Stand as Light to the World

Dear Sisters,

Wow, what a mess this world is becoming. This wonderful country that we live in is supposed to be a place of righteousness and protection, but our own country is so filled with evil and hatred. My blog today is for you, as righteous women, to take a stand for God; become that beacon of Light for all to see. The world needs us now more than ever.

So many souls are lost and don't know where to go for help. As God's beacon we can illuminate the way back to God. As Christian women we shouldn't be fighting against one another saying who's religion is right or wrong, but we should take the good part of all of us and reach out to the poor of spirit, or those who are struggling with life or, those who are blind to the ways of God.

We have been blessed with much good in our lives and now we are to take that good and share it with others. Most will not want to see God's ways, and will turn away from us but even one soul in need can make a difference in the joy of our hearts and the glory of God.

I was reading the other day in the scriptures about what God's whole purpose is for us. It says, "This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)" That means His whole purpose is to help us gain eternal life, to live forever in joy with Him. That is awesome! It woke me up as I realized that God's plan is all about me, and everyone else, but it's all about me!!!

So, if that is God's plan, and I am in a good place right now, then aren't I supposed to take the blessings that God has given me and share them with others? And as I do, I realize that I am helping to build His kingdom by bringing souls unto Christ. What a concept, my goals in life changed at that moment of understanding.

So where do we begin? Look at this world, our own countries and towns. Instead of loving people we are learning to hate and kill them. What's wrong with that picture? It's not Gods way, it's Satan's way. He is laughing at us as we are destroying our brothers and sisters. Where is the peace on earth, goodwill to all men? Well, it has to start with us.

Righteous women we can no longer stand on the fence, it's time to choose a side and take a stand. We can all join together to fight against the evil one. So we start by committing ourselves to God and his plan, not mans. We have to say that we are willing to be instruments in His hands, then go and do.

There are a lot of battles going on over family, marriage bonds, and issues of race. There are issues of immigration, and child protection. There are so many places to take a stand and fight. The battle for God is not necessarily a physical one but a battle of the mind , heart, and soul. There are homeless people in our country, and those in abusive situation. There are those lost to alcohol and drugs. There are so many who are lost and can not find their way. They need us now.

We don't have to preach at them, but love them by helping them. Words are probably not going to make a difference with most people but our actions will. If we will stop and help our neighbor, or a person standing in line at the store, or volunteer to help at a hospital - we will see a big difference in the way people feel about the world around them; we can give them hope. And that is what we all need, hope mingled with faith will bring souls to the right place.

Never give up on a person, keep being a friend. Don't put yourself in a dangerous position but help where you can. Pray for guidance and listen for the answer, it will come. God loves you and will bless your life as you bless those for good.

There is a story where a man was walking on the beach and saw someone pick up a starfish and throw it back into the ocean, The man remarked that this person couldn't possible save all the starfish that washed up on the shore. The person smiled and said no, maybe not, and bent down picked up a starfish then threw it in the sea, and said but I just saved that one.

We won't be able to lead everyone back to God but maybe we can help with this one, or that one. All we have to do is try, and God will do the rest. Let's fix what we can, or at least stand firm in God's plan. He needs us to do our part now, before it's too late. Never give up, keep fighting for what we know is right and pleasing to God. We may find it exhausting but that's why we are here; to
continue the fight until our Savior returns.

All my love

First Pray, Then Listen, and Don't Forget to Act

My Dear Sisters,

Last month I talked briefly about praying to our Heavenly Father. He loves us and wants to hear from us each and every day. But prayer is a part of a two way communication, speaking and listening. Many people don't think our Father speaks to us but He does, all the time.

Can you imagine calling your parents and doing all the talking? Would your parents not speak back? Of course they would and so does Heavenly Father. However, we have to learn how to listen and recognize his voice and promptings, then act upon what we learn. I would like to share with you how to recognize His messages to you.



Our Heavenly Father talks to us in different ways. I have had the blessing of hearing a still small voice. I have heard it in dreams as I woke up in the mornings. I have heard it quiet places. I have heard it as I pondered my questions. It was always amazing to me to feel that love and know He has answered me.

