A Few Thoughts About Faith and Obtaining Answers to Our Prayers
I don’t know if everyone is born with some degree of faith or not. But I think it is safe to say that some are born having the gift of faith, and others can develop it.
When I refer to faith, I mean faith in God. The following list expresses a few things we know about faith as Latter Day Saints:
1. Because faith is wanting, the fruits are
A Few Thoughts on Getting the Lord’s Attention
ASK
Asking is a law of heaven. We can ask, petition, request, beg, and implore the Lord, depending on our need.
Belief and Disbelief
Note: Belief and faith are synonyms as I use the terms in this post.
I've been thinking about the nature of belief and disbelief. Each person appears to have an inherent tendency to believe or disbelieve religious claims. Following are members of the church sharing their testimony of disbelief and belief.
Expressions of Disbelief
Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost
Authority Restored
The restoration of the gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith restored many things that had been lost from the earth. The authority to baptize and confer the gift of the Holy Ghost was among things lost. John the Baptist, now a resurrected man, restored the authority to baptize and confer the gift of the Holy Ghost when he laid his hands on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (JS-History 1:67-74).
There are many blessings associated with receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Joseph Smith wrote about the change he and Oliver experienced immediately after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost:
Remember in all Things the Poor and the Needy, the Sick and the Afflicted
Heavenly Father has said many things pertaining to the poor and needy, the sick and the afflicted. As followers of Christ he has make it clear what is required of us in order to be His disciples.
And remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple. D&C 52:40
For What Doth It Profit A Man If A Gift Is Bestowed Upon Him, And He Receive Not The Gift?
Our Heavenly Father has revealed that it is His work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). In other words, to make it possible for each of us to become as He is-a God. The promise continues-He will give us all that He hath (D&C 84:38).
Heavenly Father's plan is to give us power, the unimaginable power to create worlds without end (Moses 1:4, 33) and to possess knowledge, all knowledge such that there is not anything save we'll know it (2 Nephi 9:20).
Are You in Tune with the Spirit? Three Ways to Verify Your Sources
The scripture teach that we are all influenced by “the Spirit/spirit”, but which one? Maybe this should be called the dichotomy of the spirit. Here is an example from the scriptures:
Spending (quality) Time with the Lord
Spending time with the Lord is a worthy goal. Spending quality time with the Lord is even better. “Really,” says an inquisitive mind, “what’s the difference?” Good question, I’m glad you asked it.
An Introduction to the Gifts of the Spirit
Premortality
I believe, as a general rule, the scriptures reveal to mankind the laws of the Celestial world. The purpose for doing so is to prepare as many of the sons and daughters of God as possible for entrance into the Celestial Kingdom of God. In our pre-mortal state we lived in the presence of God, but at some point we must have relocated to spirit earth to exercise our agency and to participate in the “war in heaven”. In Fathers presence sin was not possible, thus the war in heaven must have taken place elsewhere, and we know that the earth was created spiritually before being made temporally, so it is reasonable to opinionate that is where we lived while en route to the world we now live on.
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