Patterns of Deliverance in 1 Nephi

The Book of Mormon is full of stories of deliverance that can be applied to our own lives, and 1 Nephi is no different. In fact, in the last verse of the first chapter of 1 Nephi, Nephi makes this
purpose statement:

But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

In this post, I will attempt to explore several of the examples of deliverance I have observed through my study of 1 Nephi. These examples are intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive.

Deliverance Example 1: Lehi's Family Delivered from Jerusalem's Destruction
In 1 Nephi 1:13, Lehi is shown a powerful vision in which he learns that Jerusalem "should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be carried away captive into Babylon." Upon learning of this tragic future, Lehi praises God with these words, "because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!" We can see that Lehi already had great faith in the Lord's power of deliverance.

The Lord delivers Lehi from the Jews "who sought his life" as well as the destruction of Jerusalem. Nephi writes that "the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness" (1 Ne 2:2). This physical departure from Jerusalem into the wilderness delivered Lehi and his family from physical death; however, an even more concerning spiritual death awaited his posterity if they did not have the written word of God and His commandments. God solved this problem by helping Nephi retrieve the brass plates from Laban (more on that here).

Later, in 1 Nephi 17:14, the Lord tells Nephi, " After ye have arrived in the promised land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you out of the land of Jerusalem." It is obvious that the Lord wanted Nephi, his posterity, and us to know of His power to deliver us. In fact the first book of Nephi is really a microcosm of our lives, similar to the experience of the Israelites in the Wilderness. We are born into a challenging world where we must choose between Babylon (worldliness) and the Promised Land (following God). If we stay neutral or luke warm, Babylon will come to us and enslave us; however, if we choose to actively obey and follow God, He will lead us away from Babylonian captivity to the Promised Land. This journey won't be easy nor quick in duration, and it will require much sacrifice, but if we trust the Lord, He will deliver us. That's the message of 1 Nephi.

Deliverance Example 2: Lehi's Sons Are Delivered Out of the Hands of Laban
As mentioned previously, Nephi was able to successfully obtain the brass plates from Laban with the help of the Lord. However, this was not so easy as it may sound. First Laban attempted to retrieve the plates. Laban tried to kill him. Next, all four brothers went to Laban offering to trade gold, silver, and precious things for the plates. Laban sent his guards to kill them. Finally, Nephi went, guided by the Spirit (1 Ne 4:6), and was successful in obtaining the plates. The Lord truly delivered these boys out of danger and brought them home safely to a relieved father and despairing mother.

Deliverance Example 3: Nephi and Sam Delivered by an Angel from the Beatings of Laman and Lemuel
After their second attempt at convincing Laban to give up the brass plates failed, Laman and Lemuel began to angrily "speak many hard words unto [Nephi and Sam], their younger brothers, and they did smite [them] even with a rod." In this case, devine deliverance comes in the form of an angelic visitation. Although Laman and Lemuel still murmur, they stop beating their younger brothers and support Nephi in his (their third) attempt to retrieve the plates.

Deliverance Example 4: Nephi's Bands Loosed, Life Saved
While Lehi's sons and Ishmael and his family were traveling from Jerusalem back to Lehi's camp, Laman and Lemuel, along with some of Ishmael's children, began to murmur and threatened to return to Jerusalem. When Nephi put them in their place, "they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind [Nephi] with cords, for they sought to take away [his] life." After being bound, Nephi prayed that "according to [his] faith" the Lord would give him strength to break the bands. "When [he] had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed."

When they saw that Nephi was free, they were angry with him again "and sought to lay hands upon [him] to take away his life." This time, the Lord delivered him in a different way: "one of the daughters of Ishmael, yea, and also her mother, and one of the sons of Ishmael, did plead with [Laman and Lemuel], insomuch that they did soften their hearts; and they did cease striving to take away my life." Sometimes the Lord gives us strength to deliver ourselves, and sometimes He uses others to help deliver us.

