Hey there everybody welcome out to another episode of Redeem Through His Blood.
Scott Durfey here joined as always by David Durfey
Good to see you Scott.
Good to see you too.
I owe you a bottle of peanut M&Ms.
Yeah, well that's not why we do have a bottle of peanut M&Ms here for David but I owe you
one to take home because of what happened last week Dave.
So we're doing a re-record today because we had a little technical issue last week.
Actually I think that I owe you being a blessing because we played Deb's episode I think for
the second time and every time we do.
In fact I got a text yesterday from one of my old missionary companions, Len Yardley
texted me yesterday and he said thanks for playing Deb's episode yesterday.
Oh cool.
Yeah it was really great.
So I don't know you know maybe sometimes things like that happen for a reason but you know
as we've been going through everything that we've been going through this season we just
wrapped up prior to the last episode where we brought Deb's back but prior to that we
just wrapped up the events of the Atonement of Jesus Christ which is great.
That's one of my favorite parts of talking about this as we get into the effects and
so on.
Now we will expand our discussion as we move into a very important topic, the topic of
faith Dave.
Yeah Scott and by the way I just I wonder if how often individuals you and me all of
us how often we really even think about the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in
our life.
I think probably most of us not not all of us but probably most of us think about it when
we pray we try to express gratitude for that and I've heard lots of prayers that where
it's never mentioned but I imagine most people who pray think about the gift of God's son
and not just the gift of his son but the gifts that flow into our life because of the son's
sacrifice atonement.
I just since we're talking about faith today I mean to build faith one has to really be
focused on our Heavenly Father gifts that flow into our lives from him his creations
the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it affects us not only every day but every moment of
every day.
And I just wonder I'm just sitting here wondering how often do we even you know really think
about it.
That's a great question you know and something it's interesting you'd bring that up because
this is something that I've actually thought about over the last several weeks myself fact
we talked about it in Institute a couple of times over the last couple of weeks you know
how often do we really notice and feel or acknowledge that we're noticing and feeling
the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and I think that I think Dave you know if
we if we just put that in our mind then we through intention you know if we're more intentional
and we just decide okay I'm going to start noticing those things that we do.
I woke up yesterday morning actually the other morning Monday morning I woke up Monday morning
and I was being fully reminded of the fall of Scott Durfee you know just my physical
body.
I had some health issues yeah and I had to call our friend your nephew my rheumatologist
and say hey this is what's going on and they took care of it for me and I felt better almost
instantly and I immediately gave thanks for the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
because you know that's where one of the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ takes care
of our physical fall.
You know and I don't know I mean you know you think you brought it up how often do we
think about it well we have reason to think about it every day as our bodies rejuvenate
and as our you know life's changing in different ways so.
I listen to another I don't I can't remember I listen to a lot of things whether it was
a podcast or a TED talk or whatever but you know it was a man that's highly respected
and has a great reputation as far as I know he's a good person.
Anyway he said he said if you want to change your life you can do that with two words and
you must use them at least twice a day.
Thank you.
Gratitude huh yeah and when he was talking about this and he said so how many of you
how many of you would like to change your life and every hand went up and he said how
many of you want to change your life enough to to say thank you tonight before you go
to bed and most of the hands went up and then he said how many of you think that you could
wake up in the morning and remember to say thank you in the morning again most of the
hands went up and he said within three days within three days only half of you will be
doing it and within a week only a few of you will be doing it right but he said if you
want to change your life you can do it with two words.
Thank you.
Just say thank you every night before you go to bed and say thank you every morning when
you wake up.
Wow yeah.
Now and you know it's kind of profound really.
Yeah.
And and I I have I have done that recently but I don't know if I'll be doing that a week
from now.
Well you know you know how that goes.
I do.
Human nature.
And maybe I can help hold you accountable.
There you go.
Okay.
But but when I say it I think of the atonement.
Right.
I don't know this this man that was speaking was Jewish.
Okay.
And and even then it will change your life no matter what religion you are.
Right.
No matter if you have faith or no faith agnostics or or atheists can say thank you and feel
gratitude.
Yeah.
And the power that can flow into your life through the gratitude that you have for Jesus
Christ and the effects and blessings and gifts of the atonement that flow into our life every
moment of our life Scott can can totally be life changing.
It can transform us.
