Barriers that impede learning more about God

Footnotes

Our limitations present barriers to God revealing himself to us

Many have asked why God does not do more to reveal himself to his children. The fact is that he has always done absolutely everything that can be done. There is no limitation in willingness or activity on his part.

God desires to reveal himself to his children,¹ but he can only do so in certain ways. We can think, feel, or act in ways that narrow or close off the ways in which God can reveal himself to us. Wherever a limit exists in our understanding of and experience with God, it is completely due to our choices, not his.

The barrier of insufficient desire to learn more about God

God invites all people to come to know him better, all of the time.² While knowledge about God is a limitless feast,³ individuals differ significantly in how much of it they obtain and live. Different people desire to know more about God with different intensities. How much you learn about him is determined by the effort you exert in searching for more⁴ and the obedience you exercise in applying what you know.⁵

God’s knowledge is an unending resource that we are meant to continue seeking after indefinitely.⁶ Only those who continually search for more of God’s knowledge obtain eternal life.⁷ Those who stop searching after God’s knowledge will experience the loss of some of the knowledge they have obtained,⁸ although their diminished awareness will make this more difficult to notice.⁹

If you believe that God knows all things¹⁰ and that he cares more about your eternal joy than you do,¹¹ it should be extremely easy to constantly seek his guidance on all things in your life.¹² You will constantly seek and joyfully feast on any knowledge he is willing to give.¹³ The blessing of desiring more knowledge about and from God is obtaining and living according to it.¹⁴ Those who do not seek greater knowledge about and from God turn away from his offered gift to help them become better and achieve more than they ever could in and of themselves.¹⁵

The barrier of busyness

A significant cause of satiation in seeking knowledge from God is the busyness of modern life. The pursuits of modern people prioritize what has no eternal worth over what does.¹⁶ Few understand that their misprioritization isn’t a matter of church versus the rest of life, but the failure to apply God’s character to the daily tasks in life. God didn’t give us the requirement to earn our daily bread and raise children simply as a constant overhead cost to compete with church. Instead, our temporal lives are meant to be a learning lab where we consistently discover and apply the will of God in practical ways. The problem isn’t just that people don’t think about God in their daily lives,¹⁷ but that they don’t bother thinking at all. They fill their lives¹⁸ with activities that fail to advance their eternal purpose as much as other things would—or, in some cases, fail to advance their eternal purpose at all. In fact, many intentionally overburden themselves in order to have an excuse not to think about their lives or feel guilty about doing less than the best they could. These are problems with dire consequences that the Lord expressly warned against.¹⁹ It is vital that you think intentionally about how you spend your resources, prioritize what has the greatest longterm effect, and delete from your life anything that does not provide greater benefit than cost.²⁰

The barrier of limits in similitude to God

You are limited in what Jesus can reveal about himself by how much like him you have become. The more like God you are, the more he can teach you about himself. The fact that Jesus reveals more of himself to those who already know more about and live more like him²¹ is no accident. Without living what you know about Jesus, you will be quite limited in what more you can learn about him. Endlessly talking about or even studying about Jesus will do you very little good unless you are identifying and making the changes necessary to live what you learn.

Perception and becoming are inseparably intertwined. Your understanding of God can only slightly exceed how much like God you have become.²² You can’t comprehend God much farther than you’ve become like him.²³ What you notice, understand, and value are all progressive and sequential. You can only progress one step at a time in what you notice, understand, and value, and the next step is always limited by your present position. While you will always have access to the next step in the path, you cannot perceive, understand, or value what lies very far from who you presently are.

The more like God you become, the more you will notice, understand, and value additional demonstrations of his character.²⁴ As you become more like God, you increase the breadth and accuracy which you can perceive,²⁵ understand,²⁶ and value²⁷ his goodness. You become more like God iteratively, living up to what you already know while learning more about him.²⁸ New knowledge about God incrementally ratchets you closer and closer to him as you live up to it,²⁹ which allows you to see more and more of what he is really like.

The barrier of thinking you know more than you do

Your idea of God’s character is far less than his actual character, no matter how lofty your idea of his character may be.³⁰ Anyone who is not God still has a great deal to learn about him.³¹ You must avoid the temptation of believing that all you know is all—or even most—of what there is to know. You can't receive greater joy from God without learning more about God. As long as you remain satisfied with your current beliefs about God, you will never learn more about him.

True disciples of Christ readily recognize the limitations of their understanding, firmly believing that even their most supported beliefs are incomplete, if not incorrect. They constantly test their beliefs against their observations of reality, and stand ready to open-mindedly listen to the ideas of others. They gratefully acknowledge when someone offers them constructive criticism. They emulate the humility of the Lord by yielding to any idea that is shown to be better than what they already believe, and adopting it as their own.

While few would admit that they believe that they know everything there is to know about God, many act this way by spending little to no effort searching for new or better ideas about him and by ignoring or persecuting those who present them. Even those who have spent a lifetime diligently searching for and rigorously testing the beliefs they hold should be willing to search out and listen to the ideas of others. If this is the case, how much more humility should be exercised by those whose religious beliefs are so simple and unsupported that they can be adequately conveyed within a few sessions of a child’s Sunday School class? Even with such shallow exposure to scripture, these professed Christians ought to realize how little resemblance they bear to the believers described there, either in their discipleship or the fruits that always follow,³² but they don’t seem to notice or care because they are taught that God’s most valuable blessings are already theirs but will only show up after they die.

