Too weak to change and the fear of failure

President Thomas S. Monson gave the following words of comfort: “Should there be anyone who feels he is too weak to change the onward and downward course of his life; or should there be those who fail to resolve to do better because of the greatest of fears, the fear of failure, there is no more comforting assurance to be had than the words of the Lord; ‘My grace,’ said He, ‘is sufficient for  all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them’”  (Ensign, May 2000, 48)

“Grace is the enabling power from God that allows men and women to obtain blessings in this life and to gain eternal life and exaltation after they have exercised faith, repented, and given their best effort to keep the commandments.  Such divine help or strength is given through the mercy and love of God.” (Guide to the Scriptures)

“To be humble is to recognize gratefully your dependence on the Lord – to understand that you have constant need for His support.  Humility is an acknowledgement that your talents and abilities are gifts from God.  It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that you know where your  true strength lies.” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 86).

Reading, writing and grammar classes are important!

It's interesting that king Benjamin taught his sons all about the language of his fathers - he felt it was important that they learn how to read and understand the language so that they could become men of understanding.  It is a sad thing to watch people struggle to read and many times I have thought how hard it is for a person who can't read to ever succeed and prosper in general nor come to understand deeply the things of God.

King Benjamin understood how important it was to teach his sons to read and understand the language but he also knew it was important to teach them what they should read.  "And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God."  He goes on for several verses talking about how important the Plates of Brass are to them and then says "And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby . . . " (Mosiah 1:2-7)

What can we take from these verses?  I think one thing to take away is that knowing how to read and understand what we read is an important skill to learn and to teach our children.  And just as important as learning how to read is learning what to read.  Reading the scriptures regularly is crucial to developing and maintaining a testimony of the Savior and having it grow deep enough to sustain us.  It is often while reading the scriptures that the Spirit speaks to us and gives us the personal revelation we need to see things as they really are and so we won't be deceived. (Jacob 4:13)

". . . whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction." (1 Nephi 15:24)

Oh how I love the scriptures!!!!

Thankfully God cannot lie

I was reading Enos a couple of days ago.  In response to Enos' mighty prayer and supplication, when he had cried all the day long and into the night, a voice came to him and assured him that his sins were forgiven.  I am always struck by the next verse when he says "I knew that God could not lie; wherefore my guilt was swept away."

Knowing that God never lies and knowing that all that God speaks will come to pass and all of His promises are sure is the reason it is possible to have faith in Him.  We can confidently place our trust in all that He says and with certainty choose how to act because we know that He cannot and will not ever lie.

This is a  quality that we can and must develop as well.  It is part of our work in this life as we strive to develop Christlike qualities and strive to be like Him.  Can our words be trusted to be truthful?  Do we do what we say we will do? Can our friends and our children act in faith based on what we say?  This characteristic is one huge difference between God and Satan!

In the book of Omni we see evidence of this characteristic.  In verse 5 Amaron says that the more wicked part of the Nephites had been destroyed.  And in verse 6 he says "For the Lord would not suffer, . . . yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: 'Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land.'"

Joseph Smith taught in Lectures on Faith 4:16 "And lastly, but not less important to the exercise of faith in God, is the idea of the existence of the attribute truth in him; for without the idea of the existence of this attribute the mind of man could have nothing upon which it could rest with certainty - all would be confusion and doubt.  But with the idea of the existence of this attribute in the Deity in the mind, all the teachings, instructions, promises, and blessings, become realities, and the mind is enabled to lay hold of them with certainty and confidence, believing that these things, and all that the Lord has said, shall be fulfilled in their time; and that all the cursings, denunciations, and judgments, pronounced upon the heads of the unrighteous, will also be executed in the due time of the Lord: and by reason of the truth and veracity of him, the mind beholds its deliverance and salvation as being certain."

Between You and God

According to Ken Alford this was reportedly found in Mother Teresa's home after her death:

BETWEEN YOU AND GOD

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway.

The terrible one is brought to nought

"And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.  For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. . .

