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Hey there everybody and welcome back for another podcast this is Scott Durfey I'm joined as

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always by my good friend and uncle David Durfey.

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What's up Dave?

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So good to be here Scott.

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So nice to be with you and talk about important things.

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Life changing things really.

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Yeah they really are and important things for sure.

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We uh great podcast last week we've had some good comments from the story again of the

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story of your friend David in the Utah State Prison and the experience there of him feeling

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some of the compensatory blessings that come you know as one of the many unconditional

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blessings that come through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and I think today Dave as we

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continue down this path we'll be talking about something a little bit different won't we?

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Yes Scott so we're in a little bit of a transition now.

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We've spent a lot of time the last several weeks speaking about the Atonement of Jesus

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Christ.

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We spent a few weeks talking about the events and then we spent a few weeks talking about

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the different aspects unconditional aspects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ how we're

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covered unconditionally by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

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He unconditionally through his infinite atonement overcame death through the resurrection.

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He overcame sin he suffered for all sin repented of or not and because of his sacrifice that

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we will all return to the presence of God to be judged if it wasn't for the resurrection

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that wouldn't be possible if it weren't for his atonement and suffering for our sin that

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wouldn't be possible but those two things are unconditional all will return to the presence

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of God to be judged and all will be resurrected and then we've talked about the compensatory

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blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ and all of us receive that unconditionally

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as a result of the world we live in and the the fall and the negatives that are a result

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of that that we didn't choose all of those things are covered unconditionally by the

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atonement of Jesus Christ sickness pain and not just physical I'm talking emotional spiritual

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all of that is covered unconditionally by the atonement of Jesus Christ it's not just

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Scott that he has divine empathy because he felt the pains of our sicknesses and our sins

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and our suffering but he also gives us compensatory blessings that flow into our life because of

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his atoning sacrifice so it goes way beyond his divine empathy for what we feel and it

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is comforting to know that he felt it but more than that we receive blessings from it

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and that's only possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ and those blessings are unconditional

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I love one of the quotes that we used last week and we touch on this quote semi frequently

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I think throughout the podcast but it comes from preach my gospel page 52 where it says

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all that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ

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all that is unfair and you know and that can be that can cover so many different things

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in it if you if there's so to our listeners if there's anything in your life that's unfair

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that came by no choice of your own or by no choice of our own those things can be made

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right through the atonement of Jesus Christ preach my gospel that's right page 52 so

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anyway I just think every day we should be more aware of the unconditional aspects of

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the atonement of Jesus Christ we've talked about the redemptive powers of the atonement

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of Jesus Christ we've talked about the enabling or the strengthening powers of the atonement

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of Jesus Christ we have talked about the compensatory powers and blessings of the atonement of Jesus

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Christ and now Scott I would like to move into the conditional blessings and powers

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that we may receive in our life through the atonement of Jesus Christ and basically that

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that gets into the doctrine of Christ the doctrine of Christ is really the the conditional

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aspects of the atonement of Jesus Christ and I know we spend probably 80% of our time in

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general conference and in Sunday school and in talks and in home family home evenings

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and in our teaching and preaching we spend so much time on the doctrine of Christ and

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I love it and and that's right we we should but I hope our listeners will be more filled

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with gratitude for the atonement of Jesus Christ because they now understand the unconditional

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aspects as we begin to speak about the doctrine of Christ and the conditional aspects if we

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go back several weeks ago and maybe even last week we talked about or over the last couple

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weeks we talked about that that gratitude is the root or the beginning the seed of all

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desire and so once we do fill that gratitude because of the unconditional effects of the

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atonement of Jesus Christ then we have a desire that and that move us into that exactly and

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that as that desire builds and grows and it moves us into qualifying for the conditional

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aspects of the atonement of Jesus Christ to enjoy all the blessings of the doctrine of

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Christ the doctrine of Christ Scott it's so interesting to me that that in the scriptures

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doctrine is always positive and the word doctrines plural or is always negative in the scriptures

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I think there's only one maybe exception to that but doctrine there's only one and in

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the scriptures it is the doctrine of Christ I love how that's introduced by Nephi in 2nd

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Nephi chapter 31 and the the doctrine of Christ as it says it's taught throughout the Book

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of Mormon includes faith in Jesus Christ second repentance third baptism by immersion for

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the remission of sins or in other words ordinances and fourth to receive the gift of the Holy

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Ghost by the language right this is basically the fourth article of faith and fifth there

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is a fifth which is endurance and enduring to the end we should do a special podcast

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on just endurance sometime I think people think of enduring to the end as a as something

