It’s one of my favorite songs that I learned as a child. ⁣

My language? ⁣

My actions?⁣

What would I do if the Savior was right next to me?⁣

It helped guide me to more Christlike decisions as a little kid. ⁣

But now, years later, with three kids of my own, it brings a different meaning to me. ⁣

Fear. Weakness. Dismay. ⁣

I’ve felt it all. ⁣

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)⁣

My understanding of the Savior has grown a lot since I was a kid. ⁣

He’s not just there, watching me, hoping I say and do nice things. ⁣

He is with me in my weakness. In my dismay. In my fears. ⁣

He’s with me when I feel exhausted after putting out my kids’ little fires all day. ⁣

He’s with me when I think that I’ve messed everything up. ⁣

He’s with me when I hear more bad news. ⁣

He’s with me when I remember everything that’s on my to-do list. ⁣

“He is always near me, though I do not see him there; ⁣

“And because he loves me dearly, I am in his watchful care.”⁣

He’s there cheering me on. Guiding me. Comforting me. Loving me. ⁣

His Spirit can always be with me, whenever I have the desire. ⁣

And because He is with me wherever I go, I have no need to feel fear and dismay. ⁣

I can be strong and have courage to conquer whatever comes my way.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Be strong and of a good courage!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I sat through a fascinating church discussion one time about this concept. ⁣

“If you feel any fear, it means you’ve lost your faith. If you had perfect faith in God, you’d never feel fear.”⁣

One person made this comment and some agreed. ⁣

Another said:⁣

“I’ve had to deal with some truly terrifying things in my life, and I have felt fear. But I feel like it was a natural response to what I was facing.”⁣

Others agreed with this. ⁣

I feel like “fear” can often be a loaded word at church. ⁣

We’ve been told to fear not, and yet here we are feeling fear from time to time. ⁣

Which is why this verse from Moses jumped out to me so much: ⁣

“Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. ⁣

“Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength”. (Moses 1:20)⁣

That word: NEVERTHELESS. ⁣

Moses felt fear. ⁣

And for great reason too— the adversary was literally yelling at Moses to worship him. ⁣

It was a scary situation. ⁣

So Moses felt fear. ⁣

NEVERTHELESS Moses still called upon God and received strength to know what to do next to conquer his trial. ⁣

It sure doesn’t sound like Moses waited for all the fear to leave before he started calling on God. ⁣

The fear and the faith-filled pleading to God happened at the same time. ⁣

And it resulted in great strength. ⁣

I think we can feel fear in our life from time to time and nevertheless, still choose to pray to God for strength to know the next step to take. ⁣

I’ve had some terrifying moments where I’ve felt some fear at the same time that I’ve been filled with faith that God could give me the answer. ⁣

And truthfully, those moments have given me some of the most powerful experiences in my life. ⁣

I don’t think Moses dwelt in fear. I think he felt the fear and then got rid of it pretty soon after. ⁣

But his fear didn’t negate the fact that he also had faith in that moment, knowing exactly who to call on to be delivered from that fear.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Is fear a sin? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

My roommates and I moved into our freshman dorms at BYU, and our new bishopric emailed out a “get-to-know-you” survey to everyone.⁣

(I can’t even imagine how overwhelmed that bishopric was with having to meet 180 18-19 year olds all at the same time, and issue callings as quickly as possible.)

Of course, one of the questions on their survey was: ⁣

Do you play the piano?⁣

I stopped when I saw that question.

Because I was afraid.

I was afraid that if I answered truthfully, I would be “stuck” in a musical calling.

And music-related callings are often demanding and/or isolating.

But I also remembered the lessons my parents had taught me about sharing my talents at church. ⁣

I filled out the survey, saying that I did play the piano.⁣

The Lord was talking to many of the men who had traveled to Missouri in D&C 60:2:

“But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man.”⁣

These men were hiding their talents because of FEAR.

I’ve learned that anything fear-based is not coming from God. ⁣

If I’m afraid of people judging me

Or I’m afraid of people comparing me

Or if I’m afraid of getting a certain calling

Or if I’m afraid of being asked to volunteer in some way

Or even if I’m afraid of people thinking I’m trying to “show off”…

That doesn’t feel generous and loving to me.⁣

In fact, this makes me think of the Law of Consecration.

