Despite being very consistent with my daily prayers for most of my life, I had just experienced a whole bunch of life changes and I stopped. ⁣

After a couple of weeks without specific prayers, I had a surprising thought:

“Wow, my testimony is still strong and my life hasn’t gotten any harder. Maybe daily prayer isn’t that important.”⁣

I didn’t like the thought, but it was swirling in the back of my mind.

A few days later, I was sitting in church and heard a talk that gave me an idea.

I was going to give it a try. ⁣

For the next week, I would say my prayers every day again and see what happened. ⁣

I told Heavenly Father of my plans, pretty sure that my week wouldn’t actually change much.

I (truly and sincerely) wanted Him to prove the importance of daily prayer to me.

And then I prayed for a week. ⁣

I received new personal revelation. The Spirit was so present in my life. I felt peace from God in the perfect moment. I saw miracles in my life.

God completely proved daily prayer to me. ⁣

Remember Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon?⁣

When they couldn’t understand what their father was prophesying about, they were frustrated. ⁣

Their brother Nephi said, “Have ye inquired of the Lord?”⁣

And the two brothers said, “We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.” (1 Nephi 15:8-9) ⁣

Have you ever asked the Lord to prove a principle to you and then acted in faith?⁣

Daniel did. ⁣

“Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days”. (Daniel 1:12)⁣

Ten days. ⁣

And the Lord came through. ⁣

How could we take this same attitude and humbly ask for the Lord to prove a principle that maybe we need some help with?⁣

Don’t “get” the temple? Maybe try going once a week for 10 weeks with a prayerful heart and see what the Lord proves. ⁣

Think family scripture study doesn’t work for your situation? Maybe try making sacrifices for 10 days to do it and see what the Lord proves. ⁣

Don’t believe you can actually forgive that person? Maybe spend 10 days acting like you have and praying for special help and see what the Lord proves. ⁣

When I’ve come with a sincere heart, I’ve learned I can trust the Lord to prove His word.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Proving the Lord first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was facing some challenging life circumstances which didn’t seem fair.

But I had heard from others that attending the temple could bring miracles in your personal life, so I decided to give this a chance. 

That singular visit didn’t take away all of my anger, but I could feel my heart softening.

I kept returning repeatedly, thinking that my Savior could work a miracle for me. 

When Ezekiel described his vision of the waters flowing from the temple, he mentioned one interesting characteristic.

“These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.” (Ezekiel 47:8) 

The water was healing.

Being in the house of the Lord can heal our hearts and souls, no matter the amount of damage that has been done.

And it’s not just the “magic of the temple.”

It’s Jesus.

Jesus’ power can soften and remove the hardest corners.

I have learned that being in His house allows His healing waters to flow. 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post His healing house first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Sometimes, it really hurt.

It really hurt to realize that grudges or attitudes I had held that felt so “right” were actually keeping me from God.

Other times, the softening process felt familiar and comfortable.

Like I could breathe a sigh of relief.

I also learned that my reaction to my hardened heart being molded made a huge impact.

Would I keep the new softness?

Or would I return to the familiar hardness?

I tried to literally and intentionally choose to stay with the softness I was getting glimpses of.

Elder Edward Dube taught perfectly in the most recent conference that the Lord wants us to approach Him with the hardness in our hearts, allowing Him to work the miracles He loves to do.

“Come as we are with a willing heart. He will give us a new heart.”

And anciently, Ezekiel mentioned this same symbolism.

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

It’s been one of my favorite processes, and one that I now actively seek and pray for:

I want my heart to be softened. To be more aligned with God’s will. To be willing to do what He asks.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here’s my heart.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Here’s my heart first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Mine recently has been this theme of LACK vs ABUNDANCE. ⁣

On a personal level, when I think that I don’t have enough time to get something done, I act panicky. ⁣

Or when I think I’m running out of time to help my children grow into good people, I am not happy. ⁣

Or even simple things, like trying to ration bananas because I think we are going to run out… but then they all grow brown before we eat them all.⁣

But on a spiritual level, LACK shows up everywhere, too. ⁣

Feeling like I don’t have enough energy to get the things done that I need to in order to feed my spiritual connection with God. ⁣

