Prayer is an important part of developing faith.

In addition, they kept the poor out of the church. Wealth was, in their minds, proof of their specialness, proof that they had been chosen and all others were doomed. Alma, encountering these poor, realized they had been humbled through their trials and longed to be allowed to worship. He decided not to bother with the arrogant wealthy people and instead to preach to the poor.

In this sermon, he gave one of the greatest sermons on faith ever written. The people were upset about being kept out of the temple because they believed this meant they were unable to worship God. Alma assured them you don’t have to be in a church building to worship. Worship was not a once a week event, but a way of life.

Alma explained that signs were not the way to gain faith, because if you know something you don’t need faith and faith is important. “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 (Alma 32:21).”

He then points out something many people did not understand, which is that God doesn’t just give His knowledge and wisdom to men, but He also gives it to women. Even young children can receive a testimony of faith.

Alma challenged his listeners to try an experiment: Do the things Alma asks and see what happens. This is one way to gain faith of something. He assured them that if they could do no more than want to believe it would be enough to get them started on the path to a testimony.

28 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 to me.

Alma is telling them how to take the first small steps to a testimony of Jesus Christ, in whom the Zoramites did not believe. He told them that their desire for a testimony was like a seed they could plant in their hearts. If they nurtured that seed, they would begin to feel something special, a swelling in their hearts that would enlarge their souls and lead them to understand more about the Savior. This will tell them they have planted a good seed.

However, this is only a first step. If that seed were to grow to the size of a tree, they would need to nurture it. A neglected tree will not grow properly. How do you nurture a brand new faith?

Alma began by reminding them they do not need to be inside a church building to worship. Even if they were barred from the church, they could worship on their own elsewhere. They should also not squeeze all their worship into a single day. Worshipping God should be a part of everyday life.

Next he talked to them of Jesus Christ. He reminded them the scriptures testified of Jesus and if they read and believed those scriptures, they also had to believe in Jesus Christ, their Savior. He assured them if they made true worship a part of their lives and developed their testimonies of Jesus, their newly beginning seed of faith would develop into a tree.

This sermon applies to us today, as well. We can take a mere desire to know what is true and turn it into a testimony the size of a tree. First, as Alma taught, we have to want to know what is true and to be prepared to accept it even if we don’t like the answer. We must be willing to put God’s truth and His will before our own. The greater our faith, the easier this will be.

Once we have a desire for faith, we can begin to develop knowledge. The poor people of the Zoramites stopped their work and listened as Alma and his companions taught the gospel. Those of us today who want to know what is true need to study the Bible and the Book of Mormon to find out what they really say, not just what others have told us they say.

A person wanting to know if the Mormons have the truth will read this book with a sincere desire to know God’s will. He will pray prior to his study each day and will pray again afterwards—and even in the middle as needed. He will tell God what he thinks and ask God to confirm it for him. A swelling in the heart of peace and joy comes from God. Satan cannot bring true peace or joy. He can only give us a worldly sense of pleasure.

This process can take time, moving from study to prayer and back to study. For some, it is the process of an hour. For others it can take months or even a year or two. The speed of our confirmation from God has nothing to do with our worthiness or how much God loves us. It is simply that God has a timetable for each of us and the process of slowly gaining a testimony can actually be very beneficial.

Our responsibility is to learn the gospel and to experiment by trying to live it the best we can. In that way, we can find out if it enlarges our soul, as Alma put it. If it does, and if God confirms to our heart that we are doing good, we will know what we need to do. But when we ask God to tell us what is true, we must be prepared to act on the answer, even if it’s hard. The answer may not be what we hoped for, but doing what God asked us to do is our responsibility.

There is a great joy that comes from knowing we are following in God’s ways, even when it’s hard. The blessings are eternal, while the sacrifices are only temporal and not worth grieving over.

Experiment on the word. You might be surprised to find out what happens.

Too many of our young men and women are succumbing to the pressures imposed by a world saturated with evil messages and immoral behavior. Lucifer is waging a vicious war for the souls of young and old alike, and the casualty count is climbing. The standards of the world have shifted like the sands of a windblown desert. That which was once unheard of or unacceptable is now commonplace. The world’s perspective has been so dramatically altered that those who choose to adhere to traditional standards of morality are viewed as strange, almost as though they must justify their desire to keep the commandments of God.

But one thing is certain: the commandments have not changed. Let there be no mistake about that. Right is still right. Wrong is still wrong, no matter how cleverly cloaked in respectability or political correctness. We believe in chastity before marriage and fidelity ever after. That standard is an absolute standard of truth. It is neither subject to public opinion polls nor dependent upon situation or circumstance. There is no need to debate it or other gospel standards. (See M. Russell Ballard, “Like a Flame Unquenchable,” Ensign, May 1999, 85.)

People often think they’re modern and sophisticated when they ignore traditional values. However, ignoring God’s commandments always comes with consequences. Children grow up without the benefits of both a mother and a father. Poverty sometimes results, although poverty can, of course, happen to those who live righteously as well. Some diseases are passed only through immorality. Immoral choices tear apart families through pornography or infidelity.

