Written by Josh Lloyd, a BYU student, studying a volume of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, which is written by prophets; members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Mormons” revere it as sacred text. This post comes from a book within the Pearl of Great Price known as The Book of Moses; it is an extraction from the translation of the Bible as revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet, June 1830—February 1831.

We can All Become Like God the Father

Reading the first chapter of the book of Moses, found in a book of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, is a remarkably good experience for those who need a model of a solid, personal relationship with God, our Heavenly Father. Moses’ experiences give us some of the most basic and useful insights for building our own relationships with Heavenly Father. If we learn what Moses learned in this chapter, we will find ourselves in possession of key bits of knowledge that, if applied correctly, will lift our hearts and mind and propel them toward an everlasting inheritance.

The first thing that Moses learned from his experience was that “man is nothing.” We have to be careful how we define “nothing” here because we might be led to believe that we do not matter to God the Father, that we are insignificant. That is not what Moses learned. What Moses learned in his moment of physical weakness (and what we ought to learn if we too are children of God) was that we, provided with only our own power, cannot bring to pass any degree of righteousness in the world; or, defined slightly differently, we can only learn and accomplish the things which God the Father has given us power to do.

Our energy and ability to accomplish even the slightest tasks are given to us by the power and grace of God. Without the Father we become pathetic and truly devilish creatures. This truth, if understood correctly, will lead us to walk more humbly and give us desire to pray more earnestly for the gifts of the Spirit and grace of Jesus Christ (See the Book of Mormon, in Mosiah 4:11-12). This is why Moses worshipped God. I, personally, would much rather be on the good side of the Almighty and see the grandeur of his power than, by my ignorance and pride, feel the wrath of his vengeance.

Another one of the important facts Moses learned about his relationship with God the Father was that the two of them were alike. Moses was created after the image of the Only Begotten of the Father, Jesus Christ. They had arms, hands, eyes, noses, etc. What we can take from this is that God is not some foreign object or abstract entity. God is real, and certain things about him are comprehensible by our mortal minds. However, the most important part of this principle that Moses understood and that we ought to as well is that if we are like him in body then we can become like him in character. Despite the massive difference in glory and power, becoming like God the Father is a legitimate and even an encouraged goal. So let’s not give up.

Moses also learned of the tools that God, as a good Father, has given us to help us in our mortal sojourn. In Moses 1:15, Moses mentions that the Spirit is what showed him the difference between God and Satan. Moses learned the difference between glory and darkness through the power of the Holy Ghost. We would be wise to learn the same principle that we ought only truly learn through the power of the Holy Ghost rather than be taught by the wisdom of men, lest we be deceived.

There is another principle Moses learned from this same moment. He learned the difference between the circumstances that God the Father and Satan enjoy – glory vs. darkness. We don’t have to learn it just the way Moses did, but we ought to be acquainted with the dynamics of eternal progression. Let us understand that an individual can either reach as high as the heavens or as low as hell, and our destination is determined by our decisions.

Moses also learned about prayer. Moses was spared from an awful experience, seeing the bitterness of Hell (See Moses 1:20), because he had the courage to pray. Similarly, we ought to learn to go to our knees before our decisions bring us to our knees.

What Moses learned about his relationship with Deity gives us some of the most fundamental building blocks for developing our own personal relationship with God the Father. Without a correct understanding that we are in the similitude of the Only Begotten of the Father, we would not feel particularly attracted to this omnipotent figure. Without knowledge of where our power to move and act comes from, we would proceed in a blasphemous, disrespectful and disobedient manner because of our own pride in what seems like “our” accomplishments. Without the most basic tools for communication with God the Father, we are blind in an ever thickening fog; prayer and the gift of the Holy Ghost will give us access to the powers of heaven and allow us to develop this, the most divine relationship, the way it ought to be developed. To clarify, by prayer we can actually talk to God our Father and by the Holy Spirit He can talk back. In this manner we can, in a way, spend “quality time” with our Father in Heaven.

Additional Resources:

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. Request your free copy today.

Read/Watch/Listen to a living apostle testify of the reality that God is our Father.

God’s plan of happiness brings great comfort, peace an hope to life. Read a “Mormon’s” testimony about this truth.