"They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. (Isaiah 29:18-21, 24)

Great scriptures about the days we are living in - the restoration of the Gospel and the Book of Mormon and the days that soon will come I hope - when the terrible one is brought to nought - when the scorner, the ones who make a man an offender for a word, who lay a snare for him that reproveth, who turn aside the just for a thing of nought are consumed and cut off.

There is none other name given ---

"Yea behold, I say unto you . . . as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved."

"And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out."

"But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution - behold, they are they which shall not perish."

These are some of the verses I loved in 2 Nephi 25 and 26 this morning.

Men should not . . .

"I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness."

And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in Vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another ; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish.." "And he inviteth all and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female and . . . all are alike unto God., both Jew and Gentile." (2Nephi 26)

This is the way we can judge who are followers of Christ and which organizations and movements are right and good..  "every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by" him.  "Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil."  "See that ye do not judge wrongfully;"  "Search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil;" "lay hold upon every good thing . . ." And the way to lay hold upon every good thing is to exercise faith, hope and charity. (Moroni 7)

"Make the heart of this people fat"

The Old Testament Institute Student Manual says something that caught my attention today.  I was reading about Isaiah 6:9-13.  It says "The words the prophet Isaiah was commissioned to deliver were in part to bring the people to a full accountability for their choices, so that they would be left without excuse. . . The command to 'make the heart of this people fat, . . their ears heavy, and shut their eyes' is used to describe the process of making the people accountable. . . . 'There is a self-hardening in evil . . . . sin from its very nature bears it own punishment. . . . An evil act in itself is the result of self-determination proceeding from a man's own will.' (quoted from Keil and Delitzsch; Commentary, 7:1:201). An individual cannot resist or reject the truth without eventually becoming spiritually hardened (see History of the Church 4:264)."  So time again for self examination - is there some truth, some facet of gospel living, some Christlike characteristic, that I am resisting or rejecting?

Calling and election made sure

Wow, what a morning of interesting studying for the talk I'm giving on Sunday about the Temple and Family History.  It's a long convoluted path that brought me to these quotes found in an article in the Ensign, July 1976.  The article is about having your calling and election made sure.  These quotes are about being willing to sacrifice all, being willing serve Him at all hazards,  being able to overcome all the vices which are the opposites of gospel virtues.  What a blessing the "higher ordinances" found in the temple are in providing us more knowledge and power to do those things. Attending more often and studying more about the temple so that I may understand it and love it more is one of my goals.  Here are the quotes, I hope they have meaning and power for others too.  

"The Prophet Joseph Smith gave an ultimate definition of salvation as having the power to overcome all enemies in this world (meaning the vices which are the opposites of gospel virtues) and “the knowledge to triumph over all evil spirits in the world to come.” (Teachings, p. 297.) He further stated that the triumph over one’s enemies would come only through a knowledge of the priesthood. (See Teachings, p. 305.)

"If we are to triumph over all of our enemies in this world in preparation for exaltation, wherein does the priesthood make this possible? Obedience to “the mysteries of the kingdom”—the higher ordinances of the gospel—is the answer.

“From the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not, nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life.” (Lectures on Faith, 6:58; see also D&C 98:11–15 and Teachings, p. 322.)

"When faith is sufficient to sacrifice all earthly things, even life itself if necessary, it is possible for a person to know that he is accepted of the Lord for what he has done, and with this strong faith he may eventually receive eternal life.

"Thus the Prophet Joseph said:

“After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure.” (Teachings, p. 150.)

The Liahona - contentious, rude, slothful or forgetful

Elder David A Bednar, Ensign, May 2006,30-31:  " . . .the primary purposes of the Liahona were to provide both direction and instruction during a long and demanding journey.  The director was a physical instrument that served as an outward indicator of their inner spiritual standing before God. . . . The pointers in the Liahona operated 'according to the diligence and heed' of the travelers and failed to work when family members were contentious, rude, slothful or forgetful. . . . The Holy Ghost operates in our lives precisely as the Liahona did for Lehi and his family, according to our faith and diligence and heed."