Sheri L. Dew, a former leader of the Mormon Relief Society and now the head of a major religious publishing company said, “Several years ago, I participated in an international policy forum where the discussion moved from prostitution to pornography to abortion and so on. When the moderator invited me to comment, I noted that it seemed impossible not to notice a common theme—that every thorny issue had immoral underpinnings.” (See Sheri L. Dew: The Power of Virtue.)

Relative morality is a dangerous thing. We alter morality to suit the standards chosen by television and movies, rock stars, and political action groups. We let popular culture decide what is right, and yet popular culture has no authority, no long-range vision, and sometimes no responsibility for the consequences of the course they choose. They seldom care about the consequences…they’re just after the attention and influence. Consequences aren’t their problem. Too often people with influence say, “I just tell people what I think. What they do with it and what happens as a result isn’t my problem.” But, of course, it is.

There comes a time of reckoning for everyone. No one lives forever in a mortal state. Eventually we all die and stand before God to account for the choices we made, the influence we had over others, and the consequences of our actions. God made commandments and He didn’t make them for entertainment value. He meant them to be kept.

Jesus spoke firmly to the Pharisees about their habit of altering the gospel to suit current fads or personal “freedom.”

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

  7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

  8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

  9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition (Mark 7:6-9, King James Bible)

Jesus understood the danger of constantly changing moral standards, based on nothing but personal opinions of people. Only in a world that consistently follows certain essential principles of morality are people truly safe from dangerous fads and whims. It’s easy to say, “But these are modern times and this is how we do things.” By the time we understand the dangers of that fad, it is usually too late.

As an example, using a non-moral issue, a number of years ago a state decided to mandate a method of teaching reading using the force of law. Teachers, who had far more experience than lawmakers, protested loudly that it would not work, and yet the decision was made by people with no real understanding of the process of teaching reading or the consequences of their decision. They only knew this was an “exciting” new fad, modern and popular. They jumped on the bandwagon of popular opinion. Four or five years later, they admitted the method was a complete failure and that thousands of children could not read as a result. Much of an entire generation suffered because lawmakers were more interested in being modern and popular than in worrying about the well-being of the children they were responsible for. They admitted their mistake, but they could not undo the damage caused by their irresponsible passion for fads. The children who could read were largely taught at home using methods that had long been proven worthy.

In the same way, many people today are making decisions about right and wrong without the eternal knowledge or authority to do so. By the time they see the dangers of their decisions and the damage it has caused those under their influence, it will be too late. They can apologize, but they may not be able to undo the damage caused by their choices.

We need not compromise. We must not compromise. The candle that the Lord has lighted in this dispensation can become as a light unto the whole world, and others seeing our good works can be led to glorify our Father in Heaven and emulate in their own lives the examples they have observed in ours.

Beginning with you and me, there can be an entire people who, by the virtue of our lives in our homes, in our vocations, even in our amusements, can become as a city upon a hill to which men may look and learn, and an ensign to the nations from which the people of the earth may gather strength,” (Gordon B. Hinckley, A City upon a Hill,” Ensign, Jul 1990, 2.)

Jusus' atonement was for us personally.

This article contains many quotes from religious leaders and scriptures. Following the links in the credits will take you to the complete reference, where you can learn more on this eternally significant topic.

The atonement was made for everyone, but perhaps most importantly, it was made for you personally. If only one person had needed the atonement, Jesus Christ would have accepted that responsibility. The sins he took on were not consolidated. He experienced every sin individually, and so the atonement was for you because Jesus loves you that much.

“His Atonement does indeed cover the world and all people from the beginning to the end. Let us not forget, however, that in its comprehensiveness and completeness it is also intensely personal and uniquely crafted to fit perfectly and address perfectly each of our own individual circumstances. The Father and the Son know each of us better than we know ourselves and have prepared an Atonement for us that is fully congruent with our needs, challenges, and possibilities,” (Cecil O. Samuelson Jr., “What Does the Atonement Mean to You?,” Liahona, Apr 2009, 14–19.)

No one could force Jesus into the Garden or onto the cross. The atonement worked only because it was a voluntary sacrifice. No one will ever give you a greater gift than Jesus gave you, and He gave it for no other reason than because He loves you. Do you believe you are that loveable? When we comprehend how much we’re loved by Jesus Christ and God, who know us better than anyone else—they know all our faults and weaknesses and they still love us that much—we can finally begin to understand we really are special. We are children of God and have a divine parentage. If They, being perfect and knowing everything, know we’re that important, we must be important and special. God is never wrong.

To take advantage of the full measure of the atonement of Jesus Christ we have to continually learn and grow, and that growing process will inevitably mean we’ll make mistakes. Because of the atonement, we can repent and return to full standing in God’s eyes. He never stops loving us, no matter how terribly we behave, but like any loving parent, He expects us to make amends for those sins.

For most of us though, the hardest part of true repentance is forgiving ourselves.

“It has always struck me as being sad that those among us who would not think of reprimanding our neighbor, much less a total stranger, for mistakes that have been made or weaknesses that might be evident, will nevertheless be cruel and unforgiving to themselves. When the scriptures say to judge righteously, that means with fairness and compassion and charity. That’s how we must judge ourselves. We need to be patient and forgiving of ourselves, just as we must be patient and forgiving of others.” (The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams (1997), 34.)