Remembering that there is always much more to learn and become³³ will help you be as prepared as possible to learn more from God no matter who or what he uses to teach you. You will continue learning more about God the same way you learned what you already know: through searching for more information about him and by living everything that you learn.³⁴

The barrier of seeing yourself differently than God sees you

The more God shows you about himself, the more you will see yourself as he sees you.³⁵ It is not possible for God to reveal more of himself to you without revealing more of yourself to you. He is the Spirit of truth,³⁶ he knows all things,³⁷ and the more about him you learn, the more you will learn about everything, including yourself.³⁸

As God reveals more of himself to you, you will see yourself differently than you did before. Whether these differences indicate aspects of yourself that are better or worse than you thought, their revelation will result in a greater burden to you than your prior understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, placing upon you the duty to do more and better than you did before.

You may come to see some aspects of yourself as better than you thought.³⁹ The revelation of greater capabilities, whether realized or potential, will require increased performance in order for you to retain a conscience free from guilt.⁴⁰

The things that God reveals to you will, in many cases, show that you are not as good as you thought,⁴¹ and do not deserve as much as you expected.⁴² You will see that some of your merits are less valuable than you think,⁴³ at least some of your faults are worse than you think, and that you probably have more faults than you knew. This revelation is necessary for you to find the motive and means to become better than you are and deserve more than you presently do.⁴⁴ It is only through seeing more of the differences between you and God that you can know the way to become more like him and muster the willingness to do so. However, human nature interprets all such downward revisions of selfworth as negative, and those who have not yet learned the value of correction will tend to avoid and resent them. Take courage and be humble. God only corrects those who have the power to implement his corrections.⁴⁵

What God reveals to you will change the value you perceive in who you are and who you aren’t. As a result, you will see character qualities that must be added, modified, or removed in order to reconcile to your new understanding of God.

When God reveals anything more to you about how he is, it is always as an invitation for you to choose to be more like him in that way. You have to make any changes required to reconcile yourself with the new information he shows you about himself in order for him to continue to show you more. The more you learn about God, the more you will learn about yourself, and the more you respond appropriately to what you learn about yourself, the more you will continue to learn about God.⁴⁶

The barrier of your rate of change

It takes time to find, test, and adopt new ideas.⁴⁷ The faster you can accurately perform each of these steps, the more quickly God can teach you, and the more light and truth you will acquire compared to others.

The physiological strain of the pace and content of information about God is significant. It is not difficult to overwhelm most people, as few are interested in or accustomed to considering, reconsidering, or changing foundational beliefs.

Capacity for truth must be developed just like physical strength: through regularly exercising to the edge of your limits. Unlike physical strength, spiritual strength can be developed to the point where growth no longer requires regular rest. Train yourself to change faster by changing as fast as you can. Make a prioritized list of the potential improvements of which you are aware, and begin today to implement them.⁴⁸ Train yourself to rely less on breaks by relying less on breaks. Learn that the value of rest is limited to helping you advance your purpose more than you otherwise could.

It’s rare to find people who are willing to change, but it is even more rare to find people willing to change their rate of change. Through intentional effort, you can increase both, and the more you do, the more reasons you will have to continue to do so.

The barrier of seeking and receiving correction: Knowing the Lord and being known by him

The way you interact with opportunities to improve is the way you interact with God. God knocks on your door by showing you the possibility, necessity, and value of improvement across every aspect of your life and character.⁴⁹ You knock on God’s door by searching for how you can improve yourself, others, or the world.⁵⁰ Those who do not perceive or correctly respond to God’s invitations to improve cannot abide with him.⁵¹

“Knowing the Lord” and “being known by the Lord” are phrases that depict the removal of the barrier between you and God. They measure the frequency and content of corrective interactions between you and him, not just the amount of knowledge that has been transmitted through that barrier. Knowing and being known by the Lord are a question of how valiantly you search out and respond to him.

The word “know” does not convey a specific sense of intimacy as used in modern speech. When a person is said to know another in the colloquial sense, a wide range of intimacy levels is possible. You could say that you know your spouse, children, parents, and in-laws—all of whom share different levels of intimacy in spite of being family. You can say that you know your work colleague and neighbor, even if you know them far less well than your family. You could even accurately claim that you know a person you sat next to in school decades ago but have not spoken with since. The scriptural sense of the word “know” is vastly different. To know someone in the scriptural sense of the word requires much more than simply having knowledge about them.

Knowing of God is not the same as knowing him or being known by him. To be known by the Lord is not a question of what God knows about you. God knows all about you, but that doesn’t mean he knows you. If the Lord says he never knew you, he doesn’t mean he doesn’t know who or how you are. He knows everything,⁵² including everything about you.⁵³

A knowing relationship is uniquely intimate,⁵⁴ beyond what is found with friends, occasional acquaintances, or the general public. It is not coincidental that the Lord employs the same language for our interactions with him as he does for the relationship between a husband and wife. The interactions between husband and wife are meant to join them together in the most complete way possible given their individual and separate physical bodies.

Though the fulfillment operates differently given the differences in particulars, the spirit of the intended unity we have with God is meant to be at least as broad, deep, and enduring as the ideal relationship between a husband and a wife.⁵⁵ The unity intended between a husband and a wife is meant to span mental, emotional, and spiritual domains, with physical connections being an important yet fairly limited means to that end.

