I am grateful for this opportunity to be with you and pray that the Spirit will be in attendance and so we may all be taught and edified together this afternoon. Today I would like to speak about faith and the importance of a personal testimony. I wish to share with you some of the experiences that have helped me in my life and hope that today you will be able to reflect on some of your own experiences too.
In Hebrews 11:1 it says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Commenting on this scripture, Howard W. Hunter said, "In other words, faith makes us confident of what we hope for and convinced of what we do not see...Those who earnestly seek for God do not see him, but they know of his reality by faith. It is more than hope. Faith makes it a conviction—an evidence of things not seen."[1]
On LDS.org, a testimony is defined as the following:
A testimony is a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves His children; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior's true Church on the earth; and that the Church is led by a living prophet today. With this foundation, a testimony grows to include all principles of the gospel.[2]
Why do we need a testimony?
We live in an interesting time in the world's history. I have observed many changes in the world in my short lifetime. When I was young, families didn't have computers in their homes. There was no such thing as the Internet. We didn't have cell phones; we used phones that were attached to a wall. If we were out with friends and needed to check in with our parents, we used a pay phone. Looking back at my childhood years, it seemed easier to protect our homes from evil influences of the world. Advancements in technology have been amazing. We have so much knowledge available at the touch of our hand. Family history work is much easier to do now with the development of new software programs and apps. We carry super computers in our pockets. We can do so much more to bless more lives using technology. Here at BYU-Idaho, we take education to the world through online degrees. It has also made it much easier for the adversary's influence to enter our lives.
President James E. Faust quoted Brigham Young in his talk "The Shield of Faith," saying, "It was revealed to me in the commencement of this Church, that the Church would spread, prosper, grow and extend, and that in proportion to the spread of the Gospel among the nations of the earth, so would the power of Satan rise."[3]
To illustrate the influence of the adversary, please look at these graphs.
In 1948, 91 percent of the U.S. population identified themselves as being Christian. In a span of 60 years going to 2008, that number dropped 13 points to 78 percent. Between 2008 and 2014, the number of people who identified as being Christian dropped eight points to 70 percent. A significant change for six short years.[4]
In addition, in 1948 two percent of the U.S. population had no religious affiliation. In 60 years that number rose 11 points to 13 percent. Between 2008 and 2014, that number rose 10 points to 23 percent. It took six years to rise almost the same percentage points as it did for the last 60 years.[5]
These two graphs illustrate that the adversary has hastened his attacks to thwart the progression of men and prevent as many as possible from returning back to Heavenly Father's presence.
President Faust taught us, "Now and in the future, vast amounts of information are becoming more accessible worldwide through electronic devices in the home, the workplace, or the local library. However, great will be the challenges and endless the problems, because with this wave of knowledge, life actually becomes more complicated... Never before in the history of the world has the need for faith in God been greater. Although science and technology open up boundless opportunities, they also present great perils because Satan employs these marvelous discoveries to his great advantage."[6]
But the good news is there are more people in the world with the knowledge that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior's true Church on the earth.
The Church membership has grown rapidly too. In 1947 the Church membership reached one million members. Sixty-one years later, in 2008, there were 13 million members, and today there are over 15 and a half million members of the Church worldwide. Also worth mentioning is when I was born there were 13 operating temples in the world. Today there are 150, and more on the way.[7]
Can you see why it is so important for us to have faith and strengthen our testimonies? Our testimonies help us know our Savior Jesus Christ and our purpose for being on earth. Our faith will guide us so we might stay on the strait and narrow path back to our Father in Heaven. Sharing our testimonies will also help others as they seek to know about their purpose in life. When I was single, I made friends with someone who decided to come back to church after many years of inactivity. She struggled with faith and testimony but continued to attend church and meet with our bishop regularly. Eventually she started dating a member of our singles ward but still struggled with her testimony. She wasn't sure what she really believed, and the lure of the world seemed much more attractive than being obedient to the teachings of Jesus Christ. In one fast and testimony meeting, she was sitting on the back row next to her boyfriend, and after several testimonies had been borne, she looked at him and said, "You don't really believe this, do you?" He looked back at her and with all seriousness said, "Yes, yes I do." His short but sincere testimony had affected her. She didn't expect an answer from him with such conviction, but when it came she felt the Spirit and realized she believed too. She took the steps necessary to prepare to enter the temple, and they were sealed in the San Diego Temple.