I believe it’s when we start to understand how special we are, that we really are children of God, that we’re able to forgive ourselves. When we love someone we don’t focus on the bad things; we focus on the good and lovingly overlook the faults or forgive the ones we can’t overlook. We need to be as kind to ourselves as we are to others.

D. Chad Richardson, a Mormon leader, said, “We must keep sin in its proper perspective. Satan would convince us that we are defined by our sins. He would have had the repentant W. W. Phelps see himself always as a traitor. He would convince someone who has stolen that he is and always will be a thief.

The Savior, in contrast, would have us understand that we have sins that need to be cleansed, but we are much more than those stains. If I spill ketchup on my shirt, I have a stain. Perhaps it is right in front where everyone can see it. But while I have a stain, I am not the stain. I need to recognize that there is a good deal of my shirt that is clean and white. I believe that God sees the white shirt—the goodness in His children—and offers, through Christ, to remove the stains. If we obsess about the stain, however, it will become who we are in our minds and then in our actions.”

It’s seemingly natural to focus on what is wrong when we do a self-evaluation. What would be different if we focused on what was right? When I was on the speech team in college, we were required, during class presentations, to critique our teammates by first explaining what they did well. We could never give more negatives than we gave positives. No matter how badly we did during practices, we had always done something right. We learned to find it in our teammates and to find it in ourselves, since we were often asked to evaluate ourselves as well.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a Mormon apostle, was a pilot prior to his church service. He explains that pilots learn that when making very long flights, particularly across oceans, there is a spot called “the point of safe return.” This is the last spot you can safely turn around and go back to where you started without running out of fuel. Beyond that spot is the “point of no return.” President Uchtdorf explains, “Satan wants us to think that when we have sinned we have gone past a “point of no return”—that it is too late to change our course. In our beautiful but also troubled world, it is a sad reality that this attitude is the source of great sorrow, grief, and distress to families, marriages, and individual lives.

Satan tries to counterfeit the work of God, and by doing this he may deceive many. To make us lose hope, feel miserable like himself, and believe that we are beyond forgiveness, Satan might even misuse words from the scriptures that emphasize the justice of God, in order to imply that there is no mercy “ (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Point of Safe Return,” Ensign, May 2007, 99–101.)

President Uchtdorf assures us this is a lie. Jesus’ atonement was perfect and it was big enough and loving enough to cover us. There is no point of no return in God’s plan. He then tells us we can know for ourselves we’ve been forgiven:

“Once we have truly repented, Christ will take away the burden of guilt for our sins. We can know for ourselves that we have been forgiven and made clean. The Holy Ghost will verify this to us; He is the Sanctifier. No other testimony of forgiveness can be greater….

And He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)….

And He declared, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42).

Satan will try to make us believe that our sins are not forgiven because we can remember them. Satan is a liar; he tries to blur our vision and lead us away from the path of repentance and forgiveness. God did not promise that we would not remember our sins. Remembering will help us avoid making the same mistakes again. But if we stay true and faithful, the memory of our sins will be softened over time. This will be part of the needed healing and sanctification process. Alma testified that after he cried out to Jesus for mercy, he could still remember his sins, but the memory of his sins no longer distressed and tortured him, because he knew he had been forgiven (see Alma 36:17–19).

It is our responsibility to avoid anything that would bring back old sinful memories. When we continue to have a “broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 12:19), we may trust that God will “remember [our sins] no more.””

We have an obligation to learn to trust God and to trust the Savior. They gave us this gift and we must choose to accept it. Once we’ve made that choice, the fullness of the gift is ours and this is the only way we can be healed from the pains of our past mistakes.

How can we do this? We must get to know God and Jesus in a very personal way. We do this by reading their words, praying, listening with our hearts after we pray, and doing what He’s asked us to do. When we hear religious teachings, we must ask God to tell us if they are true, and then trust His answers to our hearts. To find complete peace, we have to know what God wants us to know and we must invite Him to help us partake of all the gifts He is offering us.

The Atonement is Personal

Atonement is a gift of love. Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, said, “But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love, (2 Nephi 1:15) Doesn’t that scripture help you understand the extraordinary gift of atonement? Picturing ourselves encircled in the arms of Jesus’ love is what the atonement does for us, and it’s why the atonement was done at all.

With the atonement and resurrection, we became recipients of God’s grace. The concept of grace is one many people have difficulty comprehending. Jeffrey R. Holland explains it this way:

“Some gifts coming from the Atonement are universal, infinite, and unconditional. These include His ransom for Adam’s original transgression so that no member of the human family is held responsible for that sin. Another universal gift is the Resurrection from the dead of every man, woman, and child who lives, has ever lived, or ever will live on earth.

