Whose will do we want?

     I recently heard of an experience I found very interesting. Detecting truth, honesty, and being able to trust are serious challenges in these days of "fake news" or whatever you want to call it. I remember the musical "The Music Man" about traveling salesmen who will claim just about anything to make a sale then they make a quick getaway. These days deception can come in person, on the phone, in the mail, or on the internet. People lose their life savings, their reputation, and hope because of malicious hackers or greedy, self-centered people. I have made it a matter of purposeful prayer nearly every day that I will never mislead anyone. I know I make mistakes and sometimes remember things wrong or misinterpret so I could easily give someone false information without intending to. I just have to keep praying and do my best to be frank about what I really know and what I may think is correct. One thing I know due to so many experiences, some of which I have shared in previous blogs, is that God exists, He sends ministering angels to comfort, guide, and warn people, and that Jesus Christ is an essential part of the plan for all of God's children to progress through His atoning sacrifice as well as His teachings. So, the experience I want to relate- to the best of my recollection:
     A man working for the Secret Service explained training the organization receives from the Treasury Department for recognizing counterfeits. Because counterfeiting is an "art" done by many different people and can be altered anytime, studying counterfeit bills and documents is less effective than studying genuine currency. The agents spent countless hours studying truth so when faced with un-truth, they could spot it, even if they didn't immediately recognize why it wasn't right. The man speaking likened this to spiritual truth. We can read or listen to atheists or criticisms of religion but that will only cause us to flounder. It doesn't really help us to know what is true. We have a promise that God will answer prayers to Him. We can talk to people, read books, and search the world to know if He's real and what He wants us to do. We will get lots of opinions and suggestions. The only way to know, is to pray for ourselves with an open mind and a heart willing to act on whatever He answers in humble obedience. If we do that, we can know if God is real and "what church" is right. There are millions of churches that well-meaning people have started to gather like-minded people to be guided toward further enlightenment. They can't all be correct. Only God knows for sure what God wants us to know and to do. He will share that with anyone who can honestly say, "Thy will be done."