God’s help can come in many forms. One important way of receiving God’s help is by talking to Him through prayer. He answers our prayers with inspiration, guidance, feelings of comfort, understanding, and hope.

God also helps us through the scriptures, which contain messages from God through his prophets. Prophets write the messages they receive from God and share them with us. The Bible is one example of this. Reading the scriptures blesses our lives with direction and inspiration from Him.

God allows us to be born into families. It’s His desire for family members to love one another and help each other through life. Sometimes our family doesn’t support us like they should, so God also helps us by placing other people our lives to lend their love and support.

Jesus Christ established a Church during his mortal ministry. His Church is designed to help us through life by accessing His love and power, while feeling support from others around us.

Prophets exist today, just as in the time of Jesus Christ. Prophets are called of God and receive power and authority to act in God’s name. This authority is called the priesthood.

Prophets receive communication from Heavenly Father about what His children need to do to return to live with Him. Ordinances, such as baptism, are required for us to return and live with God, but must be done the way He has commanded, by someone who holds the priesthood.

Many times throughout history, people rejected the prophets and even killed them. Because of this God removed His priesthood authority from earth until they humbled themselves and became more obedient. These times without prophets are known as times of “apostasy”.

After Jesus Christ died, there was a “Great Apostasy” when Peter and the 12 apostles that Christ chose died or were killed. During the Great Apostasy, God’s authority was not on the earth. When the circumstances were right, Heavenly Father once again reached out to His children in love. In 1820, He once again called a young man as a prophet, just as He had done in other times.

Jesus Christ organized His church in ancient times when He gave His apostles the authority (or in other words, the permission from God) to act in His name, preach His gospel, and baptize people into His Church.

After Jesus Christ’s death and Resurrection, the 12 Apostles remained on earth to lead the Church of Jesus Christ. But all of them eventually died or were killed, and no new apostles were called. Although there were many people who still loved and followed Jesus Christ, there was no longer anyone on the earth with the authority to lead His Church. Still, many Christian churches were formed and did the best they could to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, but they did not have God’s priesthood authority. This era without prophets went on for almost two thousand years and is known as the Great Apostasy.

In 1830, Jesus Christ re-established His Church, with a new prophet and 12 Apostles and the authority to act in God’s name—just like His ancient Church.

God often uses small and simple means to do His work. This is especially true in the case of Joseph Smith. In 1820 he was a 14-year-old boy who wanted to know which church was true. He went to a forest alone to pray and tells us in his own words what happened:

“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me…When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

Joseph saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. He was eventually told that he would be called upon to “restore”, or bring back Jesus Christ’s Church as it existed in ancient times. Over the next two decades, Joseph Smith received the authority to act in God’s name (known as the priesthood). He was instructed by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ.

For the last 200 years, The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. Prophets and apostles have once again been called, who give guidance to the world on how to come closer to God and His Son Jesus Christ, so we can live happier, more peaceful lives.  God has provided us evidence that His church is again on the earth.  That evidence is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, known as The Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon is a book of scripture, comparable to the Bible. The Bible contains the word of God, as spoken many years ago to his prophets in the Middle East. God also communicated with his children in the American Continent, through prophets.

These prophets also received God’s word and shared it. The words of these prophets were engraved on golden plates and were hidden in a hill about 1500 years ago. Joseph Smith was visited by an angel who told him where to find them. God also provided him power to translate these plates, which were written in a language unknown to Joseph.

As the subtitle indicates, the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. It contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and is also evidence that Joseph Smith was called as a prophet, to restore Christ’s church.

Below you can find a link to this remarkable book.

The last prophet to write in the Book of Mormon left a powerful promise to you and me.

He said, “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost Ye may know the truth of all things.”

This promise that you and I can know if the Book of Mormon is the word of God is simple and powerful. We just have to read passages within the book, sincerely desiring to know if this comes from God, and He will tell us it’s true through the Holy Ghost.

The scriptures teach us that the Holy Ghost confirms truth through feelings of love, joy and peace. The Holy Ghost also gives us thoughts that tell us it is true.

Prayer is talking to our Heavenly Father. Because we love and respect Him, we start by addressing Him in a respectful way, such as “Dear Heavenly Father”. We then just talk with Him. We may want to thank Him for our blessings and ask for things we need.

We have been taught by Jesus Christ to end prayers in His name. So, when you have finished talking with Heavenly Father you can end the prayer by saying “in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

It’s a good idea to stay still for a while after your prayer when you are seeking answers from God. Think deeply about the questions or needs you have and give Him time to answer you. Through the Holy Ghost, He will put thoughts into your mind to guide you. He confirms truth through feeling of peace, faith, love and joy. Waiting for Heavenly Father to answer you is a sign of your faith in Him.

We are here on earth to gain this physical body, learn, grow and increase our faith in Heavenly Father and His plan. He has given us the gift of agency, which means we have the ability to make choices for ourselves. We can choose to follow Him and His son Jesus Christ.

This earth was created by Jesus Christ under the direction of Heavenly Father so that we could have a place to obtain a physical body, progress and become like God, outside of His physical presence.  