Deliverance Example 5: In Lehi's Vision, He's Delivered from the Darkness
In 1 Nephi 8 Lehi describes a dream or vision that he has. In this dream, he wanders for hours in a dark and dreary waste unable to see. It wasn't until he prayed to God for deliverance that he was rescued from this darkness. He says in verses 8 and 9, "I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field." Even during his vision, the Lord was teaching Lehi about the power of prayer and to trust that God would be there to deliver him.

Deliverance Example 6: Nephi Sees God Deliver "the Gentiles"
Nephi receives a vision in which he sees many things past and present. In this vision he sees the religious oppression that abounded in the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. And in the vision in 13:13 he saw "the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters." And in verse 16 he "beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them." He then sees the American Revolutionary War and how the Gentiles living in the promised land (the colonial Americans) "were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations." Later in verse 30, the angel recaps to Nephi, "thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands..."

Deliverance Example 7: Fed in the Wilderness
Lehi and his family subsisted during their journey through the wilderness largely on the game they were able to hunt with their bows and arrows. On one such hunting trip (in chapter 16), Nephi's bow broke, and they returned to camp empty handed. This led to great hunger and murmuring by all except for Nephi. The Lord delivered them by helping them find food, but it wasn't easy. First, Nephi kept the faith and trusted in the Lord. Second, he built a new bow and arrows, all the while putting up with the murmuring of this brethren. Then he helped Lehi humble himself and go to the Lord in prayer for help to know where to go to get food. After all this work, the Lord delivered them by instructing them where to go. Even this was not easy since Nephi was instructed in verse 30 to go to "the top of the mountain." But Nephi, ever diligent, went and slay beasts and returned to his joyful family with food.

Deliverance Example 8: Lehi and Nephi Protected by the Voice of the Lord
In 1 Nephi 16:34 Ishmael dies. Understandably, this leads to much mourning, especially on the part of Ishmael's daughters. Unfortunately, this mourning leads to murmuring and anger, and pretty soon Laman was saying in verse 37, "behold, let us slay our father, and also our brother Nephi." In verse 38, "And after this manner did my brother Laman stir up their hearts to anger." Nephi and his aging father were grossly outnumbered by the angry family members, and with their own power, would not have been able to defend themselves. They needed divine assistance (again). There is not a lot of detail about the Lord's intervention in their behalf, but, once again, He did deliver them: "And it came to pass that the Lord was with us, yea, even the voice of the Lord came and did speak many words unto them, and did chasten them exceedingly; and after they were chastened by the voice of the Lord they did turn away their anger, and did repent of their sins."

Deliverance Example 9: The Lord Provides Means to Accomplish His Commandments
In 1 Nephi 17:3 Nephi explains how the Lord provided for his family while they were in the wilderness, delivering them from hunger. After their long eight-year journey, the Lord led them to a land they named Bountiful for its "much fruit and wild honey." Nephi makes it clear that the nourishment and strength that they received during this time was at the hand of the Lord to help them accomplish that which He had commanded them.

Deliverance Example 10: Nephi Given Power to Shock His Brothers
In 1 Nephi 17:48 Nephi's life is again threatened by his elder brothers who "were desirous to throw [him] into the depths of the sea." We can see through this experience that Nephi has increased greatly in his faith and confidence in God. Whereas before, his brethren were able to bind and beat him before he called upon God for deliverance, this time he is proactive in seeking deliverance. As Laman and Lemuel "came forth to lay their hands upon [him]," he boldly declared to them, "In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for...whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dry reed...for God shall smite him." So powerful were Nephi's words that in verse 52 his brothers were "confounded and could not contend against [him]; neither durst they lay their hands upon [him] nor touch [him]."

Nephi was also given power to shock his brothers as another miracle or physical manifestation of God's power. This helped his brothers keep a safe distance from him as well as make them willing to help him in his efforts to construct the ship.