Sometimes we feel a peaceful feeling when He answers us. As we toil over an issue in our lives we are told to research our choices and make a decision, then take it to Him in prayer. If we feel peace and good about our decision then he is manifesting it is a correct one. Sometimes we may feel a burning around our heart. But if we feel absolutely nothing or are still confused or unsettled then we need to rethink our choice.

Sometimes our answers come when we are reading something, or a thought comes to our mind. I am learning to recognize the constant companion I have in the Holy Ghost helping to understand what my Father would have me know. I can't count the times I have made a decision about something not knowing why and found later that I was lead by the Spirit. I was so happy to see that I listened to Him.

Sometimes He answers our prayers through others as they come to our aid or say something that triggers an answer to our prayers. I have stood before a congregation and bore my testimony only to find that it was the answer to a question that someone was searching for. Or vice-versa, for me, I have heard people say things that was exactly what I needed to hear.



There are so many ways that He answers us and let's us know He is listening and cares about our worries. But with that in mind how is it then that the world is in so much trouble. Our Father has given us all the tools we need to live happy and successful here in this earth. He continues to be there for us and help us, as we need, on our journey. He has given us the Holy Spirit to always be with us. He hears us and loves us so much.

I can never deny knowing He is there because He has protected me from danger. He has blessed me with the things I need in life because of obedience. He has held me in times of great sorrow and loss. He has  given me courage to walk away from things that are not good for me. He has blessed me with opportunities to see the beauty of nature. He has blessed me with joy in witnessing a new life and the passing of an old one.



I could go on and on because I have been blessed to see those things that bring the greatest joy simply by being obedient, and keeping a good communication open with Him through constant prayers as well as putting myself in a place to recognize His communication to me. I feel so loved; how can I not be happy?

But I will say there are times that I fall and have to be reminded that He is there helping me. And for that I am truly grateful. I can do anything with the knowledge that He loves me and each one of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. So all you have to do is talk to Him and then listen for His answers because He is always there.



Once you receive your answer or are prompted to do something then act upon it. Don't doubt just go and do. Everything always works out even if you don't know how to make it happen. I loved my life in Utah and wanted to live there for the rest of my life but I kept feeling the prompting to move back to Florida where most of my family were. Finally, after a couple of years of struggling with leaving my life there, I found the courage to move my family where the Lord would have us be.

I have been back for 11 years now and have found many reasons as to why we needed to be here. If I had not acted upon what I was told by my Father above, I would have missed very important blessings and direction for my life, and that of my families. It was the right thing to do and I love Him for leading me back to Florida, even though I still want to live out west.

Also, never forget to thank Him for those blessings and answers. It is easy to find the answers and forget to thank the One who sent them. Gratitude is the key to more of what we need.

Until next month, I pray God's blessing on you as you turn your heart to Him and start that journey with Jesus as your Savior and example.

All my love!!!

p.s. Next blog post will be Sept. 6th. See you then!

I Will Do What the Lord Will Have Me Do

My Dear Sisters,

I have been remiss in my writings for quite some time due to my discouragement of not having any readers. Seemed the only time anyone viewed my blog was when I had crafts, food or the like. Was anyone reading my blog for it's true purpose?

So what is the purpose you may ask? The title of this blog should say it all, it's to help all women to stand up for righteousness; righteousness is goodness, to stand for all that is good. We must stand up for this each and every day of our lives. If we don't, well, if we don't then we will continue to go the way the world is going and that's not so good. Open your eyes sisters and see where we were, where we are, and where we are heading. I know it's not pretty, but we have to see what is happening around us and how we can do what ever it takes to protect those that we love and help others to do the same.



I have prayed for direction and divine purpose for the messages that come from this blog. You are welcome to comment how you feel, but remember that because I have prayed for Divine guidance, you will be arguing with God. So think your argument through very carefully because He always wins.

