3
Nephi 1:30
Doubt
Your Doubts
What
30 And
thus were the Lamanites afflicted also, and began to decrease as to
their faith and righteousness, because of the wickedness of
the rising generation.
Why
The young people
fell away and were able to convince others to follow them in their
unbelief.
Pattern
UNBELIEF
See
also Belief,
Believe
Lack
of faith in God and his gospel.
- It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief:1 Ne. 4:13;
- When the time cometh that they dwindle in unbelief, he will cause them to be scattered and smitten:2 Ne. 1:10–11; ( D&C 3:18; )
Christ
Unbelief
means lack of faith and God and his gospel.
Conference
James
E. Faust Second
Counselor in the First Presidency
This
morning I would like to bear a humble testimony to those who have
personal struggles and doubts concerning the divine mission of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of us are at times
like the father who asked the Savior to heal his child with the “dumb
spirit.” The father of the child cried out, “Lord, I believe;
help thou mine unbelief.”1 To
all those with lingering doubts and questions, there are ways to help
your unbelief. In the process of accepting and rejecting information
in the search for light, truth, and knowledge, almost everyone has—at
one time or another—some private questions. That is part of the
learning process.
A
testimony begins with the acceptance by faith of the divine mission
of Jesus Christ, the head of this Church; and the prophet of the
Restoration, Joseph Smith. The gospel as restored by Joseph Smith is
either true or it is not. To receive all of the promised blessings we
must accept the gospel in faith and in full. However, this certain
faith does not usually come all at once. We learn spiritually
line upon line and “If this … work be of men, it will come to
nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it.”11
This
all being true, however, every person must have a spiritual
confirmation by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is more powerful
than all the senses combined. To those who say, “Lord, I believe;
help thou mine unbelief,” may I suggest that “you look forward
with an eye of faith.”12 To
those who do this, the Lord has promised, “I will tell you in your
mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you
and which shall dwell in your heart.”13
precept
upon precept.
...he
gap between what is popular and what is righteous is widening. As
prophesied by Isaiah, many today “call evil good, and good
evil.”18Revelations
from the prophets of God are not like offerings at the cafeteria,
some to be selected and others disregarded. We are greatly indebted
to the Prophet Joseph Smith for the many great revelations which came
through him. He was without peer in restoring spiritual
knowledge.19 There
has been a fulfillment of the revelation given to Joseph Smith in
March 1839:
“The
ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have
thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee;
“While
the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous,
shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from
under thy hand.”20
I
believe that every person’s individual testimony of Jesus as the
Christ comes as a spiritual gift. No one can successfully dispute or
challenge it because it is so personal a gift to the one to whom it
has been given. It will be as an ever-recharging spiritual energizer
to keep our spiritual light running to show us the way to eternal
happiness. But I testify that it can be more—much, much more. By
covenanting with “God to do his will, and to be obedient to his
commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the
remainder of our days,” our “hearts are changed through faith on
[Christ’s] name.” Thus we may be “born of him and … become
his sons and his daughters.”23 I
have a certain knowledge of this, which I declare in the sacred name
of Jesus Christ, amen.OCTOBER 2013 | Come, Join with Us
By
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second
Counselor in the First Presidency
To Those Who Leave
The
search for truth has led millions of people to The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, there are some who leave the
Church they once loved.
Sometimes
we assume it is because they have been offended or lazy or sinful.
Actually, it is not that simple. In fact, there is not just one
reason that applies to the variety of situations.
Some
of our dear members struggle for years with the question whether they
should separate themselves from the Church.
In
this Church that honors personal agency so strongly, that was
restored by a young man who asked questions and sought answers, we
respect those who honestly search for truth. It may break our hearts
when their journey takes them away from the Church we love and the
truth we have found, but we honor their right to worship Almighty God
according to the dictates of their own conscience, just as we claim
that privilege for ourselves.5
There Is Room for You
To
those who have separated themselves from the Church, I say, my dear
friends, there is yet a place for you here.
It’s
natural to have questions—the acorn of honest inquiry has often
sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few
members of the Church who, at one time or another, have not wrestled
with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the
Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith—even in the
sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for
things which are not seen but which are true.7
Therefore,
my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first
doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.8 We
must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the
divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Apply
Choose carefully the path that you will follow. Be consistent in honoring your callings in prayer and temple work. Keep your faith bright through study and actively choosing the right. Bear your testimony to others.
Hymns
254- True To The Faith
Children
96-Faith
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