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of a journey I actually think endurance is more of a quality or a quality of character

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and not just a journey or not just a long process I think endurance is actually a quality

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of our character anyway those are the the five points that make up the doctrine of Christ

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and we'll begin to speak about those now in some depth of course all of this again is

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based upon a course that was designed and taught at the Utah Valley Institute of Religion

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which become a course taught throughout the world and institutes of religion and and Scott

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it's about really repentance I mean that was the really the focus of that course was to

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help young adults to repent and so we'll spend probably more time on that particular point

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in the doctrine of Christ but all of these go together you can't you cannot see these

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as as individual silos five different silos these all five points go together they are

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inextricably linked together again they're kind of like the cycle or the helix and and

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their stages and their cycles not only for for the five of them working together but

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within each one of them there is like a cycle or a stage and that leads us to faith we can

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never speak about any principle of the gospel as if you have it or you don't we all have

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it to some degree everyone on this earth's got some degree has faith even if it's in

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even if it's true faith or false faith faith is a principle of action according to the

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lectures on faith at the very basic level Scott we don't do anything without believing

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that something will happen we what you know why do people get out of bed I used to ask

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my students why why did you get out of bed this morning and they would give me all these

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reasons and I said well what what you're really saying what really comes down to is right

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that you believed that you needed to do something or that you could do something or that something

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good was going to happen today or you wouldn't have gotten out of bed right yeah faith is

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is the power of action behind all all things in the lecture of faith I don't have the exact

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quote here in front of me but it is the moving cause faith is the moving cause of all action

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well that I think even before that Scott faith is a belief it's a it's a hope it's a I hope

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that something happens I believe something will happen you know the very lowest level

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of faith Scott is probably described in probably the most quoted scripture in the Book of Mormon

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on faith and yet I believe it describes the lowest level of faith and that's because Alma

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is teaching the Zormites who are apostates and he's starting at the very the very basic

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lowest level of faith with them as we do with all of our friends and nonmembers who are

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who are maybe coming back into activity or who are members at all and that's a Alma chapter

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32 verse 21 Alma chapter 32 verse 21 quoted I think by all missionaries trying to teach

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faith and then then you know Alma 32 goes on and talks about the seed planting the seed

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which is the word actually the word of God or the word of Christ into our hearts and

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how it grows up to become this mighty tree of faith even in even as Alma teaches this

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he starts at the lowest level where it becomes a very small thing and then it becomes this

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great tree that produces fruit even in Alma's great discourse on faith and Alma 32 he describes

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it in in stages it grows it's not that you either have faith or you don't it's where

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are you at on the spectrum of faith so you want to read Alma 32 21 Scott yep you got

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it so this is Alma 32 21 and now as I said concerning faith faith is not to have a perfect

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knowledge of things therefore if you have faith you hope for things which are not saying

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which are true okay so you know I used to sometimes follow that scripture up in class

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with this question so based on that level of faith or that definition of faith does

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God have faith they would think about it they would read scripture and think about it and

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then they would most of them say no God knows all thing he has perfect knowledge so no God

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doesn't have faith but say well we know that's not true Hebrews in in Hebrews we learned

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that God created the worlds by faith the faith is the power of God God has perfect faith

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this is the lowest level of faith that you don't you may not have the perfect knowledge

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of things but you must have faith to be able to obtain the perfect knowledge of things

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and even after that you will need faith to be able to act and to be able to create and

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to be able to do the things that God does by the power of faith and maybe let's go to

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another scripture right now Scott in the Book of Mormon which is in Jacob in Jacob chapter

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4 verse 6 he describes another level of faith and so let's kind of here's kind of one end

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of the spectrum to the other end of the spectrum or continuum as we think of faith and this

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is this is what I would call the the faith of power or the faith of miracles so we to

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believe in things that we can't see definitely that is faith but not the same level as the

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faith described by Jacob in Jacob chapter 4 verse 6 and here it is where maybe read

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7 to you got it and here it is where for we search the prophets and we have many revelations

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in the spirit of prophecy and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope and our faith become

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as unshaken in so much that we truly can command the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us

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or the mountains or the waves of the sea and verse 7 nevertheless the Lord God show us

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show with us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace and his great condescension

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unto the children of men that we have power to do these things. What's your thoughts on

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that Scott? You know Dave and this maybe this is a question but I notice he didn't use the

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word weaknesses. Yeah. He identifies our weakness is that so that's what I was going to say

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is so is that what that's referring to when we talk about our weakness that's when we

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go back to the beginning of the podcast and when we talk about the two great effects of

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the fall of Adam and Eve right the spiritual death and physical death and so you know I

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and so for me and nevertheless the Lord God show with us our weakness in other words our

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fallen state which isn't a bad thing. No it's not it's part of the plan and it's big part

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of the divine plan because it's the beginning of our understanding of our redemption. Yeah

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absolutely and our need it should give us desire and it is the gives us the need for

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a savior and redeemer and but there's another thing is grace. There's another thing that

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really sticks out to me here as well says wherefore we search the prophets and we have

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many revelations and so it's telling us what we're doing and what we do to receive something

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that comes next. Okay so that that leads us into talking about how we can obtain faith.

