I really liked the post, and agreed with a lot of the things this person was saying. ⁣⁣

And then I read one line with a thought I had never heard before. ⁣⁣

I said a quick little prayer: “Hmmm I’ve never thought of this that way. Is that true?”⁣⁣

And almost immediately, I heard a voice. ⁣⁣

“That is not truth.”⁣⁣

It was calm and quiet. ⁣⁣

But it was firm and sure. ⁣⁣

I closed the post and moved on. ⁣⁣

The Holy Ghost knows what truth is. ⁣⁣

“The Spirit manifesteth truth”. D&C 91:4⁣⁣

And in a day when everyone has unprecedented access to publish and spread their opinions far and wide, I think the need to discern truth is greater than ever. ⁣⁣

And I think it’s also important to realize how much work it takes to keep the Spirit with us. ⁣⁣

Because we are also humans with brains who have opinions and varying backgrounds. ⁣⁣

And when we read something that goes along with our opinions, our brains like it. ⁣⁣

God doesn’t want us all to think exactly the same way, so I don’t believe the Spirit is given to us to change every opinion and thought that we have. ⁣⁣

But I’ve found that it feels different when the Spirit is confirming something or warning me. ⁣⁣

Instead of, “Yeah, I agree!”⁣⁣

I feel a calm but firm feeling. ⁣⁣

“This is truth.”⁣

⁣I’ve also found success when I ask. ⁣⁣

When I say a deliberate prayer to ask if this is truth or not, I virtually always get a response. ⁣⁣

Or a prompting on what I need to do in order to get the Spirit’s constant presence back with me before I can be ready to receive an answer. ⁣⁣

Just as it was important for saints of all generations, we need to make sure that we know what is truth for the things that matter most. ⁣⁣

We will all still have different opinions and viewpoints and personal revelation for how to apply something specifically to our life.⁣⁣

But we can still feel the Spirit testify of the things that are eternal truths. ⁣⁣

Or warn us of things that are not.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post That is not truth  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Are you a get-up-every-fast-and-testimony-meeting type of person?⁣

Or only-in-smaller-settings? ⁣

Or only-in-the-family? ⁣

Or… rarely at all?⁣

I don’t usually bear my testimony in formal settings. ⁣

And sometimes, I’ve felt like I’ve fallen short for not bearing my testimony at every formal chance I get. ⁣

But I’ve slowly expanded what I understand it means to bear my testimony. ⁣

It doesn’t need to mean verbalizing an extensive talk where I testify in perfect wording about every single thing that I believe or know. ⁣

A testimony is often just a quiet witness of a truth that I know by the Spirit. ⁣

It can be in a casual setting. ⁣

It can be unplanned.⁣

It can be in the context of living my real life.⁣

It can be short and incomplete. ⁣

As the group of men traveling from Missouri back to Ohio met up with their friends headed in the opposite direction, they bore testimonies together.⁣

The Lord told them In Doctrine and Covenants 62:3: ⁣

“Ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you.”⁣

Every time I say a simple truth, I am bearing my testimony. ⁣

When my daughter is playing and I remind her: “Jesus loves you!”⁣

That’s bearing my testimony. ⁣

When I tell my friend that I’m actually not worried about certain outside circumstances because I feel peace from believing in Jesus Christ…⁣

That’s bearing my testimony. ⁣

When I write down in my journal where I saw the hand of God in my life today…⁣

That’s bearing my testimony to future self. ⁣

I’m not sure exactly what gets recorded in the great Book of Life, but I know that my life has been richly blessed when I make an effort to insert bits of testimony into my day. ⁣

To not shy away from mentioning Jesus’ name or stating what I really believe. ⁣

A quiet witness of a single truth that I know. ⁣

“You bear your testimony when you share spiritual feelings with others.” – Gary E. Stevenson

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

She was not a member of our church, but she was very spiritual and religious. ⁣

She had just shared what she felt her “spiritual strength” was:

She said she could sense other people’s emotions, even when they wanted to hide them. ⁣

I told her that I felt that the Spirit told me truths all the time, both eternal truths, and also about things that I needed to know would happen in the future.

We had an interesting discussion together about how we both felt that these “powers” were meant to be kept privately. ⁣

She totally believed the few sacred experiences I shared with her were true, and she shared some of her beautiful experiences, too. ⁣

I’ll never forget that conversation.

It was reverent, it was sacred, and it was respectful. ⁣

Although she used different vocabulary than I usually would, we really were just speaking freely about the powers of the Spirit that can make a real difference in our lives⁣

The Spirit has told me the truth many times.⁣

I’ve had pure gospel truths confirmed to me, like the validity of the Book of Mormon. ⁣

I’ve had truths revealed to me about my relationships, like who to become friends with or who to distance myself from. ⁣

And I’ve had truths about future events revealed to me, like whether or not I was getting a job or whether something I was worried about would actually happen. ⁣

And each time, the Spirit tells me truth in the most peaceful and meek way. ⁣

I don’t feel any pride. I don’t feel the need to tell others. I don’t boast. ⁣

I just know the Truth. ⁣

And I know that God knows that I know. ⁣

I think that the truth is quiet. It is powerful and confident, but it is quiet. ⁣

And I also think that the Spirit can bring that same truth to anyone who seeks. ⁣

I know that I can’t know the answer to every question. I can think of many times when I’ve asked, and NOT received truth. I’ve just received nothing. ⁣

But those moments are even still a little comforting. Because I know that if I’m not having the truth revealed to me, it means I’m not meant to know yet. ⁣

And then I feel peace. ⁣

We can seek for truth. God wants us to know truths, and He gives us His Spirit to let us hear the truths we need.