To be known of God is a question of the frequency of contact and depth of familiarity that you have with him. It is not a binary measure, but one of degrees. A person’s relationship with God can vary immensely compared to others in terms of what is exchanged, and with what level of familiarity. With obvious connections to marital relations,⁵⁶ to know the Lord is to receive⁵⁷ his influence within you, becoming alive and bearing fruit because of it. To know the Lord requires you to receive new instruction from him often, and to live differently than you otherwise would because of it. To receive his influence once changes you forever, and to receive it continually changes you continually. Scripturally knowing someone requires an ongoing relationship with them—growing, not static, and certainly not receding. Through knowing him,⁵⁸ he is in you (through your receipt of what he gives you), and you are in him (through his love for you).⁵⁹

To know the Lord and be known by him requires that you intentionally pursue his purpose. It isn’t enough to merely search out and do his will as far as you can discover it,⁶⁰ nor is it enough to only do what he preemptively asks you to do.⁶¹ Just as a good wife knows and is known by her husband as she does her best to pursue his purpose as she sees it and responds to his specific corrections and requests, to know God and be known of him requires that you search out and follow his purpose and also that you respond when he sends you specific opportunities or invitations to improve.⁶²

The Lord asks for the dedication of our heart, might, mind, and strength in service to his purpose.⁶³ Those who limit their relationship with him to some subset of all they have to give will experience far less with him than what is possible and what he intends. It is not enough to mindlessly reduce your service to the Lord to a routine or checklist of tasks.⁶⁴ Maximizing your religious activity is not the same as maximally advancing the purpose of God.⁶⁵ Knowing the Lord requires a relationship that exceeds what can occur only at or through a church or within strictly religious bounds. No amount of overindulgence in a limited domain of interaction with God will compensate for neglect in another.⁶⁶ A busy servant is not the same as a good servant.⁶⁷ Service to God is always about what he thinks is good, not what you think is good.⁶⁸ You can be fully occupied in what you suppose is service to God and yet have a heart,⁶⁹ mind, or even actions⁷⁰ very far from what he is actually asking of you.⁷¹

Being known of God yields similarity to him, because the process of coming to know God consists of yielding to correction from him that shows you how to be more like him. As you are known of God, you will gain a greater understanding of what is best in yourself,⁷² in others, and in the world.

Walking with God requires making changes as you are shown ways in which you can improve. To abide with God requires you to be open to being corrected, and to implement corrections as they are made known to you.⁷³ The slower you are to implement the changes suggested by what he teaches you, the slower he will be to provide subsequent increments of further information about himself.

The pain of knowing of better than what you have

As you learn to value the additional aspects of God that he reveals to you, you will come to recognize him and everything he provides as being increasingly more valuable than any alternative.⁷⁴ Unfortunately, because so few people strive to learn and live all they can from God, the more you learn about him, the less often you will find others who have done the same. While it is comforting to think that God himself can make up for the loss of human relationships capable of the depth and quality you will increasingly crave, there are impassable barriers to experiencing a fullness of God’s glory and joy while in the flesh.⁷⁵ The combination of increased distance from your peers and increasing desire for glory and joy that only exists outside of this world creates an increasingly strong unanswered longing that must be carried while in this life.

The more you learn about and value God, the more overwhelming your desire becomes to be with him instead of remaining here.⁷⁶ Increasingly, the only force that counters your desire to leave this world is whatever desire you have to remain here in order to demonstrate his goodness to others.⁷⁷ Imagine what it would be like to have the value you previously found in all things and people suddenly stripped away in comparison to the divine value of what cannot be found in this world.⁷⁸ To the extent that you lack altruism,⁷⁹ greater revelations of the goodness of God and the blessings he can provide hereafter increase misery here and now beyond the limits of what anyone who knows less about him can know is possible. The goodness and glory of God are such that increasing your knowledge of them by necessity shows everything else to be increasingly worse by comparison.

Only those of indescribably great faith would be able to continue mortal life in any normal way after gaining an appreciation of what is possible, bearing the extreme contradiction between the toil of mortal life and a knowledge of the greatness of God’s love. Pain is not the greatest form of suffering. Knowing what good is possible without being able to obtain it is far greater. Those carrying the burden of knowing something of God’s goodness must bear the disparity between what they know could be and what actually is in each task, every day. You need immense trust in God and faith in him in order to bear such a burden.

You increase your ability to bear the burden of knowing what is better than what you have through increasing your trust in God. Increase the trust you have in God through remembering all the reasons he has given you to trust him. Enumerate the times in your life when things were much better than they could have been. Recognize his hand in all things and be grateful for every good thing in your life. Learn more about God’s justice, and learn to lean into it by living up to the blessings you desire. Ultimately, increasing your trust in God is a matter of choice. As you repeatedly recognize all the ways in which God has blessed you and others in the past, you will have more than enough reasons to choose to trust in him.

