1 Nephi 3:7
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
 
What a commonly known scripture… and yet what an important principle it teaches!  It is one of the few principles with a promise in the scriptures!
 
What is the background to this scripture?
Laman and Lemuel thought that what they were asked to do was to hard/impossible?
1 Nephi 3:4-5
4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness.
5 And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.
 
Are some Commandments too difficult?
Should we expect to succeed in every attempt at a difficult task? Should you get down on yourself you don’t succeed?
Have you ever thought that a commandment/calling/responsibility was beyond your capacity to fulfill?
 
Here are some examples of difficult commandments…
Gen 22:2
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 ¶ And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
 
Joelyn Hansen August 2011 Ensign
“I sat and stared in disbelief as Brother Jarman, a member of the branch presidency, waited for my answer.
 
Maybe he had meant to say teacher or counselor. But he hadn’t. What I heard was correct; he had called me as the Relief Society president in our small branch.
 
I sat still for some time reflecting on my situation. I was just 27 years old and had never been married. I had recently moved to the area and was beginning a new job as a journalist. My leadership experience was limited. I had served in several callings over the years but never one like this.
 
Silently I asked myself if I was old enough or experienced enough or if I even had the ability to serve. What could I possibly offer the women of the branch?”
 
Every young man should aspire to serve a mission - As for me and my house we shall serve the lord – Nov 1998
President Howard W. Hunter noted: “Earlier prophets have taught that every able, worthy young man should serve a full-time mission. I emphasize this need today” (“Follow the Son of God,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 88).

 
The Principle:
The Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he will prepare a way for them to accomplish the thing that the lord commanded them.  Stated in other words… what the Lord requests he provides a means by which it can be accomplished.
 
Let us look at the story of Nephi and See how this principle relates to him as well as to us.
Think of the following:
                Does Nephi immediately succeed when attempting to follow the commandments of God?
                What is his response when his attempts fail?
                Does he blame God for his failures and give up?
                What is the difference between his response and his brothers?
 
The First Attempt – Plan #1
1 Nephi 3:10-12
                The brothers went up to the land of Jerusalem – discussed what should be done – and made a plan
                They would cast lots – one would be selected he would go to Laban and ask for the plates.
                They followed their plan and used Lots to determine The Lord’s will as to who should go. (A common practice - Devices of Revelation)
Was there anything wrong with this plan? No
They thought about it – determined a course of action – asked God who should go (lots) and went for it.
               
1 Nephi 3:12-14
                Laman went and asked Laban for the plates.
                Laban was angry and thrust him out – called him a robber, and said he would slay him.
                Nephi’s brothers were sorrowful and were about to return in defeat to their father
Their plan epically failed, they were sad and were about to give up! Why did it fail... they were doing what they thought was right! Why did it fail...
 
Nephi’s response to failure!
1 Nephi 3:15-16
                As the Lord Liveth – and as we Live! We will not return to our father (A Blood oath – an oath on their life! - see BOM Lesson2)
                Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments
 
The Second Attempt – Plan #2
1 Nephi 3:16-27
                Let us go and get the gold from the land of our inheritance and give it to Laban to buy the plates
                We did so, Laban lusts after it and sent his servants to kill us
                We were obliged to leave behind all of our gold and silver and precious things
                We fled into the wilderness and hid in a cave so we weren’t killed
Was there anything wrong with this plan? No
Nephi didn’t give up – he came up with another plan to purchase the plates. It sounded good and they went for it.
 
Epic failure every time!!
Remember Nephi has included this story in his account to teach this principle.  That, The Lord will prepare a way to accomplish the things that he commands us…. And yet as they have attempted to fulfill the commandments of the Lord they have epically failed in each and every attempt. 
 
Nephi did not blame God for his failures – he did not give up! 
He continued in faith learning from his experiences and trusting in the Lord to help him eventually succeed!
 
Some would say at this point… were done! We’ve tried and well… it doesn’t seem like the Lord is helping us much with this!  Let’s just quit now while were ahead!   In fact this is exactly what Laman and Lemuel said!
1 Nephi 3:31
                How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands?
                He is a commander of 50 – and yeah can slay 50 himself why not us?
 
