Special Bonus Episode
The Book of Mormon
This episode is about the power of the Book of Mormon and how it can transform your life. I explain a way that I was taught to read the Book of Mormon on my mission. I learned that I wasn’t reading just a story or trying to learn the history of an ancient civilization. I learned that if I prayed in faith and then took my thoughts to the Lord, he would answer my prayers through the Book of Mormon. It’s an amazing thing. Our Father in Heaven wants to lead and direct our lives. And lucky for us, He has given us this special gift that helps us draw closer to Him every day.
Some quotes I used in the lesson:
“When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.” – Russell M. Nelson
“My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.” Russell M. Nelson
“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” – Joseph Smith
“I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives.” -Thomas S. Monson
“When you look to the book, you look to the Lord.” -Gary E Stevenson
“Whenever I hear anyone, including myself, say, “I know the Book of Mormon is true,” I want to exclaim, “That’s nice, but it is not enough!” We need to feel, deep in “the inmost part” of our hearts, that the Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God. We must feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it. I might paraphrase President Brigham Young in saying, “I wish I had the voice of seven thunders to wake up the people” to the truth and power of the Book of Mormon.”
Scriptures cited:
1 Nephi 15:24 Fiery darts
Jacob 2:13 Costliness of apparel
1 Nephi 2:15 Lehi dwelt in a tent
Doctrine and Covenants 8: 2-3 Spirit of Revelation
2 Nephi 1:14 Hear the words of a trembling parent … (ha ha)
1 Timothy 2:15 Saved in childbirth
Helaman 3:29 Word of God is quick and powerful
Doctrine and Covenants 84:85 Treasure up continually the words of life
Mosiah 7:18-19 Effectual struggle
Alma 37:46 Easiness of the way
Doctrine and Covenants 97:8-11, 28
1 Nephi 5:2-3 Mother complained
(Study Guide)
Book Of Mormon Study Guide
“There is a power in the Book of Mormon which will begin to flow into your lives the minute that you begin a serious study of the book. You will find the power to avoid deception. You find the power to stay on the straight and narrow path.” – President Benson
Set aside a block of time
1. Pray. Express gratitude. Repent. Ask to gain knowledge and inspiration
2. Read. (Not necessarily a chapter a day.) Smaller portions. Learn to cross-reference.
3. Ponder. What does this have to do with me? My family? etc. Why was this saved for my day?
4. Write. Write down the scriptures that touch you and your feelings about them.
5. Pray again. Ask for help and guidance to apply the things you learned. Thank Heavenly Father again for the rare opportunity you have to have the Book of Mormon.
“I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives.”
– President Monson
Love it, just what I needed this morning. I listened while doing my morning run and I wanted to yell “Yes, Yes!!” over and over throughout the podcast. At the risk of being the crazy lady on the trail I just yelled in my heart. I love the book of mormon. I loved the reference to moses and looking at his staff to be healed. I’ve never thought about it like that. Good job lady, keep up the great work.
Thank you for being the answer to my prayers today!!! Not just for your witness of the Book of Mormon,but for these 2 things. 1) Sharing a specific way to go about studying! 2) Sharing Mosiah 7 and the phrase “effectual struggle”. THAT is what I have need to be placed in m
y heart for months!❤️
I have no words to describe how much I loved this podcast. Thank you SO much. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
That was a fabulous, tender, powerful testimony and you continue to bless and strengthen my own testimony every week with your insightful, REAL , honest podcasts! Thank you Melanie for following the promptings of the Spirit and creating this podcast
Denise J
As I was preparing my lesson for young women this coming Sunday I came across your podcast from my cousins Instagram link. It was so inspirational I wish you could come to Bountiful and teach my lesson this Sunday! Your podcast was so powerful and your testimony so strong of the book of Mormon I’m grateful to have found you.
I downloaded your podcast a few weeks ago but this was the first time I’ve listened to an episode. You have been so inspired to say exactly what I needed to hear today, I cannot thank you enough fir following the promptings of the spirit.
Thank you so much for this podcast. It means a great deal to me. I have been struggling lately and I believe this will help me find my way.
This was an AMAZING episode. I’ve heard these things before, but the way you explained it and the examples you shared made a lightbulb go off. I’m so excited to start reading the Book of Mormon with these suggestions. Sometimes it just takes the right person at the right time saying it in a way that connects with me.
Thank you Melanie. You put spirt in my heart. I love you so much. Your faith is helping my faith grow. And you did make me laugh. I miss you. Love, Renee Hardin
You also made me realize that I shouldn’t put a limit on what I read. Your podcast is going to have a big influence on me. Love your favorite niece, Renee.
This link is about the NBA basketball player you love. I saw it on Facebook and thought of you. It doesn’t have anything to do with this podcast but didn’t know how else to get it to you. I thought you would enjoy. He is a remarkable guy!
https://www.facebook.com/358558407500698/posts/2324992200857299?sfns=mo
Thank you for this podcast, and your testimony! I have missed studying the BOM since I have been concentrating on Come Follow Me. You have inspired me to get back into the Book of Mormon and I know this is a wonderful way to receive personal revelation.