And it will fail to work for the same reasons - when we are contentious, rude, slothful or forgetful.  We similarly have a long and demanding journey in this mortal experience but we also have a way provided to be guided successfully through to the Promised Land - the "unspeakable gift" of the Holy Ghost.  Guarding our ability to receive that gift and have it operate in our life is critical to being able to find our way.  Too bad we don't have a physical instrument to serve as an outward indicator of our inner spiritual standing before God!

Our arms and our power come from our righteousness

Elder Neil A Maxwell said that righteousness will be the power of the Lord's people.  "So let us look at ourselves.  For the Church, the scriptures suggest both an accelerated sifting an accelerated spiritual numerical growth - with all this preceding the time when the people of God will be 'armed with righteousness' - not weapons - and when the Lord's glory will be poured out upon them.  The Lord is determined to have a tried, pure, and proven people . . ." (Ensign, May 1988,8).

Elder Maxwell further explained that honoring our covenants is vital to the reception of this promise: "Church members have a special rendezvous to keep, brothers and sisters.  Nephi saw it.  One future day, he said, Jesus' covenant people, 'scattered upon the face of the earth,' will be armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory; (1Nephi 14:14).  This will happen, but only after more members become more saintly and more consecrated in conduct." (Ensign, Nov. 1991, 32) (From the Book of Mormon Institute Student Manual p.30)

I am going to pray each day that I will " look at myself" and be able to see things as they really are (Jacob 4:13), to recognize my weaknesses (12:27, 37) and face them so as to avoid being among the "sifted", that I will pass the tests that try me and become a "pure and proven" person and that I can become "saintly and consecrated" enough to be among those who are "armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory!"  -Strong, Prepared and Able to Serve.

How to be preserved from the influences of Satan.

 I was reading 1 Nephi 15 today and came upon one of my favorite promises.  The rod of iron is the word of God Nephi said "and whoso would hearken unto the word of God and hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction."

There you have it - one of the great keys to success in this life - how to make it through safely.  There are others and I love them too.

One is found in D&C 10:5-6:  Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.

Another in Alma 34:39: "Yea I would exhort you, my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his subjects at the last day . . ."

Another in D&C 21:4-6: ". . . thou shalt give heed unto all his [the prophet] words and commandments which he shall give unto you . . . his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.  For by doing these things 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 his name's glory."

All the Sunday School answers - all the things I need to know to succeed in this life - I learned in Primary.  But the promised blessings of being protected from all that the adversary may throw at you is a beautiful promise.  We will be able to avoid the deception that will afflict even the very elect in the last days!  Oh how I hope and pray that I and all I love - will heed and all my grandchildren will be taught and guided in these habits as well - in ways that will invite the spirit to witness to them and to be a companion.

Clinging or holding fast to the rod of iron?

I used to think that "clinging to the rod of iron" was a really good thing - "clinging" is a strong term so it must be a good to do.  But I have now come to think of it differently - now I see a mental image of someone hanging on in desperation from a high ledge - fingers about to slip off because of the weight and the pull of gravity.  Their hands may be clinging but their feet are either about to fall off or are hanging off now and then.  Not a very secure position.  Their heart and their eyes are focused elsewhere and while they know where they should be and are making an effort, they just can't make the full commitment to get completely and whole heartedly and safely on the path. Therefore when they partake of the fruit and try to repent and try to live according to the Savior's way - they are ashamed, embarrassed - the opinions of the world - it's fashions and ways are, in the end, just too important to them.

While those who continually hold fast to the rod of iron and who humbly fall down and partake of the fruit, who recognize the value of the tree and its fruit or in other words - those who humbly and gratefully partake of the Savior's Love - His atonement - are unfazed by the scorn of the people of  the world.  They heed them not.  They are steady, constant, faithful, committed, devoted.

