Cindy: 0:05

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Primarily Scripture! I am Cindy Young, and I have got Vienna here with me today as my guest. Vienna, you've been here many times.

Vienna: 0:15

Many.

Cindy: 0:16

So fun to study with you. What is something that you have learned about scripture study as we've studied together?

Vienna: 0:22

Um, that if you look at it multiple different times, that sometimes it might all be different.

Cindy: 0:28

Yeah. Isn't that amazing that you read it and you think you know exactly what you read, but then with just this much extra work, you find something totally new, and you can learn something entirely different. It's so exciting.

Vienna: 0:40

Yeah.

Cindy: 0:41

Awesome. Okay, the goal here is to show you that scripture study is easier than you think it is. Like we just said with Vienna, a little bit of effort can really teach you a lot of things. I make worksheets every week. They are free for anybody who wants them. Go onto the website and you can download these. We do follow Come Follow Me. This week we are in... where are we?

Vienna: 1:02

We're in Doctrine and Covenants 20 through 22.

Cindy: 1:04

Yes. Perfect. In these sections there is a lot about how to set up the church. This was helping Joseph Smith understand what the organization of the church was going to look like. So we get things like sacrament prayers and how the priesthood was organized and things like that. That's really great for us to know and to understand, but we can use these also for messages for ourselves because it's not just for Joseph Smith and what he was supposed to do, it's for everybody.

Vienna: 1:31

Yeah.

Cindy: 1:32

There are different study activities on these worksheets. Vienna, did you read the verses first and then look at the activities?

Vienna: 1:38

Yeah.

Cindy: 1:38

Or did you look at the activities first?

Vienna: 1:40

I looked at the verses and then the activities.

Cindy: 1:43

Okay, great. What is the benefit of doing that to you?

Vienna: 1:48

Because you can like kind of like read it through and then like have that information in your head. And then you can read the little activity and go like, oh, I think I remember this. And then you can search through it and then go, oh, this kind of is like this, that it said here.

Cindy: 2:00

Yes. Awesome. So that is a fantastic way to study. If some of our viewers want to look at the activities first and then go to the verses, that's totally fine too. Everybody learns a little bit differently that's totally fine. So I love that you read the verses first and then went back to look. When you are studying by yourself, when you don't have a worksheet in front of you, are you doing any of the activities that the worksheets have told you to do? Are you finding yourself like using these tools in your study?

Vienna: 2:30

A little bit.

Unknown: 2:31

Yeah?

Vienna: 2:32

Um, I try to like, I don't know why, but my brain really likes like the repeating words. And so whenever words repeat a lot, it just like sticks in my brain and I'm like, oh, that must be like important in some way because they keep on saying it like over and over and over again.

Cindy: 2:46

Yeah. That's awesome. So then do you pause to ponder that repeated word? Sometimes.

Vienna: 2:51

Sometimes.

Cindy: 2:51

Yeah? That's awesome. There are different study activities which one would you like to look at?

Vienna: 2:57

Um, search for promises, I think.

Cindy: 2:59

Awesome. I love this one. Why did you pick this activity?

Vienna: 3:03

Um, because there was one promise that I think just stood out to me.

Cindy: 3:08

Okay, so this activity, search for promises is one that I want everybody to do every time they study. Absolutely every time, because there are so many promises in the scriptures. Is there a verse that we should hone in on here? Where should we look for these promises?

Vienna: 3:21

Um, I saw in verse nine.

Cindy: 3:24

Okay. Go ahead and read that.

" Vienna: 3:26

For behold, I will bless all those who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing, and they shall believe in his words, which are given him through me by the comforter, which manifesteth that Jesus was crucified by sinful men for the sins of the world, yea, for the remission of sins unto the contrite heart."

Cindy: 3:45

Very good. Let's break it down. What is this verse talking about?

Vienna: 3:49

I think it's talking about like two things. Okay. And it's, Jesus was crucified.

Cindy: 3:54

Yes. So that part about being crucified, that's the most important thing that the Holy Ghost will ever teach you, is that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he died for you. Okay? So that's at the end. And then what's the part at the beginning?

Vienna: 4:08

I will bless all those who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing.

Cindy: 4:11

Yes. What does it mean to labor in the vineyard?

Vienna: 4:14

It's to work hard

Cindy: 4:16

right. So what kind of work would that be?

Vienna: 4:18

Um, like doing missionary work or stuff like that. Doing baptisms for the dead

Cindy: 4:25

Yes. How many times have you gone and done baptisms for the dead?