The barrier of limited moral judgment

God’s judgment is among his most important qualities. To judge correctly means to have an accurate idea of what is possible and what it is worth, which is necessary to ascertain what brings the greatest joy for the longest duration. Your value appraisal differs from God’s in many ways. In every instance, differences between what options you see and what options God sees, and how you value something and how God values it present a situation where you would judge God as less than ideal were he to show you that difference.⁸⁰

Every time God reveals more of himself to you, he will reveal differences between how you thought he was and how he actually is. Each revelation of God provides you with the opportunity to either upgrade your own idea of righteousness by replacing it with what God shows you, or insist that somehow your preconceived notion of righteousness is more righteous than God.

Your ability to judge others correctly is bounded by the limits of your own righteousness.⁸¹ Human detectors of moral judgment are limited to discerning the next increment of their progress towards God. The more like God someone is than you, the more likely you are to misjudge them and what they do as evil. This is why it is so crucial to judge others by comparing your weaknesses to their strengths (how are they better than you?), and not your strengths to their weaknesses (how are you better than them?).

God reveals himself incrementally to prevent your condemnation.⁸² As hard as it may be to believe, his character is so far from how you are that to show us it entirely all at once would guarantee your rejection of him. You would not presently value the aspects of God that you do not presently know. God will not reveal to you more about himself than what you can recognize as righteous. He won’t reveal himself so sufficiently that you will hate him. If he revealed himself fully, you would assuredly reject him, and rebellion against such great demonstration of his goodness would so significantly damage your ability to make moral judgments that it would be very difficult for you to obtain forgiveness.⁸³

The natural man does not value what God values. Many Jews in Jesus’ day misjudged him as unrighteous in response to his teachings and works. Some were being dishonest, but many genuinely believed he was wicked. For some, limits in their intelligence prevented their ability to correctly judge him. For others, closed-mindedness prevented them from detaching from their prior beliefs of what was right when he contradicted them.

Different approaches exist for moral judgment. A common method is to use static rules that define what is good. While rules can describe what is good in a specific situation, they can be misapplied and will not likely continue to indicate what is good under different situations. A much better way—God’s way—is to calculate what is good based on the calculation of net benefit across available choices.

Those who operate on a rules-based morality are assured to see morality differently than God does, as his morality is based on the calculation of net benefit,⁸⁴ and rules cannot accurately replicate what principles describe. Those whose morality is based on net benefit across available options will deviate from God’s morality only when there are limits in their understanding of the set of available options or the cost and benefit of each.

Holy means that which is different and better. You can’t correctly judge what is better beyond the limits of your appraisal of value. In order to recognize God’s holiness, you need to correctly perceive available options and the long-term net benefit of each. The less you know about reality and the less correctly you assess value, the less prepared you are to recognize the holiness of God.

You mitigate the barrier of misjudging God by developing your intrinsic trust in him and learning more about reality. If you truly believe he is wiser and more knowledgeable than you, and you truly believe that he loves you more than you love yourself, you must assume that anything he shows you about himself is more righteous than anything else. In this manner, you can turn revelations from God from an opportunity to be offended⁸⁵ into an opportunity to learn more about reality. The more you know about God and live as you believe God would in your place, the more you will see and value what is from, by, or like God.

The barrier of limits in knowledge of God

Your understanding of who and how God is increases gradually and incrementally.⁸⁶ You can’t know God completely all at once; you can only come to know him a little more than you presently do, over and over again.

Knowledge about God is sequential.⁸⁷ In the path to God, each subsequent step builds on what came before. What God can teach us about himself depends on how much we already know about him. In the same way that new vocabulary words can only be defined by using words you already know, new knowledge about God builds on previously understood ideas about him.

Each step in the path towards God expands our view of what lies ahead.⁸⁸ One reason that so many people think there is so little to know about God is because they have done so little to live up to what they claim to believe about him. Those who live as they believe Jesus would have found an unbroken pattern: each step reveals that there is much more to be learned than they had ever before supposed.⁸⁹

Getting to know anyone is a process because it takes time and interactions to learn someone’s character. With God, the process isn’t just limited by time or interactions, but also your ability to perceive. In order to correctly see more of God, your awareness has to increase beyond its present limits.

God will reveal more about himself to you as you learn more about him and live what you learn. Because he reveals himself to people commensurate with their heed and diligence in seeking him, this happens iteratively over time. To maximize your progress with God, fully and instantly implement anything he shows you about himself in your life, and tenaciously seek to learn more about him in all available ways. While every step in the path must be taken sequentially, there is no limit to how quickly you can take them.

The barrier of your willingness to obey

There is a limit to how much God can reveal about himself to someone who doesn’t fully live up to all they already know about him.⁹⁰ You have to forsake your sins in order to come to know God.⁹¹ While you continue to sin, or do anything that is contrary to his character so far as you understand it, you will remain ignorant of the aspects of his character that lie beyond your present understanding.⁹² A person cannot know God much better than they already do if they do not first obey what they already know about him. Why would you expect God to reveal more of himself to you if you still ignore or rebel against anything he has already shown you,⁹³ when doing so would only increase the negative consequences that must follow willful rebellion against God?⁹⁴ It is both dishonest and ineffectual to seek to know more about him before deciding to live up to what you already understand about him. Jesus frequently appealed to what his listeners already knew, but were failing to live. He knew that in order to progress closer to him, they first had to live according to what they already knew. In one particularly poignant exchange,⁹⁵ he pointed out that the group of Jews to whom he spoke thought they had eternal life because of what the scriptures said, though they did not live what they said, particularly about him. He said their lack of belief in him was because they claimed to believe in Moses, yet didn’t do what he said.