I LOVED this episode. The spirit touched my heart as I listened. I feel the same way about the Book of Mormon. Serious study has changed my life. When you mentioned the words “effectual struggle” I wanted to jump out of my seat. 6 months ago, my husband lost his job and we were really struggling. He woke up one morning with those 2 words in his mind. We both immediately looked them up in the Book of Mormon and were astounded to find that those 2 words only appear together ONCE in the whole book and when we read that verse we received JUST the comfort we needed that day. It also came to pass. A couple months later, after a few more struggles that strengthened us spiritually (EFFECTUAL!) he found a job. I love this book and I love listening to your testimony. Thank you for being Bold and doing what Heavenly Father wants you to do. We just started listening to your podcasts in the car when I take kids to school.
This podcast was just what a I needed to hear. I have been wanting to immerse myself in the Book of Mormon every day again after participating in President Nelson’s challenge to the women of the church last fall. I couldn’t seem to figure out how I was going to make time to study it as well as the Come Follow Me curriculum, General Conference addresses, and all the other gospel learning paths I want to travel. Thank you for sharing what you have learned personally about the power and protection of the Book of Mormon. My commitment to be in the Book of Mormon every day began anew yesterday, with the understanding that it’s the quality of our time spent within it’s pages, not the quantity. I know spending time with the spirit that is always found within the pages of this sacred book, will direct my gospel learning in the way that will be best for me and my family. The Book of Mormon can truly be a liahona in each of our lives as we give heed to the messages we receive from it’s pages.
already took notes and about to start this new method. Thanks Melanie. What a blessing you are.
I love your podcast, but I particularly love this one! The Book of Mormon is a very special book… even magical! In my studies, I too have gained a strong testimony and love for it. Thank you for sharing your testimony and personal stories…I feel many of your listeners can relate to them. I found this podcast to be the cherry on top of the spiritual feast that was General Conference!
I love you. Okay, so talking about the Book of Mormon, my goal has been to always be reading it. I decided with this podcast, that I was just going to listen to it slowly this week, but tonight I was like, “nah, I want to finish it.” And guess what, today during my reading I read Mosiah 7: 18-19. And I was struck by the term effectual struggle because I had never noticed it before and then you brought it up while I was listening tonight and I started crying. Truly the Lord knows each of us. Also, I wanted to point out that it only takes 4 years to completely lose a testimony and it talks about that in the end of Helaman in the story of the gadianton robbers. So I love you and I am grateful to you for all you share. Someday I will meet you and give a great big hug and say thank you Melanie for listening to the Spirit and making my life a little better and a little easier. Thank you so much for your faith. You really do light up my life.
Love,
Tina
I found your podcast almost at its inception and listened to the first couple of episodes, but then life happened and I missed a whole bunch in the middle. When I went back to listen again, your Book of Mormon podcast was the most recent so I hit play. I have always had a testimony of the Book of Mormon but was so inspired by how many experiences you had where your prayers were answered within its pages. Although Heavenly Father answers my prayers in different ways, I could only think of one time where the book of mormon provided what I needed. I wanted to know the way you know. My husband is struggling in his faith and for six months, this has been heavy on my heart. Last night, I studied the scriptures the way your mission president taught you, in bed next to my husband, while he played on his phone. I wanted him so badly to put down his game and join me. But he didn’t and I felt sad about that. But I read on and wrote in my journal and said my prayers and went to bed. And so this morning, after listening to your Book of Mormon podcast for the second time this week, I was doing some cleaning and had the thought to open my scriptures and see if I could find some peace in my sad. I brushed the thought away thinking, I won’t find it today right this second, the Lord wouldn’t answer me that fast. And I heard Jesus whisper to my heart, “Try me.”. I put down the laundry, went to my scriptures and opened them to where I had left off last night. And guess what? The Red Sea parted. The Lord answered me. He knows my husband’s struggle. And he knows mine. And he told me exactly what I need to do to keep my faith. Thank you for your podcast. It has blessed my life.
Today I followed your instructions on how to read the Book of Mormon and for the first time ever, I the Isaiah verses in 2 Nephi really spoke to me! Usually I get stuck and lose all motivation to keep reading when I get to those chapters, but today I understood what I was reading and found comfort with my struggles right now! Thank you for sharing!
First off thank you! Thank you for sharing your life, your lessons you’ve learned, and your testimony! I just wanted to say that this podcast really hit me hard. After your suggestions on how to study the Book of Mormon I decided to implement. That night I studied and sure enough the first line I read literally jumped out as the answer to what was on my mind that day! Then tonight as I was kneeling I thank Heavenly Father for the miracle that my husband is and that I want to say thank you and share his miracle with the world but I’m not sure how. The first line that jumped at me was 1 Ne 1:1 where he says “having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings “. Wow, just wow. He does speak to us in the words of the scriptures. I have felt a little lost and in two nights of looking for answers and studying the Book of Mormon, the two things that have been weighing most heavily on me have been made light. Thank you!!!