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Yep. Scott and really the different levels or stages of our faith is definitely dependent

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upon what we do to obtain faith. You cannot obtain the power of faith or the faith of

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power by being passive. Paul said faith cometh by hearing. Yeah by hearing the word of God.

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Now so let's just talk about that for a minute. I really believe in that whole Alma 32 discourse

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that the seed is the word that we plant in our heart. Alma makes that really clear. You

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got to plant the word. Well if you haven't read the word if you don't know the word

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if the word hasn't been preached to you you haven't studied or paid the price to obtain

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the word then there's nothing to plant in your heart. The faith that will save us redeem

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us exalt us eventually help us to become like like our heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus

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Christ. That that level of faith begins with a seed. I love you know the Savior's little

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parable that the faith of a mustard seed you can move a mountain and then Elder Anderson's

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whole talk on that. You know that the faith of a mustard seed. Well I think about that

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when I read Alma 32 28. So let's let's let's read Alma chapter 32 verse 28. It's got about

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planting the seed. And now we will compare the word unto a seed. Now if you give place

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that the seed may be planted in your heart. So what's the seed Scott. So the seed is the

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word David. Now if we will compare the word what's the word. So the word is what's the

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word. Yeah and that's a great question. And he did. He actually gives us the answer to

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that. Okay. In 33. Well then we'll get there. Okay so so we'll get there. Yeah. But I just

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I need everybody to understand that seed that is planted and I'm going to I'm going to say

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that that seed may be that little mustard seed that Jesus described it may be the little

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mustard seed that President Elton talked about. That seed is the word of God and without the

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word of God there is no righteous faith that can ever grow. It begins with the seed. It

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grows up into fruit which bears more seeds and and it goes on and on. So yeah. I continued

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to describe faith in that verse 28. I'm just going to start at the beginning again and

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there's a couple of things as we go through here that are really kind of fun to help us

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remember but now we will compare the word unto a seed. Now if you give place that a seed

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may be planted in your heart. Behold if it be true a true seed or a good seed. If you

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did not cast it out by your unbelief that ye will resist the spirit of the Lord. Behold

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it will begin to swell. There's an S swell. It will begin to swell within your breasts

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and when you fill these swelling motions you will begin to say within yourself it must

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needs be that this is a good seed or that the word is good for it begin to enlarge it

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enlarge my soul enlarge that there's an E. So we have an S with swell now we have an

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enlarge with or excuse me we have an E with enlarge my soul. Yay it began to enlighten

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another E. My understanding. Yay it began to be delicious. There's the D unto me. So

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if you go back swell enlarge enlighten and delicious. A special seed Dave. You're talking

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to me. I know in that awesome. I can't remember where I learned that but I learned that many

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years ago from somebody else. And I just think there's no coincidence about that that Alma

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Alma use that I know it was written in Reformed Egyptian and I don't know how it looks in

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Reformed Egyptian originally but it's definitely inspired by God. So seed the swelling of the

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soul enlarging of the soul the enlightening of the mind and it is delicious. The seed

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is the word of God and it's all of that the seed the word of God enlarges our soul it

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enlightens our mind it is delicious and we should feast upon it and then as he goes through

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and describes this this seed and how it grows and how how our knowledge can replace that

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the beginning of our faith and it grows up to be greater faith. I mean faith is ongoing

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against God it's not whether you have it or whether you don't it's that it goes on and

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on and on and our faith in one thing may be replaced by a faith in another thing. I mean

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I may believe that there's God but when when Joseph Smith sees God he knows there's God

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and he still needs faith to be able to worship him and to become like him. So the we always

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need faith but it's always moving on it's always going from one place or one stage to

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another and and that's how we have to think of it and not just the principle again of

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faith but this is true of the principle of hope this is true of the principle of charity

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or any other spiritual principle or quality. So Scott in this amazing discourse in Alma

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chapter 32 as Alma begins to finish it then he he gives them some direction on how to

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obtain the word and he perceives that they're wondering how can I receive how can they receive

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the word of God and so let's let's just read Alma chapter 33 verse 2 and Alma said unto

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them behold you have said that you could not worship your God because you are cast out

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of your synagogues but behold I say unto you if you suppose that you cannot worship your

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God do you you greatly err and you ought to search the scriptures if you suppose that

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they have taught you this you do not understand them. So he is saying one way to obtain the

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word is to read or search the scriptures that the word of God is found in the scriptures.

