If you stand with your father you will never stand alone

I picked up a guy up in the research park by the University of Utah. It was 2 o’clock in the morning and I decided to take this one last run. My goal had been achieved on the previous run and so I had thought that I would go home after I hit my goal for the day. The spirit had me take this last ride and I’m glad I did.

I pulled into the parking lot and this young man was standing outside. As I pulled up, I said his name. I do that so that they can know that I am the real driver. He said well, your name is Bruce and I said yes. He said I do that so that you can know that I am the one who is supposed to be here.

I laughed and said that’s true but the funny part is we never know who’s really getting in our car. People can put fake names or send cars for their friends. He asked me if that was scary, and I said sometimes.

The spirit then stepped in and told me to tell the story of the man that tried to attack me but was shocked and disabled by the power of God ( didn’t publish that story, but I have written it. If anyone would like to have that story, let me know by sending me an email in the contacts section and I will forward you a copy of it.)

Before I started, I asked him if he was religious. He said that he was more spiritual than religious. Then I told the story about this guy attacking me and how God was protecting me. As I told the story, I could feel the spirit in the car and I could tell that he was engaged. When I talked about how God shocked the attacker and that it looked like he had been hit by a taser, I could tell that he knew that I was telling the truth. There was a real understanding between us.

I told him that God had saved my life and that he had protected me that night. Then the spirit had me push In and start asking a couple of questions. I set up the questions by telling him that my experience tells me that when people say they’re spiritual, not religious, it is because of one of two reasons.

The first reason is because I don’t think they’ve found the church that they know is God‘s church or at least they haven’t taken the steps necessary to know that.

The second is they just don’t like the commandments. They think the commandments cramp their style and they don’t like to be told what to do. They just want to have fun.

He nodded, and then the spirit had me say, you’re in the first category. You’re not sure that you found the church and you have some doubts. He said that’s true.

I told him that the spirit had whispered some things to me about that and I asked him if it would be OK if I asked some personal questions. He said yes.

I said the first thing is that you feel like you were abandoned by God. You felt like he wasn’t there for you. You don’t feel clean.

He said that’s exactly it, I don’t feel clean. I don’t feel worthy of the presence of God. I told him that when he was hurt and when he felt helpless and damaged, Satan whispered into his ear and said that God doesn’t love you. Since then, he’s told you that you’re dirty and not worthy. I said, you’ve done things that you know you should not have done and you feel bad about them and it’s just added to the guilt.

I told him that Satan now uses that on top of the guilt he heaped on you initially. Now it seems insurmountable, like there’s no way he could ever be clean.

I told him Satan is a liar And the things he says aren’t true. I told him that God is our father and he loves us. The spirit was there in the car with us. The spirit was really strong and I could tell he was feeling it. I told him that God would not send that spirit if he were hopeless. I told him that his father loved him.

I asked him to identify that spirit to me and he said that it felt like he had someone right there with him and wasn’t alone anymore. I told him that was the spirit of God, and it was there to help him know that the things I was saying were true.

I told him that one of the things that made him not want to be in a religion was that Satan had convinced him that God wasn’t real, because a just God, and a loving father, would not allow someone to suffer like he had. I told him that this was one of his great doubts. I said it was the thing Satan used to drive a wedge between he and his father.

He said, that is amazing! How do you know these things? I told him that the spirit had whispered them to me because his father in heaven knew them. He had given them to me, so that he would know that the words I said, come from God.

I asked him if he believed that they came from God and he said that they had to. There’s no way you could’ve known this.

I explained to him that God gives us free will and allows us to choose to sin or to follow Christ. I told him that when people make bad decisions, sometimes other people are casualties of those decisions. I told him that this is where Satan gets in the ears of those people who are the casualties and tells them to blame God, hate God, and hate his religion.

I told him that this is how Satan gets us to turn from God and Jesus and their church. I told him that God wants us to look to Jesus because he atoned for our sins and suffered all of the negative impacts of sin.

Then I looked at him and said this that I am going to say now is especially for you. God wants you to know that Jesus paid for your embarrassment, your humiliation, your pain, and the injustice of what you suffered. He suffered those things so that you wouldn’t have to go through this alone.

That’s why he is reaching out to you today because you shouldn’t have to go through this alone. I told him it was really cool that when he felt the spirit it felt like he wasn’t alone. I told him that God has an answer to what Satan is saying which is to blame God, blame the church and to blame other people. God’s answer is look to Christ and be healed. Let Christ comfort you and you can be lifted. Give him your burdens.

I told him that God also expects us to be his hands to help people who have been damaged by other people’s agency. I asked him if that made sense. He said, wow, yes.

I told him that the next thing that I felt to say that was an issue for him was the justice of God. I said he looked at God like some people look at Santa Claus. A lot of kids when they’re around 10 years old start figuring out that it would be impossible for these things to be true because there are so many people in the world and most of them don’t even believe in Christmas.

He said that’s the exact analogy that I’ve thought of. I told him that his view of God as being provincial and regional because of Jesus Christ and the church being in Jerusalem was really a stumbling block. It was really an issue for him. He was putting limits on God.