“Other aspects of Christ’s atoning gift are conditional. They depend on one’s diligence in keeping God’s commandments. For example, while all members of the human family are freely given a reprieve from Adam’s sin through no effort of their own, they are not given a reprieve from their own sins unless they pledge faith in Christ, repent of those sins, are baptized in His name, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and confirmation into Christ’s Church, and press forward in faithful endurance the remainder of life’s journey….Furthermore, although the Resurrection of the body is a free and universal gift from Christ, a result of His victory over death, the nature of the resurrected body (or “degree of glory” given it), as well as the time of one’s Resurrection, is affected directly by one’s faithfulness in this life. The Apostle Paul made clear, for example, that those fully committed to Christ will “rise first” in the Resurrection…

“Of course neither the unconditional nor the conditional blessings of the Atonement are available except through the grace of Christ. Obviously the unconditional blessings of the Atonement are unearned, but the conditional ones are not fully merited either. By living faithfully and keeping the commandments of God, one can receive additional privileges; but they are still given freely, not technically earned” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Mar 2008, 32–38.)

Atonement is often described as at-one-ment. It means to reunite, or make one again, that which was separated or estranged. Because Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden, sin came into the world. This made humans sinful, but God has promised we will never be punished for any sins but our own. The atonement made that possible. It took away any inherited sin and left us responsible only for what we personally chose to do and could control.

Little children who die are not responsible for the mistakes they’ve made, nor, of course, would it be right for God to punish them for sins committed before they were born. If a child died before he could choose to be baptized, would a loving God punish him? No, of course not. Nor are we responsible for any sin we committed without knowing it was wrong. When we’re baptized, those past transgressions are washed away and we’re reunited with God.

Of course, we can’t be re-baptized every day, and most of us make at least small mistakes every day. Because of the atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins. The process of repentance makes it as though we were baptized once again. The mistakes of the past are washed away and God forgets about them.

“When we sin, we turn away from God. When we repent, we turn back toward God.

The invitation to repent is rarely a voice of chastisement but rather a loving appeal to turn around and to “re-turn” toward God. It is the beckoning of a loving Father and His Only Begotten Son to be more than we are, to reach up to a higher way of life, to change, and to feel the happiness of keeping the commandments. Being disciples of Christ, we rejoice in the blessing of repenting and the joy of being forgiven. They become part of us, shaping the way we think and feel.” (Neil L. Andersen, “‘Repent … That I May Heal You’,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 40–43

Repentance is not easy, but it is possible, and it is an extraordinary gift. When we go through the process sincerely, we are forgiven of our sins and can move on with the business of becoming more Christ-like. The steps of repentance are these:

Recognition of sin: We can’t repent until we know we’ve done something wrong and until we’ve accepted that our actions were improper. Many people try to rationalize their sins and to convince themselves and others they’ve done nothing wrong. Wishing doesn’t make it so, and repentance can’t begin until we admit to ourselves we’ve sinned.

Sorrow for sin: Repentance cannot be a rote act. “Oops, messed up again. Off to repent.” Along with recognition of our sin we have to have real, heart-wrenching sadness that we’ve done something wrong. When we understand how much God loves us, how desperately He wants us to return home, and how much the Savior longs for us to accept the gift of atonement, we can begin to be heartbroken at knowing what we’ve done wrong. When this happens, repentance will be sincere.

Confession: We’re required to confess our sins. The nature of the confession depends on the type of sin. If we’ve hurt another person, we need to confess to that person if it’s at all possible to do so. A child would be required to confess to his parents, who are responsible for his progress. Some very serious sins require confession to our ecclesiastical leader, which for Mormons is their bishop (similar to a pastor.) Mormons go to their bishops when they’ve committed sexual sins, sins involving criminal behavior, and other very serious sins. The bishop then helps them take the steps required to repent of these more complicated sins. If a crime has been committed, the person needs to confess to legal authorities. And of course, every sin must be confessed to God.

Restitution: We need to pay a price for our sins. If at all possible, and to the extent possible, we need to pay for the damage we’ve caused. This might mean paying to repair a broken window, apologizing to and perhaps serving someone we’ve hurt, or accepting legal consequences for actions.

Abandon the Sin: Our goal is to stop committing the sin. Sometimes this takes time and repeated repentance, but when we’re sincere in our efforts to live more closely to God’s teachings, in time, we can abandon any sin. We can’t decide we can sin all we want because we can always repent. We must long desperately to change our lives and our hearts.

These steps are not done quickly or easily. They are often a daily process of making gradual improvements. We shouldn’t delay our repentance, but God will be patient with us while we continue to work through the steps.

The next step, however, is the most complicated, and deserves its own article. In the next article, we will learn how to accept the greatest gift of repentance—God’s love—and to forgive ourselves and move on. We’ll learn how the atonement can help us face any trial in our lives.

This video is an extraordinary reminder of the Savior’s final week on earth and our responsibility to never let the Savior walk alone again.

Wisdom comes from

Today, we see that many people confuse the concepts of education and wisdom. No matter how many years of schooling a person might have, there is no guarantee he will also have gained wisdom, or even truth, as Paul told Timothy.

Wisdom isn’t book learning or classroom learning. It comes from the Holy Ghost, sometimes also known as the Holy Spirit. It’s more than memorizing a list of facts, especially facts that might change as scientists, historians, or philosophers come up with new research or new ideas. True wisdom is the ability to recognize among the millions of pieces of information a person is given those things that are eternal truths, and to be able to apply those truths to make eternally correct choices. This comes not just from books and teachers, but from many hours of prayer. It is the result of having learned to recognize how the Spirit of God communicates with you and having the unselfishness and self-control to honor those communications, even when it’s hard or unpopular.

