The Lord speaks to us in so many ways, and the one He teaches in Section 8 is one of my favorites.

My husband and I recently had to make a financial decision that we were going back and forth on.

We prayed about it a lot, but our hearts weren’t telling us anything yet.

We finally logically came to the conclusion that we should go in one particular way.

After we had made that decision, our hearts started to feel at peace. We felt super confident moving forward with our choice, and we knew we had our answer!

In one of the most famous scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord tells Oliver Cowdery:

“Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.”

In other words – the Lord likes to send us his Spirit through both our mind and our heart.

Both!

That feeling in your heart is the Spirit, but that thought in your head that seems so logical is the Spirit, too.

However, I’ve learned they don’t always speak at the same time.

With this financial decision, the logical journey came first. I wanted to feel it in my heart. Desperately.

But I needed to make up my mind before the confirmation came.

I needed to trust my agency and use it wisely.

And then other times, I feel it in my heart before I can work through the logic.

I want it to make sense, but it doesn’t really make sense yet. So I have to move forward in pure faith that my heart is right, and wait for the logic to catch up.

I want the heart and the mind at the same time, but I think the Lord likes to give me opportunities to practice with just one or the other.

Practice my agency with my mind, and practice my faith in God with my heart.

And eventually, sometimes much much later, I feel it in both.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The heart and the mind first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I can handle just about anything, and if I don’t know what I’m doing, I’ll figure it out.

If I’m asking someone for help, I guarantee I have thought through every possible way I could solve the problem without needing assistance first.

This is a fantastic strength in many areas of my life.

I can get things done.

Because the truth is, I can be super strong on my own.

The judges speaking against Nephi knew that they could be strong, too.

“We are powerful,” they said.

“Our enemies can have no power over us.” (Hel. 8:6)

And they really did have powerful and strong armies who could get things done and fight off enemies!

But where does all of our own strength come from?

From the One who created us and placed us on earth with a very specific purpose.

He often allows us to use our own natural (yet God-given) strength.

I can learn new things or ace a test on my own.

And the Nephite armies could totally win a battle without any religious sentiment.

But –

What happens if we team up with God?

What happens if we rely on the One who made us to add His efforts to ours?

What if we knew He could make us unstoppable?

A little army of 2,000 with no fatalities.

A man on a wall with arrows completely missing.

A young mom who is defending her home against the seemingly ever-present evils around her.

And against all odds, they all succeed.

We can do things on our own.

Or we can take our strength and add it to God’s.

And that’s where the miracles happen.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Why did the Ammonite sons not even have a shadow of a doubt that their mothers had faith in God?

At first, my mind goes to doing EVERYTHING.

I’ve got a two year old and a six month old, and yet I think I’m not doing enough.

Should I be preparing more for our family scripture study?

Do I need to have more elaborate lessons planned for when we have home-church?

Do I need to be likening scripture study stories every time we are playing together?

How can I make sure my kids KNOW that I have a testimony?

And then I picture these Ammonite women.

They had believed in false traditions as Lamanites.

But when they heard about the true gospel of Jesus Christ, they took a covenant to help them stay far away from sin.

They uprooted their families and moved to a safer location.

They didn’t give a second of their time to the anti-Christ Korihor when he came to town.

These women took in poor Zoramites who had been kicked out of their city.

They uprooted their lives and moved again to give room for the Nephite armies to protect them.

They taught their sons and their daughters that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

And why would their children believe their mothers?

Because their words were backed up by their actions.

Keeping covenants with exactness, turning away from evil, serving with their whole hearts…

There was no way to doubt that their mothers knew that God would provide, because the proof was there over and over throughout their lives.

Of course, these mothers explicitly taught the gospel to their kids.

But the most important part was that their actions backed up every word they may have said.

So what example am I showing my kids?

How do I treat them when they do something they shouldn’t?

How do I model service and kindness?

How do I emanate joy from staying close to and worthy of the Spirit?

That’s how they’ll know that I know.

Yes, I’ll teach them. We’ll keep up scripture study, and I’ll share lessons.

They’ll know the gospel.

But they’ll know that I know by the way I choose to live my life.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Do they know that I know? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Things that are unexplainable, grand, and inspiring.

But I have found that most of the time, my success comes from my hard work, my desire to learn, and my application of knowledge.

… so is that taking God out of the equation to acknowledge that?

Let’s look at Captain Moroni’s battle against Zarahemnah’s Lamanite troops.

Moroni and Lehi had surrounded the Lamanites and were asking for their surrender. Moroni verbally expressed that he knew the Nephite armies had prevailed because of their faith in God.

Zarahemnah’s response as he was surrounded by Nephite armies?

“We do not believe that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your shields that have preserved you.” (Alma 44:9)

In other words, “Moroni, it certainly wasn’t a god who helped you. You just wore armor and were very smart about your battle plans – that’s why you won!”

What Zarahemnah did not know is that Moroni had gone to the high priest Alma in order to find out where the Lamanite armies were going and how they should attack.

Moroni was cunning and brilliant with his battle plans – because he had faith in God who showed him what to do.

And that armor they wore? The Nephites traditionally always had better defensive wear than the Lamanites. So I’m sure Moroni used his God-given brilliance to continue those same preparations.

Zarahemnah was partially right in his argument.

Moroni won due to his cunning and armor.

But Zarahemnah missed the big, obvious connection that Moroni attributed his cunning and armor to the One who gave him breath.

Using my talent and intellect to find success in this life is exactly what God intends me to do with my gifts.

But He also wants to make sure I don’t lose sight, like Zarahemnah did, of where all of my power comes from.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Where does success come from? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She listened to Amulek, who she recognized from around town, and she saw the mighty transformation that he had gone through.

She heard the teachings about a Savior, power from God, the purpose of life, the chance to repent… and she knew it was true.

She returned to her house with her children in tow, she fell to her knees, and she repented.

She discussed her feelings with her husband, whose heart had also been softened by Alma and Amulek’s words.

She sat down and searched the scriptures.

She taught her children what she now knew in her heart to be true – that there is a God and a Savior, and they love her.

She heard that the chief judge had taken and bound Alma and Amulek.

She took her family and gathered with the other new believers to see what these men’s fates would be.

She saw Zeezrom, that wicked judge, have a change of heart and plead for the lives of Alma and Amulek. Surely this would change the chief judge’s mind!

And then suddenly her husband was whisked away with the other men. She saw others in the crowd pick up rough, heavy stones and run after them.

She cried for his safety and offered up prayers to the God she now knew existed.

But then people began to gather around her. She picked up her children and held them close.

She saw the piles of wood form.

She looked around at the other women and children. Surely this would not be their fate. This was too cruel.

And so she prayed again.

She saw Alma standing up ahead, tears streaming down his face. Surely he would save them with his power from God.

She prayed again.

And suddenly, everything became clear.

She felt peace.

This was going to be her fate. She didn’t know why this had to be, but she knew that it was the only path now.

A martyr for a God she just started to get to know. A Savior that she would soon meet.

And so she hugged, and kissed, and prayed, and cried.

And her faith in God was unshaken to the end.

Painting by Niki Martins

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A woman in Ammonihah first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.