Ether 12:27
27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
 
Nephi’s response to failure!
1 Nephi 4:1
                Let us again go up to Jerusalem and let us be faithful – The Lord is mightier than all the earth
                Let us be strong like Moses – The Lord will deliver us like he did them
 
Bednar April 2011 – The spirit of Revelation
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery gained valuable experience with the spirit of revelation as they translated the Book of Mormon. These brethren learned they could receive whatever knowledge was necessary to complete their work if they asked in faith, with an honest heart, believing they would receive. And over time they increasingly understood the spirit of revelation typically functions as thoughts and feelings that come into our minds and hearts by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See D&C 8:1–2; 100:5–8.) As the Lord instructed them: “Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground. Therefore this is thy gift; apply unto it” (D&C 8:3–4).
 
The Third Attempt – We have no plan! We have tried everything... what now?
1 Nephi 4:5-7
                Nephi’s Brothers were yet wroth and complained
                Nephi crept into the city toward the house of Laban
                6 I had no idea what I was going to do!
                7 Nevertheless – I went forth
                And what do I see – Laban fallen to the earth drunken with wine!
Was there anything wrong with this plan?  Well… there really wasn’t any plan.
                Nephi was exercising great faith… lol I’ll just show up hope it all works out!
                Sometimes all we have to do is show up – and the Lord will direct our paths to accomplish his work!
                How many times have we just not gone, not shown up when the Lord was willing to provide us in the very momment what we should say and/or do!

 
The Lord provided the way and means by which to accomplish – his plan.
The Lord knowing all things and the impact and result of all the situations and variables allowed the brothers to fail twice before inspiring Nephi to find Laban drunken with wine.
  
What can we learn from this story – and how does the Lord Provide for us to be able to fulfill his commandments?
Sometimes when we are following and doing our best to obey we still seem to be failing!
                When this happens we should not give up!
                Trust in the Lord – continue onward and listen to his guidance to eventually succeed!
                If you’ve knocked 100 doors as a missionary do you stop?
Sometimes we have to rely on the Lord more than we think is reasonable or logical
                Nephi had no plan – yet he went anyway, trusting that God would provide a way
                How many times do we exercise faith without knowing how/why it will occur!
Sometimes experiences are given to us for reasons we may not currently understand
                Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail
                Abraham being asked to kill his son
                Nephi required to kill Laban
                However all these experiences will be for our good D&C 122:7
Sometimes we are guided and directed without even knowing it!
                Nephi did not know what he was going to do and yet – wahala there was Laban what are the chances!
                Many times we receive revelation in our lives and don’t even recognize it
                                We call it a coincidence!
Proverbs 3:5
5 ¶ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
 
Bednar April 2011 – The spirit of Revelation
I emphasize the phrase “apply unto it” in relation to the spirit of revelation. In the scriptures, the influence of the Holy Ghost frequently is described as “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12; 1 Nephi 17:45; see also 3 Nephi 11:3) and a “voice of perfect mildness” (Helaman 5:30). Because the Spirit whispers to us gently and delicately, it is easy to understand why we should shun inappropriate media, pornography, and harmful, addictive substances and behaviors. These tools of the adversary can impair and eventually destroy our capacity to recognize and respond to the subtle messages from God delivered by the power of His Spirit. Each of us should consider seriously and ponder prayerfully how we can reject the devil’s enticements and righteously “apply unto it,” even the spirit of revelation, in our personal lives and families.
 
Conclusion:
I hope that we can exercise faith like Nephi did!  That we can with hope and confidences rely on the Lord to guide us and direct us in the path we should go.  That even if we seem to be failing in our attempts to fulfil our calling, accept our stewardship, and grow in the gospel we should never give up!   I encourage you all to avoid things that would cause inappropriate thoughts, and actions in your lives. 
 
Moroni 10:32-35
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
 
Then will his grace be sufficient for you and he will direct your paths and will prepare a way for you to accomplish the tasks set before you as a Father, Mother, Teacher, Bishop, Relief Society President, Missionary or whatever your stewardship may be.