📒 Alma 22
📜 15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
📜 16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
This passage from Alma 22 is one of the most powerful moments of surrender and spiritual yearning in the Book of Mormon. Let's unpack it together, step by step, with reverence and clarity.
🔍 Verse 15: The King's Question and Offering
The king, having heard Aaron’s teachings, is pierced with longing. He asks:
> “What shall I do that I may have this eternal life… be born of God… receive his Spirit… be filled with joy… not be cast off?”
📕 Acts 2
📜 37 ¶ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
📖 Alma 22:15 and Acts 2:37 both reveal a sacred threshold—a moment when the soul, pierced by truth, cries out: “What shall I do?”
In Alma, a king offers everything—his possessions, his throne—just to be born of God and filled with joy.
In Acts, the multitude, pricked in their hearts, plead with Peter: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
These are not casual questions. They are cries from the depths.
They mark the beginning of surrender, the turning point of rebirth.
🕊️ The answer is not complicated—but it is costly.
Aaron says: Bow down. Repent. Call on God in faith.
Peter says: Repent. Be baptized. Receive the Holy Ghost.
This is the pattern.
Not charts. Not systems. Just posture, repentance, and faith.
If your heart is pierced, if you long for joy, if you feel the Spirit stirring—then ask the question.
And be ready to receive the answer.
It may cost you everything.
But it will fill you with life. PROMISE
📜 Alma 22:15
> “…that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast…”
This isn’t just a metaphor. It’s a cry for transformation so complete, it’s likened to a second birth. The king doesn’t ask for improvement—he asks for rebirth. A new origin. A new spirit. A new joy.
🔹 Born of God means:
- Not just forgiven, but remade
- Not just taught, but filled
- Not just humbled, but sealed with divine identity
It’s praise because it’s gift. No mortal can birth himself into holiness. It must come from God. And yet—it’s offered. Freely. To kings and beggars alike. Here are a few scriptures to complement born of God. Also to question our resolve in thoughts of a celestial spirit.
📒 Alma 5
🗝📜 14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
📜 49 And now I say unto you that this is the order after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them that they must repent and be born again.
📒 Alma 26
🗝📜 23 But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.
26 For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God.
📖 Born of God is not a metaphor. It is a miracle.
It is the moment when the soul, pierced by truth, cries out—not for improvement, but for rebirth.
> “…that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast…” (Alma 22:15)
This is the king’s cry. And it is ours.
To be born of God is to be:
- Not just forgiven, but remade
- Not just taught, but filled
- Not just humbled, but sealed with divine identity
It is praise, because it is gift.
No mortal can birth himself into holiness.
But God offers it freely—to kings and beggars alike.
🕊️ Alma 5:14 asks the piercing question:
> “Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances?”
This is not a rhetorical flourish. It is a call to examination.
Have we experienced the mighty change?
Have we tasted the joy that remakes the heart?
🗣️ Alma 5:49 declares the charge:
> “…to cry unto them that they must repent and be born again.”
This is the order of the ministry—not to manage behavior, but to call forth rebirth.
🔥 Alma 26:23–26 bears witness:
> “…I had been born of God… many have been born of God… have tasted as I have tasted… seen eye to eye…”
This is not theory. It is testimony.
To be born of God is to taste, to see, to know—not by hearsay, but by holy encounter.
This is not a doctrine to study. It is a threshold to cross.
If your heart is pierced, if your spirit longs, then ask the question: “What shall I do?”
And be ready to receive the answer.
Bow. Repent. Call on His name.
And you shall be born of God.
Let’s dwell in that word: “rooted.”
> “…having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast…” (Alma 22:15)
This is no surface cleansing. It’s a deep extraction.
To be rooted out means the spirit of wickedness isn’t just present—it’s entrenched, like a vine that’s grown into the soul’s soil. The king doesn’t ask for pruning. He asks for uprooting.
🌱 Rooted evokes:
- Depth: the wickedness has grown inward, hidden beneath appearances
- Pain: uprooting is not gentle—it tears, it exposes
- Finality: once uprooted, it cannot regrow unless replanted
This is the language of deliverance, not just repentance.
It’s the cry of someone who knows that sin isn’t just behavior—it’s embedded. And only God can reach that deep.
🕊️ To be born of God, then, is not just to receive something new—it is to have something old removed.
The wicked spirit must be rooted out so the Holy Spirit can take root.
📕 Romans 7
📜 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
If you feel the tangle in your breast—if you know the vine has grown inward—then this is your moment.
Not for pruning.
But for uprooting.
The Spirit of God does not settle atop the soil.
He reaches deep.
