And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

2 Nephi 2:26-27

I have a great class on Wednesday mornings. It's my Doctrine and Covenants class at the local Institute. I've learned to really love that class this week, and finally found some answers I've been looking for.

You might have noticed that I frequently talk about the need to increase my spirituality, or to learn how to let the Lord direct my path more fully. Basically, I've been trying to get back the same closeness to Father that I felt while serving Him on a mission. To make a long story short, after a lengthy lesson, I came away with a resolve to change my life so that I could have that closeness again. It involved, very simply, putting the Lord first. I realize that I had thought of that before, but somehow it never really happened the way that I wanted it to. I knew what I needed to do, but not how to do it. During class I received the inspiration I needed to make the change.

When I got home from work that night, I went straight to prayer and study. I made sure things were right between me and the Lord. I got everything I needed for the next morning ready to ensure that I would have the maximum amount of time for scripture study. After it was all done, I started in on a homework assignment for the next day. It was already 9:30 when I started (and I wake up at 5:30), so I had to decide how late I was willing to stay up.

The words of the scriptures came to mind "retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated" (D&C 88:124). I decided to follow.

Long story short, the paper was finished on time, and I think I did better on this one than I did on the last one. But, unlike the last one, I wasn't filled with stress and fear, I had plenty of time for scripture study, and I was well-rested. In addition, I learned some things through my studies and prayers that have left me with a lasting sense of love and well-being. The Lord makes good on His promises -- all we have to do is choose to trust Him.

That's what I decided to do that night; that's what I promised Him in prayer. I encourage everyone to do the same.

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