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I think all of us understand that but I don't know how literally or what price what level

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of priority we put on that Scott. I always think of a Heldabruce Harmakonkey who would

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always say the best kept secret in the church is that personal revelation comes by reading

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your scriptures. I can hear his voice. I didn't probably do that very well or do him justice

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but if you if you think back to what we just read in Jacob chapter 4 verse 6 remember what

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he said we searched the prophets and we received many revelations. Well Scott those those aren't

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two separate things those are those are it's kind of one in the same they searched the

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scriptures or the prophets and as they did so they received revelation that's that's

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that's how we receive revelation if we if we know how to search and study the scriptures

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how to treasure them and feast upon them we receive the word of God it's one thing to

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read the scriptures and receive the word of God in the scriptures but Scott even greater

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than that and the real feasting comes when as we read the scriptures we hear him and

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we receive personal revelation. There's a big blessing that comes and I'm going to go

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back to Jacob chapter 4 verse 6 as well and it says in our faith be cometh on shaking.

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See so when they hear the voice when they receive revelation as a result of searching

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the prophets right the scriptures their faith becomes unshaken and shaken. I know there's

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so many so many of us who worry about loved ones friends family and others you know who

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are having a quote unquote faith crisis. Well there's no faith crisis in that verse. No

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there's faith unshaken. Their faith became unshaken but but there's a price to pay to

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get that. Yeah we search the private prophets and we have many revelations in the spirit

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of prophecy and having all these witnesses we obtain hope and our faith then becomes

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unshaken. Yeah anyway I hope that's the level of faith we can all get to and and we're talking

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about faith today Scott kind of in the general. We will narrow this down in the specific in

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the next podcast and we'll talk about what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ because

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ultimately the doctrine of Christ begins by saying we believe that the first four principles

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in the gospel are faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and I would add in his atonement. So

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really the faith to be forgiven the faith to obtain exaltation that that really the

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power of faith to obtain that gift of eternal life that must be specifically focused in

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and on Jesus Christ in his atonement and we'll talk more about that in the specific in the

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next podcast today we're kind of talking about faith in the general. So the differences in

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the levels and stages of faith and in order to obtain any faith I believe or at least

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the faith of power is to search the prophets read the scriptures and then Alma goes on

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in Alma 33 Scott and he begins to talk about worship personal worship you know let's remember

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that these ormites that they they had this great ritual of public worship and get on

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the Rammy umpt them and they would pray and they'd thank God that they were special and

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that they were elect and they were saved and all of that and and Alma says you don't you

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don't understand how to worship. So as part of his lecture on faith he's trying to teach

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them how to worship. So let's just read a few more verses there in the in 33 verse starting

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with verse three. Do you remember to have read what Zenas the prophet of old has said

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concerning prayer and prayer or worship. So do you note that he synonymously connects

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worship with prayer with prayer. Ultimately Scott personal worship must include personal

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prayer. I know the brethren are trying so hard to help us to understand what it means

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to be in our worship to be family centered right church supported and I would add Christ

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centered and Christ focused Christ focused family centered church supported right and

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and that's what Alma is doing here that's what Alma goes into so continue there that

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that prayer or worship there they're synonymous for he said now now this is Zenas again you're

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quoting what Zenas said for he said thou art merciful or oh God for thou hast heard my

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prayer even as I was in the wilderness. Yay thou was merciful when I prayed concerning

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those who were mine enemies and thou just turned them to me. Yay oh God and thou was

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merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field and when I did cry unto thee in

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my prayer and thou just heard me and it goes on and on for several verses now talking about

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the power of prayer and again that and how he receives mercy and revelation this makes

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our faith unshaken eventually Scott in the last part of chapter thirty three which I

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think is I don't know it may be my favorite chapter I think I don't know maybe my favorite

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verse when we get down to to verse twenty seven twenty eight the last few verses of

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chapter thirty three he really hones in on what is the word I'm sorry verses twenty one

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through twenty three the last three verses Scott maybe we can begin there he's he's compared