Deliverance Example 11: Stormy Seas
In 1 Nephi 18 Laman and Lemuel once again become angry with Nephi and bind him up. As we saw in the previous chapter, Nephi has faith to act in the Lord's name and prevent such abuse; however, in this case (in verse 11), Nephi says, "the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the wicked." And so, Nephi is bound and a terrible storm arises, which threatens them with their lives. In addition to the storm, the Liahona ceases to function. Sailing blindly in a deadly storm is finally enough for Laman and Lemuel to "see that the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their iniquities." After they released Nephi and repented, Nephi prayed to the Lord asking that the storm should cease - in his words: "and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm." Again the Lord was willing to deliver them during their journey to the Promised Land.

Deliverance Example 12: Deliverance Like the Children of Israel (Isaiah)
In 1 Nephi 20:20-21 Nephi is quoting Isaiah in a plea for us to leave behind, or flee, worldliness and sin. He gives an example of how the Lord delivered Jacob's descendants, the Children of Israel, from captivity. This people fled without knowing to where they were heading. They trusted in God to deliver them, and He did. Isaiah mentions that even as they traveled through deserts, "they thirsted not" because God "caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them." Similarly, we must have faith that as we let go, or better flee, from the world, God will deliver us. Through this redemption, or deliverance, we can find true peace and righteousness (as suggested in verses 18 and 22).

Nephi further explains this deliverance as he teaches Laman and Lemuel the meaning of Isaiah's teachings in chapter 22. Whereas many of the prophecies of Isaiah applied to physical events (e.g., physical scattering and gathering of Israel), they also apply to the spiritual captivity and deliverance of all mankind. Nephi teaches (in verse 12) that the Savior will deliver the house of Israel "out of captivity", "out of obscurity", and "out of darkness", which includes a spiritual deliverance (the restoration of the gospel). In the subsequent verses, Nephi explains that the righteous need not fear for they will be saved (physical and spiritual deliverance).

Go and Get the Plates!

I really like the Book of Mormon story of Nephi retrieving the brass plates from Laban because it teaches so many valuable lessons. Here are a few lessons I learned while studying this story.

Lesson 1: Commandments Come from God, not Men
In the first 5 verses of 1 Nephi 3, Lehi says to Nephi that it was the Lord commanding Lehi's sons to go and get the plates. Nephi understood and believed this, which is why he was willing to "go and do." Laman and Lemuel did not understand or believe; they thought Lehi was telling them what to do, which is why they murmured.

We are not so different. When we understand and believe that the word of wisdom is a commandment from God, we willingly obey without murmuring. When youth understand and believe that the standards and guidelines in For the Strength of Youth are actually from God (not from church leaders), their attitude becomes like that of Nephi. All of us want to do God's will and most of us are willing to sacrifice worldly pleasures to do His will; however, few of us are willing to sacrifice worldly pleasures to blindly do the will of ecclesiastical leaders.

Does it make sense then why gaining a testimony of the commandments (that they are from God and not man) is soooooo critically important? This testimony is what separates the Nephi's from the Laman's.

How does one gain a testimony of the commandments? Jesus taught: "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:17). Jesus says to do His will in order to know it is His will - this is a pretty good test. I have done this and that is how I know that these commandments are from God. I would also suggest praying to our Heavenly Father and asking for Him to reveal the truth of these things to you. This should be combined with your efforts to do His will. Remember that by the power of the Holy Ghost you "may know the truth of all things."

Lesson 2: The Lord Is Pleased with Those Who Obey with a Willing Heart
In 1 Nephi 3:6, we read, "Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured." Why was Nephi going to be favored of the Lord? Because he was going to do the will of the Lord without murmuring. We have covenanted to be obedient, and we know we need to keep the commandments, but how is our attitude? Jesus taught, "If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15)." If we show our love through our obedience, then it should be obvious that willful, even cheerful, obedience more profoundly shows our love and appreciation to God. No wonder He is pleased with those who obey without murmuring!