Vienna: 4:29

Uh, 10 times maybe.

Cindy: 4:33

So fantastic! So if you are doing work in the kingdom by going and doing temple work, by doing your calling, you have a calling, right? Don't you have a leadership calling?

Vienna: 4:42

I am the first counselor in my young women's group.

Cindy: 4:46

Yeah. So you have leadership responsibilities. You are doing work in the kingdom. So what is the blessing that the Lord has for you?

Vienna: 4:54

It says, " and they shall believe on his words."

Cindy: 4:57

Okay. Who is his? Let's see who this is even talking about. So if we open up the Doctrine and Covenants to section 21 and read verse one, it says, "there shall be a record kept among you and in it thou shall be called a seer, translator, a prophet." This is where Joseph Smith is called to be the prophet of the church.

Vienna: 5:20

Hmm.

Cindy: 5:21

And then the Lord turns to speaking to the rest of the church. And he says, "wherefore, meaning the church, thou" you, everybody in the church "shall give heed unto his words." Who is he talking about?

Vienna: 5:35

Joseph Smith.

Cindy: 5:36

Yes.

Vienna: 5:37

Russell M Nelson.

Cindy: 5:38

Yes. He's our prophet today. So now if we give heed there are blessings for us, right?

Vienna: 5:44

Yeah.

Cindy: 5:45

Okay, so now if we go back to verse nine, if we're working in the church, we're laboring in the vineyard, you'll receive a mighty blessing and belief on his words. So how does this all connect? What are these blessings that we're finding?

Vienna: 6:02

Um, that you believe in Joseph Smith's words.

Cindy: 6:07

That's pretty cool that you'll get to strengthen your testimony of the words of the prophet as you work and do your callings and serve in the church. That's pretty cool.

Vienna: 6:17

Yeah.

Cindy: 6:18

Have you experienced that at all, do you think?

Vienna: 6:20

Um, no, I don't think so.

Cindy: 6:24

So most likely your testimony has been strengthened in teeny tiny ways as you've been working.

Vienna: 6:31

Yeah.

Cindy: 6:31

Teeny, teeny, tiny to where you can't even notice it. Elder Bednar has talked about receiving light, and that there are different ways for that to happen. Have you ever been, um, in a place where it's very cloudy and the sun comes up and you can't see the sun, but it's still getting lighter outside?

Vienna: 6:47

Yes. When I lived up in Washington.'cause it was just always cloudy.

Cindy: 6:52

Yeah. I mean, in Arizona, when the sun comes up, when there are no clouds and no trees in the way it's getting brighter, but the sun isn't above the horizon yet, and then there's a moment where the sun peaks out and suddenly it's like, woo, light right in your eyes!

Vienna: 7:07

Yeah.

Cindy: 7:07

But in Washington there are all these trees and all these clouds, and it's just like a tiny bit light, and then a tiny bit lighter, and a tiny bit lighter. But you're not sure when the sun came up! The sun is up, the light is there, then I say, oh, tell me when that happened... you'll be like, I don't know, it's been happening all morning long. I dunno.

Vienna: 7:27

Like somewhere between before breakfast and after breakfast.

Cindy: 7:31

Right, somewhere in there. So how is that like a testimony growing, do you think?

Vienna: 7:37

Um, because like it might like start out like super small, but then like as it gets a little bit, as you keep on shaking that glow stick, it gets slowly, gets brighter.

Cindy: 7:46

Yeah! And so things like serving in the temple, serving in your young women's class, um, even just going to church on Sundays, partaking of the sacrament, will strengthenn your testimony! And so this brightness is growing and growing and growing and growing! And that is one way that this promise is actually coming true in your life. You are receiving this promise! So fantastic.

Vienna: 8:11

I can't stop smiling! My cheeks are hurting!

Cindy: 8:13

Ha ha ha ha ha! I want to look at one more set of blessings though, real quick.

Unknown: 8:18

Okay.

Cindy: 8:19

We talked about that, we need to listen to the prophet. Right? Back then it was Joseph Smith. Today it's Russell M. Nelson, and we should listen to all the prophets, right? Will you read verse five? This is important doctrine.

Vienna: 8:31

Mm-hmm."For his word ye shall receive, as if from my own mouth, in all patience and faith."

Cindy: 8:38

So we're receiving the prophet's words as if what?

Vienna: 8:43

As if from his own mouth.

