With
Real Intent:
One
of the prerequisites for receiving a real revelation from God is
something that He calls “REAL INTENT”.
I
must admit that I had no idea what the Lord was talking about when
this concept was first introduced to me. What is Real Intent?
Here
is where I first came into contact with the term:
Moroni
10: 3-6:
3
Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if
it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember
how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the
creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these
things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye
would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these
things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with
real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it
unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all
things.
6
And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing
that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.
I
had no idea what any of this really meant. Back then, I thought it
was Joseph Smith doing the talking and the writing, not Moroni or the
Lord.
Decades
later, someone mercifully presented the concept of “REAL INTENT”
to me this way.
He
said, “Joseph Smith had real intent and prayed with real intent
before receiving the First Vision, because Joseph Smith REALLY
INTENDED to do anything that the Lord commanded him to do. Before
Joseph Smith even asked for a revelation, Joseph Smith already
INTENDED to do anything that the Lord commanded him to do. Anything.
Joseph Smith was willing to join any church that God told him to
join. If the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to join the Church of the
Devil, then Joseph Smith fully INTENDED to do just that. Now, that's
REAL INTENT. And, that's also the reason why Joseph Smith actually
received the revelation and vision from God that he received.”
Some
of my posts here in LDS Freedom Forum have been an attempt to
ascertain whether the Ordain Women groups are really willing to do
ANYTHING that the Lord commands them to do, in order to get a
revelation from God. Do they really want a revelation from God? Do
they really intend to do anything that the Lord commands them to do,
when it is finally revealed to them through God's Prophets?
Anything? Really? They are willing to do anything to get a
revelation from God?
For
it to be true revelation, it has to be a revelation, it has to be
something that they had never thought about before. They have to go
into it all without already having their minds made-up, not knowing
how it is going to turn out, in order for it to really be a
revelation to them from God. Are they going into this with that
frame of mind?
I'm
trying to determine their true intentions.
Are
the Ordain Women groups willing to do anything that God commands them
to do, in order to receive a revelation from God? Anything?
You
see, whenever we go seeking for revelation, we don't already have our
minds made up. We go into it with an open mind. What does this
mean? It means that the Lord might not answer the question that we
ask, or He might give us something completely different than what we
are asking for. If it is a true revelation from God, then we don't
know in advance exactly what He is going to say to us or ask us to
do. It's kind of scary, actually.
The
Annoying Test:
I
keep presenting this little test, and annoying the living daylights
out of their representative here, in an attempt to determine whether
he and the Ordain Women groups are truly willing to do anything that
the Lord commands them to do, in order to get a revelation from God.
Since
we are seeking for a revelation from God, then we don't know in
advance what the answer will be; but, we have to be willing to do
anything that the Lord commands if we are truly going to receive a
revelation from God. So, if the Apostles take the question to the
Lord, and this is His response:
“It
has been revealed to us by the Lord, that from this moment forth, the
Lord wants women to be ordained as High Priests so that the women can
now function as High Priests doing the initiatory work for the males
within the House of the Lord. Furthermore, it has been revealed to us
by the Lord, that from this moment forward, the Lord wants men to be
set apart as Priestesses so that the men can now function as
Priestesses in the Houses of the Lord performing initiatory work for
the females.”
If
this happened to be the revelation that came back to them from God in
response to their request for a change, are they willing to humbly
follow and obey whatever the Lord tells them to do?
Are
the Ordain Women groups really, truly willing to do anything that the
Lord commands them to do through His Prophets? That's the question.
It's a test. It's a test of their faith. They are not going to get
a revelation from the Lord, unless they are willing and able to do
anything that the Lord commands them to do. Anything. That's the
way the revelatory process works.
This
would truly be a revelation, would it not? It would be something
totally unexpected, a real revelation to the sisters and the
brethren.
So,
what is the answer of their representative in response to my
hypothetical revelation from the Lord? The person's answer is, “They
don't want that. We won't do that.”
Their
representative is telling me that their response will be, “That's a
stupid revelation. Take that revelation back to the Lord. Tell Him
no. And then, get a different revelation, one that we will be
willing to accept and follow and obey.”
