Faith

What is faith ? Why is faith necessary ? I would venture to say that faith is the motivational force behind many things. Faith is what gets us through the day, if we didn't have faith that something better was waiting for us on the other side of our bedroom door we wouldn't get up. Today we had a lesson on faith in our priesthood class in young men's, I turned off the lights and we sat in a completely dark room and asked the question, who has faith that the lights will turn on. Nothing happened, and then asked again, who has faith that the lights will turn back on. Then one of my young men got the point. He stood up and said " I do" and fought his way between young men and leaders to turn the lights back on. I believe that that is what true faith is. True faith promotes us to action. It makes us sand up and say, " I do, I have faith and I will show it." Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principal of the gospel, and it is no surprise that repentance is the second. Faith promotes true repentance. When we have faith that the Lord Jesus Christ will forgive us if we come to him then of course we will repent and forsake our sins. If we didn't have faith in our savior, if we didn't trust that through him we could repent then we wouldn't. It wouldn't be worth our time. If we didn't believe that Jesus could do what he says he could do, then it would be like we were sitting in a dark room hoping that the lights come back on by themselves. Faith without works is truly dead, so let us not be found without faith and live.

The Natural Man Mosiah 3:19

We know that the natural or carnal man is an enemy to God, and that we all have a tendency to be natural. We also know through this same verse that if we yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit we can put off the natural man and become a saint. For a long time I never understood the significance of this verse, until I read it in conjunction with the Sacrament prayers. The covenant that we make when we partake of the Sacrament says that if we are willing to take upon us the name of Thy son and keep his commandments, and always remember him, the promise is that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. This had never hit me so hard before, but to always have His Spirit to be with us is so important. How can we ever yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, if we can't have Him with us always, to direct us and guide us. It is so important to live up to our covenants so that we can have the Spirit with us, so that we don't become enemies to God. Without the Spirit we can't return to live with our Father in Heaven again. We need the Spirit in our lives. We should always listen to the Spirit.

Spiritual Thought

What is easier, to have faith that the Lord will help you if you come to him with your problems, or to try to face them alone.

Starting Out

I thought I would start out with just my simple testimony. Over the course of my life I have studied the scriptures, some days I have been more diligent than others, but the peace that theses words have brought into my life has been profound. I know that God speaks to man, not only in years past, but also today, through the scriptures and through his Living Prophet. I know God Lives, I know that His Son Jesus Christ, atoned for our sins. I know that the plan of salvation is real, that God has a plan for each of us. I know that Families are a part of that plan. Families are forever, how beautiful it is to know that. Every day I ponder what it would be like without my family, and it grieves my soul, but knowing that because the priesthood has been restored and that the sealing power is back on this earth and that through this power I can have my family forever brings me the greatest joy that one could have. I testify of our Heavenly Fathers Love for His Children, He knows us individually, personally and completely. I know that our Savior loves us, He suffered for us, not just in mass, but he somehow stepped outside the bounds of time, and suffered for us individually. In essence he took each of us by the hand and led us through our tough times, through our pain and suffering, through our sins and transgressions, through our afflictions and sicknesses, and in that garden brought us back to the Father, and in a way bought us with his precious blood. How much we owe Him. I know he loves us, I know God loves us, and I know that Their teachings are true. I love the Scriptures and I hope that I might be able to share this with you through this medium.