It can if we let it you know and there's a there's a lot of reason for that.
And you know we talk about in this podcast how gratitude is the beginning of desire.
You know just that just that being grateful will give us a deeper desire and that deeper
desire desire will lend impetus to us following him more closely more effectively etc.
So you know in in Alcoholics Anonymous and in fact I think it's probably true in all
recovery groups.
Gratitude is one of those things is super important.
You know we we we have gratitude lists.
We say the same thing you know in the morning get up and ask for help and thanks for the
night before and then at night thanks for getting me through the day sober you know
and so much much more.
But yeah a lot of power.
Well I think it is the beginning of of desire and I think most of our listeners would agree
that desire is maybe the beginning of faith.
I mean if you don't have any desire to have faith you're not going to to seek to have
faith or to even grow your faith.
So again we're kind of starting with that but let's let's jump into the to the subject
of faith and to begin with it really introduce it.
Scott I think that the the greatest misconception maybe among students who I taught for many
many years is that repentance is what changes people's lives.
Then I know that repentance is change and I know what President Nelson has taught about
repentance but I just want to say this up front to introduce it there is no power in
repentance.
Repentance does not change us faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the power behind repentance
and it is the power faith in Jesus Christ that changes us.
Faith is the power when Elder Anderson asked me to summarize the course that I had kind
of designed and taught at UVU and give him kind of the three or four most important points
of the entire course I wrote him a long email and this is one of those three or four major
points that one must get across in this course and so we can't emphasize this subject strong
enough is that faith is the transformative faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement is
the transformative power behind repentance and behind change and behind becoming a saint.
It's faith it is President Nelson said it is the greatest power of God available to us
is the gift of faith and it is a gift and it is not something that you can just acquire
on your own or obtain by your own good works or efforts it's a gift of the spirit faith
is I think it's maybe the first gift of the spirit listed in the scriptures faith is
a gift that comes to us through the gift and power of the Holy Ghost you cannot have real
the power of faith and when we speak of faith Scott there are many levels there's there's
the level of belief or hope in in faith and then there's knowledge and then there's power
so there's this this kind of this continuing going upward it's kind of really like a helix
as Elder Bednar taught it years ago and it progresses based upon we get we get a belief
of something and then we obtain the knowledge by our experience and confirmation of the
spirit and it goes up and it just becomes it becomes greater and greater until we have
the power of faith in our lives and we'll talk more about that and use some scriptural
examples but it it's it is the power behind all of the good things that we receive in
fact Scott in defining it I used to ask my students does God have faith and I would say
more than half of them would say no because he knows all things you know there's there's
those scriptures that we kind of wrestle with in the in Ether chapter three and other places
that because once you know it you don't need faith well when you come to know it you you're
on a different level of faith and your faith is replaced by by a greater power but faith
is something that God has to have faith is the power that he was able to create the world
now I know I know there's power in his priesthood in his keys and all of that as well but faith
is what that's what Paul said that it was through faith that God created the worlds
so faith is the power of godliness faith is the power behind God's actions and behaviors
and faith is the power be behind everything that we do which will lead us hopefully to
salvation and exaltation I remember president Nelson I working or press sorry elder Anderson
and I working on the book and honestly it's impossible to write a chapter strong enough
on this topic of faith because it is so key faith in Jesus Christ in his atonement is
the absolute key to not only starting the process of repentance but continuing in that
process and eventually receiving the miracle of forgiveness the greatest miracle of all
and I there was a story told many years ago by Todd Bridge in the enzyme magazine and
it really affected me I think I was a branch president missionary training center at the
time and when I read it I thought wow that's that is my problem too he was a bishop of
a student ward that they called him back then be a young single adult ward today and being
a bishop of a student ward or today if you were a bishop of a young adult ward you you
are trying to help young folks repent that's what that's the major part of your calling
right is trying to help them to get connected to the Savior and to be forgiven of their
sins well he was hearing a lot of confessions just like I was at the time being at the MTC
I mean I spent most my time at the MTC listening to our confessions and I'll share a few of
those stories later in future podcasts but he kept he was really frustrated one day
because he kept hearing the same confessions from the same people over and over and over
again and he thought wow he thought he was a failure he felt like he was a failure what
I'm not helping these people I'm not helping these young people they just keep making the
same mistakes committing the same sins confessing over and over and over again well he he made