Do
they really intend to do anything that the Lord reveals for them to
do? No, they don't. They have reservations or qualifications. They
really don't want a revelation from the Lord. Instead, they want the
Apostles to change the Lord's mind, because they already know what
the Lord has revealed concerning the matter, and they don't like that
and don't want that. They would rather have the Apostles change the
Lord's mind than go with what the Lord has already revealed.
Their
intention is not to get a revelation from the Lord, but rather to get
the Lord to change His mind. Therefore, they will receive no
revelation from the Lord, because they really don't want one and
because they are unwilling to accept the revelations that the Lord
has already given them.
Do
you see how that works?
The
Conference Revelation:
Every
General Conference, there is usually one talk, where the walls and
the surroundings seem to disappear, the speaker seems to disappear;
and, I find myself in the presence of the Lord, and it feels as if
the Lord is speaking to me face-to-face and giving me revelation.
This
past April 2014 Conference, the Dallin Oak's talk was that way for
me. It felt as if the Lord was speaking to me directly, revealing
things to me that I had never heard of or thought about before.
That
talk was revelation to me. I went into it with an open mind, and
things were revealed to me. I wondered at the time why it was so
powerful to me, and now I know.
I
visualize the LDS Apostles sitting in counsel with the Lord, and the
subject of the Ordain Women petition comes up. They ask the Lord,
“How do we reveal to these sisters and their supporters Thy Will
and Thy current decision regarding this matter?”
Then
the revelation from the Lord comes back to them and the Lord says,
“Have Dallin Oaks prepare a talk on the matter, and through him, I
will tell them My decision and My answer regarding the revelation
that they seek from Me.”
Consequently,
the Lord and His Apostle prepare their response and do it all in a
kind and pleasant and nice way, which I personally often fail to do;
and then, they present their informative response in LDS General
Conference.
So
now, the Ordain Women groups have in their hands the coveted
Revelation from the Lord that they sought. So what do they do with
it? They and their representatives say, “No. That's not the
answer that we want. That's not the revelation that we sought. Go
back again, and ask the Lord again.” So, what will they do with
the next revelation that they receive from God? If it isn't what
they want to hear, then they will reject it and tell the Apostle to
go back and try again.
Do
they really intend to do anything that the Lord commands them to do
through His chosen servants the LDS Prophets? Well, no, they don't.
Instead, they intend to keep pestering the Lord and trying His
patience, until either they are excommunicated from the LDS Church or
they get the revelation that they want. That is their intent. They
don't value the Prophets of God or the revelations of God. They have
no desire to discover the Lord's will concerning the matter. They
only desire to achieve their intended goals.
They
are not praying or asking with REAL INTENT. They are not asking to
know the Lord's mind and will. They are only praying and asking in
order to achieve their own intentions, or to change the Lord's mind
and will. They already know the Lord's will concerning the matter,
and they refuse to accept it. They are not saying to the Lord, “Thy
will be done”. Instead, they are saying to the Lord, “My will be
done, or I'm going to fight you.” If they were truly willing to
receive revelation from the Lord, then they would be willing to
replace their intentions with the Lord's intentions. And, as most of
us already know, the Lord's intentions regarding the matter are
common knowledge among the Latter-day Saints.
What
would be the result if the Lord gave them everything that they are
asking for? Can you visualize it. If you can, then you will start
to receive revelation concerning the matter.
The
Latter-day Saints are not like other Christian groups. If the Ordain
Women groups were to get everything that they are asking for, it
would actually divide the Latter-day Saints, start a civil war among
the Latter-day Saints, and then destroy the Latter-day Saints. So,
what is the real intent of the Ordain Women groups? Think about it.
Their real intent is to divide and then destroy the Latter-day
Saints. That's their real intent. Who else do we know that has
similar intentions?
I
ask you to think about it, and I hope and pray that you will. I
believe that if you ask with REAL INTENT, with an open mind and a
willingness to do anything the Lord commands, the Lord will reveal
the truth of the matter unto you.
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