Alan grew up in Johannesburg, in a Christian home. While in his youth, he had two brothers die in a car accident. He was concerned about their spiritual welfare because of the inconsistent teachings that he was taught in his church—this troubled him. Later, he met a friend who was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; this friend introduced Alan to the Church and there he found encouragement, hope, and a new understanding of the meaning behind the experiences we go through in this life. The Atonement of Jesus Christ (the doctrine of redemption) became more personal to Alan as he was able to apply it to his specific situations. The message of Alan is a message of found hope through the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Watch his message below:

Additional Resource:

Learn more about Mormon beliefs.

There is a time in your life when the light goes on.  It is in that moment when all your trials, experiences and lingering questions come together and then the answer appears.

I am a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also commonly called the Mormon Church.  I was 18 years old and all of my childhood and youth could not have been further from Gospel principles.  I was the youngest of four kids born to an alcoholic father and an extremely abusive mother, who divorced when I was 9.

I just figured that everyone’s home life was the same as mine, tumultuous, until I started school.  I learned very quickly that it was not the same at all.  When I was about 6 years old I remember praying to God about wanting to find people that were like me, that love kids and family was first, who knew that He existed and loved me unconditionally, that nothing is really a coincidence.

When I was 16 years old, I was kicked out of the house because I no longer fit into what my mom wanted in her life.  It was tough living on the streets of a major city and continueing in school but  I did it. After graduating high school I moved to another city to “start over”.  I knew that I was searching for the meaning of my life but didn’t know where to find it or if it even existed.

An Introduction to Mormon Missionaries

I was introduced to the Mormon missionaries within 6 months. The moment that Elder Hause opened his mouth to teach me, the light inside me, the spirit inside me knew I had finally found my home.  Since the Gospel has been in my life now for many years, I have never had more peace, pure joy and unconditional love.  The Saviour took me gently by the hand and reached into my battered heart and I felt a calm, a peace and an assurance that I would never be alone again.

The Saviour knew me, little old me, the wallflower in the room, whose mother said was the one not wanted, the girl with lower than low self-esteem. And I knew in my heart that He knew me, better than I knew myself.

I realized that was what the missionaries had taught me, the “burning in my chest”.   I knew that I could never, would never be able to deny it. I was as sure as the sun rises every morning and then sets every evening.   I am a Child of God. My testimony was embedded into my heart.  I knew at that split second that I wanted, needed and with the deepest desires of my heart to be baptized into the LDS church, the fully restored church that Jesus taught. When I had only known darkness and sadness, His light was both a comfort and a blessing to me.  It was 13 short days after that first meeting with the missionaries that I was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Kay Cahoon is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter-day Saints (Mormon), wife, mother of six, grandma of many, traveler and genealogist.

Additional Resources:

Mormons Know God Lives

Mormons and Jesus Christ

Mormons and the Bible

The Meaning of Life

Meet Real Mormons

My childhood was not pretty. I was raised in several “homes” and foster homes. Both my parents were alcoholics…in fact, they met at an AA meeting! Both of them had several failed marriages and relationships which resulted in various children. I have siblings, step-siblings and half-siblings, some of whom I’ve never met, even to this day. Others I was raised with on and off at different times and various circumstances. To say the least…it was a confusing, chaotic, and unstable childhood. Through all the chaos and confusion, there was one consistent thing in my life- that was the AV 1611 King James version of the Holy Bible.

My father, (believe it or not) was a southern Baptist preacher! He would preach about the love of Christ and the peace which passeth all understanding, but my father never knew peace, nor did he have a clue about the meaning of the word “love.” (I struggle with the meaning of it myself) As my siblings all turned to drugs, alcohol, sex or insanity as an escape from the torment of our lives, I turned to the Bible. I started memorizing it at an early age. By the time I was 16 years old, I was carrying my Bible with me to school every day and quoting whole chapters. When I was 26 years old, I quoted the first 14 chapters of Matthew on a TV show called,”The Parade Of Miracles”. It was broadcast from a church called The People’s Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas.

I didn’t know Christ or His love, but I wanted to know him. I longed to know him. As I poured over my scriptures, I found reference to Christ in every chapter I could from both the Old and the New Testaments. I wrote poems, read books (many books),about Christ, New Testament times and Old Testament times. As I matured into adulthood, I started “church hopping”, checking out many different churches and religions, each one claiming to have the only truth. Each one claimed that they were the the true church, and with each new church, I came away feeling empty. Finally, after my marriage failed and I started raising my two children alone, I decided to give up on church altogether. Although I could quote scripture better than most preachers I knew, I still lacked an understanding of who Christ was. I knew about him, but I didn’t know him. My problem was 18 inches long. There are 18 inches between your head and your heart. I had Christ’s words in my head, but they had not reached my heart. If I missed Heaven…it was going to be by 18 inches!

