Do we have guardian angels who watch over us and protect us? - Larry E. Dahl

Do we have guardian angels who watch over us and protect us? 
Larry E. Dahl

https://www.lds.org/study/liahona/1988/09/questions-and-answers/do-we-have-guardian-angels-who-watch-over-and-protect-us?lang=eng

Our scriptures contain many references to “Angels,” and “Ministering Angels.” However, the term “guardian angel” is not used.

The scriptures teach us about the role of “ministering angels,” as Mormon testified:

“It is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief.” (Moro. 7:37.)

The scriptures show that angels appear and minister unto men to:

—announce and testify of events pertaining to God’s work and glory (see Matt. 1:20–21; Matt. 28:1–6; Luke 1:11–20; Luke 2:8–14; Rev. 14:6–20; and D&C 88:92–110);

—preach the gospel and minister “unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ” (Moro. 7:22; see also Moses 5:58);

—declare “the word of Christ unto chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him” (Moro. 7:31; see also Mosiah 3:1–27);

—bring to earth “their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood” (D&C 128:21; see also D&C 27:12; D&C 110:11–16; and JS—H 1:68–70);

—protect and guide the servants of God in times of trouble so that they may accomplish his purposes (see Acts 5:18–20; Dan. 3:28; 1 Ne. 3:29; and Hel. 5);

—bring comfort, instruction, and warnings to faithful individuals in times of need (see Gen. 16:7; Ex. 23:20–23; Matt. 2:13, 19–20; 1 Ne. 11:14–15:30; and Alma 8:14–18).

Who are these angels? The Lord has revealed that “there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it.” (D&C 130:5.) Such personages may be spirits who have not yet been born into mortality, or who have lived on the earth but who have not yet been resurrected. Or they could be beings with tangible bodies who have been either resurrected or translated. (D&C 129:1–9.)

President Joseph F. Smith gave us some insight about angels who minister to those on the earth: “When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from among our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. The ancient prophets who died were those who came to visit their fellow creatures upon the earth. They came to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; … such beings … waited upon the Savior and administered to him on the Mount. … Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.” (Gospel Doctrine, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1970, pages 435–36.)

But do we each have a particular “guardian angel” to accompany us through mortality?

In a general conference in 1973, President Harold B. Lee told of receiving blessings from an unseen heavenly messenger:

“I was suffering from an ulcer condition that was becoming worse and worse. We had been touring a mission; my wife, Joan, and I were impressed the next morning that we should get home as quickly as possible. …

“On the way across the country, we were sitting in the forward section of the airplane. Some of our Church members were in the next section. As we approached a certain point en route, someone laid his hand upon my head. I looked up; I could see no one. That happened again before we arrived home, again with the same experience. Who it was, by what means or what medium, I may never know, except I knew that I was receiving a blessing that I came a few hours later to know I needed most desperately.

“As soon as we arrived home, my wife very anxiously called the doctor. … He called me to come to the telephone, and he asked me how I was; and I said, ‘Well, I am very tired. I think I will be all right.’ But shortly thereafter, there came massive hemorrhages which, had they occurred while we were in flight, I wouldn’t be alive to be here today talking about it.” (General Conference, April, 1973.)

President Lee also promised the youth of the Church the help of “a guardian angel of God”:

“You youth of today, we voyage together. … It may be a storm where Nature’s fury is unleashed or it may be a mental or an emotional storm that threatens destruction. Whatever the occasion or the cause, you may by faith, intensified by fasting or ‘after long abstinence’ like Paul, have standing by your side during ‘that night’ of turmoil a ‘guardian angel’ of God ‘whose you are and whom you serve.’” (Decisions for Successful Living, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973, pages 79–80.)

Whether or not each individual has a “guardian angel” is a topic addressed some years ago by Elder John A. Widtsoe:

“Undoubtedly angels often guard us from accidents and harm, from temptation and sin. They may properly be spoken of as guardian angels. Many people have borne and may bear testimony to the guidance and protection that they have received from sources beyond their natural vision. Without the help that we receive from the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, and from possible holy angels, the difficulties of life would be greatly multiplied.

“The common belief, however, that every person born into the world has a guardian angel assigned to be with that person constantly, is not supported by available evidence. … An angel may be a guardian angel though he come only as assigned to give us special help. In fact, the constant presence of the Holy Spirit would seem to make such a constant, angelic companionship unnecessary.