Feeling like I don’t have enough time to fulfill my calling. ⁣

Feeling like I can’t ever find time to go to the temple. ⁣

And this week is the perfect week to explore that LACK vs ABUNDANCE tension because so many of these Old Testament prophets used these same exact concepts to show the contrast between people who made and kept covenants with pure intent with God, and those who forgot everything spiritual. ⁣

In fact, Ezekiel had a famous vision that dove into this idea even more. ⁣

Dry bones are one of the best representations of LACK that I can think of. ⁣

No water. No life. No beauty. No joy. ⁣

And what did the Lord ask Ezekiel to say to these dry bones? ⁣

“O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:4)⁣

That is where we find abundance. ⁣

In the word of the Lord. The commandments. The scriptures. The covenants we make in the temple. ⁣

Slowly but surely, as we stick to the word of the Lord, He turns our lack into abundance. ⁣

Service becomes a joy that we certainly have time for. ⁣

There will always be more great opportunities to teach your children. ⁣

The scriptures become your lifeline to heaven. ⁣

You feel generous with sharing everything that you have, no matter how small it may seem to the world.⁣

So rise up, dry bones! ⁣

It’s time to take life, drink some everlasting water, and hear the word of the Lord to live in true abundance!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Rise up, dry bones! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me”. (Ezekiel 33:7) ⁣

Prophets have weighty calls. ⁣

But… I’m not totally off the hook. ⁣

I do have responsibility for teaching some people.⁣

Who do I have stewardship over?⁣

My family members should always be my top priority. ⁣

I want to do my absolute best to make sure they know how to make and keep covenants and why I think it’s the best decision that they can make. ⁣

But I also have the opportunity to fulfill my calling.⁣

Formal callings like teaching and duties like ministering assignments.⁣

I want to also make sure I speak openly about Jesus and help them to come closer to Him by interacting with me.

And then even in casual settings. ⁣

When I speak with friends, when I interact with someone at the store, when I post on social media. ⁣

I can find opportunities to bear simple or unspoken testimonies of what I believe and how that affects who I am. ⁣

Even though we don’t have the same weight that prophets do…⁣

Even though I don’t have to declare everything I know to the whole world…⁣

I can still do my part to make sure I am sharing God’s words, teachings, and love with everyone I come in contact with!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The weight of the watchman first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Somehow, this immediately signaled to my children that the garbage can was now a toy to play with. ⁣

From my prep work, I saw them jumping on the foot pedal and slamming the lid up and down.⁣

“Hey, please stop playing with the trash can like that! You’ll break the trash can, or one of you will get hurt.”⁣

Within 5 seconds of me saying that, the howl of pain came. ⁣

My daughter’s toe got a nice little cut from the foot pedal on the trash can, which started bleeding all over the floor. ⁣

I immediately stopped what I was doing, helped her get comfortable, cleaned up the mess, and cuddled with her after putting the band-aid on.⁣

My heart was filled with compassion for this cute little girl who just wanted to have fun, ignored mom’s warnings, and now had to deal with the painful consequences.⁣

I imagine that our Heavenly Father feels this to an even greater degree.⁣

He sees us downplaying commandments, skipping the small but essential things, and placing our value in things that don’t last. ⁣

And yet what does He do?⁣

“But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.” (Lamentations 3:32) 

He has compassion for us in our self-inflicted suffering.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Self-inflicted suffering first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve been part of large events that get cancelled or dramatically changed just days beforehand. ⁣

I’ve forgotten a really important grocery item at the store. ⁣

I’ve asked someone else to do something and they’ve done it completely differently than what I was intending. ⁣

I’ve had someone get sick and not be able to do something we had been looking forward to for a long time. ⁣

Mortal life is filled with all sorts of things that “go wrong”, from small but still obnoxious errors, to big dramatic changes that are stressful and sometimes even heartbreaking. ⁣

Things weren’t supposed to happen like this!⁣

When Jeremiah was a prophet, he was asked by the Lord to have his scribe record some important prophecies. ⁣

But then the king took the scroll with Jeremiah’s revelations and burned it, piece by piece! ⁣

What?!⁣

The Lord ASKED for these to be written down, and now they were quite literally gone in flames. ⁣

But God knew what was going to happen. ⁣

“Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll”. (Jeremiah 36:28) ⁣

And then the Lord gave Jeremiah even MORE new revelation to include!⁣

Isn’t it comforting to know that nothing comes as a surprise to God? ⁣

He knew what the king would do, and He had a plan in place to keep these important prophecies preserved. ⁣

People still have their agency. ⁣

I’m sure the Lord hoped the king wouldn’t burn Jeremiah’s writings. ⁣

And maybe He hoped that the people around you would have made better choices, too. ⁣

But He still isn’t even surprised. ⁣

In fact, it seems to be these kind of moments when God works His greatest miracles. He rains down blessings even more. He softens our hearts at just the right moment. ⁣

Nothing is a surprise for the Lord.