What a great sermon you have broadcast. Following general conference I have been reminded about how I need to communicate with my Father and repent more. This podcast has reinforced all those thing that I was feeling. I have been realizing all the thing that I have been taking for granted and the things that are most important that I have been slipping at.
This is a masterful way of reminding us what the BofM has to give and how our Father wants everything that is good to give us.
Thank you Melanie for reminding an old man about these things!
Melanie, I have really applied this way of reading the Book of Mormon into my life and my “Red Sea” has been parted so many times these past few weeks. I have given myself a time frame to read the Book of Mormon, and I find myself passing the allotted time I’ve given myself. When I used to just read a chapter, sometimes it was hard to finish, now it’s hard to stop reading! The Book of Mormon IS a magic book and I have never thought of it this way. “The windows of heaven” have opened to me these past few weeks and tears have soaked my cheeks because I truly can feel God near me. I love how you have said that Heavenly Father answering our prayers is sometimes a process, and through reading the scriptures this way, I’ve been able to recognize His process of answering my sincere hearts desires at this time in my life. You’re beautiful. Thank you for pouring your soul out so we can feel Heavenly Father’s love pour out on us.
Thank you Melanie! I love the Book of Mormon!
I have been listening to past podcasts and been loving your insights, humor, and strength despite hardships. This week I listened to this podcast and I loved the part where you decided to be like Elijah and “dump a bunch of water on the cow” to show God’s power when you let your son see that God is aware of him by testifying to him that he could open up the scriptures RIGHT THEN to see that God hears him. You said “we have to have the faith that the Lord will light our cow. We have to have the faith that if we open the scriptures and ask him to answer our prayers, He will.” And this stuck with me. I think I shy away from always showing this amount of faith, worried it might backfire. However with this podcast newly in my mind, I was driving home from church and realized our gas was on empty (something I totally didn’t realize before). Unfortunately we were going to need to drive a farther distance to visit my grandparents since it was mother’s day. I told the kids that I was sorry but we were going to need to buy gas on Sunday so we could get there. My 7 year old was so sweet and kept offering alternatives to our problem “Maybe we can just put air in the gas hole and that will keep us going… maybe we can do something else mom… Remember there is always a way to follow God’s commandments. He will help us.” It was sweet but I tried to explain how gas is the only thing that works in a car as I pulled up to the gas station. She was still trying to kindly offer other ideas to gas as I was getting out to put my card in and pump the gas. However, the card reader seemed not to be working because i put my card in 4 different times and 4 different times, it said “not connecting to card reader”. So I pulled my car around to another pump thinking that other one was just not working. Then I put my card in for that pump and the same thing came up that the card reader wasn’t working. Many people seemed to be getting gas without any problem around me though. Then, the words of your podcast ran through my mind as I considered my daughter’s earlier pleas, and I felt the Christ there at the pump with me. The third time my card was accepted, but I pressed cancel and got back in the car. I said to my daughter “You are right, how about we pray and let God answer our prayer.” Well we did pray, and we did drive everywhere we needed to go that day without any problems. The next day I went to the same pump as the previous day to get my gas and my card worked the first time. When I did this, I felt the Lord let me know through the Spirit that He wanted my daughter to know her faith in Him was right and that that He does answer our prayers and will provide a way for us to do what He has asked us to do. I was so grateful to be able to share this testimony building experience with my daughter who was so thrilled to know it was God who stopped my card and helped us not need gas. She was thrilled but not surprised, since she had faith her prayer would be answered. Thank you for your podcast that gave me the courage to “pour water on the cow” and have the faith that God wanted me to have.
I love that story so much! Kids have so much faith sometimes. I love how that worked out!!! Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks so much for sharing how you study the Book of Mormon. I have typically just read a chapter or two a day but have struggled feeling like I’m not getting anything out of it. Since listening to this podcast, I’ve been practicing having the faith that Heavenly Father will answer my prayers through the scriptures. It really can be hard to trust that it will happen but I now know that it will! I’ve had mine answered several times since studying this way. I was only four verses in this morning and the Lord answered my prayer. I’ve struggled for years with not feeling good enough…not feeling perfect enough…only seeing my imperfections…which makes it hard to feel joy in this journey. I’ve been thinking about this so much lately and this is what I read…Mosiah 3:4 “For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.” This verse really hit me and I know the Lord is telling me that He sees my efforts and knows I am trying. He sees everything I’m getting right! He doesn’t expect perfection in this life but as we strive to work towards it, He rejoices in our righteousness and we should rejoice in it too.
It’s the best thing in the world to learn how to communicate with your Heavenly Father through the Book of Mormon and the scriptures. I’m so happy you are doing it and you had that prayer answered in such a beautiful way!!
Thank you so much, dear sister!!
I am so happy to have found your podcasts at last. They are an answer to my prayers. I started with the podcast for this week and have been listening and relistening to your older podcasts as well. I have shared the 2019 Episode 15 with finds and family as it was sooooooo needed by me and I felt strongly to share it with them. Thank you!!! Thank you for listening to the Spirit and DOING. You are wonderful!!!
I’m so glad you found it and found the one on reading the Book of Mormon! Thanks for sharing it with others. It’s such a great way to study!!