Ether 3:8-12 The faith of the brother of Jared

“Christ was saying to the brother of Jared, ‘Never have I showed myself unto man in this manner, without my volition, driven solely by the faith of the beholder.’ ..prophets are invited into the presence of The Lord…only with his sanction. The brother of Jared, on the other hand, seems to have thrust himself through the veil, not as an unwelcome guest but perhaps technically as an uninvited one.. (Elder Holland. ‘Christ and the New Covenant, 23)

Mormon 8:1-4 Can we stand for our beliefs even when we stand alone?

President Monson - “As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone? … May we ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe, and if we must stand alone in the process, may we do so courageously, strengthened by the knowledge that in reality we are never alone when we stand with our Father in Heaven” (“Dare to Stand Alone,” Ensign Nov. 2011, 60, 67).

Go check on Wendi

“GO CHECK ON WENDI!” Darlene Joy Nichols

               When our oldest daughter, Wendi, was five, she attended morning kindergarten class. One day I sent her to school, then readied our two younger children to go shopping.  I felt rushed because it usually took over two hours to do my grocery shopping, and I wanted to be done in time to pick up Wendi from school.  So, with my shopping list in one hand and my two preschoolers in the other, I set off for the store.

               About 20 minutes later I had a clear thought interrupt me: Darlene, go check on Wendi.  I thought to myself, How silly!  Wendi is fine at school.  I dismissed the thought and went about my shopping.  A short time later the thought came back again.  Darlene, go check on Wendi.  The thought came so clearly that I stopped in the middle of a grocery store aisle. 

               Looking at my shopping list and at my two young children, who would not be patient much longer, I reasoned to myself, this is silly! I’m sure Wendi is fine.  I continued down the aisle and turned the corner when the words came forcefully yet again: Darlene, go check on Wendi!

               I told a clerk I’d be back for my groceries and rushed from the store.  As we left, I noticed a severe thunderstorm had come up.  Wendi was terrified of thunderstorms.  Still, I knew she was safe at school.  Nevertheless, I began to worry that something terrible might have happened.  I hurried to the school only to find everything calm.  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and even the storm was passing.  I was confused and thought perhaps I wouldn’t go inside after all.  But after making the effort to get there, I decided I should at least walk to the classroom and reassure myself that all was well.

               I turned the corner to Wendi’s classroom and saw the door was open and Wendi standing in the doorway.  How odd!  Why wasn’t she at her desk?  As I approached her she seemed just fine and had a smile on her face.  I didn’t know what to say, so I just bent down and gave her a hug.

               “Mommy, I knew you’d come!” she said.

               With that her teacher came over to us and said, “How did you know to come?” Then she explained that the thunder and lightning storm had upset the class.  As she tried to gather the children to sit together on a carpet, she noticed Wendi at her seat praying. When Wendi finished, she told her teacher that she was all right, that she had asked Heavenly Father to send her mommy to her, and could she please wait by the door.

               I could not stop my tears as I realized the prayer of faith of a five-year-old had literally moved me from grocery store five miles away to be at her side.  I am deeply grateful to Heavenly Father for this experience, for we both learned divine lessons about faith and trust that day (Ensign, 2001).

How important was it for Wendi to have a mom close to the spirit?

Mormon 2:10-15 Godly sorrow vs worldly sorrow

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency explained the difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow:

“There is an important difference between the sorrow for sin that leads to repentance and the sorrow that leads to despair.

“The Apostle Paul taught that ‘godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation … but the sorrow of the world worketh death’ [2 Corinthians 7:10]. Godly sorrow inspires change and hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Worldly sorrow pulls us down, extinguishes hope, and persuades us to give in to further temptation.

“Godly sorrow leads to conversion and a change of heart [see Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Mosiah 3:19]. It causes us to hate sin and love goodness [see Mosiah 5:2]. It encourages us to stand up and walk in the light of Christ’s love. True repentance is about transformation, not torture or torment. Yes, heartfelt regret and true remorse for disobedience are often painful and very important steps in the sacred process of repentance. But when guilt leads to self-loathing or prevents us from rising up again, it is impeding rather than promoting our repentance” (“You Can Do It Now!” Ensign Nov. 2013, 56).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles pointed out: “Pride prefers cheap repentance, paid for with shallow sorrow. Unsurprisingly, seekers after cheap repentance also search for superficial forgiveness instead of real reconciliation. Thus, real repentance goes far beyond simply saying, ‘I’m sorry’” (“Repentance,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 31).

4 Nephi 1:2-3 Being converted and having a testimony are not the same thing

“Your happiness now and forever is conditioned on your degree of conversion and the transformation that it brings to your life. How then can you become truly converted? President [Marion G.] Romney describes the steps you must follow:

“‘Membership in the Church and conversion are not necessarily synonymous. Being converted and having a testimony are not necessarily the same thing either. A testimony comes when the Holy Ghost gives the earnest seeker a witness of the truth. A moving testimony vitalizes faith. That is, it induces repentance and obedience to the commandments. Conversion is the fruit or the reward for repentance and obedience.’ [In Conference Report, Guatemala Area Conference 1977, 8–9.]

“Stated simply, true conversion is the fruit of faith, repentance, and consistent obedience. …

“True conversion yields the fruit of enduring happiness that can be enjoyed even when the world is in turmoil and most are anything but happy” (Elder Richard G. Scott “Full Conversion Brings Happiness,” Ensign, May 2002, 25, 26).

Story by President Spencer W. Kimball. A young man who stopped reading his scriptures after his mission.

Story told by President Spencer W. Kimball - "At a distant stake conference one Sunday I was approached after the meeting by a young man whose face was familiar. He identified himself as a returned missionary whom I had met out in the world a few years ago. He said he had not attended the conference but came at its conclusion wanting to see me again. Our greetings were pleasant and revived some choice memories. I asked him about himself. He was in college, still single, and fairly miserable. I asked him about his service in the Church and the light in his eyes went out and a dull, disappointed face fashioned itself as he said, 'I am not very active in the Church now. I don't feel the same as I used to feel in the mission field. What I used to think was a testimony has become something of disillusionment. If there is a God I am not sure anymore. I must have been mistaken in my zeal and joy.'

"I looked him through and through and asked him some questions.

"The answers came as expected. He had turned loose his hold on the iron rod. He associated largely with unbelievers. He read, in addition to his college texts, works by atheists, apostates, and Bible critics. He had ceased to pray to his Heavenly Father. His communication poles were burned; his lines sagging.

"I asked him now, "How many times since your mission have you read the New Testament?"

"Not any time," was the answer.

"How many times have you read the Book of Mormon through?"

               The answer, "None."

               "How many chapters of scripture have you read? How many verses?"

               Not one single time had he opened the sacred books. He had been reading negative and critical and faith‑destroying things and wondered why he could never smile (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 128-129).

3 Nephi 23:1-5 Scripture study helps us draw closer to the Savior and gives us power to resist temptation

“There are certain blessings obtained when one searches the scriptures. As a person studies the words of the Lord and obeys them, he or she draws closer to the Savior and obtains a greater desire to live a righteous life. The power to resist temptation increases, and spiritual weaknesses are overcome. Spiritual wounds are healed” (“Coming unto Christ by Searching the Scriptures,” Elder Batman Ensign, Nov. 1992, 28).