We're taking a break from our regular Miracle Monday to bring you a special devotional.

The fact that the opposition is building — and advancing — certainly needs no elaborate dissertation. Local and global newscasts bring that forth each day. Despite this disquieting time, the people of God are reminded that if God is for you, who can be against you? A situation that occurred prior to the coming of Christ supports this. In the Book of Mormon, a terrorist group called the Gadianton robbers emerged.

“And it came to pass in the thirteenth year there began to be wars and contentions throughout all the land; for the Gadianton robbers had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the people, and did lay waste so many cities, and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land, that it became expedient that all the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, should take up arms against them.” (3 Nephi 2:11)

Today, we're sharing a poem written by Brother Justin Severson, which he composed after the apostles made a special visit to the Lake Worth, Florida, Branch. The apostles' message was Urgency of Righteousness.

Today's article is another installment in Brother P.'s column, "Lessons From the Nursing Home."

Prior to working in a nursing home, I had to go to school to learn how to work with physical therapy patients. In one particular class, we were taught how to provide manual resistance to the patient’s muscles (kind of like using weights, but I am the weight).

Often, the patient would push the wrong way, and we had to figure out how to correct it. With a tremendous variety of patient presentations — dementia, stroke, Parkinson's, you name it — the task seemed daunting.

I remember the instructor saying, "First, check yourself."

A few weeks ago, I traveled through the picturesque hills and valleys of the Salt River Canyon (pictured) with my family to our Southwest Area Campout. We chose this route because of predicted traffic on alternate roads. What seemed to be a shortcut certainly presented a challenging drive. The road is filled with sharp turns, sudden inclines and declines, and a guardrail with a very limited protective barrier that, in my opinion, is a little too close for comfort to the edge of the road.

In any case, my husband safely drove through what seemed like an obstacle course of hills and valleys, and we arrived safe at the camp.

Naturally speaking, I have a horrible sense of direction. I am also a terrible navigator. My husband tends to tell me this when I'm supposed to be helping him find a particular location. I've even gotten turned around on hikes where the path is fairly well laid out. I can't function without Google Maps.

Now, if the Google database is incorrect, then I won't find my desired destination even if I follow the exact directions. I experienced this in China, looking for a tea house that apparently was on the same named street but on the completely other side of the city — which was unfortunate since I walked three miles in the rain to find the place.

If Jesus hadn’t been the son of a carpenter with a fondness for woodworking, I like to think he’d have worked for the National Weather Service. Our Lord seemed to particularly enjoy using His creation — anything involving the weather — to His advantage. In His perfect way, the Master Weatherman helped those of His day (and us today) understand life’s spiritual lessons:

This article is Part 6 of Sister Michelle Watson's series "Dealing With Divine Delays."

Have you ever experienced a time in life when God felt far away — distant, out of the picture, unconcerned, aloof? Times like this are often characterized by not feeling God's spirit as strong — or at all — and apathy about godly things, such as churchgoing and basic Christian disciplines (reading, praying).

We Christians are always talking about how God wants to shower us with His love, so when we go through one of these dry spells, it's confusing. Why does God go silent sometimes? There are a few reasons.

I’ll bet most people never heard of Carbondale, Illinois, until August 21 when the Great American Eclipse passed over the U.S. Carbondale just so happened to be the closest city to the point of longest duration of totality, and I just so happened to be in the city to witness it myself. An estimated quarter of a million people flocked to the small Illinois town to spend the weekend on Southern Illinois University’s campus to watch the amazing phenomenon.

A total solar eclipse is when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, and its shadow completely covers the sun, temporarily blocking its light. On August 21, I sat in a stadium with 14,000 people waiting to watch the eclipse — with our eclipse-approved glasses, of course. Around 11:52 a.m., the moon started to pass in front of the sun. Totality wasn’t reached until about 1:20 p.m.

Today's article is from the September 2016 newsletter from the Student Support Program, and it was written by the Gospel Blog's very own Sister Zarella Mosqueda.

I recently found myself sitting in a nail salon eagerly waiting my turn to receive my mani-pedi. I looked down at my fingernails and, in an odd moment of mindfulness, I began to meditate on my fingernails!

Recently one morning, I had just put the coffee on when I looked down and there they were ... some pesky little ants. I had noticed them off and on over the past several months, but we were living on the go with little time to pay much attention except to minimally treat where we thought they might be coming from.

Put off by the disruption to my quiet time, I got down to clean them up when I noticed a few more just around the corner. A quick flip of the light switch was all it took to discover that we had officially been invaded! Ants completely covered an area of my floor where it made absolutely no sense for them to be. YUCK!!! So much for Brother Joel getting anymore sleep!

One of the administrators of the school district where I was recently employed is famous for saying, “Every day is a holiday” when he extends a greeting. The first time I met him he said this, and I thought, “Wow, sheer optimism.” Recently, at a back-to-school rally for teachers, he greeted the staff with “Every day is a holiday, and every meal is a feast.” That was a new twist, I thought. Then, I began to ponder a spiritual application to this saying.

I don’t know about you, but for me when it is a holiday, I get super excited about having a day off from work, especially when the holiday falls on a Monday. It gives me a break in my hectic routine and extra time to complete things I need to get done on the weekend. I sleep better just knowing I have the next day off.

What things help you feel refreshed with the Lord? For me, there’s just something about being surrounded by nature that is spiritually refreshing.

We live in the country, and I love being outside. It’s peaceful — the birds are chirping and the bugs are buzzing. I love walking around our property and seeing deer, rabbits, and peaches ripening on our tree. I enjoy smelling the flowers as we walk past them, hearing the woodpecker knocking and the cows across the road, seeing the butterflies our daughter catches...

June 5, 2017 was a memorable day for our family. We welcomed our son, Graham Thomas Shawver, into this world after nearly 42 weeks in my belly. If there’s one thing I am certain of after giving birth, it’s that God certainly is still in the miracle business.

Since becoming a new mom, I’ve learned several lessons that seem quite familiar to things I’ve heard in church and that serve as great reminders as I go about my days with a newborn.

As I write this, my family and I are on our first vacation to Disney World. For those who have been here, you know that the staff members will go out of their way to ensure that you have the best experience possible. The nickname for the park is The Happiest Place on Earth.

But, is it really?

This article is Part 5 of Sister Michelle Watson's series "Dealing With Divine Delays," chronicling the lessons she learned during a time of infertility.

"Should I wait on God to tell me what to do, or should I step out on faith and take action?"

Have you ever asked yourself this question? You're seeking God's direction about a big decision or which fork in the road to take. It's not really a choice between something sinful vs. not sinful — that would be easier. These decisions aren't clear-cut.