Lesson 3: The Lord Only Gives Us Commandments We Can Keep
In 1 Nephi 3:7 we find a classic scripture where Nephi declares:

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

Nephi testifies that we can trust God, that He will help us accomplish the things that He commands us. If you have ever struggled because of how difficult a commandment seems to be, you can be assured that God will give you the strength to keep His commandments. He will never set up one of His children for failure; rather, He makes sure we all have what we need to be successful.

Lesson 4: Sometimes We Can't Do It on Our Own
In the previous lesson, I mentioned that all of the commandments are possible to keep, which is true. However, sometimes we can't keep the commandment on our own no matter how hard we try (we need God's help). Lehi's sons learned this lesson when they followed God's commandment to go back to Jerusalem for the plates. First, Laman went and tried to convince Laban to give him the plates - Laban chased him off and tried to kill him. Next, all four brothers took gold, silver, and precious things to Laban to barter with him. Again, Laban chased them off and tried to kill them. It probably seemed to them that the task was impossible, and without God's help it probably was.

Nephi succeeded by trusting in God and faithfully following the Spirit. With God's divine help, he succeeded. He knew God would help him because, as we discussed in Lesson 3, God always prepares a way to accomplish His commandments.

Lesson 5: Trials Come Even When We Strive to Do God's Will
Put yourself in Laman's shoes. Although reluctantly, he decided to obey his father and go back to Jerusalem with his brothers. He likely doubted that the commandment came from God, but certainly if it did, then God would help them. I'm sure Nephi was repeatedly promising that God would help them succeed throughout the journey. So, with that he goes to talk to Laban who gets angry with him, calls him a thief, and tries to kill him. What did he do to deserve that treatment!? He was being obedient. This was probably one of the biggest trials he had faced in his life (and perhaps the most life-threatening and terrifying).

Next, his little brother who is so full of faith comes up with a marvelous plan that just has to work - they'll buy the plates from Laban by overpaying with all of their gold, silver, and precious things that were left at their house. There's no way Laban could turn down such wealth. Same result- they're chased off by the guards who want to kill them. I imagine Laman must have felt great despair at this point. Even if he had ever believed God had commanded this task, he now must have been certain they could not succeed. But he was trying to do as he was commanded!

I submit that sometimes when we are trying our hardest to do what's right, the most challenging of trials will come. This makes it even more important to trust in God and rely on his strength and divine help to get through the challenges, just as Nephi did.

Lesson 6: The Best Persuasion Is a Shared Vision
After Laman's near-death experience attempting to retrieve the plates, Nephi's brothers were ready to call it quits and head back. They were frightened, disappointed, angry, and I assume persuading them to give it another shot seemed unlikely. However, Nephi miraculously persuades them to stay and try a new tactic - exchanging their gold, silver, and precious things for the plates. How does he do it!?

The answer can be helpful for each of us when we have the difficult challenge of persuading someone to do something they do not wish to do. Nephi shared with them the greater vision that he had obtained for their assignment, and that vision was enough. He reminded them of Lehi's vision of the future destruction of Jerusalem for the wickedness of the people. He opened their eyes to the future of their own posterity without the plates: the loss of their language and the words of the prophets. As they began to understand the significance of their task, they were encouraged to give plan B a try.

Lesson 7: Miracles Don't Result in Lasting Conversion
"An angel of the Lord came and stood before [Nephi and his brothers], and he spake unto them." Then just two verses later: "And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur." What!?!? How do you see and hear and angel and then begin murmuring right afterwards!? Nephi asked his brothers this same question in 4:3, "an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt?" Certainly, the visitation of the angel was shocking, humbling, and impactful, but for some reason, these effects wore off very quickly.