ALL of my talents and gifts come from God anyways. ⁣

Anything that I do to increase my talents and gifts, whether it’s a musical gift, or it’s just opening my mouth and talking about the gospel…⁣

Anything that I can do to increase any gift, is showing gratitude to the Lord. ⁣

Gratitude is the key.⁣

When I’m filled with gratitude, then I don’t have any fear. ⁣

It has taken me a while to get to this point, but I want to be so ridiculously generous with my time and all of my talents.

Which means… ⁣

No fear. Only gratitude.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post “Do you play the piano?” first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Scary health issues.

Scary potential futures.

Scary financial situations.

Scary social or political concerns.

Scary moments of personal growth.

But can I be honest?⁣

When the opportunities for fear have surrounded me, I feel like I’ve had a pretty peaceful life.⁣

I’ve felt a lot of stretching and growth.

I’ve gained new perspectives and refined priorities. ⁣

But I haven’t felt a lot of fear. ⁣

To be clear, I don’t say that with a sense of pride or superiority. ⁣

In fact, I am well aware that this is a special spiritual gift that I have, and I have been specifically told that. ⁣

But… there are still scary things.

And in those moments when I have felt that fear start to creep up, I have tried to turn to my Father in Heaven. ⁣

In humility, in meekness.

In love. ⁣

Loving my Heavenly Father is what casts out those little inklings of fear. ⁣

Loving my Savior is what transforms my fear to peace and confidence. ⁣

Fear isn’t a bad emotion to feel, but it’s honestly just not a feeling I want to indulge in very often.

I’m not perfect at it, but when I have been in my most desperate times, I have still been able to find moments of pure and perfect love.

Pure and perfect devotion to the Divine. ⁣

And I have found for myself that these moments of true, pure, perfect love for Heaven have cast out my fear.

“Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear.” (Moroni 8:16)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Casting out fear first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

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. ⁣

“And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.” (Words of Mormon 1:7)

He follows through on every single prompting 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 I know change is ahead in my life.

Sometimes, I give into the fear of the unknown, my mind tunneling through every possibility.

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

Acknowledge that I have NO clue what is going to happen – but God does.

And if I just listen to the little promptings and then act on those little promptings, I feel peace. ⁣

Faith and fear don’t live together very well.

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

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Fear and faith and Mormon  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And I had heard about Braxton hicks, or “false labor”.

How would I know the difference?!

I thought it would be so embarrassing to show up at the hospital thinking it was labor when it really was just a false alarm.

The advice I got from other moms?

“Oh, you’ll KNOW when it is real labor.”

But as I neared the end of my pregnancy, I didn’t know!

Every pain, every cramp, every movement had me concerned: Is this real labor?!

And then.. the real contractions started.

And oh boy, did I know that I was really, truly in labor.

We often hear Paul’s famous teaching that, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

But… fear is such a tricky emotion.

We feel fear and wonder: Is this fear I’m feeling a warning to stop?⁣

Is this fear a prompting?⁣

Does this fear mean I need to go do something?⁣

And sometimes the fears build on each other and become an anxiety, feeding each other and growing until they become too much to bear. ⁣

But I feel like Paul is saying, “Listen, you may be confused about whether or not it’s fear from your own mind or a prompting, but when God gives you a message, you will KNOW that it’s from Him.”

POWER. ⁣LOVE. ⁣A SOUND MIND. ⁣

God can absolutely warn us against dangerous things, He can still tell us to change, He can still tell us to go a different direction. ⁣

But the feeling will be empowering, full of love, and create the result of a sound mind. ⁣

We can get an urgent warning… but have a sound mind about it. ⁣

I know in my life, I always feel confused when I’m filled with fear. I don’t know what to do or where the thoughts are coming from. (Even though I technically know that fear isn’t from God.)⁣

But when I’m having a clear prompting, I feel power, love, and a sound mind. ⁣

No fear. ⁣

I’m grateful for a loving God who motivates and communicates with positive emotions.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Is this fear?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was terrified!

I sat in my classroom that morning.

My door faced the outside hang-out area, so I could hear as the students started arriving and making lots of excited sounds.

And I just sat in my classroom, so scared out of my mind.

I had JUST graduated college.

Did I actually know how to teach?

What if this was all some big giant mistake?!?

I looked at the pictures of my husband, family, and friends that I had taped up behind my desk area.

I said a little prayer.

I realized that EVEN THOUGH I was terrified, I also knew that I was doing the right thing.

I felt that little reassurance in my heart that this is what I loved doing.

That yes, this might be difficult, but I was also going to be able to figure it out.

The bell rang, and I could hear kids starting to line up outside my door, whispering about their “new teacher”.