But most people today don’t give a lot of thought to wisdom, or, when they’re looking for it, they fall into the trap of confusing education and wisdom. They search the bestsellers of the well-educated of the world instead of the writings of God and His prophets. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet mourns, “O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

“But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.” (2 Ne. 9:28–29.)

These verses tell us that there is nothing wrong with getting an education in secular things—in fact, Mormon beliefs include strong support for education—but that it must be measured against the teachings of God.

For instance, a science class might discuss how and when the earth was created, but never at all cover who created it or why. The textbooks were not written to answer who or why and the Bible was not created to answer how and when. The Bible is not a textbook on how to create an earth, which is why it does not matter that Genesis chapters one and two tell the creation story differently, and place events in a different order.

A wise scholar will take what is learned in school, measure it against the teachings of God, and come up with a more complete answer than they could gain from either the Bible or the textbook. Each book has its own purpose and while the purpose of the Bible’s version is far more important, each can contain useful knowledge. However, the textbook is completely useless from an eternal standpoint without the Bible’s additions to the body of knowledge, while the Bible can stand alone if need be.

The textbooks and other works of secular learning generally only focus on what we need to know to live on this earth during this lifetime, or what will help future generations live here. The Bible and other scriptures, however, are focused on both this life and our eternal lives. They contain the essential information we need to live as Christians and to return to God for eternity.

While Mormons fully support secular education when it is respectful of religious education, they caution members to take worldly knowledge as interesting information and not to give it priority over eternal information. Sometimes the secular and spiritual teachings will conflict. A person who has the gift of wisdom will turn to God for resolution in those areas that impact eternal life. It really makes no difference to our eternal salvation how many modern days it took to create the earth, but it matters completely who created the earth and why. Mormons focus on those things that impact eternity and leave the rest to history and science. While some Mormon prophets have held and even expressed opinions on these secular aspects, they are not canonized—made an official part of the eternal religion. The canonized teachings fall under the category of wisdom.

How do we gain wisdom? Study is part of the process, of course. It’s important to study scripture and learn what God’s prophets from the time of Adam to the present have taught, and to pay special attention to the words of Jesus Christ, even though we only have them as remembered and recorded by others, and translated many times.

Prayer is also a critical part of gaining the gift of wisdom. If we want to be wise, we need to ask God to help us develop that gift. Then we need to pray often, taking care not to leap up and rush off when we’re done talking. Just as it’s rude to do all the talking when you’re conversing with an earthly friend, it is not proper or profitable to do all the talking when talking to God. You need to be still and listen with your heart so He can answer you.

Not all prayers will be of the type that can be answered with immediate action. “I need enough money to pay the rent.” Some require the ability to feel the Holy Ghost “whispering” in our hearts. “Heavenly Father, my heart is broken today. I need comfort.” “I need to know which church to join.” “I need to know how to handle my daughter.”

For these, we have to have true wisdom. The Holy Ghost won’t send us a letter and will seldom speak in a true voice. Instead, we might have thoughts come into our minds or feelings of peace come into our hearts. God might lead us to someone who has the answer, but we must then be able to recognize the source of that action. If we’re close to God and have worked to know what the Holy Ghost feels like when He’s nearby, we will recognize truth when we encounter it.

Recognizing and applying truth is what wisdom is all about.

When Jesus was asked why He had been able to cast out devils from a child when His disciples had not, He answered, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you  (Matthew 17:20, King James Translation of the Bible.)

Another time His apostles asked Him to strengthen their faith for them. He responded, “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you” (Luke 17:6, King James translation of the Bible.)

If faith the size of a mustard seed could lead to those kinds of miracles, imagine what you could do with faith even half that size. In the Book of Mormon, we’re taught that even a longing for faith is enough to start the process of learning to trust God.

Although many of us struggle with faith, it is often because we’re thinking we need so much more to start the process than we really do. Of course, we want to continually work to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, but we only need desire to get started.

Faith means to believe in something we can’t prove scientifically. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1.)

Although most of us hope for a great many things, God and Jesus are the only certainties. Everything else can be altered or lost. For that reason, our journey for faith has to start with God and Jesus.

When we read the scripture above, Paul’s great sermon on faith found in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews we can find examples of people whose lives are recorded in the scriptures and who demonstrated faith. One way to start our journey is by studying those lives and the lives of others who have shown great faith in their own lives. As you read, ask why God wanted that story in the Bible and how you could apply the lessons of faith learned in your own life.

The Bible offers several different pieces of advice on gaining faith. Paul taught the Romans, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This means we need to learn more about God and Jesus in order to begin developing faith. This can come by reading the Bible, praying, pondering, and studying good material on the subject. When gathering material from sources other than the direct word of God, it’s important to pray to know whether or not what you are reading is true.

Learn how to pray.