I taught him that Jesus came to America and then went to other places to gather God’s children, teach them that God loves them and bless them. I said, is that more like what you think an all powerful God should be? He said that’s exactly how God should be, he should love everyone,

I said Jesus came to America and he descended from heaven and he stood on the steps of the temple. The people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet and then they said Hosana which means “God save us”. He answered that plea as their God by calling up 12 men and giving them the authority to baptize and later, give them the Holy Ghost so that these people could be saved, this way these people could come home to God. This way they didn’t have to be alone

I told him that God loved everyone no matter when they lived or where they lived. He sent his son for everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him that when Jesus was in the tomb before he was resurrected he organized the teaching of the gospel to those who died without hearing it, or having a good opportunity to hear it. Because of this, regardless of whether they lived 2000 years ago in China or they’re going to be born next week in India they will all have a chance to come home.

God sent his son to them so that they could be taught. I told him that we go to the temples and are baptized for these people using their name so that they can accept that baptism and go home.

I told him that when Jesus was in America, he invited those people to be baptized, and when they were baptized, they were clean and pure. They could then be confident to stand before God. I told him likewise when these people who have passed on have their baptism in the temple, they are clean and confident to stand before God.

Then I said, “that’s your problem.” You’ve never felt clean and confident to stand before God because of these things that have happened to you and those things that you have done. I told him it’s time to throw that off and become clean. I asked him if he knew that when he’s baptized all of those sins will be washed away. He said , no he didn’t know that. I told him that this is true. He said that he had never been baptized in any church. I said, “well, here we go!”

I told him that when he is baptized and gets the gift of the Holy Ghost, he will feel the presence of God like he did right then in the car and it will be with him, it will testify to him that he’s clean. This will give him confidence to be able to stand before God.

I told him that in the military they’re taught to have confidence and stand with their brothers. I told him that he couldn’t be strong without that confidence. I said it’s the same in this war. We are at war with evil and we need to have confidence in our ability to stand with God. I told him that starts with baptism and knowing that he’s clean and worthy.

I promised him that he would feel clean. I asked him if he felt the spirit confirm this and he said yes.

I got the impression that he was thinking about someone who had talked to him about the church. I said, you have someone that you’re thinking about right now. Someone who’s been talking to you about the church. Am I right? He said yes, how do you know? I told him that the spirit whispered that to me and I wanted him to know that this person will be the one to help him be baptized. I asked where he knew that person from.

He said that this person is a member of the national guard and that he is in the military with him. He said, he talks to me about it all the time we’re good friends. I asked him when was the next time they have drill and he said this Saturday.

I laughed and said, it wasn’t a coincidence that he was in my car today. I told him that there is no such thing as coincidence. He said he believed that.

I said, have you got the impression yet that God put you in my car, told me things about you I had no business knowing, teaching you the doctrine of Christ, perceiving your thoughts, and speaking so boldly? He said, it is pretty amazing.

I asked him why he thought that might be happening. He said, God has found me and he wants me to come home. I said, how amazing is that to know that your father in heaven knows you personally, knows where you are, knows what I needed to say, and revealed it to me so that you can know this. He is reaching out to you to bring you home. He said words weren’t sufficient to explain how he felt.

I said, when Jesus was in America, he stood there and invited the people to be baptized He meant that for you too. I told him that Jesus was inviting him to be baptized. I asked him if he would commit to do what Jesus wanted so that he could come home. I asked him if he would be baptized, and he said yes. I told him that his friend would help him and he said he knew that his friend would.

I asked him if he had been to church before and he said a couple of times. I asked him if he had been recently and he said no. I told him he would have to go for a few weeks in a row to show God that he was serious. He said, I will and I am serious. I’ll go with my friend this week at drill.

I told him much of what I had said was in the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he had one and he said that he had one somewhere but wasn’t sure. Where it was. I grabbed a copy prepared by the Secrists and handed it to him. I told him, “here’s one. I would like you to study this book. I would like you to pray, and I would like you to feel for the same feeling you feel right now.”

You should know that when the Holy Ghost is with you, you will never be alone. That is the spirit of God that had brought me here tonight and brought these words to you. I told him that when he sees his friend, he should walk up with that copy of the Book of Mormon, put it down in front of him and say I need to talk to you about what happened in my car ride the other night.

I told him to tell his friend everything that had gone on, including what he felt and his commitment to be baptized. He said he would. The spirit was incredibly strong. I decided to bare my testimony of Joseph Smith, his translation of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel. I bore my testimony of the love that our father feels for us, and how he wants to bring us home. I told him that tonight he had seen firsthand how God loves him. I said that a father reaches out to a child in trouble, gives him confidence and then brings him home.

The car was a reverent place and it was almost as if neither one of us wanted to move. Finally, he decided he needed to get out and go in. He thanked me and reiterated his commitment. He said his life has been changed and his doubts had been erased. That’s what the spirit can do.

He got out of the car and walked into his new life of faith and knowledge of who he is, and that his father loves him. He knows not to listen to any bad thoughts or any doubts that would say otherwise