I closed my eyes, whispered a little prayer, and pushed the door open to invite the kids inside.

One little moment of courage introduced me to an entirely new experience in a job that I loved!

I like to think that the woman who touched Jesus’ hem had this same, although much more serious, moment of courage.

When she heard about a Savior who could heal her, she went to Him.

She had faith.

And in one moment of courage, she touched His hem, confident that this would be the answer.

“When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.” (Mark 5:27)

What seems scary and intimidating to you right now?

What’s a change you know you need to make, but you know will take a lot of effort?

What opportunity keeps calling to you even though it terrifies you?

One moment of courage is all it takes to change the trajectory of your life completely.

If we want that change to be for the better, then we also need to rely on the Savior.

We can reach out to Him, utter a prayer in His name, and expect His strength.

One moment of courage can change everything.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post One moment of courage  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I mean, yes, an angel says it each time.

But I think it’s interesting to look at the other context for these three times:

1. Matthew 1:20 “Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife”.

Joseph is told to FEAR NOT to do a really hard thing that had been asked of him.

To do something different than what society expected. 

2. Luke 1:13 “Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son”. 

Zacharias is told to FEAR NOT because the whole circumstances of his life were going to be changing soon.

To fear not that the Lord hasn’t been hearing his prayers. 

3. Luke 1:30 “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.”

Mary is told to FEAR NOT after wondering her standing with God.

She doesn’t think she’s the right person, but she is told that she has found favor with Him and to not fear.

Fear creeps into our lives so many shapes and forms.

Fear of change, fear of rejection, fear of being ridiculed, fear of being wrong…

But God sends His messengers to remind us that we don’t need to dwell in fear.

He will provide the miracle.

He will make the worldly mocking seem like nothing.

He will reassure us of our standing before Him.

He will answer our prayers.

He is aware of every single little detail, every little nuance of our specific situation.

And still, He invites us to fear not.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post 3 Fearful circumstances  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s one of my favorite songs that I learned as a child.

My language?

My actions?

What would I do if the Savior was right next to me?

It helped guide me to more Christlike decisions as a little kid.

But now, years later, with three kids of my own, it brings a different meaning to me.

Fear. Weakness. Dismay.

I’ve felt it all.

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)

My understanding of the Savior has grown a lot since I was a kid.

He’s not just there, watching me, hoping I say and do nice things.

He is with me in my weakness. In my dismay. In my fears.

He’s with me when I feel exhausted after putting out my kids’ little fires all day.

He’s with me when I think that I’ve messed everything up.

He’s with me when I hear more bad news.

He’s with me when I remember everything that’s on my to-do list.

“He is always near me, though I do not see him there;

“And because he loves me dearly, I am in his watchful care.”

He’s there cheering me on. Guiding me. Comforting me. Loving me.

His Spirit can always be with me, whenever I have the desire.

And because He is with me wherever I go, I have no need to feel fear and dismay.

I can be strong and have courage to conquer whatever comes my way.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I sat through a fascinating church discussion one time about this concept.

“If you feel any fear, it means you’ve lost your faith. If you had perfect faith in God, you’d never feel fear.”

One person made this comment and some agreed.

Another said:

“I’ve had to deal with some truly terrifying things in my life, and I have felt fear. But I feel like it was a natural response to what I was facing.”

Others agreed with this.

I feel like “fear” can often be a loaded word at church.

We’ve been told to fear not, and yet here we are feeling fear from time to time.

Which is why this verse from Moses jumped out to me so much:

“Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell.

“Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength”. (Moses 1:20)

That word: NEVERTHELESS.

Moses felt fear.

And for great reason too— the adversary was literally yelling at Moses to worship him.

It was a scary situation.

So Moses felt fear.

NEVERTHELESS Moses still called upon God and received strength to know what to do next to conquer his trial.

It sure doesn’t sound like Moses waited for all the fear to leave before he started calling on God.

The fear and the faith-filled pleading to God happened at the same time.

And it resulted in great strength.

I think we can feel fear in our life from time to time and nevertheless, still choose to pray to God for strength to know the next step to take.

I’ve had some terrifying moments where I’ve felt some fear at the same time that I’ve been filled with faith that God could give me the answer.

And truthfully, those moments have given me some of the most powerful experiences in my life.

I don’t think Moses dwelt in fear. I think he felt the fear and then got rid of it pretty soon after.

But his fear didn’t negate the fact that he also had faith in that moment, knowing exactly who to call on to be delivered from that fear.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Are fear and faith really opposites? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.