Sometimes we may find ourselves thinking (or even praying) that that if we just had a sign from God then we would believe and never doubt again. It's human nature. Here we can learn a lesson from Laman and Lemuel - miracles don't lead to lasting conversion. They can lead to course corrections, repentance, and a plethora of other good things. For example, Paul or Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah. The miracles they experienced led to their repentance, eventual conversion, and powerful witnesses of Jesus Christ. True conversion is a gift from God that comes through sincere study, prayer, and righteous living.

Lesson 8: The Lord Is More Powerful than Any of Your Adversaries
Remember Paul's question, "If God be for us, then who can be against us?" Or when Elisha faced an overwhelming number of Syrians, he said, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." Nephi says in 4:1 that God "is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?" To illustrate his point, he reminds them of how God spoke through Moses to part the Red Sea.

Often our challenges and opposition seem daunting to us, and if we are relying on our own strength, they may be impossible to overcome. However, the Lord has promised to help the righteous overcome these challenges. It seemed impossible for Nephi and his brethren to retrieve the brass plates after what happened their first two attempts, yet with God's help, Nephi was able to succeed on the third attempt.

Lesson 9: Sometimes We Must Take a Step of Faith
On the third attempt to get the plates, Nephi writes in 4:6, "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things that I should do. Nevertheless I went forth..." Wow! Not only would that be terrifying, considering Laban tried to kill them on the first two attempts, but how much faith does it take to do something so dangerous, relying on the Spirit to guide you? This is an excellent example of trusting in the Lord enough to go and obey without even knowing how you're going to achieve success. When we are on the Lord's errand and take a step of faith into the darkness, He never lets us fail.

Lesson 10: Nephi Is Still a Guy
Have you ever considered how much effort it must have taken to engrave the scriptures on metal plates? Yet despite the effort (which I'm sure was not small), Nephi devotes an entire verse to describing Laban's awesome sword. He talks about how he drew it from the sheath and then describes how sweet the hilt is and how cool the blade is. This description almost seems out of place until you realize that Nephi is a guy, and he probably couldn't help but share these details about the most awesome sword he's ever seen in his life! I don't blame him.

Lesson 11: Sometimes We Have to Do Hard Tasks, Even Those We Really Don't Want to Do
When Nephi found Laban, he was commanded by the Lord to slay him. He had never killed someone, had a solid understanding of the commandments and that it was wrong to kill, and as such, he did not want to kill Laban. This was probably an even bigger test of faith for Nephi than his previously being led by the Spirit not knowing beforehand what he should do. The Lord eased his doubt by helping him understand the purpose behind it, and ultimately Nephi passed the test and obeyed the Lord.

Lesson 12: Whatever the Lord Commands Is Right
It is easy to question, "how can the Lord command Nephi to murder when that's against the commandments and wrong?"We must keep a proper perspective to understand the lesson here. God is the one who gave the commandments initially; they are His. The most important commandments we have been given deal with life, the taking and creation of life. These are of utmost concern to God because of their importance and impact on the Plan of Salvation that He has for His children. However, sometimes God allows for the wicked to die in order to progress His work or for the sake of the righteous. It may also be for the sake of the wicked - God sees much more than we can. When Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, God allowed the waters to rush down and kill an entire army. Why? Because that army needed to be destroyed in order for His people to escape and survive. Similarly, Laban had to die in order for Lehi's posterity to survive.

God chooses who lives and dies, not us. God could have smitten Laban himself, but he was also testing Nephi. Similarly, Abraham was also tested with a command to shed innocent blood even though an angel stopped him at the last moment. He also knew that whatever God commands is right.

Lesson 13: There's No Limit to the Miracles the Lord Can Perform for You
Not only is Nephi guided to Laban, but the Lord continues to perform miracles. Nephi comes across Laban's servant, Zoram, and fools him with his appearance (wearing Laban's clothing). Sure, it was dark, but even in faint light, it should be possible to recognize he wasn't Laban. Then Nephi speaks to Zoram with his best Laban impersonation, and that fools him too! Lastly, he convinces Zoram to come with him and leave the city of Jerusalem. It's obvious that the Lord had Nephi's back and was willing to perform whatever miracles it took to help Nephi accomplish the task that He had commanded.

