Sunday, August 17, 2014

Part 2: Faith in Jesus Christ

Part 2 of your favorite blog series is finally here! Enjoy this Mormon Message to start it off!


In my last post I addressed the topic of the Atonement and how we can cleansed from sin. The next posts will be about the steps we need to take to claim that wonderful gift! And it all starts with faith.

Let's define faith.

"And now as I said concerning faith-- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."

So faith is believing in something you can't see or prove. In the Mormon Message above we find a few really beautiful examples of having faith in Christ. In the Bible, Esther is faced with a difficult choice to make. She knew fully well that she could be killed for approaching the king but she also knew she had to defend her people. She had faith that because she was making the right decision she would be protected.

Christ has the desire to bless us, forgive us, protect us, He is waiting for us to exercise our faith and seek out those blessings that He has waiting for us.

"Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him."
1 Nephi 7:12

In Preach My Gospel we find what happens when we exercise that faith in Christ:

"When we have faith in Christ, we accept and apply His Atonement and His teachings. We trust Him and what He says. We know that He has the power to keep His promises. Heavenly Father blesses those who have faith to obey His Son."
PMG, pg 61

I have been so blessed on my mission to be able to witness so many people exercising their faith in Christ and acting on that faith by being baptized! Taking the physical steps to follow Christ is a big way to increase our faith and build our testimonies.

So we know what faith is, we know why need it, and we know who our faith should be in. But HOW can we build our faith?

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can find place for a portion of my words."
Alma 32:27

Building your faith might start simply desiring to have faith! Hoping but not yet believing that something is true is a perfectly acceptable start. And the next step? Experiment on the word. Try it out! Take a small step into the dark by reading the Book of Mormon, meeting with the missionaries, or making that goal to be baptized.



"Now we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves -- it must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea it beginneth to be delicious unto me.

Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge."
Alma 32:28-29

I invite you all to increase your faith in Christ. Just try it out. Trying praying a little bit more or reading your scriptures a little bit more. I can promise you will feel the Spirit and you will know that Christ is your Savior.

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