Up From My Last Big Down

Written by Jason Walters

I was asked to write about my recent experiences of rapid advancement in spiritual progress. One thing that is important to understand is that I am a convert and have been a member of the church for about three years. In those years I have had many ups and downs in my spirituality. I won't be going into details, but I feel that it is sufficient to say that I'm still working my way up from my last big down.

I have a friend that was raised in an active family. He has been through much and he is even the one who baptized me. He is getting married soon. I want to be able to see this happen. For this reason, I told myself it was time to stop messing around and start working on getting worthy. This can be quite challenging when you had fallen as far as I had.

I decided that there were things I needed to get done to prepare myself for bringing myself closer to God. The first thing that I did was to get back to the classic answers: read, ponder, and pray. The following three paragraphs will expound on these principles.

Firstly I called up an inactive friend of mine, and we started a plan to read the scriptures together. We started with the Book of Mormon and will continue when we are done. We are hoping to get through the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price by the end of the year. I find pondering better done on a what if this was/wasn't case.

I find it very easy to understand the greatness of the teachings of the scriptures, if we say what if this was/wasn't the case. Ponder on this if you want to try “What if everybody lived the law of Chasity?” You can do this with anything and with any scope. I suggest not doing personal negative. This can lead to attacks by dark forces which will just magnify any burden you already have.

For prayer you really just have to break down and do it. Do whatever you need to make this more regular in life. My biggest tip is that you needn't say the prayer aloud. If you have a cluttered mind like I do, it helps a lot to say it, even quietly. Try praying before every meal, regardless of location.

The next thing I did was get my patriarchal blessing. This has been a blessing and guide in my life. This is another thing that is great to put in the read, ponder, pray cycle of things. I have been able to read it even in the spiritually darkest areas. If you haven't gotten one yet you really should do what you need to do to prepare yourself for it. It is a wonderful guide, and I have been able to feel the power and love of God in its words.

The next thing I did was priesthood advancement. For female readers this may not apply to you but if you know a guy, who is struggling, this may be of help to him. The burden on those in the Arronic Priesthood is light and thus an equal amount of protection and guidance is given. I sat for a long time, feeling weaker than those around me. After getting the Melchizedek Priesthood, I felt the power and responsibility that comes with which placed upon me. It is a great power that we are given and because of that we are given great expectations; however, God asks nothing of us which he has not prepared a way for us to do. You get much protection to help you with this new power and responsibility.

After all this, it was time to go to the temple. It is a hard thing to face down your demons and get to this point, but if you can, the endowment is a wonderful experience. Once inside the temple you take the next step of advancement for all church members. My advice to any of you going for your personal endowment is to relax and let yourself become immersed in the power and feelings there. Note not only what is going on around you but inside you. The day of, before you go, do whatever it is that you do to get closer to the spirit. Once you are done with everything; then, you will be a changed person.

This is my epistle to the internet community. May you all learn to feel the love and protection of God. In Jesus' name; Amen.