Adam and Eve were the first of God’s children to be placed on earth, in the Garden of Eden. God commanded them to multiply and replenish the earth, but he also commanded them not to eat the forbidden fruit. Satan tempted them, and they ate the forbidden fruit. As a result, they were cast of out the Garden of Eve, were taken away from God’s presence and became mortal. 

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they became subject to two deaths. The first is spiritual death, which is our separation from the physical presence of God. The second is physical death, which is the death of our mortal bodies.  

All of us will overcome physical death and will be resurrected with a perfect body, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. If we choose to have faith in Jesus Christ, obey His commandments, repent when we make mistakes, and are baptized, we can also overcome spiritual death and return to God’s presence.

Jesus Christ is the literal son of God and is our Savior and Redeemer. He suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. He died for us on the cross at Calvary. Because of this, we can be forgiven of our sins if we will sincerely repent.  

Jesus Christ triumphed over spiritual death when he suffered in Gethsemane. He triumphed over physical death when he was Resurrected. These two victories together are known as the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus Christ promises to forgive our sins if we exercise faith in Him, repent, choose to be baptized by immersion and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We also need to strive to keep His commandments all our lives.  

As we rely on Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace and love. All that is unfair can be made right through Him.

After we die, our spirits go to a place called the spirit world.  Those who showed faith in Jesus Christ, repent and were baptized are in a place of peace, happiness and rest from troubles and care.  Those who choose not to obey in this life, will live in a state of unhappiness after death. 

In the spirit world, the gospel is preached to those who did not follow Jesus Christ’s commandments or have the opportunity to hear the gospel while on earth.  We remain in the spirit world until we are resurrected.

After we are resurrected, we will be judged according to our works and desires.  Because we all make different choices on earth, there are different kingdoms of glory to which we may be assigned after the Judgement. 

The celestial kingdom is where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ dwell, along with those who have repented of their sins, received the gospel, and kept their promises with God.  They dwell in a state of never-ending happiness. 

People who do not accept the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this life or in the world to come, but live honorable lives, will receive a place in the terrestrial kingdom. 

Those who continue in their sins and do not repent in this life or accept the gospel in the world to come will receive their reward in the lowest kingdom, which is called the telestial kingdom.

Faith in Jesus Christ means you believe that He is the Only Begotten Son of God and is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and that only through Him can you return to live with your Heavenly Father.

When we believe in Jesus, we want to learn more about Him and do what He asked us to do—which is to reject sin and be more obedient, kind and loving. We will have desires to change, through His example and grace. He blesses us when we do these things, especially when we repent.

Once you have established faith in Jesus Christ, the next step is to repent. Repentance is changing our thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that are not in harmony with God’s will, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. To repent we must recognize our sins, feel remorse, confess our sins to God and ask for forgiveness from God.

We can obtain help to make necessary changes in our lives by praying and asking for the power of Jesus Christ to strengthen us and help make us better.

Our sincere repentance will bring forgiveness and freedom from guilt and sorrow. Repenting daily brings us joy, as we work to become more Christlike.

Repentance is not complete without baptism and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Baptism is an ordinance that shows we have entered into a covenant with God. We promise to keep His commandments and God promises to forgive us of our sins and to give us the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Baptism is symbolic of being “born again”, becoming spiritual sons and daughters of Christ. This is one of the reasons that baptism must be performed by immersion—going completely underneath the water, to symbolize the burial of the old version of us and coming out of the water “reborn” in Christ. Baptism also must be performed by someone that has been given the priesthood.

This priesthood is the power and authority to act on behalf of God. It allows authorized men to perform sacred ordinances—like baptism—on the Lord’s behalf.

Baptism is so important that even Jesus Christ was baptized, by immersion in the River Jordan, by John the Baptist, who possessed the priesthood.

If you have been baptized previously it shows that you have desires to repent and follow Christ. You should feel happy about this desire and your willingness to act. If, however, you have not been baptized by immersion by someone who has received the priesthood from the Savior, you will still need to do so.

Joseph Smith, the prophet who God called to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth, received the priesthood from Peter, James and John, who received the priesthood from Jesus Christ. They appeared to the prophet as resurrected beings.  Joseph Smith gave this authority to other righteous men so that they could perform sacred ordinances, like baptism, today.

The Savior taught, “Unless a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” The Gift of the Holy Ghost is the privilege of having Him as a constant companion after baptism. The Holy Ghost has a sanctifying cleansing effect on us. As we repent of our mistakes and strive to keep God’s commandments, He helps us receive and retain a remission of our sins. He uses thoughts and feelings to warn us of danger, comfort us in our sorrow, strengthen us and communicate God’s love and will for us. He teaches us and strengthens our testimony of Christ.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost must be given by someone who possesses the priesthood of God, by the laying on of hands, just like was done during the time of the Apostles.

To keep the Holy Ghost with us as a constant companion, we must live worthy of his presence by obeying, repenting and enduring to the end.

Following Jesus Christ is a lifelong commitment. It means we strive to increase our faith, repent of our sins through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, obey His commandments, study the scriptures and serve others. Attending temples of God allows us to make promises with Him and receive additional blessings. All these things help us to become more like Jesus Christ every day.

Peace, joy and growth are the fruits of those who focus on Christ. The ultimate reward, however, is exaltation, which is the privilege of living with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ with our family forever.