that a matter of prayer and and one day he happened to just serendipity dip it asleep
reading the articles of faith and he read he read the fourth article of faith you know
we believe that the first four principles in the gospel are and he said the next few
lines just kind of pulsated off the page first faith in the Lord Jesus Christ second repentance
and he hit you know oh he knew immediately what his problem was he said that every time
they came in to confess sins he would talk about repentance probably the steps of repentance
as most people like to teach it or speak of it and he said I never talked about faith
with his you know members that were trying to repent he said that we always I always
gave them such great information and would fill them with inspiring thoughts on repentance
but they never really were able to do it and Scott based on that experience my own experience
and many many many students who I have spoken to and in the ecclesiastical positions that
I've been I know this this is a truth this is a fact this is the reality that when you're
spinning your wheels when you seem like you just can't change when you feel like you just
keep making the same mistakes committing the same sins over and over and over again without
exception I can tell you why it's probably not because you're not repenting the reason
why is because you do not have sufficient faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his atonement
maybe you believe in him but you just don't believe him and this is this honestly this
subject this podcast and our next podcast on faith is is kind of the the hinge of that
swings the door of repentance and forgiveness it's kind of the fulcrum on which you can
go you know either way this is it this is faith is the power to receive the miracles
blessings gifts and that includes forgiveness so I hope that as we as we speak of it today
and in our next podcast that individuals will take it upon themselves to make it a study
I mean until you really understand what faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his atonement
means to try to repent without knowing that it may become a somewhat of a frustrating
or futile experience so I hope that I hope that we can do it justice and I hope our listeners
can can be motivated to make it a personal study in a quest to increase wherever they're
at wherever they're at in their faith and I know everyone has faith faith is every human
being I believe has some faith in something and some level at some level I mean election
on faith in essence say that and I believe that so I hope their listeners will make
it a quest wherever they're at in their faith to to increase their faith their faith especially
in Jesus Christ and his atonement I think that oftentimes I'm asses I know you have
been over the years too but it and I've asked it myself I've wondered it myself but how do
I access the blessings the benefits the effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ especially
those conditional ones you know those conditional benefits those conditional blessings effects
that come to us as a result of the atonement of Jesus Christ it has occurred to me that
they are most available to us based on the level of our faith Dave and and you know that
for me this has been one that has been a a wrestle if you will I don't know if I'd call
it a struggle maybe you would well I think wrestles a positive word yeah well it's definitely
been a wrestle you know because it's been something that I have I have definitely had
to ingest I have had to look at where in my life would it be better if my faith was stronger
where in my life is it is a lack of faith holding me back and lack of faith in what you know
and so just determining all of those things where faith should be what it's about how
it should be working in my life I have a scripture here this has been really helpful for me and
this is an old scripture mastery from I did book Mormon my ninth grade year of seminary
and I still remember this as being part of this well it's it's power of seminary I like
that yeah but it's and it's an important scripture now as I said this is Alma 3221
now as I said concerning faith faith isn't to have a perfect knowledge of things therefore
if you have faith you hope for things which are not seen which are true and for me that
has just been an important thing you hope for things which are not seen but they're
true and you know I think through an eye of faith those things that are not seen become
through that eye of faith sometimes can be seen to us as well so yeah well and we're
going to talk about that scripture yeah 3221 skype because I think that is the beginning
of faith that's the beginning that's the I don't want to say lowest level because it's
it's a it's an important level that we must all go through in order to have faith is that
we have this hope in things we can't see which are true that that's the level of faith that
Alma was trying to teach the Zoramites who are apostates as they were coming back into
the faith and that's where missionaries start when they're teaching non-members they teach
by teaching that faith is something that you believe in that you can see that is true okay
so I love that definition of faith but that's where someone begins that's the that's the
lowest level of faith there's to believe in something that you can't see which is true
but eventually you have to get beyond that and obtain the eye of faith where I believe it
and I see it through an eye of faith through the eye of faith I see it yeah that's that's a higher
level of faith and we'll we'll talk about that but you use the word wrestle the wrestle and so I
immediately thought of enus right and enus says in the book of Mormon I will tell you of the wrestle
which I had before God before I received a remission of my sins and then then he talks
