Here's the post and goal I'm reporting on.
Here's what thoughts I had as I read the scriptures and the 2 conference talks.
Hebrews 11: Faith is the 'assurance' of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. What a great list of so many prophets and individuals in the Bible who have provided many examples of the action required for Faith to take place and their witness.
Alma 32: I have read these versus on many occasions about Faith. Today, as I read this chapter, right after Hebrews, this verse stuck out to me, "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." (vs 21) As I read through this chapter I learned that once faith is put into action (desire, belief, and continuous nourishment) your understanding of principles of the gospel change from I believe to I know.
Ether 12: "Faith is the things which are hoped for and not seen." Don't dispute that what you can't see. Once you put faith to work, you will be able to see and understand the greater picture of things. Like the book of Hebrews, the book of Ether provides us with examples of prophets and individuals in the Book of Mormon who have exercised faith and their witness.
JSH: What a great example a 14 year old boy is on Faith. He had a desire to know which church to join and having a basic belief in God and prayer received an answer to a simple but fervant prayer.
First conference talk read. I found it interesting that as I read through this I had made many of the same conclusions from reading the above scriptures first. I love how Elder Edgely says that faith is a choice. Your choice. You first have to take the step in the dark.
https://lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/faith-the-choice-is-yours?lang=eng&query=faith
The second talk I read is by Elder Kevin W. Pearson. Below the link is my favorite part.
http://lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/faith-in-the-lord-jesus-christ?lang=eng&query=faith
First is doubt.
Doubt is not a principle of the gospel. It does not come from the Light
of Christ or the influence of the Holy Ghost. Doubt is a negative
emotion related to fear. It comes from a lack of confidence in one’s
self or abilities. It is inconsistent with our divine identity as
children of God.
Doubt leads to discouragement.
Discouragement comes from missed expectations. Chronic discouragement
leads to lower expectations, decreased effort, weakened desire, and
greater difficulty feeling and following the Spirit (see Preach My Gospel [2004], 10). Discouragement and despair are the very antithesis of faith.
Discouragement leads to distraction, a lack of focus. Distraction eliminates the very focus the eye of faith requires. Discouragement and distraction are two of Satan’s most effective tools, but they are also bad habits.
Distraction leads to a lack of diligence,
a reduced commitment to remain true and faithful and to carry on
through despite hardship and disappointment.
Disappointment is an
inevitable part of life, but it need not lead to doubt, discouragement,
distraction, or lack of diligence.
If not reversed, this path ultimately leads to disobedience, which undermines the very basis of faith. So often the result is disbelief, the conscious or unconscious refusal to believe.
The scriptures describe disbelief as the state of having chosen to harden one’s heart. It is to be past feeling.
These Six Destructive Ds—doubt, discouragement, distraction, lack of diligence, disobedience, and disbelief—all erode and destroy our faith. We can choose to avoid and overcome them.
Faith Project
Good news!!! I memorized the Gethsemane poem and I even did it before the last day of my Institute class....which was yesterday.
Here's the poem:
In golden youth when seems the earth
A summer-land of singing mirth,
When souls are glad and hearts are light,
And not a shadow lurks in sight,
We do not know it, but there lies
Somewhere veiled under evening skies
A garden which we all must see--
The garden of Gethsemane.
With joyous steps we go our ways,
Love lends a halo to our days;
Light sorrows sail like clouds afar,
We laugh and say how strong we are,
We hurry on, and hurrying, go
Close to the border-land of woe,
That waits for you, and waits for me--
Forever waits Gethsemane.
Down shadowy lanes, across strange streams,
Bridged over by our broken dreams;
Behind the misty caps of years,
Beyond the great salt fount of tears,
The garden lies. Strive as you may,
You cannot miss it in your way.
All paths that have been, or shall be,
Pass somewhere through Gethsemane
All those who journey, soon or late,
Must pass within the garden gate;
Must kneel alone in darkness there,
And battle with some fierce despair.
God pity those who cannot say,
Not mine but thine, who only pray,
Let this cup pass, and cannot see
The purpose in Gethesemane.
--Ella Wheeler
P.S. I typed that from memory, but had to look at it find out where all the punctuation correctly belonged.
