LDS Alive in Christ …my blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not

Dealing with Crisis the Lord’s Way

Because we are the children of God we can know Him, and be Known of Him. The scriptures teach many things about Heavenly Father, and if we diligently seek Him He will be revealed. Many Latter-day Saints have experienced this revealing and therefore have a testimony.

In the last few years, as I've visited numerous LDS blogs, I have read many accounts of church members who experience a crisis of one kind or another. Their testimonies are often challenged as they struggle with a situation they feel is inexplicable. They are brought to a point where they begin to feel that God doesn't really exist, or needs to be redefined, because of the nature of their difficulty. All kinds of difficulties befall us while in mortality. When our faith was strong we thought we were on the high road to the Celestial Kingdom, but when in the midst of a crisis, our faith is seemingly uprooted as we're tossed about in the circumstances that engulf us.

There are many ways our faith can be challenged: death of a loved one, health, sin (our own or someone else's), unrequited love, doctrines, the temple, conflict between science and faith, church history, and tension with church leaders, to name a few.

Born Again (or still born)

When a crisis surrounds our live something generally has to give way. It can be likened to an irresistible force meeting an immovable object, or a clash of titans.  We either find our way to God or we give up on Him in some meaningful way.  Those who find their way to God are blessed to know Him on a level they never dreamed possible. They are "born again" having found God anew, and the crisis that brought them to God becomes less important now that they are basking in the arms of His love.

I know by experience the transforming power of this kind of experience.

Keys of Understanding

In order to conquer the crisis of faith that finds us we need to know a few things about God. The following scripture says it well.

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3

Question:  What do we need to know about God?

Heavenly Father has given His children the Holy Scriptures. They contain the words of the prophets, and reveal Him to those who diligently seek.

The following list contains a few of the essential characteristic the scriptures reveal about God that we need to have engraven on our souls when the storms of life beat upon our house.

Note: The scripture citation below are active links--click to view them.

1. God is our Heavenly Father (Acts 17:29, Alma 40:11)

2. God is love (1 John 4:16)

3. God knows all things (2 Nephi 9:20)

4. God is perfect   (3 Nephi 12:48)

5. God is merciful (Alma 42:15)

6. God will prove us by trial (Abraham 3:25, Ether 12:6, Mosiah 23:21)

7. God sent his only begotten Son to save us in our crisis (Alma 7: 11-12)

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Alma 7:11 - 12

Summary

To be true followers of God we must be willing to follow Him when a crisis to our faith envelops us. The purpose of mortality is to become a joint-heir-with-Christ and return to the presence of God the Father. This blessing comes to those who are willing to look to God when being tested in the crucible of their circumstances.

God doesn't make mistakes, He is perfect! He loves us perfectly and will try our souls to expand them. We must be willing to pass the test, no matter how unfair it may seem at the time.

President Monson said:

Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order for us to be tested, we must face challenges and difficulties. These can break us, and the surface of our souls may crack and crumble—that is, if our foundations of faith, our testimonies of truth are not deeply embedded within us. "How Firm a Foundation," Ensign, Nov 2006, 62, 67–68

Elder Dallin Oaks said:

Like the mortal life of which they are a part, adversities are temporary. What is permanent is what we become by the way we react to them...Our adversities can be the means of obtaining blessings unobtainable without them. Ensign, July 1998, p. 9.

The choice is ours. We can follow the paths of pride or humility to their reward.

About Jared

Thanks for coming by. The primary reason I write this blog is to increase awareness and understanding about the doctrine of Christ as taught in the Book of Mormon. Click here to read about, "My Experience with the Savior" to understand my reasons for doing a blog.