"Put the Lord First​", "The Blessings of Personal Revelation​​" 

The spirit of truth speaks volumes. Thank you so much ❤

Or you are given them but other’s agency was involved as well and they didn’t follow the spirit which affected you in multiple ways. Trust how god speaks to you. Keep learning how to listen and grow. Don’t doubt yourself and don’t think you made a mistake or misunderstood.

Salvation is an individual matter, that is true, we must work out our salvation. However, we are not meant to do it alone...we are meant to function in loving families. We are striving to be a Zion people... Zion is all about a community being one in Christ. In that sense, community absolutely matters more than the individual. We still minister to one another one by one, or we should.

When it's done in God's way, both are equally important, not harming one or the other, but in this world, especially in a socialist/communist country, that statement it is conflicting, because it's done harming all that are not part of that "community".

Salvation is individual. Exaltation is in families. Jesus put His will with His Father's will. He then recieved the blessings that come from being the Lord and Savior of all mankind. His service to others above His own appetites, passions and desires is what makes Him who He is. We are individuals, and must be individuals. But Jesus prayed that we would be one. One in marriage. One as a family. One as a Church. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one. And that is the oneness that we must seek. To lose yourself in the service of others is to find yourself being one with God.

​@JazzyUnderscoreTrumpeter And the church, and church speakers, constantly overlook or ignore that some of us have horrible families that aren't going to be happy Celestial families. Mine is riddled with abusers and both covert and overt narcissists. Every single time I've said anything accurate and truthful about my family situation in any church setting, church members have jumped all over me. Not a single prophet or G.A. or church speaker has *ever* accurately understood and addressed people like me. Ever. I'm thoroughly sick of it. Abuse is just a totally misidentified and mishandled issue in the church. The hypocrisy and dishonesty and wilful ignorance around abuse and those with abusive families is huge. Growing up in a family like this in the church is hell. Being an adult in the church with a family like this is hell. Being a survivor of abuse in the church is hell. The church has not been a source of love, support, comfort, or genuine help for survivors in far too many cases, and instead of getting a clue it's just doubling down. I expect in 60-100 years the church would be apologizing to and fawning over the survivor community the way it now is over the civil rights community, except abuse survivors don't have the same level of social approval and political clout. And yet abuse is far more widespread than slavery ever was, continues to this day, and is a growing, not declining, outrage. "Losing yourself" in "service" to abusers is death physically, spiritually, emotionally, in every possible way. Nearly everything the church teaches is horrendously harmful when applied to a family or marriage where there is abuse. The church just refuses to get this and deal honestly with the realities. Essentially the church teaches you to kneel down in the dirt, be slaughtered by your abusers, and then forgive them. While worrying about how you can save and serve the abusers. This is the message I've gotten my entire life from the church. It's disgusting and appalling. The church has never once taught how to escape abuse and provided help escaping abuse, and it treats women who escape, or try to escape, abuse like dirt. Church members are horrible to those who report and fight abuse and abusers. If the church showed even half the love, compassion, and support for the victims as it does for the perpetrators, the world would be a much better place. When it comes to abuse, we are *not* all equal. There are innocent victims and there are the violent, destructive, controlling abusers who deliberately and knowingly *hurt* the people they profess to love. There are sly, covert abusers who put on a caring, loving front at church and behind closed doors, are vile, sadistic, and cruel while also professing to "love" those they abuse. Many of these people are sitting in church next to us on Sunday, and far too many of them hold responsible positions within the church. I'm sick of being told this is "God's will" and "all part of God's plan for you" and "God hurts you because he loves you." Hurting people you "love" is not love. I'm sick of being told that we are all the same and that I'm somehow equal to the abusers. I am not.

@@phoenixrising5338 You are in serious error. You know nothing of my life and family situation. You blame the Church for teaching the ideal, and upholding the standard, just because your life hasn't fit within it. Guess what? Neither does mine. Yet, I still have a testimony. I'm still planning on serving a mission soon, sharing the Gospel, and doing my best to be a part of the gathering of Israel. In your first paragraph you said that "not a single prophet or G.A. or church speaker has ever accurately understood and addressed people like [you]". As someone who listens to conference talks and BYU speeches religiously, I will just say you are outright wrong. This is a lie. They have repeatedly, lovingly, and tenderly addressed those who fall outside the norm, or the expected "perfect picture". They often speak of the effects of abuse and the justice of God upon those who abuse. They talk clearly about forgiveness and repentance, they speak of mercy and justice. They have repeatedly explained that forgiving someone doesn't mean justifying or allowing abuse, and it's a process, it can't be immediate, but it is freeing. You misunderstand the point of the anti-nephi-lehites sacrifice. We are explicitly told that we are NOT a "peace at any cost" religion. Read D&C... yes, we are to be patient, but self-defense is justified. Those specific people showed that valuing their covenants to God was more important than their lives. And yes, I understand, every time I hear the 'Army of Helaman' song, I struggle a little bit when I hear, "we have been born as Nephi of old, to goodly parents who love the Lord", clearly that isn't true for everyone. But it can be true for US! I want to be a father someday, a really good one. I want my own family, and I want to raise my family in the church, close to the Lord. I understand your frustrations, trust me, but it is not wise to charge the church foolishly. Think about it...this whole human experience is about broken families. The whole gathering Israel is about repairing a broken family. Heavenly Father is the God of broken families. We have been given Christ to heal ALL our wounds. You will not be expected to be sealed to your abusers. Please, learn to love God, and stop speaking evil of The Church of Jesus Christ. It is here to help us and it will improve with time and effort. I wish you the best 🙏❤️