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the the power of faith and and redemption and salvation with the children of Israel

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looking at the brass serpent if they would just look up just look up to God and live

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if they would just look up at the brass serpent and he he talks about that and then he says

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well because of the hardness of their hearts they wouldn't even look and therefore they

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perished in the wilderness so he says how the brass serpent can heal them because they

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wouldn't look and you can't be healed unless you unless you worship Jesus Christ and so

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he let's let's begin with verse twenty two Scott if so woe shall come unto you but if

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not so then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God just begin begin

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to believe begin to desire to believe again this is all going back to the seed right level

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stages just begin to believe and begin to believe in the Son of God that he will come

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and redeem his people and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins and that he

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shall rise again from the dead which shall bring to pass the resurrection that all men

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shall stand before him to be judged at the last and judgment day according to their works

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and then in verse twenty three he says and now my brother and I desire that ye shall

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plant this word this word this is the seed this is the ultimate seed that you should

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plant in your hearts and as it begineth to swell even so nourish it by your faith so

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even in the stages as we go through the stages and levels of faith Scott we nourish the seed

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by our faith we nourish the word by our faith and our faith grows stronger and stronger

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and we nourish it by our faith and it becomes stronger and stronger and tell the perfect

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day when we have when we obtain the faith of God when we can speak and we can command

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like Jacob described in the the waves of the sea in the mountains obey us or God can speak

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and create the the power of the word you know that's all described in Moses how God created

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the worlds was that through the power of the word so I I hope that our listeners just in

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speaking of faith in the general will begin to kind of ponder meditate study upon the

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different levels of faith Dave there's there's something else I just kind of want to point

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out here in verse twenty three so I'm going to read this if it's okay and then there's

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a there's a an emphasis I want to make so this is verse twenty three in that same chapter

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of Alma thirty three and now my brethren I desire that you shall plant this word in

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your hearts and as it begin to swell even so nourish it by your faith we read that and

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behold it will become a tree springing up into everlasting life and then may God and

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then may God grant you that your burdens may be light through the joy of his son so if

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we're looking for our burdens to become lighter which who isn't right through the atonement

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of Jesus Christ there's that that seems to kind of give us the recipe on how to make

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that happen and there's nothing passive or easy about that's correct it's not you can

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never can have heard on our part it takes it takes you begin you begin by believing

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that's where you begin by believing or as Alma says in twenty eight even if you only

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have it is or twenty seven even if you only have a desire to believe right just begin

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somewhere and and then as you begin and you plant the word and you read the scriptures

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and then you begin to have personal revelation and you begin to feel the holy ghost and your

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soul swells and is enlarged and your mind is enlightened and all of this revelation

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and hearing the word of the Lord is delicious then your faith begins to grow and Scott I'm

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not sure you can do that in in a couple of minutes or reading a reading one verse on

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on your app on your phone Alma seems to kind of know that as he's telling us this and then

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may God grant and to you again kind of the end of twenty three unto you that your burdens

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may be light through the joy of his son the joy of his son again and we go back to Hebrews

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for this to that he he did his atonement Jesus Christ did the atonement for his joy or the

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joy and the joy of the father and and then Alma seems to know that it's going to be difficult

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because he gives us a little a little encouragement here right and even this and even all this

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can you do if you will there is a price there is a price Scott now now I know I know all

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of our listeners are in a different place and stage in their own life not only does

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faith have different stages and levels but we're all as individuals right different

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stages in our life and on different levels of our faith and I understand that and so

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I don't want to make anybody feel bad about about anything that I say because you got

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to begin somewhere and and by small and simple things great things can come to pass and begin

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small but but to to really develop the great the the higher levels of faith and the faith

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of power man that takes that takes great efforts God and and eventually people it's not like

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it's laborious or like it's a burden to do it you know I I love and I'm in a place where

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I can do that and I've done that I've been able to do it through much of my life because

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of teaching seminaries and institutes and so how lucky and blessed am I in and you you

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work you work every day and you don't have the time to prepare lessons like I had time

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to prepare lessons and none of us can compare ourselves that anybody else as far as the

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stages that we're at or the levels of understanding that we're at but I just want to say that

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there's this wonderful app and I love it that I have discovered my son shared it with me

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and I can look at that app every day and I can read two verses usually two verses from

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come follow me for the week and every day they have two more verses and every day I can read

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that and I do and I think I feel good about myself I feel like I'm I'm doing come follow

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me and and and it makes me happy and and I feel like I'm you know and I like to just

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ponder those I don't just read them and and check the box right I I ponder them I try to

