How will I be judged by God?

📽 Alma and Amulek Teach about Faith in Jesus Christ 

📒 Alma 31

 Alma heads a mission to reclaim the apostate Zoramites—The Zoramites deny Christ, believe in a false concept of election, and worship with set prayers—The missionaries are filled with the Holy Spirit—Their afflictions are swallowed up in the joy of Christ. About 74 B.C.

📜 3 Now the Zoramites had gathered themselves together in a land which they called Antionum, which was east of the land of Zarahemla, which lay nearly bordering upon the seashore, which was south of the land of Jershon, which also bordered upon the wilderness south, which wilderness was full of the Lamanites.

Antionum

📒 Alma 43

 Alma and his sons preach the word—The Zoramites and other Nephite dissenters become Lamanites—The Lamanites come against the Nephites in war—Moroni arms the Nephites with defensive armor—The Lord reveals to Alma the strategy of the Lamanites—The Nephites defend their homes, liberties, families, and religion—The armies of Moroni and Lehi surround the Lamanites. About 74 B.C.

📜 5 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came with their thousands; and they came into the land of Antionum, which is the land of the Zoramites; and a man by the name of Zerahemnah was their leader.

📜 15 And it came to pass as the armies of the Lamanites had gathered together in the land of Antionum, behold, the armies of the Nephites were prepared to meet them in the land of Jershon.

📜 22 Behold, now it came to pass that they durst not come against the Nephites in the borders of Jershon; therefore they departed out of the land of Antionum into the wilderness, and took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the head of the river Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti and take possession of the land; for they did not suppose that the armies of Moroni would know whither they had gone.

Jershon

📒 Alma 27

 The Lord commands Ammon to lead the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi to safety—Upon meeting Alma, Ammon’s joy exhausts his strength—The Nephites give the Anti-Nephi-Lehies the land of Jershon—They are called the people of Ammon. About 90–77 B.C.

📜 22 And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: Behold, we will give up the land of Jershon, which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren for an inheritance.

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Testimony of Healing through Jesus Christ

I am a man broken by character defects—defects I must own, not because of what I thought the world “did to me,” but because of what my own flawed character has made me feel about myself and the world around me. This is what I call being “spiritually dis-eased.” It’s a discomfort I’ve never been able to soothe through men or the pleasures of this world. Only in Jesus Christ have I found true comfort.

For 32 years, I built those defects relentlessly—24/7, 365 days a year. And in the 25 years since, I’ve only put in a fraction of the effort to repair them. That tells me I have a long road ahead. I need Jesus Christ so I can tap into Heavenly Father and maintain a relationship with the Comforter through daily prayer, meditation, and practicing the principles outlined in Healing Through the Savior: The Addiction Recovery Program 12-Step Recovery Guide.

I’ve found deep spiritual growth in its companion programs—those inspired by Bill W. and the fellowships our church encourages us to attend. Recovery isn’t just from substances. For me, food is the primary struggle, followed closely by alcohol, other substances, pornography, sex, gambling, coffee (yes, even that), and tobacco in all its forms. I’ve been a “garbage can junkie”—the sky was never my limit.

I carry character defects alongside high-functioning autism, ADHD, OCD, MDD, and a host of medical issues born from past mistakes. In the last year, I was officially diagnosed at Manteca Hospital with complications from a California Desert Brown Recluse bite and the COVID-19 protein inhibitor I was required to take in order to receive hip replacement surgery in December 2021. By the next day, I developed IBS-D, which has afflicted me daily ever since.

That led to a lingual hernia requiring emergency surgery. The mesh implant used was already recalled. Since then, I’ve endured two hernia surgeries, developed severe reactions to entire classes of pharmaceuticals, and suffered cirrhosis of the liver four times in three and a half years. I’ve died five times. I’ve had two seizures. My heart has been enlarged, shrunk, and thrown into AFib. Much of that has healed, but the IBS-D and chronic cluster migraines remain daily burdens.

I need help from every facet of heaven and earth. And yet, through these struggles, I grow. I strive to become like Jesus Christ—learning through my mistakes, trials, joys, and the happiness of life. I am grateful for this mortal experience, even for the years I squandered. I now press forward, striving for perfection through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I sustain its prophets, apostles, and members—each of us walking our own path with Jesus Christ, and fellowshipping in sacred connection.

Amen.