Then, one night I happened to see a commercial for a free Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ. Wow! It had never occurred to me that the Book of Mormon was a “Testament of Jesus Christ.” I had the Old Testament and the New Testament, what was this? A third Testament? I had never heard of such a thing! Maybe that was the missing piece! I grabbed my phone and dialed the number! When the person on the other end asked if I would like someone to visit me, as well as receive my free copy of the Book of Mormon, I said,” yes!” I had my first visit in February 2004. God bless those missionaries! I sure gave them a run for their money! I knew we were in the “last days”, and the the Bible says,”Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). I did not trust them; I knew many false prophets would arise in the last days, but I gave them my word that I would not make any decisions until I had read the Book of Mormon.

A funny thing happened as I started reading the Book of Mormon-I recognized my beloved Bible on every page! It didn’t start in First Nephi,either…it started with the introduction to the Book of Mormon and then the testimonies of the witnesses. I recognized God’s numbers, His “set” way of organization; I started pulling out God’s numbers-3,8,12-from the very first pages and I knew that this book was lining up with my Bible. As I read on, I decided that the Book of Mormon was either written by God or by Satan, but it could not have been written by any man! The wisdom was too deep. It lined up too well with the Bible, on so many levels. I knew that it was just not possible for man to have written this book. As I realized this, at first, I feared in my heart that the Book of Mormon was a counterfeit. Was this the strong delusion sent by Satan in the last days that my Bible had warned me about? Were these missionaries the false prophets that I knew would arise in the last days? I was sure in my heart that the Book of Mormon was a supernatural book, but to which end? I also knew that “ol’ smutty face” was a master of imitation and forgery. If anybody could make a “copy” of the Bible, yet twist it, he could! But the missionaries kept telling me to pray about it, and ask God if it was the truth. Satan wouldn’t advise me to ask God about anything! The Bible says in Isaiah 55:11 that God’s word will not return void and it didn’t. I had not memorized all that scripture for naught.

There was only one conclusion I could make about the Book of Mormon. My Bible came back to me and testified to me as I read each page of the Book of Mormon. The Holy Spirit was there too, and so were the missionaries…patiently putting up with my endless questions. I swam through a sea of confusion, but God knew my heart and he guided me back to him. Praise God!!! I’ve finally found the true church of Jesus Christ, and I can testify from my very soul that the Book of Mormon is the truth. It changed my life and it is the final piece to the puzzle of my life. The pieces have come together and I finally have the whole truth. I finally know Christ…REALLY know him, and I have felt his love for REAL this time. I’m home…at last!!!

I was inspired to write this poem during our Stake Conference in November of 2004. I had been reading LDS poetry from a book that I had borrowed from the church library and I had this feeling of frustration that all the LDS poetry that I had read so far kept painting this “rosy” picture of happy childhoods and “goodly” parents and how the heroin’s had to find their own testimonies. I thought to myself, why doesn’t anybody write about not being born into this church, yet finding their testimony? I was thinking these thoughts while listening to Conference when the Lord whispered into my heart…”Why don’t YOU write that poem?” I wrote it that night after Conference.

The Mortal Test

A spirit I was, a mortal to be…
The father came and spoke to me.
You’ve kept, my child, your first estate
and now it’s time to delegate…
A mother to give you mortal birth
a body and a place on Earth.
I know you’d like your mother, “kind”
but I have something else in mind.

You see, my child, it’s easy to be
in a holy family that pleases me.
What’s not so easy and takes more grit
is to be placed with parents that are unfit.
A childhood filled with fear and unrest,
you must endure and pass the test.
As you struggle through confusion and pain
Your efforts to find me again will not be in vain.

I love you and I’ll guide you back
if you will withstand Satan’s attack.
Your progression greatly will be multiplied
and I’ll be there waiting on the other side…
with rewards beyond you wildest dream
because you took the path extreme.
The Earth will be your proving ground
but Heaven is where you will be crowned.
You will receive rewards so sweet,
just toss them all at Jesus’ feet.

You will then be allowed to look upon my face
and once again receive your heavenly mother’s embrace.
I know you can do this, I have no doubt
because you’re a spirit Divine and devout.
I’ve planned this life and task to do
because I have great confidence in you.