When you reconcile to what you know, you receive more.⁹⁶ When you ignore, resist, or reject what you know, you lose even what you have.⁹⁷ Anytime you do less than the best you know, you make any additional revelation from him less likely⁹⁸ until and unless you turn back to the invitation to improve that you refused before.⁹⁹

Deciding to live as you sincerely believe he would in your place best orients you to the experiences that will teach you more about how he is.¹⁰⁰ If God was willing to reveal as much about himself as he already has while you were still estranged from him, how much more will he reveal to you after you align your life with how you understand him to be?¹⁰¹

Light and truth are taken away through disobedience.¹⁰² If you are disobedient to your present understanding of what is best or how God is, your understanding of both will deteriorate,¹⁰³ often without your recognition of the reduction. Every time you do less than your best, you reduce your ability to do what is best in the future.¹⁰⁴ The greater the knowledge you sin against, the more difficult it is for you to see and correct your faults in order to obtain forgiveness.¹⁰⁵

Sanctification begins and continues¹⁰⁶ as long as you are fully submitted to God. Sanctification requires continued obedience to all you know.¹⁰⁷ Just one sin takes you out of the way.¹⁰⁸ Those who turn away from new truth stand condemned by God¹⁰⁹ until and unless they repent and return to him. Those previously blessed by God will be punished for new disobedience against him.¹¹⁰

Eternal life requires diligently seeking to learn more about God¹¹¹ and living everything you know as soon as it is revealed.¹¹² In plain terms, you diligently search for more truth, and continue reconciling yourself to everything you learn.¹¹³ In order to remain in the stream of full blessings from God, you must continuously exercise full diligence¹¹⁴ in learning more about him and full obedience to all you learn.¹¹⁵

Jesus reveals more of himself based upon an individual’s diligence in seeking to learn more and obedience to what they are taught.¹¹⁶ A person’s willingness to integrate present knowledge into their character and actions actually increases their capacity to receive greater truth. The Lord said that perception of his light is controlled by how well we live what we already know about him.¹¹⁷ In order for him to reveal more about himself to you, you first need to live up to what he has already shown you.¹¹⁸ God reveals more of himself to those who live up to what they already understand about him.

To walk with God, you must first stand with God. You begin walking with God by fully applying your understanding of his example to your life.¹¹⁹ As you increase in your understanding of God, you continue to walk with him by identifying new ways in which you differ from him and making the changes needed to remain reconciled to him.¹²⁰ Until you are willing to reconcile yourself to how you believe God to be, you are not ready to learn more about how he actually is.

If you want to learn more about God, live up to what you already know about him. As you apply everything you know about God so far, he will teach you more about himself, enabling you to advance. You must be fully obedient to everything you know in order to obtain more knowledge from God. As you heed God’s influence within you and fully emulate it in your thoughts, feelings, and actions, he will expand his influence within you.

The barrier of your ability to obey

Too many Christians believe that they can endlessly learn more about God without actually living up to what they know. Gospel study is meant to be a battle plan, not a pastime. You are judged according to the law you live, not the law you like.

God will not reveal to us more about himself than we are able to obey. God has promised that he will not give us commandments beyond our ability to obey.¹²¹ This requires that he withhold from us any demonstration of himself that exceeds our present ability to emulate.¹²²

Greater truth is harder to perceive as true and harder to obey than lesser truth. There is no greater truth than how God is. You should expect greater revelations of the character of Christ to constantly test the limits of your capacity. Each individual has a different capacity,¹²³ and God will only reveal himself to each individual up to their capability.¹²⁴ The Lord has to step down truths to the magnitude and pace that you can bear.¹²⁵ His willingness and ability to do this is a great blessing that allows you to receive as many blessings as possible as early as possible, but it does not create a way to receive a higher blessing while living a lower law. While many truths can be reduced in a way where at least some benefit can be enjoyed before you are ready to receive a fuller version, there are many things that cannot be revealed in an easier or partial way.¹²⁶ God cannot reveal himself to us beyond our ability to fully implement what he shows us about himself in our own lives.

Your ability to obey is something that you can increase. Discipline is a muscle. The more discipline you exercise, the more capable you will become. You will find yourself with the strength to go and do¹²⁷ whatever God will command by going and doing what God has already commanded.

The barrier of your willingness to do what is best

God graciously reveals how he is to all people up to the absolute greatest quantity they can perceive and understand without becoming more like him than they already are. God can reveal a great deal about himself, even to those who do not know him at all or believe in him at all, because everything in life testifies of how he is, whether the individual recognizes it or not.

We are all endowed by our Creator with a great deal of internal light, including the ability to assess the relative value of different actions we can take in decisions big and small. Like a seedling sprouting of its own accord, we can progress a great deal in our character through feeding off our internal resources. A great deal of progress is possible even in an individual that does not know or believe anything about God if they choose the best they know of, according to their understanding of what is good. This includes doing their best in every aspect of their life from the seemingly mundane to the explicitly religious and everything in between. Unfortunately, even among the religious, few people apply this latent capability with enough fervor to reach the end of its utility. Instead, they are content doing less than the best they imagine, at least in some situations, cutting themselves off from anything still better.