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have an experience with those verses but Scott that's different than than what my sweetheart

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does when she goes in she's got her manual she's got her journal she's got her scriptures

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and she goes through the the manual on come follow me she reads the scriptures and really

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ponders them and then she I love her for this she answers all of the questions in the manual

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in writing in her journal she takes the time to ponder those questions which I I love the

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manual and I love their inspired questions and she takes time to answer those inspired

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questions and to write down the answers and she be she has revelation she's told me so

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many times the feelings and the promptings and and the revelations that she's received

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Scott that's that's a different level of faith yeah she comes out of her experience with

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a totally different level higher level of faith than I receive by reading two verses

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on my phone every day I mean I just we need to know that these levels and stages of faith

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are not just a lifelong thing but they're a daily thing right what are we doing daily

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to grow our faith that's right and I know we can't all do 30 minutes a day but it may

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take more than a few seconds and a few verses yeah devs very much the same way you and I

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are kind of similar along that I do it throughout the day when I get a break and in my work

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and and and so forth but six o'clock every morning Deb walks into her office and I know

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and everybody knows this do not disturb Deb during that period of time because she's not

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maybe a different to approach than Chris but very very much a devotion on her part as well

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and in that you know David that's what it's talking about when it says if we plant the

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seed and they are planting not just planting but they are cultivating my dad plant seeds

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every spring this time of year if we were to go to his house he has this huge garden

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and and I I don't know that I've seen a more beautiful more manicured garden but he's putting

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the effort to take care of the seeds there that was planted and that's what we see there

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you know and and that's what Alma's encouraging us and even all this you can do if you will

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right right if you plant and then you he says in 32 right you can't just plant you got a

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nourish and by your diligence and by your patience you got a nourishment take care of that seed

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before it will grow up to be a tree I want to recommend our listeners to consider

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reading and talk on this subject it was given a byu Idaho devotional so you can just look up byu

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Idaho speeches and google that and it's in March of 2015 and it's a devotional talk by elder

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Wilford Anderson the 70 but it is an amazing talk on what we are trying to describe in

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in regards to the levels of faith and he talks about the levels of faith to sow seeds and the

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level of faith to harvest or to reap seeds Scott and there is definitely a difference

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and he he talks about how you know layman and Lemuel layman and Lemuel they even they had the

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level of faith to go to Jerusalem so they they had the level of faith to sow and to plant the seed

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but they didn't have the level of faith to reap or to harvest to finish the job to endure to the end

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they didn't have that level of faith that took revelation by Nephi Nephi had a different level

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of faith he had the level of faith to reap to harvest to complete to endure to finish that's

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that's a different level of faith and that's what Alma is ultimately describing from going from a

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seed to a seedling to a little plant to this great tree that produces its own fruit for others to

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enjoy. We'll include the link to that devotional talk in our show notes for this podcast so you'll

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be able to find those there. David also you mentioned an app and we're going to get a bunch of emails

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asking what app was that that you were referring to can you can you tell I don't even know what it's

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called could you okay I don't even know what it's called. I'll find out even if I have to contact

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Taylor on that. Yeah it's I love Taylor for sharing it with me and I've enjoyed it. It's

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and it's free it's called scripture plus okay scripture plus you can probably probably get that

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and you can go into greater depth on it but okay so today the scripture of the day is Luke 1240

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there's only one verse be therefore ready also for the Son of Man coming to an hour when you think

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not I love that verse I can ponder that verse yeah I can feel good about myself yeah but I'm not

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sure how much faith that really or how much that increases my faith yeah if I don't go

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in a little more depth into that it makes some effort yeah to reap yeah yeah so uh again I think

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that's awesome to read one verse a day but I'm hoping that most days or some days maybe a few days

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that we we learned a feast on the word because feasting on the word seems to create that tree

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and that fruit that we can continue to feast on over and over and over again yeah so uh when

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when we're talking about faith going back to lectures on faith for a moment from the school

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of the prophets in Kirtland Ohio 1831 to 33 Scott and these I really recommend our listeners read

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the lectures on faith if they haven't done so and they can obtain that on the Deseret bookshelf

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it's available there to read and I I just really love these lectures on faith particularly

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the one and then particularly six which tells us kind of how to obtain it and the lectures on faith

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answer really try to answer three questions what faith is how we can obtain it and the blessings

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of it and as I've studied that throughout my life several times I mean marked up the book and

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I really just love devoured tried to devour feast on the on the lectures on faith which used to be

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part of the doctrine in covenants most people probably know that but they took it out in the