“And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”

(Moroni 10:5)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post My mentor teacher  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I knew immediately what my topic would be.

But here was the catch—

We could ONLY use scriptures or quotes from General Conference talks as the “research” for our paper.

No outside thinking.

No other books.

No commentaries.

No blog posts. ⁣

Our professor wanted us to get very clear on what the DOCTRINE was behind whatever topic we had chosen. ⁣

Just the scriptures and General Conference talks (which are our most modern scriptures).

Pure doctrine. ⁣

This was LIFE CHANGING.

I pushed all of the internet’s random well-intentioned thoughts and speculations aside about my topic.

And I really dove into what the doctrine was. ⁣

And honestly, my mind was opened to some nuances and doctrinal points that were different than what I had previously thought. ⁣

I could see the pure truths beneath all of the confusion. ⁣

The “philosophies of men, mingled with scripture” are not always from ill-intentioned people trying to lead us astray.

Most of the time, they look like honest conversations with friends where no one is quite clear on the doctrine and it turns into speculation.

Or a social media post from an acquaintance who is putting their opinion out there, and you think, “yeah, that sounds right!”

But when we turn to the PURE doctrine and what the SCRIPTURES say (which includes modern revelation), we discover that they are the best source of LEARNING and for our PROFIT. ⁣

“I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.” (1 Nephi 19:23)

It was a long process to gather relevant quotes and scriptures and connect them all together.

But I honestly cannot overstate the clarity that came from stepping back from “things I had heard” and jumping into the original source.

Likening the scriptures, both ancient and modern, unto ourselves is NOT JUST a nice thing to do to make our scripture study more exciting. ⁣

It is ESSENTIAL if we are going to comb through the cacophony of voices and find true clarity.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Religion research paper  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Section 93 talks all about light and truth.

Light and truth is knowledge and intelligence.

Light and truth are powerful ideals, that I don’t think I can even begin to fully comprehend right now.

But boy, do I want more light and truth in my life.

And the Savior seems to paint this picture of these universal laws and elements, and that everything is in accordance with this eternal light and truth.

But He also makes a point that we have our agency to do what we will with this light and truth here on the earth.

We started off innocent at birth, and we have agency to do whatever we choose with light and truth.

D&C 93:39 caught my eye though, because here the Lord teaches:

“And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.”

In this grand physics lesson, it’s not so much that the adversary adds darkness into the mix.

Because… darkness doesn’t really exist.

Darkness, like a dark room, or a dark night sky, really just means the absence of light.

And that’s what the Lord sticks with here.

The wicked one takes away light and truth.

That’s how he creates his darkness— by removing the light.

And did you catch HOW the adversary takes away light and truth?!

Through disobedience.

We gain light and truth through obedience, while the wicked one takes away light and truth through disobedience.

Obedience isn’t the most popular word.

Our hearts need to be in the right place for obedience to be as powerful as it can be.

Want more light and truth?

Take it to the Lord and ask, “How can I become a little more obedient today?”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Light and truth and obedience first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I love learning new things, and so the prospect of walking across campus and sitting down in various classes to learn from people who are experts in these subjects was just fascinating to me.

Looking at a syllabus to see how we could fill an entire semester with hours of learning about different facets of one subject was exhilarating.

Call me a nerd, I know.

And it’s not like I totally loved the act of reading every assigned book and writing every research paper.

But ultimately, I felt the spirituality that was inherently intertwined with learning.

Gaining knowledge was spiritual to me.

The thing that made me sad though were some of my fellow classmates who learned from the same classes that I did and eventually reasoned their way out of their gospel beliefs.

Gaining knowledge had become a worldly pursuit that pulled them further from God.

“The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” D&C 93:36

The ultimate glory of God is intelligence.

Intelligence is vital and it is championed by God.

And what is intelligence?

It’s not just knowledge. It’s not just getting a good test score.

Intelligence is light and truth.

Intelligence is the light of Christ, the presence of the Spirit, at the same time as the acquisition of truth.

It’s learning under the influence of the Spirit.

And then it leads to intelligent action that is completely congruent with what we’ve learned.

We are created to crave learning.

Maybe it’s math. Maybe it’s music. Maybe it’s recipes. Maybe it’s emotional strategies. Maybe it’s history. Maybe it’s education pedagogy. Maybe it’s public service. Maybe it’s the scriptures.

When we are truly aligned in our spirituality, when we are inviting the Spirit into our lives with every action and thought, I believe that our curiosity is ignited.

There is so much knowledge out there.