The great and spacious building = short term gratification, long term sorrow

Elder Glenn L Pace of the Seventy said "To those of you who are inching your way closer and closer to that great and spacious building, let me make it completely clear that the people in that building have absolutely nothing to offer except instant, short term gratification inescapably connected to long-term sorrow and suffering.  The commandments you observe were not given by a dispassionate God to prevent you from having fun, but by a loving Father in Heaven who wants you to be happy while you are living on this earth as well as in the hereafter. . . " (Ensign, Nov. 1987, 40)

Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles warned that preoccupation with material possessions is a behavior typical of those people in the great and spacious building: "The current cries we hear coming from the great and spacious building tempt us to compete for ownership in the things of this world. We think we need a larger home, with a three-car garage and a recreational vehicle parked next to it.  We long for designer clothes, extra TV sets . . .the latest model computers, and the newest car.  Often these items are purchased with borrowed money without giving any thought to providing for our future needs.  The result of all this instant gratification is overloaded bankruptcy courts and families that are far too preoccupied with their financial burdens."  (Ensign, Nov 1995, 35)

The Way to Judge

Moving right along in the New Testament - I was reading 2 Corinthians 12.  Verse 20 is the one that inspired me today.  It seems to me there are a lot of references in 2 Corinthians to signs of apostasy occurring in the church.  After some discussion of one of those signs, Paul expresses concern that if he were to come to them in person, things might not go so well.  He fears he would be disappointed in them and they would be disappointed in him.  He is concerned there would be debates (disputations and contentions), envyings (resentful, grudging, covetous feelings towards others who are seemingly more fortunate), wraths (exhibitions of violent anger and rage), strifes (altercations, conflicts, fights), backbitings (slanderous and evil speaking about absent people), whisperings (gossip, speaking ill in secret, conspiring, criticizing), swellings (being puffed up or inflated with pride), tumults (violent outbursts, violent agitations of mind or feelings; also commotions involving multitudes, usually attended by great uproars and much confusion). (Definitions come from DNTC vol 2, p 450-451).  Paul says that some are even involved in fornication and lasciviousness (lustfulness, lewdness, wantonness).

This is a list of qualities that begin to creep in and can lead to apostasy or are signs that apostasy has already happened.  And this because the spirit of God leaves when we engage in these things.  3 Nephi 11:29-30 says " . . . he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.  Behold this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine that such things should be done away."  "True ministers of Christ always preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing, plundering, murdering, committing adultery, and all manner of lasciviousnesss, crying that these things ought not so to be. "  (Alma 16:18, quoted by Bruce R McConkie, DNTC, v 2, p 451).

This is a list of qualities that can be used to do what Moroni tells us we must do in Moroni 7:14-19.  "Take heed my brethren . . . It is given unto to you to judge . . . wherefore I show unto you the way to judge; . . But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; . . see that ye do not judge wrongfully; . . .search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil;"

We cannot judge a movement or a person by their words because people always cloak their words in pleasing ways to sound just the way we like them.  We have to look at a deeper level, on a personal level does this person or movement condone or participate in the things listed above?  Those things are evil and "whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil . . . is of the devil."  You may know that with a perfect knowledge.

Paul goes on in 2 Cor 13:5 to say "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. ."  How often do we do any of the things listed?  Do the people we associate with do any of them - how often?  Hopefully we try to move away from and not toward such activities because having the Spirit with us is an "unspeakable gift" from God - the greatest gift we can receive in mortality.  "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift." !!!  (see 2 Cor 9:15 and D&C 121:26-46)  And I say AMEN to that!!!

Are my weaknesses fulfilling their purpose?

I was reading 2 Corinthians 12 today.  In verses 7-10 Paul refers a "thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me" that he has been given and how he besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from him but it wasn't.  Then I read in the Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol 2, p 448 this quote:  "Weaknesses cause men to rely upon the Lord and to seek his grace and goodness.  If all men excelled in all things, would any develop the humility and submissiveness essential to salvation?  As shown by Paul's life, even the greatest prophets - for their own benefit and schooling- though strong in the Spirit, are weak in other things."

