Form = Power

I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'

-Muhammad Ali

  Anyone who has competed in sports knows how important training is. What turns an athlete into a champion is the amount of hard work and dedication they put into their sport. I love boxing, so that's the example I'm going to use today, and then we'll see how that applies to our spirituality. 

  Boxing is all about form. A misconception people have about boxing is that you have to be a big muscular guy to punch someone really hard, however the smaller boxers have some incredible power. But how is that possible? Shouldn't you have to be big to hit hard? NO! It's all about the way you throw your punch, the way you line up your arm and the way you shift your hips and feet. If you punch with perfect form there will be power there no matter how big you are. And how do you learn perfect form? You train hard, every day, until your body knows instinctively how to move the correct way.

  How does this apply to the gospel you ask? There is a form to the gospel! There is a way that we've been asked to live our lives so that we can qualify for the blessings of heaven. You don't have to be the most spiritual person in the world to live up to this standard. It just takes practice, the more you choose to follow Jesus Christ and his teachings the easier it gets. If you follow the commandments and live worthily then you will have spiritual power. You just have to train hard, every day, until your spirit knows instinctively how to choose the correct way. There is a hymn that I love that says it best:

School thy feelings, O my brother; Train thy warm, impulsive soul.

Do not its emotions smother, But let wisdom's voice control.

School thy feelings; there is power In the cool, collected mind.

Passion shatters reason's tower, Makes the clearest vision blind.

As we make choices that bring us closer to God, we become his disciples. The difference between the casual christian and the disciple of Jesus Christ is the amount of hard work and determination they put into following Him. With proper training we can all be celestial champs! 

Gospel! Defender of your Universe!

GOSPEL!

DEFENDER OF YOUR UNIVERSE!

  When the universe is in danger, 5 heroic pilots go to battle in giant robotic lions. Each lion is powerful and capable of doing great things, but when the enemy is too strong the pilots combine their forces to form a fighting robot more powerful than any evil force. Voltron! The Defender of the universe!

 
  When we are in danger, when we are confused or depressed or afraid, when our universe is in peril we have our own way to conquer evil. There are 5 spritual protectors who we can rely on when we need to be saved from the problems that we face everyday. Each one is strong but together they form a defense from the world that no evil can defeat. These are the first 5 principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

  Faith! - Faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement is our first line of defense, it gives us hope for better things. Its something that comforts and strengthens us. With faith we can do and be better all the time.

  Repentance! - When we act on faith and turn ourselves toward God, and away from sin, we are forgiven. This is repenting and it relieves us of feelings of guilt and shame that keep us tied down.

  Baptism! - Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins washes us completly clean. It gives us a fresh start and shows our willingness to follow our Heavenly Father and keep his commandments. After Baptism we can renew these promises by taking the sacrament every week at church, which is taking bread and water in rememberance of Jesus Christ.

  The Holy Ghost! - Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38) The Holy Ghost guides us through life, and helps us to feel the love that God has for us. The Holy Ghost tells us in our hearts what is true and good, and helps us search for those things that will make us happy.

  Enduring to the end! -  Once we have had faith and repented so that we can be baptised and recieve the Holy Ghost its not over. We will still face trials and have challenges, but by using the first 4 principles we can live the 5th.

  These first five principles are the spiritual protecters that we can all make our own. They are here to fight the evil in our lives, and together they form! Gospel! Defender of your universe! With Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end, there is no evil that can stand against you. You will still be tempted, but there will always be a way to conquer it.

  I know this works, because I have tried it. I know that we have a loving Father in Heaven who wants us to be the best we can be. And He has shown us how. I challenge everyone who reads this to pray to know if this is true, and you'll get an answer.