James taught us that another step is obedience to the laws of God. He reminded us of Abraham, who was willing, if necessary, to sacrifice his only son simply because God asked him to. James said that Abraham’s faith was perfected through his works or actions. This means our beginning faith can grow when we live the teachings of Jesus Christ. Works are not what save us, but they are the manifestation of our faith. “Faith without works is dead,” taught James. He reminded the early Christians that Satan himself believes in God—has faith—but of course, Satan refuses to obey the laws of God, and therefore, cannot be saved. (See James 2 in the New Testament.) Neither faith nor works alone is enough. Faith brings with it a longing to live the commandments. The greater our faith, the easier it becomes to obey God, because we trust Him and we believe that by obeying God, the rewards will be far better than the sacrifices. James uses as an example a poor person approaching and asking for food and clothing. Preaching a sermon is not enough. We must follow up the teaching of our faith by helping that person physically. Our actions will flow naturally from our faith because we know God taught us the responsibilities to the poor, and out of love for Him and for the child of God who is in need, we obey.

Kevin W. Pearson summed up the stages of faith a person will go through as he sets a goal to develop faith:

“Desire is a particle of faith that develops within us as we experience divine truth. It is like spiritual photosynthesis. The influence of the Holy Ghost, acting on the Light of Christ within every human being, produces the spiritual equivalent of a chemical reaction—a stirring, a change of heart, or a desire to know. Hope develops as particles of faith become molecules and as simple efforts to live true principles occur.

As patterns of obedience develop, the specific blessings associated with obedience are realized and belief emerges. Desire, hope, and belief are forms of faith, but faith as a principle of power comes from a consistent pattern of obedient behavior and attitudes. Personal righteousness is a choice. Faith is a gift from God, and one possessed of it can receive enormous spiritual power” (Kevin W. Pearson, “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 2009, 38–40.)

It’s often said that fear and faith can’t exist in the same place. When we find ourselves afraid, it is due to a weak spot in our faith.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid,” Jesus told His followers shortly before leaving them. He often asked them not to be afraid, but they often found this harder than they expected. In Matthew 14, Peter wanted to walk on water after seeing Jesus doing it. He thought he had the faith to do that, and he had enough to step out of the boat and into the water. It was a starting faith. However, the wind picked up and Peter let his faith blow away with it. He panicked and called to Jesus for help. Jesus gently rebuked him, reminding him that he needed to strengthen his faith.

Although Jesus said we didn’t have to be afraid, we can choose to be afraid. Fear—lack of faith—is a choice. Naturally, everyone has times when he is afraid and it’s simply hard to hold on to the faith we normally have, particularly when the wind is blowing hard while we’re trying to walk on fragile water. These times are signals to us to increase our faith through prayer, scripture study, conversations with those who have faith, and obedience to the commandments. The more often we simply let God show us the way, instead of trying to take charge of our lives ourselves, the easier faith will become. We will see the good results that come—not always instantly, but eventually—of trusting God and our faith will grow.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will (1 Corinthians 12 in the King James version of the Bible).

Each of us is given different gifts, depending on what God feels we need. However, we can pray and ask God to give us other gifts, if our desire is based on worthy goals of serving Him, and not on personal ego.

These gifts come to us through the Holy Ghost and most are bestowed on baptism. However, some gifts are with us before then, allowing us to find God and truth. They are given only for spiritual purposes and we must never use them for personal gain. They aren’t to be used to garner admiration or financial gain, or to harm others. Instead, they’re used to build God’s kingdom and to improve our faith in God.

The Bible and other scriptures refer to a number of these gifts. The verses above give us some of them. Other gifts include the gift of tongues, the interpretation of tongues, the gift of translation, wisdom, knowledge, teaching wisdom and knowledge, knowing that Jesus is the Christ, believing the testimonies of others, prophecy, healing, working miracles, and faith.

Once given a gift, we have a responsibility to magnify the gift. The parable of the talents teaches us that when we’re given something, we must not just selfishly guard it, but make it more than it was. After praying to learn which gifts we have, and praying for any additional gifts we long to have to improve our ability to serve God, we need to study the Bible and other scriptures to learn what God says about each of these gifts. Then we need to use them to serve God. We can’t hide them away or we’ll lose them. As we use these gifts, our gifts will grow and we’ll be better able to serve God and to live a Christ-like life.

We have to be extremely careful in the use of gifts. Satan can imitate these gifts. The imitations are pale in comparison to the real thing, but they can deceive those who aren’t careful. For instance, fortune telling can be mistaken for prophecy. However, we can discern the difference by looking at how these gifts are used. A fortune teller might claim to foretell something that will happen to movie stars, or offer other spiritually meaningless promises, rather than the teachings of God. If someone who claims to be a prophet requires you to pay him before he will give you what he claims is God’s message, he is misusing any gift he might have. The best way to know who really has a spiritual gift, or to know if you have the gift yourself, is to pray and ask God.

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 (James 1:5, King James version of the Bible).

Spiritual gifts are sacred and must be treated that way. Over the next few weeks, we will examine some of the gifts God offers His children and discuss ways to treat them sacredly.

To make Bible study more meaningful, you need to slow down. If you’ve committed to reading ten chapters a day, you may want to consider either reducing the number of Bible chapters you’re reading each day or set a time goal instead of a chapter goal. This way, if you read a single verse and spend fifteen minutes pondering what it means to you, it won’t throw you off schedule and ruin your need for productivity. You can read as slowly as you’d like and allow yourself time to use your reading to increase your knowledge of the Bible, God, and Jesus Christ.