Cindy: 8:45

Yeah. As if the Lord himself is speaking. If Jesus talked to you today, would you want to remember what he said?

Vienna: 8:52

Yes.

Cindy: 8:52

Yeah. Maybe write it down?

Vienna: 8:54

Yeah.

Cindy: 8:55

Maybe go back and read it over and over again?

Vienna: 8:57

Yeah.

Cindy: 8:58

Yeah. So what does that tell you about the prophets words?

Vienna: 9:01

Is that you should probably do the same thing.

Cindy: 9:04

Yeah. So verse six has promises that come when we follow the prophet. You wanna read it or should I?

Vienna: 9:10

Uh, you

Cindy: 9:11

okay."For by doing these things," meaning receiving his words, right, and believing them, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against you. Yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you and cause the heavens to shake for your good and for his name's glory." That's a lot of blessings in there. What promises do we find? By doing these things, what?

Vienna: 9:36

By doing these things, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.

Cindy: 9:40

I have never been to the gates of hell, have you?

Vienna: 9:43

No.

Cindy: 9:44

No! Ha ha ha ha! That's not a physical place on earth for us to go. So what does it mean?

Vienna: 9:50

That like when we like die, that like we can't, like not go to heaven.

Cindy: 9:55

Yeah. Satan is not gonna be able to have power over you.

Vienna: 9:59

Mm-hmm.

Cindy: 9:59

He really wants to be like, come into my kingdom. Come on. And if we follow the prophet. He's not gonna have that power. Nope. Won't prevail." And the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness. Is Satan trying to put dark things in your path?

Vienna: 10:14

Yeah.

Cindy: 10:15

Always. Every day.

Vienna: 10:17

Mm-hmm.

Cindy: 10:17

And what does disperse mean?

Vienna: 10:19

Disperse means like to spread out.

Cindy: 10:21

Spread it out, make it go away.

Vienna: 10:23

Mm-hmm.

Cindy: 10:24

I just imagine the Lord going like this. Shoo, shoo. Get outta there.

Vienna: 10:28

Like dust bunnies.

Cindy: 10:29

Oh yes. He just goes, [blows] and it disappears. What an amazing promise!

Vienna: 10:37

It helps you by like saying like, Hey. Do this and all of the bad stuff can like go away.

Cindy: 10:42

Yeah. Now, does it mean that you won't ever be tempted?

Vienna: 10:45

No.

Cindy: 10:46

Does it mean that you'll never have problems?

Vienna: 10:48

No.

Cindy: 10:49

You'll be healthy your whole life, you'll have a perfect life?

Vienna: 10:54

No.

Cindy: 10:54

No, but it does mean that you'll have the power to overcome and that he will be right there with you helping you. So cool! That's so amazing.

Vienna: 11:03

Mm-hmm.

Cindy: 11:04

Okay. I have a testimony that following the prophet will do these things. I have seen it in my own life. It's easier to resist temptation. It's easier to get through those hard days because I'm following the prophet. So when you read your scriptures, be sure you're always looking for the promises so that you can understand and so that you can follow through. Why would you follow the commandments if you don't know that you're gonna be blessed? Right?

Vienna: 11:31

Yeah.

Cindy: 11:32

If you read the scriptures, you'll learn what those blessings are and then you'll be able to experience them and recognize them, and it's just a game changer. It's amazing. So, go study your scriptures, look for those promises, pray about it, but you have to do it yourself. Don't just listen to what I have to say. You have to do it yourself, and then the light will grow and grow and grow until you have a super strong testimony.

Vienna: 11:56

Mm-hmm.

Cindy: 11:57

Awesome. Okay, Vienna, thank you so much for being here!

Vienna: 12:00

You're welcome.

Cindy: 12:01

All right, everybody, go read your scriptures and I'll see you next week. Bye!

Vienna: 12:05

Bye.

Cindy: 12:07

Thanks for tuning into Primarily Scripture with Cindy Young. Don't forget you can subscribe to the newsletter and download free worksheets on the website, PrimarilyScripture.com and if you like the channel, be sure to subscribe, like, share, and leave a review. See you next time.

Vienna: 12:25

Just a second. I need to yawn.

Cindy: 12:27

Yeah,

Vienna: 12:29

there we go.

Cindy: 12:29

Oh, you're gonna make me yawn now. Okay. Right? So we're lurking... we're lurking? Ha ha ha. We're working in the Lord's kingdom.