Her story taught me a beautiful lesson about testimony. When you bear honest, sincere testimony, the Spirit will witness the truth of it. Not only will your testimony grow, but the testimony of those around you will grow. Never be afraid to share your testimony. Some may think living in Rexburg does not allow for many opportunities to share a testimony. When I first started working at BYU-Idaho, I thought the same thing. Everyone I work with is a member of the Church, a stark contrast to when I was the only member of the Church at my office in San Diego. My neighbors are all members. Except for fast and testimony meeting at church, when could I share my testimony? I have since learned that I have opportunities to share my testimony every day. After working here awhile, it didn't take long before I began recognizing that during the many discussions I was having with students, together we were each sharing our testimonies with one another. I was witnessing part of the BYU-Idaho mission statement in action: "Building testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and encouraging living its principles."[8]
How do we gain a personal testimony?
Developing a testimony happens through small and simple steps, line upon line, precept upon precept. Why are we taught every Sunday to read our scriptures and say our prayers? When we participate in these small and simple steps on a daily basis, we invite the Spirit into our lives. The Spirit can then witness to us that God exists, that we are His children, that He loves us and wants us to return back to his presence. Being obedient in these small and simple steps brings about great learning and blessings and a testimony. Our homes are a primary place where we learn gospel principles and doctrines. I was blessed to be taught in a home by righteous parents. My dad is a convert to the Church, and my mom grew up in a less-active home. Together they decided they would do their best to raise their family of five children in the gospel. They taught us to attend church on Sundays and to pray. I have fond memories of family prayer, where we would kneel together in a family circle, holding one another's hands as we prayed. Although we were not always perfect at holding family home evening or daily scripture study, my parents strived to make it a part of our family practice. I am grateful to my parents for striving to be obedient to these teachings, because I gained a testimony through these small and simple steps.
We can strengthen our testimonies through obedience.
I would like to share an experience where my faith and testimony was strengthened through obedience. As a young girl, my mother taught me the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. Her lessons penetrated my heart and helped me develop a testimony of keeping the Sabbath day holy, so recently when more focus was placed on the Sabbath day, I took note. Last summer over the pioneer weekend, we went to visit my sister and her family in Cedar City, Utah. Our short weekend visit would require us to return home on Sunday. On Saturday evening my husband and I made preparations so we could do our best to keep the Sabbath day holy while traveling. We went to the store and purchased food so we wouldn't have to buy any on Sunday. We also went to the gas station and filled up our minivan so we could make the least number of gas stops while traveling.
On Sunday morning we attended sacrament meeting with my sister's family. The theme of sacrament meeting was none other than keeping the Sabbath day holy. I must admit I wrestled with guilt that we were going to travel on the Lord's day; however, during the talks I began to feel peace. I had the impression that Heavenly Father knew the desires of my heart, that I was trying to do my best to keep the Sabbath day holy. After sacrament meeting was over, we said our goodbyes and proceeded to get on the road. In our minivan we have a mileage indicator that tells us how many miles we have left until we reach an empty tank. Sometime after passing Brigham City, Utah, I looked at the mileage indicator, knowing it would be time for us to get gas soon. To my amazement, the mileage indicator stated we still had over 200 miles left until empty, and we only had 180 miles left to Rexburg. It is almost 500 miles from Cedar City to Rexburg. At best—and I mean very best—we can squeeze out 370 miles in one tank. My first thought was our mileage indicator broke. Then I looked at the gas gauge, and there was half a tank of gas left. It was consistent with what the mileage indicator read. Could it be? Did we really have 200 miles left until empty? I was in denial. My husband wasn't sure what to make of it either. As we were coming up on a gas stop, we asked ourselves the question, should we stop or should we keep going? The logical part of me said we'd better stop and gas up, but there was a part of me that had the thought, what if this was a blessing from our desire to keep the Sabbath day holy? We decided to stay on the road. I can't tell you how much faith this took on my part. After we had gone a small distance, I knew we had reached that point where on any normal day our car would have run out of gas. Fear started creeping in. What were we doing staying on the road? If we ran out of gas on the freeway we would have to call for help, or my husband would have had to hike to the closest exit, buy a gas can, fill it up, and hike back. Both of these scenarios could have been averted if we had just filled up where we normally do, and all the fear would have gone away. But as we kept going, peace started replacing the fear. Slowly I began to recognize that we were being blessed with a small miracle to help build our testimony of keeping the Sabbath day holy. We made the 500-mile trip on one tank of gas, with 10 miles to spare. We refer to this experience as our family Sunday miracle, and it strengthened my testimony of many things. I knew my Heavenly Father knew me, loved me, and wanted to show me I was on the right path.
We can strengthen our testimonies through faithful action.