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late 1800s because they decided that it was never really declared a revelation even though the

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prophet Joseph Smith probably helped in the development of those lectures it seems as though

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Sidney Rigdon had a had a big part in the authoring them and others but Joseph Smith certainly

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attended and certainly helped I think in the lectures on faith and accepted them

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but in the lectures on faith Scott besides faith is the moving cause of all action

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right and and think about that for just a minute in fact in that talk by elder elder Anderson

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Wilford Anderson BYU Idaho talk he talks about the little girl who prays and prays and prays

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that God will save these birds from not going into this trap their father or someone I can't

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remember the details had set a trap to catch these birds which kept eating the fruit or something

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and she prayed and then after she got through praying then she went out and smashed the trap

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that's faith in action there you go right that's faith yeah faith is not just asking faith is acting

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yeah faith is action so I love that and the faith is also power so we go from this this level of

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believing to acting I mean she prayed because she believed and then she acted and power is to be able

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to ask for things and they happen and I think maybe the greatest miracle of all and the greatest

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level of faith that we can all obtain is Scott and this is sacred to ask to be forgiven to ask

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God to forgive us and to have the the level of faith and the faith of power to know that he died

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for me that he suffered for me and that he has forgiven me right that takes great faith and to

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participate in the ordinances of the gospel sacrament ordinances of the holy temple and to

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know that we have become joint heirs with him through and because of our faith there's an

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amazing series and you can find it on YouTube I've just looked it up here and if I maybe I can

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include this link in the show notes as well but it's on YouTube it's called and it's actually

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produced by four really great men one of them one of David's friends Robert Matthews it's called

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the lectures of faith and introduction to the lectures and there's a series you can find that

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these four men discuss 30 minutes at a time on there the lectures of faith the lectures on faith

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rather and just I'd recommend that if you have a desire to dive into a deeper study on the

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lectures of faith that's a great place to begin yeah thank you Scott that's awesome so this idea

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of faith being the other thing that we must do when we think of faith Scott is and this is in the

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Bible dictionary so I want to just just read this from the Bible dictionary which was written by

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Robert J. Matthews bless his heart and I love him I miss him he's been gone now from us for

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several years but he this is what he wrote this is in the Bible dictionary under faith this is the

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fourth paragraph faith is a gift I just that is so important that we know faith is again not something

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that we earn it comes to us as a gift from God through the Holy Spirit faith is a gift of the

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Spirit it comes with a price for sure but it's not something that we can just determine that we can

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do on our own faith comes through the gift of the Holy Ghost faith itself is a gift and then he writes

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it must be cultivated different levels and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great

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tree the effects of true faith in Jesus Christ include one these are the effects of faith in

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actual knowledge that the course of life one is pursuing is acceptable to God two a reception

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of the blessings of the Lord that are available to man in this life and three an assurance of

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personal salvation in the world to come that's powerful those are the three effects of faith

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that are all described in the lectures on faith in actual knowledge that the course of life one

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is pursuing is acceptable wouldn't we all be blessed to know that two a reception of the

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blessings of the Lord that are available to us in this life that we may not otherwise receive if

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it were not for our faith in other words and three an actual assurance or knowledge the

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knowledge of hope and the assurance of hope that we have received salvation and will receive

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exaltation in the world to come these things he continues to write one a few more sentences here

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these things involve individual and personal testimony guidance revelation and spiritual

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knowledge i'm telling you scott knowledge and faith are the same thing where the elder mcconkey

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taught that where there is true faith there are miracles visions dreams healings and all the gifts

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of god that he gives to his saints so i i just hope and pray that all of our listeners will begin

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to receive the conditional blessings of the atonement of jesus christ by beginning now

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to grow our faith you know president hinkley when he was president of the church scott i think it

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was in actually the year 2000 we be as we began a new millennium and he was reviewing all of the

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challenges and problems of of the past and the future and he said there is one thing that we need

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more than anything else that will solve all of our problems and its increased faith and i i think of

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the you know the the scripture of the centurion who who prays i think it's the centurion who prays

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when jesus says do you believe and he says increase my faith yeah i hope that we'll make it all of us

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should have that prayer we should be thinking that yeah striving for that asking for that seeking it

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that we increase our faith and as we do so i know that that our personal worship will also increase

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and that we will be able to obtain the level of faith that we need to be able to have a connection

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and continual revelation with our loving heavenly father and next week i'm excited to talk about

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what specifically faith in christ means that specific faith and as we hone in on that

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that will lead us into repentance i i want all of our listeners i'll say this again next week