So over the past few months I have been praying for what I should be doing with my life, now that my children are all adults. Well of course, I still have to be a mom and give my opinion to things in their lives, and be the best Graggy (that's what my grand-kids call me) I can be. But I have asked the Lord what HE would have me do. I kept getting the same feeling about writing. I have good book ideas that have been in my head for years but the thought about this blog came to mind several times.

I was reading something the other day that talked about developing our talents, well I knew writing was something I needed to work on so it all began to make more sense that my part of building the Kingdom was through writing in this blog and other things, which you will learn about a few months, or so down the road.

I worried that no one would read it, or I wouldn't have anything worthwhile to say but I was assured that I just needed to do my part and He would do the rest. So that's how I got back here. This blog won't be about arts and crafts, food, or any how tos, but it will be about things that I see can that might be a help to you in raising your family, standing for truth and righteousness in all things, and to help you build God's Kingdom here on Earth.



So in my message today, I believe I should be talking about prayer because I can truly testify that He hears and answers our prayers. Since this blog is not only for followers of Jesus Christ perhaps some of you have never prayed so I want to talk about that today.  My blogs will be short and too the point, and I will only be putting a message out monthly, planning on the first Sunday of every month.

So here we go; when we pray we should pray to the one and only true God. When we pray we talk to him sincerely and freely about what ever we want to talk about; it's like talking to your mom or dad. Just tell Him what you want, He already knows what you want or need but it helps us if we tell him what we want or need. The why's behind that will have to be saved for another blog post.

He wants to hear from us, like our earthly parents he wants that weekly call, more like daily, or even more often. He wants to be a part of our lives. And when we trust in Him to answer with our best interest at heart, we will find that He really does love us and will always answer our prayers, not always the way we expect but the way that is best for us.

So a small thought, as we look at this world around us what should we be praying for? Our enemies for sure, all those who are standing for God and good things of this world, and definitely our families to be strong and good. There are so many things we can pray for, we just have to give it some good thought.



Jesus Christ taught us how to pray to the Father in the New Testament, see Matt 6:9-13 . When we pray we should always open with calling on His name like Dear Heavenly Father, or Our Gracious Heavenly Father, something like that.

Then we need to thank Him for everything in our lives. Gratitude is one of the most important elements of worship. When we show gratitude we can easily be blessed with more because our Father knows we appreciate the gifts that He showers us with, and yes, trials are things we should be thankful for because we can grow so much through the things we experience in our lives.

After we thank Him we need to ask for what we want or need. He will answer our prayers and it's usually through someone else. If we, who are Christians, are listening to the Spirit we will be prompted to do things we would not normally do on our own. This is a two sided blessing; to the giver and the receiver. A lot of our prayers will be answered with a peaceful feeling that everything will be fine.

I remember once struggling with finances, and I was exhausted after working all day in a physical job, I became very emotional. I prayed for help with my struggles then I received a spiritual message saying, "Why are you crying? You know everything always works out for the best." The peace came and I knew my prayers had been answered. And, as always, things worked out.

Then we close with our Savior Jesus Christ's name, and an Amen. So it would be something like - in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen. It can be that simple. It all just needs to be from your heart. The heart is key to your physical body and it is key to your spiritual self.  So pray from the heart.

Now that you know how to pray you should pray for spiritual guidance to know what to do in your life, as I have done. Then put yourself in places to hear the Spirit talk to you. He is always talking to us but there is so much worldly noise that we can not hear what He is saying. Remember the still small voice, that is Him. Go to quiet places and listen. Your thoughts will be directed for His work, for good work, one that will bring you and those you serve much joy in this life.



Well, I have made this longer than I said I would but I hope you have learned something or been reminded of things you already knew today. God loves each and everyone one of us and He knows each and everyone of us individually, like a parent knows their children. If you truly want to serve God or just do good, then it starts with prayer and receiving that guidance to do what He would have you do. Start your journey with God through prayer, and I promise you will find true joy and love in your heart.

All my love

P. S. My next blog post is scheduled for Aug 2, 2015- Help God get these messages out, share with everyone.