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’m not an avid climber, but I was surprising myself with how well I was doing!

And then…

I went to grab onto the next big rock, and my hand slipped right off.

My confidence was dashed to fear and then a little bit of embarrassment.

Even though the rock had looked like a good one to hang onto from the view below, it was acutally rounded on the top, and my hand wasn’t prepared for it.

I hung there for a bit and looked around and found a rock that looked like it would be a much better strong hold.

I examined as many angles as I could.

That one worked.

I’ve had some difficult emotional moments in my life.

From health struggles, to busy schedules, to heartbreaking losses, I’ve had to figure out what wasn’t worth holding on to.

And I’ve had to figure out what my strong hold would be.

The best strong hold I’ve ever had is my good friend, Jesus.

As the prophet Nahum taught, “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble”. (Nahum 1:7)

I want Jesus to always be my top priority.

He is someone I know I can hold on to.

He won’t surprise me.

He won’t bring fear.

He won’t embarrass me in front of others.

He’s just strong. And steady. And reliable.

The type of friend I know I can rely on, in any day of trouble.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A Strong Hold  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 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.