The Importance of Calling Upon God....

Alma Baptizes in the Waters of Mormon, Walter Rane

12 And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart.  (Mosiah 18:12)

It is easy to go about our labors in the church with good intent but under our own strength and power.  We desire to serve but are busy and become habitual in our routines, forgetting to call upon God before we endeavor to perform our labors in the kingdom.  We miss out when we do this.  We accomplish good but we leave so many blessings untouched for both ourselves and others.  The experience of having the spirit poured out upon us and those we serve is a choice blessing.  It is also a great blessing to be able to do our work with holiness of heart unimpeded by our ever present natural man. 

9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. (2 Ne. 32:9)

10 Nevertheless Alma ^alabored much in the spirit, ^bwrestling with God in ^cmighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance. (Alma 8:10)

15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.  (Isaiah 32:15)