thoughts on faith

I have faith that spring will come, and the snow will melt. Is it hard to have this faith when it just keeps snowing? Sometimes. Inevitable, every April there is a snow storm that comes to test my faith, but I know that the sun will come. I’ve lived through many northern Utah winters, and I’ve seen the blossoms that come even after the bleakest of days.

Faith isn’t something you simply obtain and will never leave. Faith is like a muscle; it needs to be constantly tried. If you aren’t working on building your faith it is dwindling. Luckily we have some tips on how we can exercise our faith and help increase it.

Hearing and following the words of God

Faith comes by hearing the word of God. We hear the word of God from living prophets, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and from searching the word of God in the scriptures. We must ponder and meditate upon the scriptures. In studying and searching the word of God, we gain faith.The world has a hard time with the idea of a living prophet on the earth. They are like the people in the great and spacious building in Lehi’s dream. We need to make sure we aren’t the men and women that Lehi saw who partook of the fruit, then left because those mocking them made them feel ashamed.

In a worldwide leadership training meeting, President Hinckley said:“No one need tell you that we are living in a very difficult season in the history of the world. Standards are dropping everywhere. Nothing seems to be sacred anymore.“… I do not know that things were worse in the times of Sodom and Gomorrah. … I think our Father must weep as He looks down upon His wayward sons and daughters.”“We must not give up. We must not become discouraged. We must never surrender to the forces of evil. … If it means standing alone, we must do it.“But we shall not be alone.”

President Harold B. Lee taught: “The only safety we have as members of this church is to … give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through His prophet. There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your [personal] views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord Himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; … and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory’ (D&C 21:6).

Through the last couple of years I have noticed that it is harder for members of the LDS church to sit on the fence. I have seen friends of mine who were fence sitters that have slipped to the other side either from the pressure of the world. We know the winning side. We need to gather the faith to stay on the right side of the fence no matter what others say. We need a strong testimony of the relationship of prophets and God. How we get that testimony and increase our faith is to immerse ourselves in the word of God through current prophets and those of the past.

Elder Robert D. Hales explained, “We know there was a war in heaven over the plan of salvation, so it is not surprising that the religious principles that have been taught in this, the last dispensation, are attacked with malignant ferocity.”

Fasting and prayer

A couple weeks ago my 14 year old sister-in-law went to receive her patriarchal blessing. She had prepared herself and knew the importance of this blessing. She fasted all day before her blessing in the evening to prepare herself spiritually. When she went to receive her blessing the Patriarch mentioned to her that he knew she was spiritually prepared because he felt the spirit so strongly hours before her appointment. She received a beautiful and very specific blessing.

President Gordon B. Hinckley stated, “If there is any one thing you and I need in this world is faith, that dynamic, powerful, marvelous element by which, as Paul declared, the very worlds were framed… Faith -- the kind of faith that moves one to get on his knees and plead with the Lord and then get on his feet and go to work -- is an asset beyond compare, even in the acquisition of secular knowledge”

Base decisions off of your testimony

As life progresses we are given decisions that need to be made. Some are simple, others are more complex. Some only affect us, other can affect many. Some you need to make alone, some you need to involve other in the decision at hand. Having a strong testimony and a deep faith in God can make even the most difficult decisions a little easier.

Elder Robert D. Hales shared the following story:

"When I was 15 years old, I realized the significance of a testimony of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the Savior and how it affects our choices.

My brother, Joe, was 20 years old. It was during the Korean conflict, and only one young man in each ward could go on a mission. The others had to be available to be drafted into the military. A young man in our ward had gone on a mission early in the year; my brother’s birthday was in September, so he didn’t think he would get the opportunity to serve a mission.

Our stake president called my brother in and told him that one of the wards had not used its allotment and he might be able to go. Missionaries were called at 20 years of age in those days, and my brother had just filled out his application to medical school. He was a good student. My father, who was not active in the Church, had made financial preparations to help him with medical school and was disappointed when he learned of the conversation with the stake president. My father counseled Joe not to go and suggested that he could do more good by going to medical school.

This was a big issue in our family. That night my brother and I talked about the choice. He was five years older, so it was mainly his thinking. As we reasoned it out, we concluded: If Jesus Christ was a great man but not divine, if Joseph Smith was a wonderful teacher but not a prophet, or if the Book of Mormon had wonderful counsel but was not the word of God, then Dad was right—it would be better to go to medical school. But if Jesus Christ is divine, if Joseph Smith is a prophet, and if the Book of Mormon is the word of God, then it would be more important to accept the call and proclaim the gospel.

That night, more than ever before, I wanted to know the answers to these questions. I had always believed in the divinity of Jesus Christ. I believed in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but I wanted confirmation from the Lord. That night, as I prayed, the Spirit bore witness to my soul of the Savior and the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. My brother received the same witness and made the choice to serve a mission. Incidentally, when my brother returned from his mission, he went to medical school. When I reached my 20th birthday, my father was happy to see me serve a mission."

Having a deep knowledge of the gospel and faith in the plan of salvation can help you decide what is most important in life. Decisions that once seemed important can seem trivial when put in an eternal perspective.

Humility

All spiritual growth begins with humility. Humility is having and understanding our relationship to God the Father and Jesus Christ and our dependence upon Them. They are the objects upon which our faith rests, the figures in whom our faith is centered.

Almost exactly one year ago I was down in St. George with Ellie visiting my family. Jeremy was working, and was planning on meeting up with us on the weekend. That Thursday evening, around midnight, I received a call from Jeremy. He explained to me that our 24 year old brother-in-law had suddenly passed away. He left behind Jeremy’s 25 year old sister. This was a really hard time for our family. We had a lot of unanswered questions. We had a lot of anger. We had a lot of despair. My faith never wavered, however. Even though I had no idea why Mitch had to leave Brittany and the rest of us, I never doubted for a second that it would be okay. I knew it wouldn’t be quick, and I knew it wouldn’t be painless, but I knew everything would sort itself out. My faith in God and in the plan of salvation has grown by leaps and bounds this last year. No one asks for trials, but you better believe that you can become a better person if you humble yourself and let God into your life. I read in a book recently, “If life is a bowl full of cherries, ask for a wolf to knock at your door.” I don’t think anyone can look back at their trials and say, “If I could pick the trial to go through, that definitely would have been it,” but I guarantee if you look back at your trials you will notice insight, strength, blessings that you wouldn’t trade for anything.

Pres. Ezra Taft Benson once stated: “Now let me describe to you what faith in Jesus Christ means. Faith in Him is more than mere acknowledgement that He lives. It is more than professing belief. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. As God, He has infinite power, intelligence, and love. There is no human problem beyond His capacity to solve. Because He descended below all things, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties.”

Russell M. Nelson exclaimed, “Why do we need such resilient faith? Because difficult days are ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. The Apostle Paul warned that in the latter days, those who diligently follow the Lord “shall suffer persecution." That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives.”

We are to a point in our lives that we need faith. We need strong testimonies. We need to constantly work on our heavenly relationships. Through the word of God, prayer and fasting, our testimonies, and humility we can increase our faith in God.