“So, until further knowledge is obtained, we may say that angels may be sent to guard us according to our need; but we cannot say with certainty that there is a special guardian angel, to be with every person constantly.” (The Improvement Era, April 1944, page 225.)

In our own day, President Joseph Fielding Smith and Elder Bruce R. McConkie both acknowledged that help may come from ministering angels at critical times in our lives, but that the true “guardian angel” for each individual on the earth is the power and direction available through the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost. (See Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, compiled by Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954, 1:54; and Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, Second edition, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, pages 341–42.)

Hence, the available evidence seems to show that:

(1) We each have constant access to a type of guardian influence through the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost.

(2) Ministering angels are sometimes sent to guide, comfort, protect, and instruct the Lord’s servants and other faithful individuals in times of need.

(3) Angels who minister in our behalf—whether seen or unseen—may include dead loved ones who are aware of our circumstances and concerned about our welfare.

(4) Faith is an important factor in the ministry of angels.

This Day - Henry B. Eyring

This Day - Henry B. Eyring

This is one of my most favorite articles that I return to read again and again.    I think it is so beautiful.   It really speaks to me.    I waste a lot of time I feel like.....I need to learn to listen to the Spirit more in my daily walk.   

There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is “not this day.” “Someday I will repent.” “Someday I will forgive him.” “Someday I will speak to my friend about the Church.” “Someday I will start to pay tithing.” “Someday I will return to the temple.” “Someday …”

As the risen Savior, He is this day and forever the Light of the World. It is He who invites us to come unto Him and serve Him, without delay. His encouragement to you and to me is this: “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”5

That is as true of a day as it is of a life. A morning prayer and an early search in the scriptures to know what we should do for the Lord can set the course of a day. We can know which task, of all those we might choose, matters most to God and therefore to us. I have learned such a prayer is always answered if we ask and ponder with childlike submission, ready to act without delay to perform even the most humble service.

It is hard to know when we have done enough for the Atonement to change our natures and so qualify us for eternal life. And we don’t know how many days we will have to give the service necessary for that mighty change to come. But we know that we will have days enough if only we don’t waste them. Here is the good news:

“And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men.”8

The quiet invitation to you may be to do so simple a thing as to forgive someone who has offended you. You can do that from a hospital bed. It may be to go to help someone who is hungry. You may feel overwhelmed by your own poverty and the labors of the day. But if you decide not to wait until you have more strength and more money, and if you pray for the Holy Spirit as you go, you will when you arrive know what to do and how to help someone even poorer than you are. You may find when you get there that they were praying and expecting that someone like you would come, in the name of the Lord.

By serving Him this day, you will come to know Him better. You will feel His love and appreciation. You would not want to delay receiving that blessing. And feeling His love will draw you back to His service, wiping away both complacency and discouragement.

The Paths Jesus Walked - Thomas S. Monson

The Paths Jesus Walked - Thomas S. Monson

In a very real sense, all can walk where Jesus walked when, with His words on our lips, His spirit in our hearts, and His teachings in our lives, we journey through mortality. I would hope that we would walk as He walked—with confidence in the future, with an abiding faith in His Father, and with a genuine love for others.

Jesus walked the path of temptation.

That evil one, amassing his greatest strength, his most inviting sophistry, tempted Him who had fasted for forty days and forty nights and was “an hungered.” Came the taunt: “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” The reply: “Man shall not live by bread alone.”

Again, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee.” The answer: “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Still again: “The kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them … will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” The Master replied, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matt. 4:2–10.)

Jesus walked the path of pain.

Consider the agony of Gethsemane. “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. … And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:42, 44.)

And who among us can forget the cruelty of the cross. His words: “I thirst. … It is finished.” (John 19:28, 30.)

Yes, each of us will walk the path of disappointment, perhaps due to an opportunity lost, a power misused, or a loved one not taught. The path of temptation, too, will be the path of each. “And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves.” (D&C 29:39.)

While we walk these paths which bring forth bitter sorrow, we can also walk those paths which yield eternal joy.

We, with Jesus, can walk the path of obedience.

It will not be easy. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” (Heb. 5:8.) Let our watchword be the heritage bequeathed us by Samuel: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Sam. 15:22.) Let us remember that the end result of disobedience is captivity and death, while the reward for obedience is liberty and eternal life.

We, like Jesus, can walk the path of service.

