prayed my heart out. ⁣

“Heavenly Father, please remove this song from my mind. It’s distracting me from the spirit in the temple.”⁣

And immediately. ⁣

Immediately. ⁣

A piercing thought came into my mind. ⁣⁣

It was still and small, but powerful. ⁣

It was very clearly Divine. ⁣

And that voice said:⁣

“Cali, you can’t pray away the consequences of your decisions.”⁣

I was being reprimanded by the spirit in a very direct way. ⁣

I realized in a dramatic fashion that I couldn’t choose to ignore the spirit when it told me to change the radio station and then expect it to help remove the natural consequences of my actions later on. ⁣

Joseph Smith shared a powerful example of his experience with this in D&C 85:6:⁣

“The still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest”⁣.

In the car, the spirit spoke to me in a very still and small voice. ⁣

And in the temple, it pierced my mind and made me very aware of the power behind it. ⁣

I needed to learn that lesson that day, and it has dramatically shaped my music choices ever since. ⁣

I needed that piercing voice for a major course correction. ⁣

And I am so grateful for a companion like the spirit who can give those messages in a way that I can’t write off. ⁣

I heard it, and I knew God knew that I heard it.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The Spirit’s reprimand  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t try to create a safe environment in my home.

But at the end of the day, I can’t control everything my kids will ever be exposed to.

In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the Lord taught:

“Pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.” (D&C 86:6)

I can’t get rid of all the tares in the world, and my kids will see that.

But as scary as this realization can be, Elder L. Tom Perry taught a sweet but powerful reminder:⁣

“A steward managing the field must, with all his or her power, nourish that which is good and make it so strong and beautiful the tares will have no appeal either to the eye or the ear.”⁣

I don’t have to sit around, angry at all the tares.

I can nourish the good!

I can help the wheat become so strong and beautiful that the tares lose their appeal.

I can teach and be open about the natural consequences that come from the tares.

And I can prove through the way I live my life that sticking with the wheat is the way to go.

The tares will always be around, but the wheat can still flourish.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Nourish the wheat  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Joseph is reading newspaper reports every day about South Carolina’s new drama. ⁣

The federal government had established new tariffs (taxes), and South Carolina nullified them (AKA refused to pay them).

United States Pres Andrew Jackson threatened South Carolina. They better pay the tariffs, or they would go to war.⁣

It was in this mindset that Joseph prayed and received the revelation known as D&C 87. ⁣

This was a uniquely specific prophecy that actually mentioned specific locations and events:⁣

It mentioned the rebellion of South Carolina, a war between the Southern and Northern states, the Southern states calling on Great Britain for help, and slaves rising up against their masters. ⁣

So… I’m sure you know what happened next, right?!⁣

… the federal government and South Carolina made a pretty quick and easy compromise where the government lowered the tariffs and the state agreed to pay them. ⁣

That was it. ⁣

All that political tension and turmoil, and then add on a very specific prophecy from a prophet about war. ⁣

And then, an anticlimactic resolution. ⁣

Was the prophet wrong?⁣

Well, if you are familiar with U.S. history, you know the power of hindsight. ⁣

30 years later, South Carolina did lead a rebellion that brought unprecedented war between the north and the south, the south called on Great Britain for help, and slaves rose against their masters. ⁣

Long after Joseph had died, and long after the saints had already moved west to Utah.⁣

God’s timing is so dramatically different than our timing. ⁣

The early saints believed Christ’s return was imminent… and here we are 200 years later. ⁣

And this war prophecy did not come true even when current events seemed to point toward it happening right away. ⁣

Feeling a sense of “urgency” has always been something that the Lord has tried to evoke. ⁣

Change now. Keep the commandments immediately. Follow the prophet. ⁣

But we don’t do these things because we know we’ve got a deadline approaching. ⁣

We do these things because He knows we will feel so much more peace in our lives as soon as we decide to turn to Him. ⁣

God’s timing is His own.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The war prophecy  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

To me, they were the most important people in the highest leadership positions in the Church.

But over many years of studying their lives, learning the doctrine, and having my own experiences with service, I have had a change in perspective.

All the logistical stuff that comes with their calling is just a small part of their role.

I now view them as fifteen men called to serve and bear testimony of Jesus Christ with the entire world as their responsibility.

And they willingly agreed to do so.

As we learn in the parable of the wheat and tares, “. . . the field was the world, and the apostles were the sowers of the seed.” (D&C 86:2)

The apostles sow the seeds.

With every new place they travel to and every new talk they research and deliver, they are planting seeds of goodness to the best of their abilities.

The apostles don’t point us to how awesome they are.

Instead, they point us straight to Jesus Christ.

I want to know, what have you heard from an apostle recently that “sowed a good seed” in your life?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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