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but i've come to this conclusion scott and i know it's true that if we keep repeating and repenting

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of the same sins over and over and over and over again and i don't know sky can't speak to this

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like you can but that may be true of addictions i believe it's because our faith in jesus christ

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is not at the level that it should be or needs to be to overcome that that if we feel like we're

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stuck spiritually and we feel like we're spinning our wheels spiritually we should go back to one

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thing and that is how can i increase my faith in god and in jesus christ and his atonement

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and as we do so we will have the power to move on to put things behind us that are negative

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and to move forth in confidence and trust in god so thanks thank you scott for again helping us to

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have this discussion and help our listeners i think come to a better understanding of what faith is

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and we'll begin to talk also next week about how to obtain it how to strengthen it besides what we've

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done today yeah i'm just going to comment on what you did say about those of us who keep

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going back to the old behaviors or or or habits or what have you and repenting and repenting and

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00:54:33,240 --> 00:54:37,640
wondering why are we stuck there jacob answered that question for us in the beginning of our

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conversation today you know and and we'll miss it if we're not careful if we're not reading with

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the spirit of of of the holy ghost if we're not reading it with the spirit of of trying to increase

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our own faith but again i'm going to just read it again in chapter four verse six of jacob and seven

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and seven because it really talks about change i think yeah but the very little changes but the

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answer the question is a very first sentence wherefore we search the prophets you know you know and we

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can and we can make that about searching the prophets and searching the scriptures we can make that about

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searching the truth in in 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous we can make that in searching and becoming

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and increasing our faith now i say searching the steps of you know in alcoholics anonymous but we

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00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:32,600
in searching those steps the second step is that we increase our relationship with in in my case with

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Jesus Christ yeah and through his atonement so it's accurate and the reason that we often do

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find ourselves in that constant chasing of our own tales around and around and around is because

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we're not willing to let go let god run our lives and the way that we do that is we do search the

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00:55:52,760 --> 00:55:59,320
prophets we do search the scriptures we do everything in our power to increase our relationship

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with our heavenly father through our lord and savior Jesus christ in his atonement yeah amen

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00:56:05,160 --> 00:56:12,680
scott uh i i think one of my favorite talk by president elson is the talk that he gave in

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april 2020 called hear him and it kind of goes with what jacob says in jacob four six and he talks

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about this uh intentional we need to be more intentional in hearing the lord and uh he says

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it takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily life with his words his teachings his

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00:56:40,920 --> 00:56:48,280
truths and then he goes on and says what will happen as you more intentionally hear harken and

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heed what the savior has said and what he is saying now through his prophets that's a question

489
00:56:55,480 --> 00:57:01,800
i promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation struggles and

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00:57:01,800 --> 00:57:08,280
weakness i promise miracles in your marriage miracles in your family relationships and

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miracles in your daily work and i promise that your capacity to fill joy will increase even

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if turbulence increases in your life that's the power of faith and i just hope and pray that we

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can all be more intentional to receive the gift it's a requirement it really is required for us

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to have some intent and and even that davie even our intent will increase you know we can if we

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00:57:38,840 --> 00:57:44,760
can begin with just a desire to have intention and even if we can in it and i have this discussion

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with a recovering alcoholic or what will hopefully soon be a recovering alcoholic just yesterday you

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know if if we can just pray for the desire for that seed to grow within us and that and heavenly

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father will bless us with that desire and then as that desire comes and we see it grow then we begin

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00:58:04,280 --> 00:58:09,640
again to have the desire to search the prophets that our hope may return into faith and that all

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of these things through the atonement of jesus christ will heal us from all things from all things

501
00:58:14,840 --> 00:58:21,160
and again going back to that uh the weakness he'll all things that come to us because of our

502
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weakness what's our weakness again our weakness is our sub being subject to the fall in two ways

503
00:58:28,360 --> 00:58:34,680
mortality mortality spiritual death physical death can become a great strength and be turned

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into immortality so i just really hope and pray scott again one more time that all of us will be

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more intentional in increasing our faith by hearing the word of the lord by searching the prophets

506
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the scriptures receiving the word planting the word in our hearts and scott i i think a question

507
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we should all ask ourselves every day is what am i going to do today right to increase my faith

508
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that that should be something that we all ponder and that we all take uh seriously and that we

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all do something about gang thanks for being with us today these things are important to us i hope

510
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you can feel the spirit that we have felt here today as we've discussed these most sacred and

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important things in our lives and in yours too remember you have been redeemed through his blood

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we're excited to be with you again next week thanks for being with us and until then take care