about this wrestle how his soul hunger now think about this in terms of faith he hungered
he really hungered for it and he knelt down before his maker and he cried unto him in mighty
prayer these are all all ways to increase our faith and then he hears eventually in in his
wrestle he hears the words of the Lord say enus calls him by name enus thy sins are forgiven me
and thou shalt be blessed and he knows that God cannot lie because he knows he attributes
and perfections of God and we'll talk about that in a minute and then he says how is it done
he cries out how is it done and he hears the words of the Lord because of thy faith in Christ
that's it Scott how is it done because of thy faith in Christ there is no other answer
that the Lord that even the Lord can give how how is it that I'm forgiven how how is it that I'm
I'm clean that I've become purified how is that possible there's only one answer
because of thy faith in Christ who now has never before heard nor seen well that's
that's the importance of of faith Scott and I faith is is the power behind all the good things
that we do in fact I used to tell my my students why did you get out of bed this morning why'd you
get out of bed well because I had to well you didn't have to right why did you get out of bed
this morning and if you really if you really get down to it Scott is because they had hope that
something that something something good was going to happen or or maybe even something bad was going
to happen if they didn't right but but they had some idea that they needed to get out of and they
had faith that it would and so they every in the lectures on faith again the the definition and
really the lowest level of faith is that faith is a principle of action everything that we do
do every act that we commit we we do it because of of faith in something now you can have you can
have true faith and you can have false faith but you you believe something's going to happen
and therefore you do it that's faith is a principle of action that's a definition of faith
in the lectures on faith lecture one faith is also a principle of power
or that's a higher level that's that's a level where you know Jacob we read we read Alma's
description or his definition in Alma 30 to 21 but let's read Jacob's definition of faith and
as an example of faith and what it is in Jacob chapter six I think it's verse four Scott
so in Jacob chapter six verse four Jacob gives us this description of faith and listen carefully
to how he obtained this level of faith Jacob six verse four
wherefore we search the prophets and we have many revelations all right so so listen right off the
bat what do they do that we're searching the prophets it it takes extreme work and study
to search the prophets god it's it's not just I'm going to read verse a day it's they searched yeah
that's a much different experience they searched they didn't just read they searched okay they they
they were seekers in order to obtain great faith you must be a seeker okay what else okay
wherefore we search the prophets and we have many revelations there what else got many revelations
you can't receive faith without the revelation without revelation and the spirit of prophecy
which is a testimony of Christ right all right that's the definition of prophecy given to us in
the book of revelation I think it's 1910 the prophecy is a testimony of Jesus and what else
and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope and our faith becomes unshaken okay so
they get these witnesses they search they they receive revelation and now they have all of these
witnesses uh in which which they which they know to be true by revelation and they what
their faith has become unshaken they have hope and this hope is not just a wish it's an assurance
they have they begin to have knowledge and assurance and their faith then becomes unshakable
yeah and what do they do what's the notice the example of the power of faith here in so much
that we truly can command the name in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us or the mountains
or the waves of the sea wow then the next you just read the next verse for a part nevertheless
the Lord God showeth us his weak showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace
and his great condescensions unto the children of men that we have power to do these things
so where's the where does he give all the credit to to Jesus it's grace yeah his grace
his condescension the effect he knows it's not because of anything he did to have that kind of
faith I think that maybe one of the beginning points of faith Scott going back to Alma chapter 32
verse 21 is it takes great humility and meekness I mean we've talked about gratitude being the
beginning of desire and you have to have desire to have faith but somewhere right there with desire
you have to have humility and meekness I love what Alma is trying to teach these people on the
hill of Oneida as they come to him and they've been cast out of their homes cast out of their city
and he says well you know it would have been better if you would have become humble because of the
word but it's great that you're here now and that you have been compelled to be humble it's it's
verses 15 through 17 Scott you are you there Alma 32 yep 15 through 17 yeah he that truly
humbled with himself and repentant of his sins and in dearth to the end the same shall be blessed
yeah much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty
therefore blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble or rather
in other words blessed is he that believeth in the word of God and is baptized without stubbornness
of heart yeah without being brought to know the word or even compelled to know before they will
believe yeah there are many who do say if thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven then we shall