He tears out what binds.
He plants joy where sorrow once grew.
To be born of God is not a gentle adjustment.
It is a holy upheaval.
A wicked spirit rooted out.
A new Spirit taking root.
Bow. Repent. Call on His name.
And He will reach into the soil of your soul and make you new.
Let’s pause here.
What do you notice about the king’s desires in Alma 22:15? What kind of transformation is he seeking—not just doctrinally, but emotionally and spiritually?
And then—he offers everything:
> “I will give up all that I possess… forsake my kingdom…”
Why do you think he’s willing to surrender so completely? What does this teach us about the cost of discipleship and the depth of true conversion?
📕 Matthew 13
📜 44 ¶ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
📜 45 ¶ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
🗝📜 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
📕 Matthew 19
📜 16 ¶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
📜 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
📜 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
📜 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
📜 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
🗝📜 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
📜22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
The question is not whether you believe.
It is whether you will surrender.
Will you give up all that you possess—your pride, your plans, your throne—so that you may be born of God?
The treasure is hidden.
The pearl is waiting.
The Spirit is calling.
Sell all.
Buy the field.
Follow Him.
And you will be filled with joy.
🌱 Verse 16: Aaron’s Response
Aaron doesn’t ask for riches or power. He invites the king to:
- Bow down before God
- Repent of all sins
- Call on God’s name in faith
- Believe that he shall receive
This is the pattern of spiritual rebirth.
What stands out to you in Aaron’s instructions? Which part feels most essential—or most challenging—for someone seeking this kind of joy?
Convert Conversion
📗 Isaiah 6
📜 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
📕 Matthew 13
📜 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
📕 Mark 4
📜 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
📕 John 12
📜 40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
📕 Acts 28
📜 27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
📕 Matthew 18
📜 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
📕 Acts 2
📜 37 ¶ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
📕 James 5
📜 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
📕 Acts 3
📜 19 ¶ Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
📒 Mosiah 5
📜 2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
📒 Alma 5
📜 12 And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.
📜 13 And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved.
📜 14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
📘 Doctrine and Covenants 109
📜 65 And cause that the remnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of their transgression, be converted from their wild and savage condition to the fulness of the everlasting gospel;
📜 70 Have mercy upon all their immediate connections, that their prejudices may be broken up and swept away as with a flood; that they may be converted and redeemed with Israel, and know that thou art God.
📘 Doctrine and Covenants 45
📜 54 And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them.
This is a rich and reverent tapestry, woven from Aaron’s invitation and the scriptural chorus of conversion. Let’s shape it into a ministry dispatch that speaks directly to your audience with clarity, urgency, and praise.
Aaron does not ask for riches or power.
He invites the king—and us—to bow, repent, call on God’s name, and believe.
This is not a ritual. It is the pattern of spiritual rebirth.
But conversion is not automatic.
Scripture warns us: the heart can grow fat, the ears dull, the eyes closed.
Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, John, Acts—they all echo the same lament:
> “Lest they should see… hear… understand… and be converted, and I should heal them.”
Conversion is not just a change of mind.
It is a mighty change of heart.
It is the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, rooting out the old and planting the new.
Mosiah 5 declares:
> “…we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”
Alma 5 asks:
> “Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?”
This is the question.
Not whether you attend.
Not whether you agree.
But whether you have been converted.
To be converted is to be healed.
To be healed is to be changed.
To be changed is to be born of God.
Bow. Repent. Call on His name.
And the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Let’s dwell in that sacred link between hope, belief, and faith.
📜 Alma 22:16
Aaron says:
> “…if thou desirest this thing… call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.”
📒 Ether 12
📜 4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.
Hope is not the starting point—it’s the fruit.
It comes after desire, after repentance, after faith.
It is the evidence that the soul has begun to trust the unseen.
📜 Ether 12:4 echoes this beautifully:
> “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world…”
This is not vague optimism.
It is surety.
It is the kind of hope that anchors the soul in Christ, even when the world shakes.
🔹 So what can we do or learn to be better?
Let’s pause and reflect together:
1. Desire deeply: Like the king, we must want the Spirit more than the throne.
What do you most desire right now, Davis? Is it joy, healing, witness?
2. Repent honestly: Not just confess, but surrender.
What part of your heart still needs uprooting?
3. Call in faith: Speak His name—not as ritual, but as relationship.
How do you call on Him when no one else sees?
4. Believe to receive: Faith is not passive. It is expectant.
What are you believing for today?
5. Hope with surety: Let hope rise—not as wishful thinking, but as evidence of rebirth.
What does your hope look like when it’s rooted in Christ?
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