That inspired several a couple of thoughts.  The first being that a prophet isn't perfect ~ and imperfection isn't a sign that someone isn't a prophet.  We see this many times with Joseph Smith and those who were disillusioned by his weaknesses or perceived weaknesses.  I don't believe it diminishes the testimony I have that Thomas S. Monson is THE true and living prophet on the earth today by believing there are others with prophetic callings of a different sort.  The scriptural definition of a prophet is anyone who has a testimony of Christ by the Holy Ghost.  Moses told those who were concerned that others were prophesying and thought that Moses should forbid them - "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them! " (Numbers 11:29)  I believe that  Glen Beck is that sort of prophet.  He has a true testimony of Christ, which he shares with an audience that isn't and wouldn't listen to Thomas S. Monson.  I believe that God loves all his children and is trying to warn and prepare as many as he can.  Glen Beck certainly isn't a perfect messenger but he is a messenger of truth.

The other thought that I had this morning was that we need to recognize and admit and seek to understand our own weaknesses so that we can develop humility and submissiveness; we need to turn to the Lord and rely on Him to help us be better - to overcome those weaknesses.  If even the greatest prophets have weaknesses - we certainly do too.  Yet I think many of us try to ignore or deny them or at the very least we just don't make the effort to try to see them or understand them.  We have weaknesses for a purpose - for our "benefit and schooling".  So are our weaknesses fulfilling their intended purpose?  Are we learning from them?  Are we benefiting from them?  Are we willing to see them so we can be made stronger? Are we allowing the Lord to make them strengths as it says in Ether 12:27and 12:37?  Look at them squarely ~ head on.  Pray to know what they are, to see them and understand them.  Be humbled by them and then in faith rely on God to help overcome them.

Pictures from 2011

Sledding over Spring Break

Watch out Bryan!

Beautiful Ally

There he is!!!

At the Railroad Museaum

Jane loves her Daddy!

Beautiful Jane

The Biker Bowns

What adventure is Billy Roundup having now?

Power to resist temptation comes from B of M

“It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called ‘the words of life’ (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance”  ( Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, Nov. 1986, 5–7).

Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that which could give spiritual and intellectual unity to his whole life. There is a difference between a convert who is built on the rock of Christ through the Book of Mormon and stays hold of that iron rod, and one who is not.  ( Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God,” Ensign, Jan 1988, 3)

I challenge you all to make a goal to personally read the Book of Mormon again at least once this year and hopefully read at least part of it with your children too.  

"Be willing to take reasonable risks"

“Be willing to take reasonable risks.  We live in an age of reason, logic, facts, and figures.  These can be useful if kept in subjection to faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.  But if they ever take precedence over faith in Him, then they are not useful and can be very harmful.  I have found in my life that most of the good decisions I have made may not have been made if they were based solely on logic or reason. . . .”

“. . . Nephi was determined to do what God wanted him to do, even with logic to the contrary.  The scriptures tell us in 1 Nephi 4:6 that he went forth not knowing beforehand what he should do but knowing he should obey God and get the plates. . . .

“I suspect had he listened only to reason, Nephi and his brethren would still be waiting outside the walls of Jerusalem.  I sometimes wonder if by our listening to reason and logic too much, and not trusting God enough, we may find ourselves waiting outside the walls of His holy city.”

-Elder John H. Groberg, ( “Trust in the Lord”; [CES Fireside, May 1, 1994], 3, www.ldsces.org)

I really like this quote.  I think it is so easy in our day to rely too heavily on our own strength and on the wisdom of man to the point that our faith in God's willingness to provide miracles grows weaker.  It is good to be self reliant and I am a big proponent of that too so I guess we have to find a balance.  When we are doing our best to take care of ourselves and to help others - the Lord will provide a way for our needs to be met.  And it always works out better than we could ever have worked it out on our own.  I have seen that happen so I know it's true!  God is aware of us and our needs so let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power and then stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the arm of God revealed.  (See D&C 123:17) - Trust in the Lord = Have Faith!