My husband, Marcel, is a convert to the Church. He has been a member for 11 and a half years now. I met him right after his baptism. During our engagement, one of Marcel's best friends, Jessica, was scheduled to have back surgery. She was nervous for the surgery. It was supposed to be fairly routine; they were going to pull out some pins and replace them in her back. During Jessica's surgery, one of the surgeons used the wrong clamp on her artery. It caused her surgery to take a turn for the worse. She went into a coma, and her kidneys stopped functioning. Soon infection started spreading through her left leg. Jessica's parents were at her bedside, completely helpless. Marcel and I were praying and fasting for her. She had been in the hospital in a coma for over 20 days with no improvement. Marcel, who had recently received the Melchizedek Priesthood, felt prompted to offer her a blessing. He had never given a blessing before, but his faith was so strong he knew a blessing would help Jessica. He called her parents and let them know he had recently been baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had the Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon him. He had the authority to give Jessica a blessing of healing. He explained that a priesthood blessing is given by two priesthood holders, and they would lay their hands on Jessica's head. This was a big deal because they were so concerned about exposing her to germs that they always wore a mask and had not let anyone come in to see her. After taking a few days to contemplate Marcel's offer, they called him back and asked if he would give Jessica a priesthood blessing, but they would not allow anyone to accompany him. This meant he would have to give his first priesthood blessing by himself.
In preparation for Jessica's blessing, Marcel purchased a bottle of olive oil. In the parking garage of the hospital, he carefully poured the oil into a small container and consecrated it. He then made his way to the ICU and Jessica's room. She was attached to a large machine which was taking the place of her organs. Her parents watched as Marcel laid his hands upon Jessica's head. He gave her a blessing that her infection would go away, that her kidneys would function again, and that she would come out of her coma and enjoy her family and friends again. During the blessing, her legs started moving and she made a sound. Her parents watched in amazement. The first thing they said after the blessing was finished was, "Did you see her legs move?" Later that evening, Jessica's kidneys started functioning again. The next morning, she woke up from her coma. The doctors couldn't believe it and couldn't explain what had happened. It was a miracle. My husband's testimony of the power of the priesthood was strengthened, and so was mine.
The adversary wants to steal your testimony.
He wants to do everything in his power to prevent you from living a righteous life and returning to Heavenly Father. He knows our weaknesses and wants to destroy each one of us. Please be careful with your daily decisions. Stay diligent in your church attendance. Please do your best to partake of the sacrament each week. Renewing your baptismal covenant each week gives you power over the adversary. Please read your scriptures every day and pray for Heavenly Father's help. Satan works in a very subtle manner. Just as small and simple steps work to build your faith and testimony, it is also true in the reverse. Your daily choices matter. Choose to do something daily that will strengthen your testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ.
As President Monson stated in his most recent conference address, "It has been said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives. The choices we make determine our destiny... May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals."[9] When I first moved to San Diego, a friend in my new singles ward asked me if I would like to take a Lindy Hop swing dance class at San Diego State. It sounded fun, so I agreed. After that class was over, Lindy Hop became a fun but consuming passion of mine. You had your choice of multiple swing dance venues every night. I made a lot of good friends who were not members of the Church, and I invited one of them to attend family home evening with me. After attending FHE a couple of times, it became apparent he wasn't interested in learning more. He wasn't fond of organized religion and questioned if God even existed. During the time that we were friends, he became more agnostic in his beliefs. In San Diego, Sunday is just another day off for most people, and as you can imagine, there are many fun and exciting things to do. My friend would invite me to attend some of the fun activities on Sundays. At first I would join him on Sunday after church. Then ever so slowly I noticed I would justify leaving church a little early so I wouldn't miss something I thought was really fun. Soon I noticed I would only stay at church long enough to take the sacrament and then leave. And then after a while, it became easier to justify skipping church altogether depending on what was planned for that Sunday. Before I knew it, I had become less active at church. I still tried to attend church, but I wasn't always consistent. My Sunday worship started becoming a tension point between my friend and I. He would get mad when I would decline an invitation or not leave church early. Many times, while trying to do better in my church attendance, I would give in to his requests and leave early or not attend at all because I didn't want to make him mad. There was one Sunday when I made it to Relief Society, and I remember very vividly the lesson said be careful about the influences you let in your life. Satan will use your friends to steal your testimony. I knew this lesson was for me. I felt the Spirit testify to me that my friend was trying to steal my testimony.