“With the Savior, what seems like a major problem can become a pathway to greater spiritual progress.” – Jose L. Alonso

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post No surprise here first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had this question come to my mind recently, and it has completely reframed how I, an already devoted Christian, have seen some issues in my life. ⁣

Do I really, really believe that following commandments, keeping covenants, and living by certain principles will make me a better person?⁣

Or do I sometimes think that I know better?⁣

We talk a lot about this idea of having the law “written upon our hearts”. ⁣

Really believing Jesus with our whole heart. ⁣

Jeremiah taught the same idea:⁣

“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)⁣

But what does it really mean to have the law, the commandments, our covenants, written in our hearts?⁣

I think it means being able to wholeheartedly answer that first question with a resounding YES.⁣

Believing that 5 more minutes of being in the scriptures and communing with God is better for my life than 5 more minutes of sleep. ⁣

Trusting that taking that first awkward step toward reconciliation is better than sitting in contention. ⁣

Knowing that turning off that TV show will be better for my soul than the few fleeting moments of entertainment. ⁣

Hoping that attending the temple will far outweigh anything else I could be doing during that time. ⁣

I would bet that the majority of people “know” with our minds that it’s good to keep the commandments. ⁣

It’s good to follow God’s law and keep our covenants. ⁣

But Jeremiah is encouraging us to think…⁣

Do we REALLY, deep down, in our hearts, believe that life is better with Jesus?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Do you really trust? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

My two year old proudly (and loudly) said that after taking his piece of bread for the sacrament one day.

I quietly whispered that we needed to wait for them to finish passing the bread and then bless the water.

“I am thirsty!”⁣

My little boy was thinking very practically— he was thirsty, and so he wanted the water.⁣

When our bodies are thirsty, this natural sort of longing occurs. ⁣

In fact, I wake up super thirsty every single morning and immediately chug my water bottle that I leave right by my bed. ⁣

And when I’ve been outside in the hot desert summer, I get desperate for a cold drink to cool me down. ⁣

This is similar to what I feel when I’m going through a different kind of struggle or trial— I just want that relief. ⁣

I want the struggle to be gone. ⁣

I want to relax and feel all better. ⁣

But I’ve realized that the Lord often doesn’t just take away our struggles. ⁣

He doesn’t usually take us out of the sun permanently, shielding us from any discomfort forever and ever. ⁣

He instead gives us that nourishment, that replenishment that we need in order to make it just another day. ⁣

“For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” (Jeremiah 31:25)⁣

He gives us that living water. ⁣

That everlasting drink that helps our souls hold on just a little bit longer. ⁣

That push of energy to grow a little bit more. ⁣

That source of life.⁣

We need that water.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Nourishment from the Lord first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Have you been in a lesson like that or heard a talk like that before? ⁣

The entire lesson was on a gospel topic that I have been lacking in. ⁣

All of the comments that people shared were new perspectives that I needed to hear. ⁣

I loved it, and I’ve already started to do better at it. ⁣

But the thing is… it wasn’t some new gospel principle. ⁣

It’s not like I’ve never known about it or that I wasn’t painfully aware that I needed to improve that area. ⁣

But the Lord is so good. ⁣

He always invites me to improve, no matter how many times I’ve ignored that invitation before. ⁣

“Return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.” (Jeremiah 18:11)⁣

Even if I’m not doing evil, I find myself not doing good quite often. ⁣

And I am so grateful for a loving God who invites me over and over to repent, to change, and to be a little bit better.⁣

No matter where you are at, no matter how many times you’ve ignored that call, no matter how many times you’ve tried to answer but fallen short…⁣

Jesus always invites us to return. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The lesson meant for me first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.