(1 Corinthians 10:13)
I know God won’t give me anything that I can’t handle…
I just wish He didn’t trust me so much!!!!!

Many years ago, when I was still a new member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I took a trip with my eleven-year-old brother from Indiana to New York. The purpose of our journey was to witness the Hill Cumorah Pageant and visit the Sacred Grove, a site with special significance to the Latter-day Saint community as the location where Joseph Smith received the glorious First Vision of the Father and Son.

The power of the pageant is impressive: the volunteers practice and prepare so faithfully that the public is able to view the power of God through their performance. When the destruction scenes come with thunder and lightening, the special effects seem beyond the skill of man as if the Lord is providing his own fireworks.

My first visit to the Sacred Grove was no less impressive, though not accompanied by such a thunderous display. Instead, the power was simple and personal.  I proceeded to look for the place where Joseph received the marvelous First Vision of our dispensation. Somehow I missed the signs leading to the guided path and I accidentally entered the Grove by another way. I enjoy walking in the woods, especially when it is green and the sun is shining. There is unmatched peace in such a setting but this day was even more remarkable to me.

As I walked further into the Grove, I came to a particular spot where I stopped completely, feeling a spirit of peace and calm that testified to my soul that I had reached the place where Joseph had knelt in prayer and God had in fact answered this unpretentious farm boy. I knew without any man telling me, without the benefit of sign or marker, that this was indeed the place that God and his Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith. I was no more convinced when I found the posted signs leading to the exact location.

I received an impression much stronger in my soul and my heart than any manmade sign could give. It was the witness of God through the Holy Ghost, the residue of the presence of divine beings in that sacred spot. I will never forgot the feeling I had those many years ago. What God writes into the heart of man is not so easily erased as speculations, conjectures, and theories. When spirit speaks to spirit, there is no doubt or confusion.

In the days of Christ and his apostles it was common to see the gifts of the Spirit and of the Priesthood of God in action. In fact, it was so powerful and impressive that Simon approached the Lord’s chosen representatives in an attempt to buy their same power. The result, of course, is that he was told his money will perish with him because the power of the priesthood is not for sale at any price.

Only God can grant the powers the apostles possessed. The majority of contemporary Christendom has no concept of that power, nor do they readily accept the fact that it has been restored to the earth with the Lord’s one true church in this last dispensation. Therefore, they do not share in the joy and blessings that are the result of its presence among the believers.

Among the powers that were shown by the priesthood anciently was the power to heal the sick. That is restored again today. I have personally been the instrument of the Lord’s will in the healing of many people. Some have been relatively undramatic and others have been nothing less than miraculous.

Many years ago I and a missionary companion were urgently called to the home of a young woman possessed by an evil spirit. We knew that the person before us was in no way the same girl that we had previously been introduced to. We saw in her eyes a true resentment that was aimed at us. She seemed like an animal backed into a corner but attack might in an instant. After sitting her in a chair, we laid hands upon her head and I began pronouncing a blessing upon her promising that the spirit would depart. As these words were spoken, my companion felt a charge of electricity rush up his arms as the spirit withdrew from the girl. In seconds, she was again the girl we knew. She related how she was aware of the hatred that the evil spirit had felt for us and that she felt as if she were unclean and unworthy in our presence.

Another time, one of my own sons was stricken with a bout of asthma so severe that his chest nearly collapsed. I called a man who was not only a friend, but the home teacher assigned to our family. We laid hands upon my son after anointing him with consecrated oil. I then pronounced upon him a command that the affliction would leave him and he would begin to breathe again. As we finished, the attack left him totally and he, then ten years old, comforted his frightened mother with the assurance that he had felt it in his very bones that he was now all right.

Fairly recently I was asked to help give a blessing to a woman who was not a member of the Church, but is of the lineage of Israel. I trusted her faith; my eldest son and I proceeded to bless her with the Lord’s will. I had just found out that she had cancer and was due to have her bladder removed. In the blessing I was prompted to tell her that the cancer would begin from that very time to reverse and would then disappear altogether. My son said he felt the presence of at least two others in the room, although we could not see them. He felt the hand of one of them on his shoulder. The power in the room was so intense that I was barely able to speak the words of the blessing. Ten days or so later, my son called me to announce that she had just returned from the doctor and that he had pronounced her free of cancer.

The power of God is real and faith is a genuine scientific principle. I bear my personal and sincere witness that it is true and that the ancient priesthood of God is again on the earth in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with its accompanying powers and blessings among the faithful.