know of assurity then we shall believe so what do you get out of that yeah in regards to well
and let me read 18 now I ask is this faith behold I say unto you nay for a man knoweth the thing he
has no cause to believe it for he knows it I mean meaning meaning really meaning not so again this
is a little bit problematic because people say well if I know it then I don't need faith well I
think what Alma is really saying here when you think you know it you don't need any faith when
you think you know everything when you think you're the man you can do everything on your you don't
need faith which is knowing and believe well yeah in Christ you know I I think he's kind of using that
a little bit tongue-in-cheek yeah maybe you know but but I think that knowing it does still
still requires faith you know and again that'll get into the next level of faith as we talk about
that because knowing it it still requires faith for it to take place for it to come to pass in
many cases and around many things so you know faith and knowing it don't necessarily preclude
themselves well knowing it as long as that knowledge has come from God right yep because of
your own great genius yeah because you think you know everything right if the knowledge is
is accompanied with this deep humility and meekness which he's describing there and this dependence
upon God for that knowledge then then yeah absolutely but you know sometimes we think we
know it all when we think we know it all well then we're not even going to seek for faith so
faith faith begins really with not just desire which which Alma by the way talks about it I
think it's verse 27 scott find the word desire in verse 27 right there it begins with desire but
you know planting the seed before you plant the seed you know which is the word right the seed is
not faith right and in his great analogy or metaphor here of planting a seed the seed is the word
and before you you you're going to take the action plant the word in your heart there has to be
desire but even before that he says you have to have the humility and it's best if you're not
compelled to be humble so many people we talk about rock bottom right you tell you talk about that in
the dictionary recovery rooms yep is great glad you're here because you hit rock bottom it doesn't
matter why you're here but we're glad you're here because you were compelled to be humble yep it
would have been better if you would have become humble without hitting rock bottom because of
God or the power of the word right absolutely yeah absolutely you know and it's that rock bottom
that brings with it so much of the fallenness or brings to light the fallenness of our situation
right physically emotionally mentally even spiritually you know that fallenness that that
rock bottom puts us in and there is a great deal of faith required for sure but to have that experience
without having to be compelled totally different experience I mean but everybody in alcoholics
anonymous I'm you know and I could probably say this without fear of successful contradiction
everybody there has you know hit that rock bottom I mean because of the decisions and so forth that
we've made yeah well so anyway humility is really key to the to the obtaining of faith
and then comes this desire he talks about desire Scott do you want to read that yeah this is 32 I'm
a 32 verse 27 but behold if you will awaken arouse your faculties even to an experiment on my word
and exercise a particle of faith yay even if you can no more than desire to believe
yay even if you can no more desire to believe let this desire work in you even to until you
believe in a manner that you can give place for a portion of my words so I desire so so important
in the obtaining and the the building of our faith and then and then he talks about again the
planning of that seed and how will how will we know that it's a good seed by the swelling and the
enlightening and the edifying and the enlarging it will be enlarging and delicious to me which
all spells seed which is I think so interesting right verse 28 and then it seed is the word
and if you plant that word in your heart and it begins to grow and he gives us the signs
or evidences of its growth then you have the beginnings of faith and it may be a little
seedling so again think of the levels of faith here there's a little seedling of faith and it
grows up and it becomes a young plant and then it grows up and it becomes a little tree and
eventually it becomes this great tree that bears fruit and that fruit would be of course I think
much like the tree in Lehi's dream it becomes the love of God the atonement of Jesus Christ
it becomes all of the blessings and ordinances of the gospel administered into our life the fruits
of the gospel of Jesus Christ and eventually the greatest gift of all the tree and the fruit
represent eternal life that that's kind of an essence Alma chapter chapter 32 Paul talks about
how to obtain faith in much the same way much much more brief here in Alma or in Romans chapter 10
uh he says this is Romans 10 verse 17 so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God
I I really just love that simple definition of faith and how to obtain it faith cometh
by hearing and hearing by the word of God the first thing in uh President Nelson's great
monumental I think talk a classic on the faith to move mountains which he gave along with his
witness of Christ in April of uh 2021 I think that was maybe Easter Sunday if I remember
anyway he bears his testimony of Christ then talks of faith the very first thing which he mentions
is that it requires great study again that searching right it it's the searching that's how it it begins
you you have to eventually for whatever however you come to humility whether it's hitting rock bottom
being compelled to be humble or whether it's uh by your you're reading your scriptures daily or by