Lesson 14: The Power of an Oath
I have always found it interesting how powerful an oath used to be. It used to be true that your word was your bond, but now it just seems old fashioned, almost silly. Nephi writes, "And it came to pass that when Zoram had made an oath unto us, our fears did cease concerning him." Today, if we live in such a way that our word is truly our bond, people will notice. A reputation for trustworthiness will take us a long way and contribute greatly to success in many aspects of our lives, especially since it is so rare today.

Lesson 15: Avoid Contention in Your Marriage
While Lehi's sons were gone seeking the plates in Jerusalem, their worried mother began to fear that they had been killed. Considering how Laban had twice tried to kill her sons, her fears are not surprising. Notwithstanding, she was wrong to question the Lord who had commanded Lehi to send their sons off to obtain the plates. She began to murmur and accuse Lehi for sending them off to their (in her mind) doom.

I'm impressed with how Lehi handles the attacks from his wife, especially since he knew that it was the Lord who had commanded it. He agrees with Sariah that he is a visionary man, and comforts her by expanding her vision and perspective regarding the visions that he had experienced from the Lord. He testifies to her that he knows that the Lord will protect their sons and see them safely home. He speaks to her with patience, love, and with the Spirit; this consoles Sariah and restores peace to their marriage. We could all learn from Lehi's example by being slower to anger, quicker to empathize and comfort, and more reliant on the Spirit.

Lesson 16: Express Gratitude
We've discussed the numerous miracles that the Lord performed to protect Lehi's sons and help them obtain the plates, which would benefit their posterity for the rest of time. Of course, Lehi and Sariah rejoiced when their sons returned, but more importantly they recognized the Lord's hand in their safe return and "did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel." They also showed their gratitude by how they treasured the word of God that was contained upon the plates.

Your Next Step - Keep Moving Forward!

In his talk entitled, "Your Next Step," Elder Randall K Bennett of the 70 talks about the discouragement we sometimes feel when we consider how far we need to come to be who our Heavenly Father wants and intends for us to be, and more importantly, he discusses a few ways to overcome these feelings.

Be a Child
It's important to remember our relationship to God. He is our Heavenly Father, which makes us children, His children. When a young child attempts to walk, but stumbles and falls, do we scold the child for making a mistake? Absolutely not! We encourage, love, support, and help the child continue learning and improving. Our Heavenly Father sees us in the same light. When we make mistakes, He is there encouraging, loving, supporting, and helping us. Our Savior's Atonement allows us to repent and become clean, and the Holy Ghost fills us with love and will guide us to make personal improvements.

Children are also humble, submissive, and innocent. We can progress a lot just by emulating some of these childlike attributes.

ACT with Faith
To take the next step in our eternal progression requires action. We can't sit back and do nothing and then wonder why we haven't seen the personal progress for which we've been yearning. Even small steps of faith can have a big impact. Elder Bennett says, "The Lord more than matches our willingness to act in faith. Our willingness to take a step is not just met; it is exceeded by the Lord's promised blessings."

Sometimes the next step may seem uncomfortable because it requires us to stop doing something we've done for a long time or start doing something we have not been doing consistently. But if we act in faith to take the next step, Elder Bennett promises that "we [will be] blessed with strength" because "He will more than match our efforts with His power." He makes a powerful point that the Lord's strength is not only given to those who keep all of His commandments; rather, it is also given to those who seek and are making a genuine effort to do so. What comfort!

Overcome the Natural Man
We know that "the natural man is an enemy to God" and that its tendency is to procrastinate or even give up trying. Overcoming the natural man is one of life's greatest challenges and does not happen overnight. All we can do is faithfully take steps forward, one step at a time. Elder Bennett gives this reassurance, "We fail only if we fail to take another faithful step forward. We will note, we cannot, fail if we are faithfully yoked to the Savior- he who has never failed and will never fail us!"