Next, create a plan for getting yourself to slow down and ponder as you read. Begin each session with a prayer to help you have the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) with you as you’re reading. Then put a few tools nearby to assist you with your reading.

One useful tool to have handy is a colored pencil for marking your Bible. Some people use multiple colors and a system of marking certain types of scriptures in different colors. This is useful for future study, but can cause you to focus more on the method and less on what you’re reading. The best systems are always simple. If you long for a color-coded study Bible, consider having a second one for that purpose. At a time other than your Bible study, go through your personal Bible, note all the marked scriptures, and also mark them in your color-coded Bible.

You will also want something with which to write. Put notes in the margins to remind you of thoughts you had, meanings you’ve applied to the verses, or explanations you’ve found as you study.

You may have more notes than fit into the small margins of most Bibles. A scripture journal can give you expanded room for your thoughts and ideas and force you to slow down and ponder. Purchase or make a journal, or keep one online (but print it periodically) and, as you read, stop to write your thoughts or inspirations. What does that verse or story mean to you? What can you learn from it that will help you in your own life? How can you change your life based on what you read? This record will be a valuable tool for you in the future, and can also be a way to help your children understand your faith process when they’re old enough to read it. (If your thoughts are too personal, you may want to type an edited version to save for your family.)

Take time to make the people in the stories come to life. They were real people (except in the parables, of course) and had complete lives that went on before and after the stories we have preserved. How do you think they felt about the things that happened? What kinds of people were they? How do you think the events recorded impacted their lives? Don’t just focus on the main characters. Sometimes there are great lessons to be learned from the minor characters as well.

Each day, when you finish your reading, stop and spend several minutes just thinking about what you read. Decide what you’ve learned and what you’re going to do about it. This is called pondering. Pondering is an essential part of your scripture reading.

You may find commentaries helpful in giving you more background or new ideas, but don’t let them do all your thinking for you. Sometimes, just read without the aid of a commentary. Let the Holy Ghost tell you what you need to know, instead of just accepting someone else’s interpretation.

Reading alone is important, because it allows you to ponder and to focus your reading entirely on what you need to learn. However, it can be helpful to also read the Bible with others. You don’t have to be in the same place in your group reads as you do in your private reading. Read with your children each day and encourage them to talk about what they’ve read. Children, even very young ones, often have amazing insights into the Bible. You’ll find you look at the stories and the people in all new ways after you’ve listened to a child’s opinion of them. You might also read with your spouse, as a way of finding what is in the Bible that can help you as a couple.

Try reading the Bible in several different ways. Sometimes read it straight through, as it was published. Other times, read it chronologically. (The New Testament is not published in the order experts believe it was written.) Still more often, read it by topic.

To read the Bible topically, choose a topic you want to know more about or that you feel you need to focus more on in your life. For instance, you might be thinking a lot about truth, faith, or service lately. Using a good topical guide to help you find those scriptures. Read each one, noting them in your study journal, and add your thoughts about them. Cross-reference those you feel add more insight into the other scriptures on the subject. Reading the Bible this way is a whole different experience than reading chronologically, because you’ll get a more complete picture of God’s teachings on a given subject. If you write out each scripture on the topic, along with your thoughts, you’ll begin to see the topics you’re studying in new ways. It will force you to think of them differently when you put all the verses together, instead of encountering them in pieces during chronological study.

Read both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Both parts make up the complete Bible and although the Old Testament is harder reading, there are great riches of understanding to be found there.

God gave us the Bible for a reason. He meant us to love it, study it, and apply it. Make the very best use of His gift you possibly can by increasing the power of your Bible study.

One of the purposes of mortal life is to prove to God that we will keep His commandments when that takes courage (Henry B. Eyring, “Moral Courage,” Liahona, Mar 2010, 4–7).

An important aspect of Mormon beliefs is that one purpose of our life on earth is to be tested. Passing the test requires moral courage, because if it were easy, the test would be meaningless.

Before we were born, we lived as spirits with God. We didn’t have bodies, limiting our experiences and temptations, but we had our personalities. We were shaped by our experiences, our learning, and our choices, just as we are here. However, because God was there, in our presence, for many of us, the choices seemed easier.

Even with that reassurance, the ability to know exactly what God wanted from us, some people were not willing to trust Him or themselves. When He told us we were going to be sent away from home for a while to continue our eternal progression, some were not excited by the prospect. We were told we might fail and, if we rejected God and His teachings, we would not be allowed to return to His presence, although we would be saved by grace, meaning we would be resurrected and live forever. For most people, everlasting life, even if we could not be with God, would still be a happy experience.