it's some some event in your life President Nelson says the five suggestions to help us to develop
faith and trust in God number one is study become an engaged learner immerse yourself in the scriptures
to better understand not just in the scriptures generally but immerse yourself in the scriptures
to understand better Christ's mission and ministry or in other words his atonement so uh he talks about
studying the life of Christ study uh how how can we come to know Jesus because eventually to have
faith in Jesus you must know the character attributes and perfections of his of his uh of his life
and who he is and and that kind of goes back to the lectures on faith Scott the lectures on faith
lectures really two through five talk about the importance of knowing in order to obtain the faith
the faith of power you have to know the character attributes and perfections of God and of Christ
so if we want to have that kind of faith we have to come to know God we have to come to know Jesus
Christ and their and their attributes um President Nelson writes or in his conference talk he said
the more you learn about the savior the easier it will be to trust in his mercy his infinite love
his strengthening healing and redeeming power the savior is never closer to you than when you
are facing or climbing a mountain with faith so uh the more we come to know the savior the more
we not only will have believe in him but the more we will be able to believe him to trust him to
believe what he says uh I think so many people uh Scott get kind of held up by just kind of seeing
Jesus as some sort of a spiritual coach or as a positive role model or as something which is
that's one level of faith but to really have the faith of power to experience the miracle of
forgiveness in our life one is going to have to know Jesus Christ and who he is as their savior
and their redeemer that is critical in the faith in Jesus Christ to be able to work out our repentance
there's so much benefit to that to to to the knowing him you know John 17 3 this life eternal
right to know the the only true God in Jesus Christ who now has sent we know that we've talked
about that that very thing in this podcast on multiple multiple occasions but think about that
you know to to really come to know him and for me Dave and this is the helix component that you're
talking about of faith the more I know him the deeper my faith grows or the more power in that
faith I receive uh but but that but that knowing him requires an investment on my part I I can't
just read words on the page I can't just go to and listen to Sunday school lessons or even
quorum meetings or release society lessons our podcasts or whatever to know him I really have
to know him and to know him I have to spend time there you know I I've got to just spend a
significant important meaningful time with the savior so that I can begin to fill that
as president Nelson puts it as I can then begin to have that level of faith in my life
where the effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ are seen by me for sure but maybe even
witnessed by others as well in my life Dave that that requires I think Scott a lot of focus
a lot of intention it has to be intentional some planning I mean it oh yeah he usually
doesn't just happen by chance it can't happen by it requires a great deal of effort
there's work definite work that's required by us in order to to have that relationship built on
our knowing him not actually having that relationship with him well president Nelson after talking about
studying and and the the effort to really study to come to know Jesus the second
the second step in obtaining faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement is to choose
his keyword to choose to believe in Jesus Christ to choose to believe him you know
elder Anderson years ago talked about faith is a choice it is a choice it is not something that we
just dawns on us or it's not something that just you know comes upon us it it is a one must make
the choice and I just think that's such an important part and one must stop this is as president
Nelson stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters allow the Lord to lead
you on your spiritual journey in other words choose to to believe and and focus on your faith
then not choose to uh who said that president new dwarf don't doubt your doubts uh uh doubt
your doubts it was elder holland doubt your doubts yeah I don't know anyway yeah choose
choose that I think it was elder holland but yeah it was if you're gonna doubt doubt your
doubts right but but it's a choice Scott yeah faith is a choice and if that's the case
if it is a choice and it but it does require effort on our part then then I think that investment
that it requires of us making the choice spending time with him we'll spending time with him is a
manifestation for example of our choice but making that choice in all the manifestations
that come with that choice are really what's going to propel us into that faith Dave the third step
president elton gives us is to act in faith faith requires action you know faith without works is dead
and I would say work without faith is also dead but he says here think about it that that would
require some focus and action right think about it he even says write about it don't just study it
write about it maybe as you receive thoughts and inspiration about how to increase your faith
or how to uh righteously exercise your faith write it then receive more faith by doing something
that requires more faith I think that's an awesome sentence receive more faith by doing something that
requires more faith can you can you think of an example of that Scott that our listeners can maybe
relate to examples of someone who receives more faith who chooses to receive more faith
by doing something that requires more faith I think a Joseph Smith for example you know he had a
