FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT--He Guides in All Things

In Alma 26:12, we read:

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefor I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

A few lessons can be gleaned from this powerful verse: First, NOT ONE PERSON can gain salvation for themselves, by themselves. Just as faith without works is dead, works without faith is dead. No matter what righteous choices we make, no matter how many we serve, no matter how perfectly or imperfectly we live our lives, we are still ultimately dependent on the Savior. Only He can save us by His grace:

"There it is, in black and white--the truth that we cannot work our way to worthiness; the fact that the busiest Relief Society president must be just as reliant on the mercy and grace of Christ as the most inactive and skeptical 'lost sheep' (Colleen C. Harrison, He Did Deliver Me from Bondage, Windhaven Publishing, 2002, 22).

Secondly, we learn that in order to call upon the powers of heaven for assistance with daily trials, we must be humble. We must recognize our weaknesses, then recognize that the Savior, alone, can heal us completely. Only in this humble state, can we truly begin to receive powerful personal revelation that will help us recover and heal. We will be blessed with power beyond our natural capacity. And miracles will happen in our lives.

Third, we must, must, MUST learn to recognize the miracles, large and small that happen in ours and others' lives and praise God for them. To forget to do so, is an offense to God. If we cannot acknowledge His hand, He will withdraw it.

In the natural man world of weight loss, we see "I DID IT!" advertising all around us. We see before and after. We see all kinds of products with promises. We see "results in just 30 days or your money back!" But where is the recognition to God? Who created the minds that exercised willpower? Who created the bodies that exercised each day? Who was it that gave them the gift of free-agency? While some may find results or may have success with these methods or products, we as Latter Day Saints must remember that the best weight-loss plan will always be the one based around the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, He is the Great Physician. He can write us the prescription for change that will lead us as we engage in an anxious cause. He cares about us deeply and desires our spiritual and temporal welfare. As we learn to live in humility, always giving thanks for blessings we receive, He will guide us in all things. He will bless us with health and strength to overcome all things. Without Him, we truly are nothing. . .