The barrier of preference for temporal comfort and security

The Lord is how he is because being that way is the best for all, but often what is best for all carries a terrible price for him.¹²⁸ The Lord’s mortal life was full of suffering that dwarfed any positive experiences he enjoyed while here. He lived so as to maximize what he gave to all rather than what he received in return.¹²⁹ His life was aimed at the greatest eternal joy, not the greatest present pleasure, and these two aims tend to point in very different directions.¹³⁰ Human nature seeks to maximize temporal comfort and security. While neither of these things are evil in and of themselves, seeking them often works contrary to God’s purposes.¹³¹

If you want to avoid hindering what God could teach you about himself, you’ll have to let go of the idea of temporal comfort and security. There is a limit to how much you can follow Jesus while insisting on a certain level of temporal comfort and security. When a certain man came to Jesus professing his desire to follow him wherever he went, Jesus replied by saying: “the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20) All value derived from possessions is subject to loss while in this life. In order to gain eternal security, learning about and living more like Jesus must be a higher priority than maintaining temporal security, as in many cases, any preference for the latter will absolutely limit the former.

In any moment, what you learn or already know about Jesus may direct you to think, feel, or act in a way that causes you to lose temporal comfort and security. Each such moment is a critical test in which few people consistently choose well.¹³² Desires not specifically aimed at Jesus above all else¹³³ will invariably fail to notice these tests and choose incorrectly even in the situations that are noticed.¹³⁴

The barrier of reputation with others

True disciples of Christ will seem so differently motivated to others that they could be accurately described as blind or deaf compared to normal people.¹³⁵ Though they are exposed to the same information as normal people, they do not respond to it in the same ways. They think, feel, and act differently—according to how they sincerely believe Jesus would in their place, according to their intentional calculation of what benefits all people the most for the longest time, and not according to what feels best for them right now.

One who operates this way will not just seem different to one who does not—they will seem worse. Those who consummately serve God are viewed as marred by those who do not.¹³⁶ They are not typically seen as nice, loving, wise, just, or selfless. Because greater truth is difficult to see as good, they are instead seen by most as unkind,¹³⁷ judgmental,¹³⁸ callous,¹³⁹ foolish,¹⁴⁰ and cruel.¹⁴¹

Those who see more of the truth because they are willing to submit to it will do things that other people can’t understand.¹⁴² They will seem to overreact to what others see as minor or non-existent issues.

They will turn over tables and whip people who are conducting what others regard as normal living. They will disrespect unfounded or harmful social norms that others regard as sacrosanct.¹⁴³

What the Lord reveals about himself enables you to become more like him. As you become more like him, you will not only enjoy more of the blessings he enjoys, you will also carry more of the cost he pays. The more you learn about and live like Jesus, the more the world will treat you as it would treat the Lord.¹⁴⁴ The more like Jesus you are, the more you will be persecuted by those who are not like him.¹⁴⁵

The barrier of limits in your ability to manage chaos

Everyone has a limit in the degree of awareness they are willing and able to manage, and this limit determines how much God can reveal himself to you. You cannot learn more about God without learning more about everything else.¹⁴⁶ All things are known to¹⁴⁷ and present before God,¹⁴⁸ and to the extent that you become like him, all things will be known to¹⁴⁹ and present before you.¹⁵⁰

The bandwidth of revelation from God grows or diminishes as a whole, depending on whether you notice and live up to it or not. Greater understanding can be sought on specific topics and at specific times, but every increase in wisdom expands the bandwidth of general awareness. General awareness does not limit itself to the topics you explicitly ask about or the times when you are asking. It “bloweth where it listeth”¹⁵¹ at all times and in all places. If you fail to notice, process, and put into practice new information you have access to, you become less like God than you were before. Every new increment of information about and from God makes you accountable for being better than you were before. God’s light is an inexhaustible stream of information.¹⁵² God is always ready to show you what lies beyond what you presently see, feel, think, and do. At all times, in all places, and in every circumstance, God highlights what is best, explains why it is so, suggests what is better, and provides sufficient reasons to make it so.¹⁵³

Knowledge about God does not exist outside of a relationship with God, and relationships with God are living, not static. The longer you maintain a relationship with God, the more that relationship will grow.¹⁵⁴ The closer to God you become, the greater the flow¹⁵⁵ of information into your mind. If you learn to manage the information God provides to you, he will give you more.¹⁵⁶ If you fail to manage the information God provides to you, he will give you less.¹⁵⁷ God will hold you accountable for noticing and integrating everything he makes available to you as you strive to make everything as good as you can imagine it to be.¹⁵⁸

Managing information well requires you to seek, notice, and respond to it. This almost always includes recording and reviewing it. Do you seek more information? Those who are overwhelmed by what they involuntarily notice will not seek more. How intense or prolonged does new information need to be in order for you to notice it? Can you notice new information even in situations that are familiar? How often do you intentionally diminish the information around you through social media, headphones, or dulling substances? How well do you triage information, parsing it into prioritized plans of action? Do you make changes to improve based on constantly asking how things can be better, or do you train yourself to ignore what is less than ideal? The more you seek, notice, and implement the changes suggested by the information that God makes available to you, you will gain access to more.

