... And of the Spirit

Last week, I talked about the necessity to be baptized by water.  I quoted a scripture which said "... Except

a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5).  We must be baptized by water, but that is only part of it.  We must also experience what is called a baptism by fire.  In the Book of Mormon it references this baptism when it says "...I know that if ye shall follow the Son ... by baptism - yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost..." (2 Nephi 31:13).  This baptism by Fire, or by the Holy Ghost, is what completes our baptism.  This baptism is necessary in order to receive a remission of your sins like it later says "... then cometh a remission of your sins by fire, and by the Holy Ghost." (2 Nephi 31:17).  Once we have been baptized, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, have the unique opportunity to receive what we call the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  This gift is to be able to always have God's spirit with us as long as we are living our lives righteously.  We can literally always have the spirit of God with us when we keep God's commandments.  It is a constant companion for all of those who have had their sins washed away through the blood of our savior Jesus Christ.  It truly is amazing!

The reason why the gift of the Holy Ghost is so important is because it guides and it directs us in our lives, so that we can return to live with our father again.  When we are baptized, and washed clean of our sins, we have to continue to live our lives the way Christ would live his.  Baptism is the gate to a path that leads to eternal life, baptism is not the end goal.  Once we are baptized, we have a life of devoted discipleship ahead of us.  We must have something to help strengthen us as we continue on this path of discipleship.  That strength comes from the Holy Ghost.  It is like if you were to plant a young tree in your yard.  When the first major storm comes, the winds will blow that tree, and cause it to bend and filthy itself in the mud around it.  In order to clean this tree, you must wash the leaves, but if all you did was wash the leaves, then when the next storm came, the tree would get muddy once again.  In order to help keep the tree clean from the mud, you must also strengthen the trunk.  This can be done by placing stakes in the ground and tying them to the trunk of the

tree.  Then when the storm comes, the tree will stay strong and will remain clean from the mud around it.  We are much like this tree.  We have been placed in a muddy world.  When storms or temptations come, we can often times bend to the pressure, and get mud on ourselves.  We can clean ourselves with baptism, but we also need something to strengthen us.  That strength truly comes from the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost directs us away from danger, and helps give us strength to resist the storms of the world.  The Holy Ghost can and always will be there for us, as long as we are living our lives righteously.  I know that the Holy Ghost has truly strengthened me throughout the adversities of my life.  It truly is one of the greatest of all the gifts of God.  It is a gift that God wants to give to all of us, but we must keep his commandments in order to receive that gift.  God does love you, and he wants to help you.  Have a fantastic day!