Like a glowing searchlight of goodness is the life of Jesus as He ministered among men. He brought strength to the limbs of the cripple, sight to the eyes of the blind, hearing to the ears of the deaf, and life to the body of the dead.

His parables preach power. With the good Samaritan He taught: “Love … thy neighbour.” (Luke 10:27.) Through His kindness to the woman taken in adultery, He taught compassionate understanding. In His parable of the talents, He taught each of us to improve himself and to strive for perfection. Well could He have been preparing us for our journey along His pathway.

Finally, He walked the path of prayer.

Three great lessons from three timeless prayers. First, from His ministry: “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” (Luke 11:2.)

Second, from Gethsemane: “Not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42.)

Third, from the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34.)

It is by walking the path of prayer that we commune with the Father and become partakers of His power.

Shall we have the faith, even the desire, to walk these pathways that Jesus walked? God’s prophets, seers, and revelators have invited us to do so. All we need do is follow them, for this is the pathway they walk.

Jesus changed men. He changed their habits, their opinions, their ambitions. He changed their tempers, their dispositions, their natures. He changed men’s hearts.

As we direct our footsteps along the paths that Jesus walked, let us remember the testimony Jesus gave: “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. … I am the light and … life of the world.” (3 Ne. 11:10–11.) “I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.” (D&C 110:4.)

The Shield of Faith Against the Fiery Darts of Doubt and Fear

Sunday, March 3, 2019

I love this article.    I have no idea where I got it and when I google it, I cannot find any reference to it.  

The Shield of Faith Against the Fiery Darts of Doubt and Fear 
Bianca Palmieri Lisonbee - 2006

A few years ago, not long after my sister was diagnosed with cancer, I became pretty much immobilized by my fears.  I could not seem to get rid of the pit of anxiety in my stomach that I would wake up with each morning and that would stay with me throughout the day and night.  I had the fear of losing her.  Fear of watching her suffer, fear of the lack of my own abilities to help her through this, dominated my mind. No matter what scenario presented itself, it was one that induced in me great fear. 

I prayed to have peace.  There were moments when I had glimpses of peace, but they were short-lived. I figured that one reason they were short-lived was because the Lord wanted me to recognize how precious they were and that they truly were a gift from Him, and that maybe if I felt that way all the time I would grow to take that peace for granted.  So I assumed that I just had to live with the fear. 

That was until I attended a fireside at BYU with Elder Roger Merrill.  I will never forget the effect his words had on me.  He said that Satan was getting to otherwise good and faithful members of the Church through doubt and fear.  He said, “We must have zero tolerance for doubt and fear in our lives!”  Zero tolerance?  I thought to myself,  “How do you have zero tolerance for something that is an involuntary reaction?”  I could see having zero tolerance for drug abuse, or pornography, or whatever else it seems like we have a CHOICE in avoiding, but how could I reject what for me seemed like an involuntary reaction and out of my power to control?

I thought about this for days and then I reflected on how Christ handled His temptations in the wilderness.  Each time Satan tempted Him, He used the power of the scriptures to dispel him. Sure, I knew that reading my scriptures was a good way to dispel fear and doubt, but I couldn’t really spend my entire waking moments reading them, could I?   But was I really using the power of the Word in the way Christ exemplified?

I took a very close look at the thoughts I was allowing myself to entertain.  Many of them were full of doubt and fear.  Although the initial appearance of those thoughts and feelings felt involuntary, was I really making any effort to cast them out?  I’ve heard it said that a bird may land on your head, but it doesn’t have to build a nest there.  I discovered that I had been harboring in my mind the tangled nests made by the preying effects of fear and doubt.  I realized that many of the thoughts I had been “innocently” entertaining were a direct affront to things I was supposed to believe. They were in essence an insult to the Lord.  No wonder I was not at peace. I was driving the spirit away.

I knew what I must do. By increasing my awareness of these thoughts I would identify each time one came into my mind and I would treat it like a fiery dart aimed at me and I would then have to hold up the shield of faith with the power of God’s word to combat each one.

For example: When I would leave my sister’s house, seeing that she was going downhill and thinking of all the things we were not going to get to do together that we had anticipated all our lives, the thought would come, “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”  I would immediately say, (sometimes even out loud)  “All things shall work together for the good of those who love the Lord,”  or “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding.” Or, when I would think about what she was going to miss out on in life and I would think to myself, “She’s being cheated; it’s not fair,” I would immediately say what Joseph Smith taught:  “All your losses will be made up to you in the Resurrection if you remain faithful. By the power of the Almighty I have seen it.” 

