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Come, Follow Me is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.
From Come, Follow Me:
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught, “Much of the confusion we experience in this life comes from simply not understanding who we are”...Heavenly Father knows this, and so does Satan. God’s first message to Moses included the truths “thou art my son” and “thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:4, 6). In contrast, Satan addressed Moses as just a “son of man” (Moses 1:12). How would your life and decisions be different if you thought of yourself like Satan wants you to, as a “son [or daughter] of man”? How does knowing and remembering that you are a child of God bless your life?
“Every day we choose where we want to live eternally by how we think, feel, speak, and act. Our Heavenly Father has declared that His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children (see Moses 1:39). But He wants us to choose to return to Him. He will not force us in any way. The precision with which we keep our covenants shows Him just how much we want to return to live with Him. Each day brings us closer to or farther from our glorious possibility of eternal life. We each need to keep our covenants, repent daily, and seek to be more like our Savior. Then and only then can families be together forever. (President Russell M. Nelson, Open the Heavens Through Temple and Family History Work.)
In the article, Discover Yourself: Keep a Journal, Brother M. Gawain Wells, a psychologist at Brigham Young University Comprehensive Clinic, stated, “Keeping a journal gives you a chance to let some whisperings trickle through you from your own spirit, as well as from the Spirit of the Lord…Too many of us listen carefully to others’ voices and never our own.”
“Writing in a personal journal gives us an opportunity to reflect on our lives and recognize the many blessings God has given us. Our journals can also be a source of inspiration and strength to future generations of our families. (How will keeping a personal journal bless me and my family?)
If keeping a journal seems a little overwhelming to you, you may decide to Keep a 30 Day Journal to start out. It may be easier to begin if you think about writing for just 30 days. At the end of the 30 days, read through your entries. What have you learned about yourself? How exciting is it to remember things you may have forgotten? What have you learned about your divine nature and divine destiny? Then, keep writing!
In the following video, “various youth and young adults testify of the importance of recognizing who you are as a child of God.”
How does your testimony of knowing who you are help you? How could it bless the lives of others? Decide how to share your personal testimony and experiences in a way that is best for you, and begin (or continue) as you start this new year of studying Come, Follow Me. You may want to read A Mother's Love–Blessing Lives through the Generations, and ponder how your recorded experiences can build a legacy that can last through the generations yet to come. Not only that, but think about how your written testimony can be shared in many ways to influence your living family members.The author gives the following ideas to consider including as you share your testimony in your writings:
You may want to invite each family member to share his or her testimony on FamilySearch using the FamilySearch Memories Audio App or the "Record My Story" feature on FamilySearch Discovery.
I can resist Satan’s influence.
From Come, Follow Me:
As Moses 1 clearly shows, powerful spiritual experiences do not exempt us from temptation. In fact, one of Satan’s tactics is to tempt us to doubt those experiences or what we learned from them. As you read about Moses’s response to Satan in verses 12–26, what do you learn that can help you stay true to the testimony you have received? What helps you resist Satan’s other temptations? (see, for example, verses 15 and 18).
Based on what you learn, you could make a plan for resisting temptation. For example, you could complete the statement “When I am tempted to , I will .”
One way to resist temptation is to make a plan ahead of time of what you will do to avoid a certain temptation should it arise. Another way is to live your life to be worthy to receive blessings of protection from Satan. Doing temple and family history work is one way you can claim the blessings of protection from Satan.
Read the three quotes below and discuss the blessing of being protected from Satan’s influence through doing temple and family history work. How can you and your family do temple and family history work in order to receive these blessings? Make a plan and work together to accomplish it.
“Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them.” –Elder Richard G. Scott
“You’ll find not only protection from the temptations and ills of this world, but you’ll also find personal power, power to change, power to repent, power to learn, power to be sanctified, and power to turn the hearts of your family together and heal that which needs healing.” –Elder Dale G. Renlund
“I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives.” –Elder David A. Bednar
Read about more of the blessings you can receive as you participate in family history and temple work in the article Claim the Promises: Taking Family Names.
As a family, think of and write down all the blessings you can receive by doing temple and family history work. Review Elder Renlund's address Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing to see if you can discover any additional blessings you did not write down. How can these blessings protect you from Satan’s influence? Discuss together the wonderful blessings that are available to you and how you can experience more of them in your individual lives.
Get Organized for Research
Taking the time to get well-organized now will save you time later, and it will help you research your ancestors’ lines efficiently. (See Organize your materials and Highly-Organized Genealogists.)