And God is looking for righteous, spiritual individuals who are going to learn and then act.

I want to hear— when YOU are aligned spiritually, what is an area you feel your curiosity is led toward?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I really liked the post, and agreed with a lot of the things this person was saying.

And then I read one line with a thought I had never heard before.

I said a quick little prayer: “Hmmm I’ve never thought of this that way. Is that true?”

And almost immediately, I heard a voice.

“That is not truth.”

It was calm and quiet.

But it was firm and sure.

I closed the post and moved on.

The Holy Ghost knows what truth is.

“The Spirit manifesteth truth”. D&C 91:4

And in a day when everyone has unprecedented access to publish and spread their opinions far and wide, I think the need to discern truth is greater than ever.

And I think it’s also important to realize how much work it takes to keep the Spirit with us.

Because we are also humans with brains who have opinions and varying backgrounds.

And when we read something that goes along with our opinions, our brains like it.

God doesn’t want us all to think exactly the same way, so I don’t believe the Spirit is given to us to change every opinion and thought that we have.

But I’ve found that it feels different when the Spirit is confirming something or warning me.

Instead of, “Yeah, I agree!”

I feel a calm but firm feeling.

“This is truth.”

I’ve also found success when I ask.

When I say a deliberate prayer to ask if this is truth or not, I virtually always get a response.

Or a prompting on what I need to do in order to get the Spirit’s constant presence back with me before I can be ready to receive an answer.

Just as it was important for saints of all generations, we need to make sure that we know what is truth for the things that matter most.

We will all still have different opinions and viewpoints and personal revelation for how to apply something specifically to our life.

But we can still feel the Spirit testify of the things that are eternal truths.

Or warn us of things that are not.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What is truth? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

In D&C 27:16, the Lord teaches Joseph that the very first step of putting on the armor of God is:

“Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth”.

We need to know the Truth. The essential gospel Truths that have led us to where we are, and will keep us going through the eternities.

But I think that Satan wants us to sometimes forget that we need to also TELL the truth.

Because not telling the truth seems pretty darn tempting sometimes.

Not so much in the “I ate your candy and I’m not going to tell you” kind of way, although sometimes that is a temptation.

But more in the temptation to spin truths or withhold information in a way that keeps the peace.

Like staying quiet even when we feel uncomfortable about a situation.

Saying “great” when someone asks how we are doing.

Or needing so much more help and support, but not saying anything about it.

Being honest and telling the truth in ALL things that we do brings So. Much. Peace.

Asking for what we want.

Telling our spouse when we need more help.

Letting a friend know that we are not okay.

It seems scary.

It seems vulnerable.

But that’s what we really need in order to connect with each other.

To stop pretending like everything is okay, and to live messy, emotion-filled lives with each other, serving everyone we possibly can.

In the Gospel Topics entry on Honesty, we learn:

“When we are honest in every way, we are able to enjoy peace of mind and maintain self-respect.

“We build strength of character, which allows us to be of service to God and others.”

(And as a caveat, I personally don’t believe that “rudeness” under the guise of “honesty” is necessary at all. The truth can always be spoken with love and kindness.)

So how can we open ourselves up to being just a little more honest and truthful with the people around us?

Because bringing peace of mind and peace of the heart is the first step to arming ourselves in the battle against falsehoods from the adversary.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

She asked me one day: “What do you think your special spiritual power is?”

She shared that hers was to sense other people’s emotions, even when they wanted to hide them.

I told her that I felt that the Spirit told me truths all the time, both eternal truths, and also about things that would happen in the future.

We had an interesting discussion together about how we both felt that these “powers” were meant to be kept privately.

She totally believed the few sacred experiences I shared with her were true, and she shared some of her beautiful experiences, too.

I’ll never forget that conversation. It was reverent, it was sacred, and it was respectful.

But we also spoke freely about the powers from beyond the veil that can make real differences in our lives.

Because I think the Spirit is more powerful than I even realize.

The Spirit has told me the truth many times.

I’ve had pure gospel truths confirmed to me, like the validity of the Book of Mormon.

I’ve had truths revealed to me about my relationships, like who to become friends with or who to distance myself from.

And I’ve had truths about future events revealed to me, like whether or not I was getting a job or whether something I was worried about would actually happen.

And each time, the Spirit tells me truth in the most peaceful and meek way.

I don’t feel any pride. I don’t feel the need to tell others. I don’t boast.

I just know the Truth.

And I know that God knows that I know.

I think that the truth is quiet. It is powerful and confident, but it is quiet.

And I also think that the Spirit can bring that same truth to anyone who seeks.

I know that I can’t know the answer to every question. I can think of many times when I’ve asked, and NOT received truth. I’ve just received nothing.

But those moments are even still a little comforting. Because I know that if I’m not having the truth revealed to me, it means I’m not meant to know yet.

And then I feel peace.

We can seek for truth. God wants us to know truths, and He gives us His Spirit to let us hear the truths we need.

Whether we are making a personal decision, or seeking for the truth of an ancient record, the Spirit can reveal the truth of all things.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Seeking for the truth first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.