Footnotes

1. ...I the Lord am willing to make these things known unto all flesh; For I am no respecter of persons.... (D&C 1:34-35) ↩
2. ...he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him.... (2 Nephi 26:33) ↩
3. Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely; (Alma 5:34) ↩
4. Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds. (Alma 42:27) ↩
5. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (Matthew 13:12) ↩
6. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever. (Jacob 3:2 ↩
7. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20) ↩
8. Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough! For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. (2 Nephi 28:29-30) ↩
9. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell. (Alma 12:11) ↩
10. O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it. (2 Nephi 9:20) ↩
11. He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him.... (2 Nephi 26:24) ↩
12. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. (2 Nephi 32:9) Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma 37:37) ↩
13. Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. (2 Nephi 32:3) ↩
14. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6) ↩
15. Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide. (Helaman 12:6) ↩
16. Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness. (2 Nephi 9:51) ↩
17. Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. (D&C 6:36) ↩
18. Seek not to be cumbered. Forsake all unrighteousness.... (D&C 66:10) ↩
19. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. (Luke 21:34) ↩
20. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (Isaiah 55:2) ↩
21. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (Matthew 13:12) ↩
22. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding.... (2 Nephi 31:3) ↩
23. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) ↩
24. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (Matthew 13:10-13) ↩
25. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalms 36:9) ↩
26. And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; (D&C 88:11) ↩
27. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him. (D&C 88:49) ↩
28. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (2 Peter 1:5-9) ↩
29. And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more. (D&C 78:18-19) ↩
30. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. (Isaiah 64:4) ↩
31. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13) ↩
32. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:20) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18) ↩
33. And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily.... (Mosiah 4:11) ↩
34. And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved. Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive. And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. (2 Nephi 31:16-21) ↩
35. They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace; (D&C 76:94) ↩
36. The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth; (Doctrine & Covenants 93:26) ↩
37. O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it. (2 Nephi 9:20) ↩
38. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalm 36:9) ↩
39. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. (Luke 1:52) Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted. (James 1:9) ↩
40. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:48) ↩
41. “...the knowledge of the goodness of God...awaken[s] you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state.” (Mosiah 4:5) ↩
42. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:7-11) ↩
43. When Daniel was shown more of God’s glory, it so dramatically advanced his idea of goodness that what he previously felt were his best attributes now seemed like utter filth: “[My] comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.” (Daniel 10:8) ↩
44. And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27) ↩
45. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7) ↩
46. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:6) ↩
47. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2) ↩
48. The author’s book Joy on Purpose presents an effective framework for systematically implementing intentional improvement without overwhelm. ↩
49. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20) ↩
50. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:19) ↩
51. And it shall come to pass that when the second trump shall sound then shall they that never knew me come forth and shall stand before me. And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed. And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day. (Mosiah 26:25-28) ↩
52. O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it (2 Nephi 9:20) ↩
53. For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. (Proverbs 5:21) ↩
54. For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; But He is intimate with the upright. (Proverbs 3:32, NASB) ↩
55. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30) Yoke here is to bind together with Jesus, as two married people are bound together. The same word is translated as joined elsewhere: What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Mark 10:9) Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Matthew 19:6) ↩
56. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived.... (Genesis 4:1) ↩
57. For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. (D&C 132:22) ↩
58. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27) I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (John 10:14) ....These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.... (Revelation 14:4) ↩
59. Some might be surprised that we are not in the Lord through our response to him. Though few realize it, we tend to grossly overestimate the benefit we provide to God. Everything of value comes from him, and there is nothing we can ever do to reciprocate. What he asks us to do instead is to love others as he has loved us. ↩
60. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23) ↩
61. For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward (D&C 58:26) ↩
62. O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. (2 Nephi 9:28) ↩
63. And we know also, that sanctification through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true, to all those who love and serve God with all their mights, minds, and strength.... (D&C 20:31-32) ↩
64. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23) ↩
65. Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. (Luke 13:24-27) ↩
66. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23) ↩
67. Note how the priest in the parable of the Good Samaritan refused to interrupt his priestly duties to help the injured man encountered in his path. So, likewise, will mindless busyness blind a person to the unexpected but more important opportunities to serve Jesus along the way. ↩
68. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:6-10) ↩
69. He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. (Mark 7:6) ↩
70. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (John 16:2) ↩
71. Recall what Samuel told Saul when Saul sacrificed the spoils of war instead of destroying them as commanded: “...Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22) ↩
72. They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace; (D&C 76:94) ↩
73. I Am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:1-8) ↩
74. And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God (D&C 14:7) ↩
75. Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth (Moses 1:5) For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy. (D&C 93:33-34) ↩
76. Because of how God’s revelation of himself works, if you are worthy to know of him, you are worthy to be with him. Those who know him well have a right to rejoin him in heaven. Any who know him well here must fight the tremendous pull to leave this world, which is the Lord’s offer to them. Their continuation here comes only by the love of God in them towards their fellowman, in opposition to the love from God to them, which they know they can only experience fully in heaven. ↩
77. And the Lord said unto me: John, my beloved, what desirest thou? For if you shall ask what you will, it shall be granted unto you. And I said unto him: Lord, give unto me power over death, that I may live and bring souls unto thee. And the Lord said unto me: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, because thou desirest this thou shalt tarry until I come in my glory, and shalt prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues and people. (D&C 7:1-3) ↩
78. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15) ↩
79. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— (Moroni 7:46) ↩
80. Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil (Moroni 7:14) ↩
81. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5) ↩
82. But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me. (2 Nephi 31:14) ↩
83. And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression? (Alma 32:19) ↩
84. He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation (2 Nephi 26:24) ↩
85. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. (Matthew 11:6) ↩
86. And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God. For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith. (D&C 98:11-12) ↩
87. That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (D&C 50:24) ↩
88. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. (Proverbs 4:18) ↩
89. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14) ↩
90. And there are none that doeth good except those who are ready to receive the fulness of my gospel, which I have sent forth unto this generation (D&C 35:12) ↩
91. O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead. (Alma 22:18) ↩
92. Only those who live in accordance with what they already know about the Father can perceive or recognize more about the Father. (John 6:46, Author’s Reflection) ↩
93. And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation. (3 Nephi 26:10) ↩
94. For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation. (D&C 82:3) ↩
95. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:39-47) ↩
96. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (Matthew 13:12) ↩
97. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13) ↩
98. Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2) They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble. In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me. Verily I say unto you, notwithstanding their sins, my bowels are filled with compassion towards them. I will not utterly cast them off; and in the day of wrath I will remember mercy. (D&C 101:7-9) ↩
99. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:20-21) ↩
100. ...feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do....if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. (2 Nephi 32:3, 5) ↩
101. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10) ↩
102. “And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience...” (D&C 93:39) ↩
103. And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received. (D&C 1:33) ↩
104. And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have. (D&C 60:3) Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. (Luke 8:18) ↩
105. For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy for him to obtain forgiveness; yea, I say unto you, my son, that it is not easy for him to obtain a forgiveness. (Alma 39:6) Nevertheless, he has sinned; but verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, forgive sins unto those who confess their sins before me and ask forgiveness, who have not sinned unto death. (D&C 64:7) Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them. (D&C 58:42-43) ↩
106. And ye must practise virtue and holiness before me continually. Even so. Amen. (D&C 46:33) ↩
107. But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not. (Mosiah 4:30) For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him. (D&C 3:4) ↩
108. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10) ↩
109. Ye call upon my name for revelations, and I give them unto you; and inasmuch as ye keep not my sayings, which I give unto you, ye become transgressors; and justice and judgment are the penalty which is affixed unto my law. (D&C 10:4) ↩
110. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. (Ezekiel 18:24) I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 1:5-7) ↩
111. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62) ↩
112. And again, I would that ye should learn that he only is saved who endureth unto the end. Even so. Amen. (D&C 53:7) ↩
113. ...press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20) ↩
114. And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God. (D&C 14:7) ↩
115. But blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit eternal life....Wherefore, let every man beware lest he do that which is not in truth and righteousness before me. (D&C 50:5,9) ↩
116. And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. (Alma 12:9) ↩
117. I will not show...my strength...save it be unto those who repent of their sins, and hearken unto my words.... (Helaman 7:23) ↩
118. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2) ↩
119. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. (Leviticus 26:12) Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. (Psalm 119:1-3) ↩
120. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3) ↩
121. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7) ↩
122. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. (John 16:12) 32 ↩
123. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Corinthians 3:2) ↩
124. For they cannot bear meat now, but milk they must receive; wherefore, they must not know these things, lest they perish. (D&C 19:22) ↩
125. Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. Amen. (D&C 111:11) ↩
126. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (John 16:12-15) ↩
127. See 1 Nephi 3:7, quoted previously. ↩
128. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9) ↩
129. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) ↩
130. O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnallyminded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal. (2 Nephi 9:39) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be (Romans 8:7) ↩
131. But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God. (Mosiah 16:5) ↩
132. And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately (Luke 12:36) ↩
133. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? (Luke 17:7-8) ↩
134. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. (Luke 21:34) ↩
135. Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant (Isaiah 42:19) ↩
136. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men (Isaiah 52:14) ↩
137. Jesus told a Samaritan: “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22) ↩
138. See Matthew 23. ↩
139. In John 11, we read that Jesus intentionally remained away while he knew his dear friend Lazarus was incredibly sick, letting him die in order to demonstrate God’s power in bringing him back to life. ↩
140. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18) ↩
141. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs (Mark 7:27) ↩
142. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14) ↩
143. The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 7:25) ...that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 16:15) ↩
144. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.... (John 15:18-19) ↩
145. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake (Luke 21:12) ↩
146. For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light.... (D&C 88:40) ↩
147. O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it. (2 Nephi 9:20) ↩
148. He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever. (D&C 88:41) ↩
149. He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things. (D&C 93:28) ↩
150. But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord. (D&C 130:7) ↩
151. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8) ↩
152. And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease. (Moses 1:4) ↩
153. And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good —yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. (D&C 11:12) ↩
154. That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (D&C 50:24) ↩
155. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14) ↩
156. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (Matthew 13:12) ↩
157. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries.... (Alma 12:11) ↩
158. Hearken, O ye people who profess my name, saith the Lord your God; for behold, mine anger is kindled against the rebellious, and they shall know mine arm and mine indignation, in the day of visitation and of wrath upon the nations. And he that will not take up his cross and follow me, and keep my commandments, the same shall not be saved. Behold, I, the Lord, command; and he that will not obey shall be cut off in mine own due time, after I have commanded and the commandment is broken. (D&C 56:1-3) ↩

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