The central theme through this message seems to be that as we make the effort to take steps forward, our loving Heavenly Father will magnify our efforts to help us be successful. It's not the pace that matters, but the direction we are heading - so keep moving forward!

Faith, a Choice

Elder Andersen, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave an excellent talk in October 2015 entitled Faith Is Not by Chance, but by Choice.

How Does the Savior See my Faith?
I hope we will all reflect upon and ponder the question Elder Andersen asked us to consider: "How does the Savior see my faith?" Pondering this question will help us see what we lack and inspire us to know what actions we can take in our lives to strengthen our faith.

Faith Misunderstood
It's true that faith is a gift from God; however, many misinterpret this to mean that you're either blessed with faith or you're not. It is a myth that some are born with faith or inherit faith. Those who seek faith will obtain it from the Lord. It is also commonly misunderstood that one faith promoting experience, such as a miraculous healing through a Priesthood blessing, or even a period of time where many faith promoting experiences occur, such as a two-year mission, are sufficient to sustain our faith throughout our lives. Faith has a short shelf life. As Elder Andersen says, "Your faith is either growing stronger or becoming weaker." Recall how Laman and Lemuel experienced many faith-promoting miracles (angels spoke to them!), yet their faith and repentance did not last long or sustain them through their trials.

Faith Is a Choice
Faith is a choice. Elder Andersen says, "The future of your faith is not by chance, but by choice." He continues, "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."

Why Choose Faith
This may seem obvious to many, but I will share a few reasons why we should choose faith:

• Faith in Jesus Christ is required to partake of his Atonement and be saved.
• At baptism, we have covenanted (a sacred promise) with God that we would have faith. Additional covenants are made in the temple.
• Faith gives us the power to overcome our trials and continue improving ourselves.
• Both hope and charity require faith.
• Living by faith provides a confidence, peace, and joy not found through any other means.
• Faith can eliminate doubt, fear, and worry from our lives.

How Do I Choose Faith?
As Elder Andersen mentioned, there are many things we can do daily to choose faith. Many overlook these because of their simplicity. Naaman refused to bathe in the Jordan because it seemed to simple to cure him of his leprosy (later chose faith, obeyed, and was healed). How many Jews died from the poisonous serpents in the wilderness because they would not hearken unto Moses and look upon the brazen serpent to be healed? It was just too simple. Will we set aside personal prayer because of its simplicity? Will we forgo scripture study because it seems so simple, plus we've read them before? Will we cease to attend church meetings? Will we fail in our callings and duties or refuse to accept them? Choosing faith means choosing to keep the commandments of the Lord, to obey His chosen leaders, to live lives of integrity and virtue, and to serve those around us. As you can see, it's much more than checking a few boxes; it's choosing a faith-filled lifestyle.

Faith and Questions
Elder Andersen teaches, "Addressing honest questions is an important part of building faith, and we use both our intellect and our feelings." We are encouraged to be inquisitive, ever-learning, and always seeking further truth and light and knowledge. I hope nobody ever feels that they should not ask questions or that honest questions indicate a lack of faith. Joseph Smith would not have had his miraculous experience without humbly posing his honest question to God. Much of the revelation that we can and have (collectively) received has been the direct result of honest questions. In my personal life, I've asked questions of the Lord and of my leaders and benefited greatly by the answers I've received through the Spirit. Even as faith increases through honest questions and the revelation that results, we must not lose faith when answers come slowly or not at all.

Elder Andersen states, "Faith never demands an answer to every question but seeks the assurance and courage to move forward, sometimes acknowledging, 'I don't know everything, but I do know enough to continue on the path of discipleship.'"As we seek answers in faith, we will have the confidence to move forward.

