Making Faith a Choice

In my continued study of faith, I read a talk by Neil L. Anderson called Faith Is Not by Chance, but by Choice. 

I was drawn to this talk because of the concept that in my journey to gain more faith, I can be, as Elder Bednar says, an agent “to act and not merely be acted upon.”[1]

Elder Anderson says that “faith does not fall upon us by chance or stay with us by birthright.” This is wonderful. Everyone has the same opportunity to develop faith.

“Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift from heaven that comes as we choose to believe and as we seek it and hold on to it.

Your faith is either growing stronger or becoming weaker.”

These two sentences hold so many keys to gaining and keeping faith throughout our lives.

1.     It is a gift from heaven

2.     It comes as we chose to believe

3.     It comes as we seek it

4.     It comes as we  hold on to it

5.     It is either growing stronger or becoming weaker

Elder Anderson gives keys to increasing faith, or helping it to grow stronger.

“How we live our lives increases or diminishes our faith. Prayer, obedience, honesty, purity of thought and deed, and unselfishness increase faith.

Without these, faith diminishes.”

He then references Luke 22:32, and asks “why did the Savior say to Peter, ‘I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not?’”

 31 ¶And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

He answers “because there is an adversary who delights in destroying our faith! Be relentless in protecting your faith.”

First off, verse 31 is frightening. The idea that Satan wants to sift you as wheat is chilling. Then conversely, Jesus prayed for Peter, knowing full well that Peter was about to betray him; then told him to strengthen his brethren when he himself was converted. I wonder if that was alluding to the betrayal and subsequent realization of what he had done.

Just as Satan had “a desire to have” Peter, he wants us too. I find Elder Anderson’s admonition to be “relentless” in defending our faith interesting.

One of the words defining relentless is unrelenting, which is defined as: not yielding or swerving in determination or resolution, as of or from opinions, convictions, ambitions, ideals, etc.

Not only should we work to build and strengthen our faith, but we should be unrelenting in defending it. I believe unrelenting is a very appropriate term.

Satan is ramping up his game. 

We need to ramp up ours. 

The choice really is ours.

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[1] David A. Bednar, Watching With All Perseverance, April 2010 

The Ultimate Irony - Again

“One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies.” [1]

I love this talk. I blogged about it a couple weeks ago. 

Although this statement was applied more to acting as if in a disembodied state by overuse of technology and being in the false world of virtual reality, it is amazing how it can be applied to so many ways in which Satan tries to get us to misuse our bodies.

I was trying to explain to my friend what it is like to be a compulsive eater and be eating something all the while knowing that you don’t want it, that it doesn’t even taste good anymore, and you just keep reaching for more. This talk came into my head. This is my disembodied state.

Aha moment!

This is one of the ways that Satan is trying to get me to misuse my body.

Another one of Elder Bednar’s restated points is that we are to act and not be acted upon. In those “disembodied” moments of compulsion, I feel acted upon. 

I feel out of control. 

Not in control. 

Helpless and hopeless.

Herein lies my struggle; to be present enough in times of stress or distress to stay present, and not be acted upon.

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[1] Elder David A. Bednar, “Things as They Really Are,” CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 3, 2009, Brigham Young University-Idaho

A Foreshadowing and Preparation for Eternity

We are currently focussing on the fourth and fifth paragraphs of the Proclamation and studying the Law of Chastity and the Sanctity of Life. We heard a talk given by Elder and Sister Bednar which brought a whole new dimension to marital intimacy and the procreative powers.

“How we feel about and use that sacred power in this life, in large measure, will determine whether additional creative power will be ours in the life to come.”

And then:

“. . . intimacy in mortality should be a grand expression of the love and deep commitment an individual has for his or her spouse, an outward expression of the inner desire to become one, and the ultimate expression of our divine nature and potential.”

“It is a foreshadowing of and a preparation for eternity and what we will be there. We can begin to become in mortality what we will be in eternity.” 

*Mind somewhat blown*

This is such an interesting concept. I have never equated our feelings and use of intimacy and procreative power to be a foreshadowing and preparation and ultimately a determining factor of our creative power in the eternities.

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 David A. Bednar and Susan K. Bednar, “Moral Purity,” 2003 BYU-Idaho Devotional address)

The Ultimate Irony

Listening to the podcast for class this week, there was a quote from Elder Bednar 's talk Things as They Really Are, which  was very thought provoking:

“One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies.” [1]

I love this talk. While he was giving it, this statement was applied more to a person behaving as if in a disembodied state through the overuse of technology and being in the false world of virtual reality. It is amazing how it can be applied to so many different ways in which Satan tries to get us to misuse our bodies.

Because the family is so central to the Plan of Happiness, one of the ways he tries to get us to misuse our bodies is through sexual sin. I find it so interesting to think that, what is done for pleasure, can lead to such heartache outside the bonds of marriage. Sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, single mothers raising children in poverty, and children raised without a father, just to name a few.

I asked my class members how can we as parents, in a world which views chastity and fidelity as a thing of the past, teach our children to want to live a higher standard.

The common responses were: 

• begin teaching children while they are young 
• be an example in the way we live our lives

I believe it is never too early to begin teaching our children correct principles, and that includes talking about sex and the sacredness of it and our bodies. 

I am also a fan of being an example through our actions. Kids have a highly fine-tuned BS detector. They will see right through any attempt to parent in the "do as I say, not as I do" method. 

Through it all, though, we have to remember that children have agency. Agency is all fine and good until you see your kids making stupid choices! We have to remember to love them as our Savior would and to not stop loving them because we don't like what they have chosen. 

The Atonement is real. Our Savior is keen to save us. He wants to save our children. 

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[1] Things as They Really Are , Elder David A. Bednar, CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 3, 2009, Brigham Young University-Idaho

Gathered into Garners

I just had an amazing aha moment!

“Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted” (Alma 26:5).

I always thought the garners were just a continuation of the metaphor, the place where sheaves are naturally placed, because you don’t want to waste what has been gathered. Elder Bednar tells us “the garners are holy temples.”[1] This brings such amazing meaning to the next verse!

“Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them” (Alma 26:6).

I pulled out my scriptures to read the next verse:

“But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day.” (Alma 26:7) [2]

Although this was referring to new converts, it applies to us all. When we gather in the temples, we make and keep sacred covenants, which protect us from the storms at the last day. We are in those storms. Living our covenants will not only protect us from the storms, but will put us in “the hands of the Lord of the harvest . . . and he will raise [us] up at the last day.”

In my Book of Mormon class, the manual gave the definition of “listeth” - meaning leaning or tilting to one side or another. It said to think of ourselves as the employee of whomever we follow. Thinking of leaning towards one side, one wouldn’t necessarily think they were employed by that being; however, they are also leaning away from the other.

Making and keeping covenants, leaning towards the Lord, will help to prevent ourselves from being “driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry [us].”

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[1] Honorably Hold a Name and a Standing, David A. Bednar, Ensign May 2009

[2] The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