Moses taught the children of Israel “But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
King Limhi taught the Nephites living in bondage under the Lamanites “But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.” Mosiah 7:33
And the Savior taught Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” Doctrine & Covenants 6:36
Throughout the scriptures we find invitations to Seek the Lord. But in order to do this, we have to understand first what it means to Seek the Lord, second how to Seek the Lord each day, and third why it’s important for each of us to Seek the Lord.
What does it mean to Seek?
The dictionary defines “to seek” as:
an attempt or desire to attain or achieve
to search for and find
to go to (a place)
I love these definitions as they relate to Seeking the Lord. We seek to be like Him. We seek to be with Him. We seek to have His Spirit with us always.
Though it’s easier to understand what it means to Seek the Lord, it is often harder to know how to Seek the Lord or why we should do it.
How do we Seek the Lord?
The prophet Nephi teaches how we should Seek the Lord in this way:
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies,…” 2 Nephi 25:26
“We talk of Christ” – we can do this by exemplifying Christ in all we do. “…but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 Let us be like the Apostle Paul – proud of our membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Romans 1:16
“We rejoice in Christ” – in order to fully rejoice in Christ, we must actively use the Atonement of Christ with gratitude. The Book of Mormon missionary Ammon is an excellent example of someone who rejoices in Christ. He fully recognized that it was only in and through the Savior that his mission was so successful – that the hearts of the Lamanites were changed. Alma 26
“We preach of Christ” – the word “preach” can be defined as “earnestly advocating.” I strongly believe that, in order to earnestly advocate the name and mission of Jesus Christ, we must truly “know” who He is. Knowing Christ requires more than a factual understanding of His life, ministry, death, and resurrection, it means intimately connecting with who He is. Make the Savior your Best Friend.
“We prophesy of Christ” – in all its simplicity, to prophesy of Christ means to search the scriptures and study the words of ancient and modern prophets. “For all scripture given by the inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16 JST “…that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4
“We write according to our prophecies” – as we strive to Seek the Lord in all we do, it is important that we write down spiritual experiences, impressions, and enlightenment as they come to us. In a Church News article contributed by Tad R. Callister in October 2017, we read:
“Recording spiritual promptings results in at least the following blessings:
First, it preserves the integrity of the message.
Second, it preserves the feelings of the moment.
Third, it plants spiritual seeds.
Fourth, it facilitates future sharing.
Fifth, it enhances future revelation.”
Record Spiritual Insights to Receive More Revelation in Your Life
Recording the spiritual revelation we receive makes it easier for us to Seek Christ in all we do.
Why should we Seek the Lord?
At the end of 2 Nephi 25:26, Nephi teaches his people that Seeking the Lord is important, “…that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”
Elder Ulisses Soares further expands on why we should Seek the Lord in his conference talk from the October 2020 General Conference.
He says, “[Seeking the Lord] gives us the promise that we can walk in His light and that His guidance prevents the influence of darkness in our life.” Seek Christ in Every Thought
We are promised that we can walk in the light of the Savior. I love this promise! The word “can” most especially stands out to me. “Can” means:
to be able to
to have the opportunity or possibility to
to be permitted to
All of God’s children here on this earth are able to walk in the light of the Savior because everyone has been born with the light of Christ. Each of God’s children (those living on the earth at this time and those who have died) will have the opportunity or possibility to walk in the light of the Savior as they travel down the covenant path and are baptized and receive the ordinances of the temple. The addition of the Holy Ghost brings the light of Christ much brighter in the hearts of men. Lastly, those who sin and transgress the commandments of God can be permitted to walk in the light of the Savior once again as they follow the steps of repentance and embrace the Atonement of Jesus Christ allowing it to change their hearts.
We are also promised that the guidance of the Savior Jesus Christ can prevent the influence of darkness in our lives.
Elder Soares tells this story:
“A very faithful member of the Church shared [this story] with me some time ago. This member told me that when she awakened on one particular morning, an improper thought that she had never experienced before unexpectedly entered her mind. Although it caught her completely by surprise, she reacted against the situation in a split second, saying to herself and to that thought, “No!” and replaced it with something good to divert her mind from the unwelcome thought. She told me that as she exercised her moral agency in righteousness, that negative, involuntary thought immediately disappeared.”
Seek Christ in Every Thought
This sister didn’t have to think about how she would respond. She knew immediately to say, “No” and replace the inappropriate thought with something wholesome. This quick thinking helped protect her spiritually.
A similar story is told about Joseph who was sold into Egypt.
“And Joseph found grace in [Potiphar’s] sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife…
There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” Genesis 39: 4, 7-12
In Seeking the Lord, we can plan ahead of time how we will respond to darkness, sin, and transgression. We don’t need to wait until we are tempted, we can make our decisions now as to how we will respond. Like Joseph we can run from sin and temptation.
As we remember to Seek Christ in every thought, I know we will be blessed. The promises of always walking in His light and preventing the influence of darkness in our lives will be realized. We will have increases of spiritual strength and guidance in all we do. We will find greater treasures of hope and happiness even and especially in the midst of trial.
I know Christ lives. I know His Atonement is real and that it truly can heal and change hearts.