Knowing some people were unwilling to take that risk, Lucifer tried to convince the people to reject God’s plan. He told them if they chose him to be their savior, he would guarantee they’d all make it back home. Of course, the only way to do this was to control their every action and thought, ensuring they’d never have an opportunity to sin. There was no other way, because God’s laws could not be altered. One third of all the spirits chose him as their leader. The remainder chose Jesus Christ as their Savior, who volunteered Himself as our Savior, but He committed Himself to follow God’s plan exactly. Unlike Satan, He was willing to suffer and die for us, so we would have the ability to repent of our sins and break the bonds of death. The third that followed Satan were cast out of Heaven and were denied the right to come to earth and to partake of the Atonement. They’ve since devoted their lives to trying to make us as miserable as they are.

The rest of us began taking our turns on Earth, gaining families, bodies, trials, and blessings. Every day, most of us face choices that have eternal consequences. We hear teachings about God and have to decide which ones are correct and which are false. We face ridicule for trying to live the commandments or for encouraging others to do so. If we obey the commandments we’re considered foolish.

For those who put the teachings of Jesus Christ first, however, it is worth the sacrifice, worth the mocking, the judgment, and the inability of others to understand.

There is a story in the Book of Mormon about a prophet named Lehi. He had a vision in which he viewed a tree that represented God’s love. Those who partook of the fruit experienced great joy. Some who followed the path to that tree ate the fruit, but then looked around to see how others viewed their choice. In the air, nearby, was a spacious building filled with elegant, well-dressed people who were busy making fun of those who were working so hard to reach the tree. Those who insisted on monitoring the reactions of others to their choice were humiliated to be the subject of this mockery from people who seemed important, and they rushed away, forfeiting the blessings of their choice. Some even joined the mockers, thinking it made them more important or glamorous.

This story is about moral courage. Those who fled from God because of the mockery lacked moral courage. They were unwilling to do the hard work of being a Christian.

The most effectual way to establish the religion of Heaven is to live it, rather than to die for it: I think I am safe in saying that there are many of the Latter-day Saints who are more willing to die for their religion than to live it faithfully (Brigham Young, quoted in Chapter 11: Choosing to Walk in Obedience,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 71).

Brigham Young understood that dying for your religion takes a moment of courage and no requirement to live on earth with the results of your sacrifices. Instead, you’re immediately in Heaven. But living on earth, day in and day out facing the large and small temptations and trials, sorting through the many voices taunting you to sin or encouraging you to make wise choices, and facing the world everyday with a different lifestyle than others takes far more courage. It’s not the courage of a moment, but the courage of a lifetime.

In his message on moral courage, Henry B. Eyring reminded us we have a great help in getting through our lives with moral courage: the atonement. Through Jesus Christ, we can find the courage to face the moral challenges of mortality. President Eyring reminded us of the following scripture, which contains revelation given to Joseph Smith from God:

And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” (D&C 122:7–8).

Others have encountered a problem with the Church.  This encounter can take several forms: 1) The member has been offended by someone in the local congregation.  Since the Church has a lay priesthood, and everyone serves in temporary callings, the offender might have been in a leadership position.  The person offended blames the Church and estranges himself.  2) The member begins to live in such a way that his/her behavior is against church standards.  This can include drinking or smoking, engaging in gambling or watching pornography, or engaging in sexual sin.  The member has two choices — he can go through a process of repentance and reconcile with the Church; or he can abandon the Church and follow the chosen lifestyle.  If the former member finds fault with the Church, it can give him an excuse to give in to the chosen lifestyle.  3) The member contrives a philosophy that is contrary to Mormon Doctrine.  At this point, nothing happens.  A person can believe whatever he wants and still be a member in full fellowship in the Mormon Church.  But if the person decides that the Church should change to suit him, and he begins to crusade to that effect, he can be excommunicated as an apostate.

The Mormon Church is different than all other churches in that it is led by a prophet of God.  Its doctrines come from Christ through revelation.  So its policies can only be changed by the Lord Himself.  If a member feels that he knows best what doctrine and policy should be, he should find another church or create his own.  Excommunication is meant to be part of the process of repentance, and church leaders are supposed to constantly nurture an excommunicated member towards reconciliation with God and the Church.  But some excommunicated members have no desire for reconciliation.  They would rather go their own way.

At this point, some ExMormons become anti-Mormon.  Much information about the Church that comes from ExMormons is blatantly false and meant to destroy the Church, or at least defame it.  In the time the Prophet Joseph Smith was alive, ExMormons spread vile, false claims that brought bitter persecution against church members, to the extent that many lost property and some lost their lives.  Joseph Smith said this:

“There is a superior intelligence bestowed upon such as obey the Gospel with full purpose of heart, which, if sinned against, the apostate is left naked and destitute of the Spirit of God, and he is, in truth, nigh unto cursing, and his end is to be burned. When once that light which was in them is taken from them they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened, and then, no marvel, if all their power should be enlisted against the truth, and they, Judas-like, seek the destruction of those who were their greatest benefactors” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, p321).

Thus, if a person outside the Church wants information about Mormons, it is best not to seek it from an ExMormon.  The television series Big Love uses an ExMormon as its “expert,” and that is why so many falsehoods are perpetrated on the show.  The biggest is that Mormons practice polygamy.  Mormons do not, and have not since 1890.  Any Mormon attempting to practice polygamy is excommunicated from the Church.  (To read about more errors in the program, click here.)  Anyone wanting information about Mormons and the Mormon Church should inquire of a member in full fellowship.