One day while I was having a conversation with him, he told me that I would eventually leave the Church. He said I was much too smart to stay with a religion with so many rules and that my religion was just trying to control me. During our conversation, I started thinking about his comment. Would I ever really leave the Church? I started thinking what my life would be like if I did. There was freedom to make any choice I wanted. Was this the kind of freedom I wanted? Was this the direction I wanted to take in my life? What would Heavenly Father think? Oh, He would be so sad if I made that decision. Wait, did I just think Heavenly Father would be sad? Why would I think that? Was it because I believed Heavenly Father existed? My thoughts turned to many of my life lessons, Primary lessons, lessons taught at home, seminary lessons, all reminding that Heavenly Father is real. I had a testimony that was rooted deep in my soul. I knew that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the true Church on earth. I had a realization that everything I had ever been taught about the gospel was real. I knew I could never turn my back on Heavenly Father. This was a pivotal moment in my life. Joseph Smith's testimony stated exactly how I felt: "I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it."[10]
Brothers and sisters, do not let the adversary steal your testimony. Do all you can to strengthen your testimony. If you notice it is not as strong as it should be, then do what it takes to strengthen it. In a devotional talk given by Mark B. Colton at BYU, he stated, "You have to fight for your testimony. There are many things we are willing to fight for. Who has been willing to go to battle, figuratively, for something they wanted badly?...Who would put up a fight if someone were trying to steal something of value from them? Your testimony is your most valuable possession, and someone is trying to steal it from you."[11]
My father had to fight for his testimony, and my mother rolled up her sleeves and fought alongside him. When he was 19, he found that some of his choices in life were bringing on difficult consequences. One day he was sitting on a bridge over a river, contemplating his young life and wondering if there was more meaning to this earthly experience than what he knew. His older brother saw him and came and sat by his side. As they were talking, his brother said, "Hey, I just found this new church and was baptized. You should get baptized too, and if you don't like it then you can quit in a year." My dad thought "Why not?" and decided to get baptized. He soon met my mother, and a year later they were sealed in the Cardston Alberta Temple. A few years later, after my sister and I were born, he was called to be a Seventy and stake missionary. His new priesthood office and calling required him to visit people and teach them about the gospel. He became very concerned about this. He didn't want to share a message with others about something that he wasn't sure was true. He decided he'd better find out if it was true or not. He had never read the Book of Mormon and really only joined the Church because in his mind it was going to keep him alive. He had never worked to gain a testimony; he was just going through the motions of being a member. But now he knew he needed to find out if what he was taught at church was real. He and my mom discussed what they should do. My mom had never read the book of Mormon either, so they decided they would read it together. They did not just casually read; they read with real intent and prayed every night. My dad was aware of Moroni's promise and had taken it to heart. He had a strong desire to find out if the things he had been taught at church were true. His desire to know of the truth and his action of reading and praying every day led to an answer. Somewhere in the middle of Alma, he had received a witness that the Book of Mormon was true, and his prayers changed. Instead of asking if it was true, they changed to ask for help to increase his understanding. The Holy Spirit bore witness to both my parents, and my dad now had a testimony of the Book of Mormon and that he was a member of the true Church on earth. His concerns for sharing the gospel were gone, and he became an enthusiastic stake missionary.
I know everyone's situation is different. Some might be struggling with Church history, others with recent statements put out by the Church. Some may have never had a strong testimony, but I encourage you to take the steps necessary to gain or strengthen your testimony. Don't let the adversary steal it away. You are a child of Heavenly Father. He gave you this mortal experience to be tried and tested. We all wanted to come to this earth. We knew it would be hard, but we wanted to come here so we could have the opportunity to receive all that our Heavenly Father has. We knew we would have to face and overcome trials. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we have been given the gift of knowledge of the plan of salvation. We understand why we are here. Don't let the adversary draw you away from all the blessings Heavenly Father wants to give you. The adversary chose a different path, and now he wants nothing more than to frustrate your progression on your path. He is doing everything he can to stop you. Don't let him. As Helaman stated to his sons Nephi and Lehi,
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.[12]
Brothers and sisters, I testify to you as we work to build our faith and strengthen our testimonies, Satan will have no power over us. Our testimony will serve as a sure foundation, one that will not fall. We will withstand the mighty winds that come our way. In this world there will be many challenges for us to overcome, but with faith we will overcome them. And then we will hear the words of the Lord say to us, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord."[13]
I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter, 2015, 269
[2] LDS.org https://www.lds.org/topics/testimony?lang=eng
[3] President James E. Faust, "The Shield of Faith", Ensign, May 2000
[4] http://www.gallup.com/poll/124793/this-christmas-78-americans-identify-christian.aspx and http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/pf_15-05-05_rls2_1_310px/
[5] http://www.gallup.com/poll/124793/this-christmas-78-americans-identify-christian.aspx and http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/pf_15-05-05_rls2_1_310px/
[6] President James E. Faust, "The Shield of Faith", Ensign, May 2000
[7] LDS.org https://www.lds.org/ensign/1972/07/the-annual-report-of-the-church?lang=eng and https://www.lds.org/ensign/1972/07/the-annual-report-of-the-church?lang=eng and http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/church-growth
[8] http://www.byui.edu/about/our-mission
[9] President Thomas S. Monson, "Choices", Ensign, May 2016
[10] Joseph Smith History 1:25.
[11] Mark B. Colton, "Never Give Up on Your Testimony of the Gospel", BYU Devotionals, June 2015
[12] Helaman 5:12
[13] Matthew 25:21