Satan Seeks to Destroy Faith
It goes without saying that the adversary would like to destroy our faith. All around us the world, under his influence, seeks to undermine the faith that we have gained and to prevent us from choosing to strengthen our faith through righteous living. The Internet, and especially Social Media, is full of unbelievers who would sabotage our faith with the philosophies of men, societal trends, difficult questions that tug at our heart strings, and historical facts and fiction that are difficult to distinguish. Never before in the history of the world has anti-Mormon doctrine, largely perpetuated by apostates, been so accessible. Not only is it accessible, but those of us on Social Media often find ourselves inundated with it. This presents us with an crossroad of choice between faith and doubt. Elder Andersen teaches, "Immersing oneself in persistent doubt, fueled by answers from the faithless and the unfaithful, weakens one's faith in Jesus Christ and the Restoration."

The Apostle Paul taught, "...but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor 2:14). Truth and spiritual light are not received through the endless debates in Social Media incited by the faithless and the unfaithful. Be careful about the subtle influence that "friends" and "thought leaders" in Social Media can have on us and our faith.

New Mediums, Same Old Tactics
The medium may be new but the tactics are as old as time. Satan counterfeits truth by mixing with it spiritually deadly falsehoods. Common today in Social Media are the traps of political correctness and tolerance. Charity, or pure love, is distorted and polluted with ideas such tolerating sin out of love for the sinner or accepting sin in the name of love. Sin is still sin regardless of how it is framed, or whether it is tolerated/encouraged by society, and it is still necessary to separate the sinner from the sin. We can (and must) love those who choose to sin while never condoning or accepting their actions. Doubt and confusion in this regard leave us susceptible to the warning given by Alexander Pope:

“Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.”

Our faith diminishes as we allow ourselves to be surrounded by the doubts perpetuated by the faithless and unfaithful.

What to Do When Faith Is Challenged?
All of us have moments when our faith may be challenged and when it can be difficult to push aside doubts. Luckily, there are proactive steps we can take to choose faith in these moments.

Prayer
Humbly asking our Heavenly Father in prayer should be our first step. God is a reliable go-to source for comfort, guidance, and spiritual peace, which we receive through the Holy Ghost. The scriptures are full of stories of deliverance, and your loving Father will deliver you from doubt and confusion if you ask. The Lord promised that we can conquer Satan and the servants of Satan if we will "pray always" (D&C 10:5), and the Lord keeps his promises.

Remembering
Another powerful tool is remembering times in our lives when we have felt the witness of the Spirit. Journaling spiritual experiences can provide us with easy access to the memories and feelings we've had. Remember how you gained your testimony and the experiences that have strengthened it. Alma pleaded with the people of Zarahemla to remember: "if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26). When Oliver Cowdery struggled with his faith, the revelation given to him was to remember the peace that the Lord had previously spoken to his mind (D&C 6:22-24).

God's Word
Open the scriptures. In Lehi's vision of the tree of life, it was the people who clung to the iron rod, which symbolises the word of God, that were able to escape the blinding temptations of the world. Elder Andersen shares this invitation, "When was the last time that you read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover? Read it again. It will increase your faith." I would add to that the invitation to again put Moroni's promise (Moroni 10:3-4) to the test by asking God to confirm to your heart and mind the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as you study it. What greater witness can you receive than from God? And what better way to strengthen your faith and dispel doubt than through receipt of this divine confirmation? It's not a one-time thing - you can receive this spiritual confirmation as many times as you read, ponder, and sincerely ask to know of its truthfulness.

Service
Service is a miracle because it has the power to heal us of so many ailments, including doubt. Through providing meaningful service to others, we step outside of ourselves and focus more on the needs of others than our own. Service fills us with God's love, charity, which promotes faith. Service can change our heart as we are filled with this love.

Conclusion
Elder Andersen teaches that "your faith did not begin at birth, and it will not end at death. Faith is a choice." And in the words of President Monson, "Fear not... the future is as bright as your faith." I pray that we will all choose faith and enjoy the peace and happiness that results therefrom.