Another twig in my nest of fear and doubt had come from thoughts of self-pity.  “I will have no one left from my family. Why did this have to happen to me?”  I would then cast this away with, “All these things shall give thee experience and be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than He?” or “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”

One of the very hardest thoughts for me was “Why does she have to suffer so much?”  I then reminded myself of Peter’s words, that “Our trials will be more precious to us than gold.”  And I knew that even though I would try to do all in my power to relieve her suffering I must not charge God foolishly, for it was in her extremities that she was coming to know Him.

The marvelous thing I found was the immediate effect this exercise had on me.  It was as if the Holy Ghost was so attracted to these thoughts that doubt and fear could not persist.  I found the Lord honoring my effort with such an added measure of His spirit that my anxieties began to dissipate quite instantly.  And the peace that attended these words and thoughts was not short-lived.  It still persists today, even after all those terrible things I feared came to pass. This peace was there to sustain me through the last days and moments of her life and beyond.

And now I have found myself having to continue to do the same thing with other fears in my life—fears about my children, grandchildren, our business and the future. All the “What ifs?” in my life. And each time one of those thoughts comes, I hold up the shield of faith and it truly deflects the fiery darts of fear and doubt that can be so crippling to the abundant life and to my ability to serve.

In the past, I certainly could have come up with those scriptures if I had been preparing a talk or lesson on the subject, but I found I had not been using them as the Savior did to fight the crippling temptation of doubt and fear.

When I told my BYU Institute class about my experience, we decided to practice this exercise in class.  I would have them call out a negative thought or fiery dart.

They said things like,”I am such a loser.”  We would then come up with a scripture to quote to quench that dart, such as “The worth of MY soul is great in the sight of God.” Or, if our thought was, “HE is such a loser,” “The worth of HIS soul is great in the eyes of God.”

“I have too many weaknesses, I’ll never make it.” 

“I will come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.”

“This is just too hard for me.””With God nothing is impossible.”

“I’m too tired.” “I will give you rest.”

“I’m afraid.””I have not given you the spirit of fear.”

“I feel all alone.”“Lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Within minutes the spirit in that classroom was so strong, illustrating to all of us once again the power of the Word. 

I realized that this is because these are more than mere words. They are more than nice phrases in a Hallmark card.  They are more than positive affirmations.  These words, uttered in faith, unleash the power of the truths they represent. These words are the words of Christ, which allow us to speak with the tongue of angels and to be ministered to by them.

These are words that The Word made flesh uttered, words from Him by whom and through whom the power to create all things was manifest. These words, uttered in faith, give us access to a divine source of grace and truth that can be found in no other way.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have struggled with fear and anxiety.  I know that this is a truth that has had to be learned and re-learned in my life.  But I testify of the power of demonstrating faith in the word of God to quench the fiery darts of the adversary.  I testify that in my own life I have not had to assume that I just have to live with crippling anxiety, whether it be over having to fly on airplanes or about the welfare of my children and grandchildren.

In literature, there are legends that tell that if one were in possession of a certain word, one’s enemies could be vanquished by the utterance of that word. Power not before accessible could be obtained through that word.

Perhaps these ideas have been born out of the truth that it is in God’s Word, The Word made flesh in Christ, who gave us His words, that all things can be accomplished for those that love Him and seek to know and live by the power of His words.

Elder Holland has said,

The Savior said, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give unto you. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

I submit to you that may be one of the Savior’s commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-Day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet I wonder if our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord’s merciful heart.  I can tell you this, that as a parent, as concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, nevertheless I would be infinitely more devastated if I felt that at such a time that child could not trust me to help or thought that his or her interest was unimportant to me or unsafe in my care. In that same spirit, I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior of the world when he finds that his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands or trust in his commandments.”   (Come Unto Me, Ensign, Apr. 1998, p. 19)

And I would add “who trust in His words.”

“Look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not.”  Doctrine and Covenants Section 6:36

Bianca Palmieri Lisonbee

I am going to try an experiment here --

Dart:  "I don't know what to do."

Scriptural Response:  "...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

Scriptural Response "...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 32:5

Scriptural Response  "...ye must pray always and not faint;"  2 Nephi 32:9

Dart:  I  am wounded, or hurt"   

Scriptural Response "the word of God...healeth the wounded soul."  Jacob 2: 8

Those who have been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds.  Vs. 9