Post # 29 – Faith -Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives

Dear Family and Friends,

 I do hope that my post today finds all of you healthy and happy!  Today is a beautiful outside, a bit to warm for me, but still nice weather. I hope that you are having good weather wherever you are at today.😊 In my last post, I was talking about Spiritual Preparedness and the beginning was prayer, today I would like to share with you about developing faith.  So, how do you develop faith?  First, we need to know what faith is? Let’s all go and find out, shall we?

The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 11: 1 it tells us what faith is – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” - this verse tells us that to have faith we have hope for things we do not see any evidence of – is that what you got from it? Then in 2 Corinthians 5:7 it teaches us “(For we walk by faith, nit by sight:)” – when we are walking by faith we do not need to have what we hope for in our physical sight to believe it can happen.

In Romans 10:8 -9 teach us “but what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; teaches “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. So if we have faith to believe that Jesus is the Christ and that God raised Jesus from the dead we shall be saved.

In Alma 32:21 it teaches us that “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.” There you have it, just a little bit clearer – faith is when we do not have a perfect knowledge of something that we are hoping for that we cannot see but know that they are true. In Hebrews 11:6 it teaches us “But without faith it is impossible to please; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”

As I have learned it in order to please God we need to have faith in Him.  I would say that faith is a pretty important thing to have, wouldn’t you? We need to believe that God exists and that He will answer our prayers when we are diligently trying to learn of Him and His Son, Jesus Christ or when we are asking Him for His help through our prayers. Without faith in Him this couldn’t happen. This makes faith something that we need to act on – the verse in James 2:17 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” comes to my mind.

The Bible Dictionary teaches us a great deal about faith, to read more about faith go to: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/faith

Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Heb. 11:1; Alma 32:21), and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone.

Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith (Rom. 10:14–17). Miracles do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ; in other words, faith comes by righteousness, although miracles often confirm one’s faith.

Faith is a principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements, heal the sick, and influence any number of circumstances when occasion warrants (Jacob 4:4–7). Even more important, by faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God.

All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for. A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity.

Although faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great tree. The effects of true faith in Jesus Christ include (1) an actual knowledge that the course of life one is pursuing is acceptable to the Lord (see Heb. 11:4); (2) a reception of the blessings of the Lord that are available to man in this life; and (3) an assurance of personal salvation in the world to come. These things involve individual and personal testimony, guidance, revelation, and spiritual knowledge. Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that He gives to His saints. Jesus pointed out some obstacles to faith in John 5:44 and 12:39–42 (see also James 1:6–8).

When Joseph Smith was a young boy he prayed after reading in his Bible in James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” then in James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”  These verses teach us that we need to ask God for the wisdom that we need, and we all need wisdom at some point in our lives – right? I know that I need wisdom all the time. It took for Joseph to act upon the verses of scripture that he read and go to the sacred grove to pray to a Heavenly Father that he had never seen before.

 I remember teaching a lesson on faith to my primary students about a little girl who brought lunch to her father who was working at the bottom of a well. She couldn’t see him so she yelled down to him that she had his lunch. He told her to drop the lunch down to him and he would catch it. A few minutes later he told her that he had too much lunch and would she come join him. He told her to jump and he would catch her. He told her that she couldn’t see him but he could see her and that he would not let her fall. The little girl jumped into the dark well and landed safely in the loving arms of her father. I’m sure they had a wonderful time together as they had lunch. This little girl trusted her father to catch her. This trust is like our faith. Faith is believing in something you cannot see, but you have great hope that it is true. 

 

This is what Moroni taught in Ether 12:6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto you that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”

I don’t know that I would have been able to jump down into a well, but then I grew up after my father had passed away, so I don’t really know what that type of trust in a father would be like. I do however have experience in trusting my Heavenly Father to help me get through tough, scary, anxiety ridden situations ad I promise you that having faith in Him and His Son Jesus Christ are truly necessary for us to make it through this crazy world and have any ounce of peace in our lives.

Even though we can not see Jesus Christ and our Heavenly we can believe that They are real and that They are there for us. We can see evidence of Their existence all around us, every where we look. The world They created, the stars in the sky, the planets in their orbit, we can feel Their presence and know Them better as we read and study the scriptures and listen to the prophets.

There is a conference talk from April of 2017 that I would like to share with you that helps us learn a bit ore about faith. You can see more talks here: 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/04/drawing-the-power-of-jesus-christ-into-our-lives?lang=eng

Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives

By President Russell M. Nelson

President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The gospel of Jesus Christ is filled with His power, which is available to every earnestly seeking daughter or son of God.

My dear brothers and sisters, we live in a most difficult dispensation. Challenges, controversies, and complexities swirl around us. These turbulent times were foreseen by the Savior. He warned us that in our day the adversary would stir up anger in the hearts of men and lead them astray. Yet our Heavenly Father never intended that we would deal with the maze of personal problems and social issues on our own.

God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son to help us. And His Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life for us. All so that we could have access to godly power – power sufficient to deal with the burdens, obstacles, and temptations of our day. Today I would like to speak about how we can draw into our lives the power of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

We began by learning about Him.” It is impossible for [us] to be saved I ignorance.” The more we know about the Savior’s ministry and mission – the more we understand HIS DOCTRINE AND WHAT He did for us – the more we know that He can provide the power that we need for our lives.

Earlier this year, I asked the young adults of the Church to consecrate a portion of their time each week to study everything Jesus said and did as recorded in the standard works. I invited them to let the scriptural citations about Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide become their personal core curriculum.