little bit of faith he read a if any of you lack wisdom he knew he did he felt like well I can go
exercise some faith in that and he did and look what happened I mean his faith became a sure knowledge
um I had so many others too Dave what have you gotten on top of your head there well you know I
I'm thinking of my sweetheart you know she never felt like she could really call upon God for
forgiveness until she had worked it all out for herself you know how many of us have felt that
saved by grace after all we can do after all we can do she thought she had to do it all before she
could even approach before she could even ask yeah and it kept her from taking the next step yeah
which was to ask I mean I just think that's such a simple um a simple thing to do but it requires
great faith really to ask God to forgive me requires great faith sometimes we as Latter-day
Saints sometimes Scott we we're hitting all around it but we never get to the point where we cry out
we'll talk about that when we talk about repentance where we cry out and we ask God to save us
man I we we almost become defensive about that we you know I mean really we think
we really do I don't I don't want to be evangelical Christian yeah I mean I heaven forbid yeah and
so we never get around to taking that action to crying out asking God to forgive us to save us
I think that would be a really positive thing for most of us to to have the faith enough to
actually take the next step and which would be to do to take that action yeah cry out yeah
what and there are so many other examples there there's practical examples of individuals who
who I you know to to be able to take the faith to go offer someone your forgiveness right that
requires a lot of faith to forgive others yeah requires great faith there's a lot of faith
required in service you know I went to minister right I went to a missionary farewell of our
dear little niece 80 the other day and you know that the level of faith that is being required
by her to go and do what she's being asked to do on a mission that's why yeah and her parents you
know yeah Darryl and Laurie require great faith in order for them to experience what they're
experiencing there as well so we should talk more about this later but one of the one of the
steps of to really obtain great faith in the lectures on faith is in lecture six and it requires
great sacrifice so one of the actions that we should all consider what can we do to increase
our faith is what's what sacrifice can I make what sacrifice am I not making maybe it maybe it
would be to go to the temple more often may it may be the sacrifice of of time to do certain
things or or a sacrifice of maybe getting up early in the morning to study the scriptures
before we go to work or the sacrifice of paying our tithes and our our offerings and to to do all
of those things and ultimately the sacrifice of of King Lamoni that we would give King Lamoni's
father sorry the that we would offer all of our sins as a sacrifice to the Lord to the Lord to
put to put our our sins on the altar and ultimately the sacrifice of our will to put our will on the
altar those are all actions that should be considered that we should consider and the fourth
by President Nelson to increase our faith the faith to move mountains is to partake of sacred
ordinances right worthily and he says ordinances unlock the power of God for your life I think
of Dr. incumbent section 84 it's in the ordinances thereof speaking of the temple in the ordinances
thereof are the power is the power of godliness manifest I know that power is the atonement
of Jesus Christ in our life but it's also the power of faith in our life so participating more
in the ordinances including the sacrament including all of the saving ordinances of the gospel
will unlock the power of God or faith in our life and the fifth and final step of President
Nelson in his talk faith to move mountains ask your heavenly father in the name of Jesus Christ
for help faith takes work and receiving revelation takes work so I think what he's saying there
is we need revelation it needs to we need to receive it as a gift but in order to receive that gift
we have to qualify for it and qualifying for it takes some effort on our part asking for it
asking for God's help in our development of faith asking for revelation asking for confirmation
that all requires great effort and ultimately it comes faith comes as we receive revelation
and through the Holy Ghost so those are the five steps how to increase our faith in President
Nelson's and I encourage everyone to maybe go back and review that talk if they want to increase
their faith that's April 2021 well Dave great day I mean as we start talking about and moving
into repentance you know we've kind of set the stage you know we talked about over the last
several weeks why the atonement's important to how it answers the effects of the fall of Adam and
Eve and how it effect answers the effects of our own personal falls we've also talked about how
understanding and really knowing the events of the atonement of Jesus Christ will give us a deeper
gratitude a deeper desire a deeper desire to have that faith to know him to come to him to have
the blessings bestowed on us or to qualify for the blessings that come to us both the conditional
and the unconditional blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ and to have faith in that will
dispel fear and I think that that's one of the great benefits that we will all experience as we
embark on this journey of obtaining and gaining and exercising and growing in faith from faith
in Jesus Christ to even a faith of power so hey gang thanks so much for being with us today as we
talk about these things we hope that you feel the spirit we know that we do hear we pray that you do
that you do there as well until we can be together again next week be well