I gave that challenge because I had already accepted it myself. I read and underlined every verse cited about Jesus Christ, as listed under the main heading and the 57 subtitles in the Topical Guide. When I finished that exciting exercise, my wife asked me what impact it had on me. I told her, “I am a different man!”

I felt a renewed devotion to Him as I read again the Book of Mormon the Savior’s own statements about His mission in mortality. He declared:

“I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.

“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross.”

As Latter-day Saints, we refer to His mission as the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which made resurrection a reality for all and made eternal life possible for those who repent of their sins and receive and keep essential ordinances and covenants.

It is doctrinally incomplete to speak of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice by shortcut phrases, such as “the Atonement” or “the enabling power of the Atonement” or “Applying the Atonement” or “being strengthened by the Atonement.” These expressions present a real risk of misdirecting faith by treating the event as if it had living existence and capabilities independent of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Under the Father’s great eternal plan, it is the Savior who suffered. It is the Savior who broke the bands of death. It is the Savior who paid the price for our sins and transgressions and blots them out on condition of our repentance. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death.

There is no amorphous entity called “the Atonement” upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope I this life ad gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice – the central act of all human history – is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him.

The importance of the Savior’s mission was emphasized by the Prophet Joseph Smith, who declared emphatically that “THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF OUR RELIGION ARE THE TESTIMONY OF THE Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heave; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

It was this very statement of the Prophet that provided the incentive for 15 prophets, seers, and revelators to issue and sign their testimony to commemorate the 2,00oth anniversary of that birth. That historic testimony is titled: “The Living Christ.: many members have memorized its truths. Others barely know of its existence. As you seek to learn more about Jesus Christ, I urge you to study “The Living Christ.”

As we invest time in learning about the Savior and His atoning sacrifice, we are drawn to participate in another key element to accessing his power: we choose to have faith in Him and follow Him.

True disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to stand out, speak up, and be different from the people of the word. They are undaunted, devoted, and courageous. I learned of such disciples during a recent assignment I Mexico, where I met with government officials as well as leaders of other religious denominations. Each thanked me for our members’ heroic and successful efforts to protect and preserve strong marriages and families in their country.

There is nothing easy or automatic about becoming such powerful disciples. Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and His gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought. But when we do, our doubts and fears flee.

Recently I learned of a fearless young Laurel. She was invited to participate in a statewide competition for her high school on the same evening she had committed to participate in a stake Relief Society meeting. When she realized the conflict and explained to competition officials that she would need to leave the competition early to attend an important meeting, she was told she would be disqualified if she did so.

What did this latter-day Laurel do? She kept her commitment to participate in the Relief Society meeting. As promised, she was disqualified from the statewide competition. When asked about her decision she replied simply, “Well, the Church is more important, isn’t it?”

Faith in Jesus Christ propels us to do things we otherwise would not do. Faith that motivated us to action gives us more access to His power.

We also increase the Savior’s power in our lives when we make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision. Our covenants bind us to Him and give us godly power. As faithful disciples, we repent and follow Him into the waters of baptism. We walk along the covenant path to receive other essential ordinances. And gratefully, God’s plan provides for those blessings to be extended to ancestors who dies without an opportunity to obtain them during their mortal lives.

Covenant-keeping men and women seek for ways to keep themselves unspotted from the world so there will be nothing blocking their access to the Savior’s power. One faithful wife and mother wrote this recently. “These are troubled and perilous times. How blessed we are to have the increased knowledge of the plan of salvation and the inspired guidance from loving prophets, apostles, and leaders to help us sail these stormy seas safely. We stopped our habit of turning on the radio in the morning. Instead, we not listen to a general conference talk on our mobile phones every morning as we prepare ourselves for another day.”

Another element I drawing the Savior’s power into our lives is to reach up to Him in Faith. Such reaching requires diligent, focused effort. 

Do you remember the biblical story of the woman who suffered for 12 years with a debilitating problem? She exercised great faith in the Savior, exclaiming, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.”

 This faithful, focused woman needed to stretch as far as she could to access His power. Her physical stretching was symbolic of her spiritual stretching.

Many of us have cried out from the depths of our hearts a variation of this woman’s words. “If I could spiritually stretch enough to draw the Savior’s power into my life, I would know how to handle my heart-wrenching situation. I would know what to do. And I would have the power to do it.”

When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from ‘Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him – when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life – you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do.

When you spiritually stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then His power will flow into you. And then you will understand the deep meaning of words we sing in the hymn :The Spirit of God.”

The Lord is extending the Saints’ understanding. …

The knowledge and power of God are expanding

The veil o’er the earth is beginning to burst

The gospel of Jesus Christ is filled with His power, which is available to every earnestly seeking daughter or son of God. It is my testimony that when we draw His power into our lives, both He and we will rejoice.

As one special witness, I declare that God lives Jesus is the Christ! His Church as been restored to the earth! God’s prophet upon the earth today is President Thomas S. Monson, whom I sustain with all my heart! I so testify, with my expression of love and blessing for each of you, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

For more information on how to develop faith You can go to : 

https://www.mormon.org/blog/bible-verses-about-faith

I love this story, because she had faith that if she could only just touch the hem of Jesus' robe, that she would be healed, and she was. She kept her focus on Jesus Christ as she reached out to touch His robe having the faith that she would be healed. We too, need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ. 

Oh, how wonderful it would be if we could develop such faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If each of us had that much faith in the Savior and truly relied on God, how much different our world would be. we would be kinder and love each other more.

You do know that it is never too late to develop your faith and trust in the Lord, to begin a serious study of Jesus Christ and learn about His life and His earthly mission. let us each make it our goal today to learn to draw on His power more fully into our lives and let's begin today, if you are not doing this already:)