Day 48

Day 48:

-Read: Alma 21-23

-Mark: Alma 22:15-18

"No part of walking by faith is more difficult than walking the road of repentance. However, with 'faith unto repentance,' we can push roadblocks out of the way, moving forward to beg God for mercy... One simply surrenders, caring only about what God thinks, not what 'they' think... Giving away all our sins is the only way we can come to know God."

~Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Something to think about: What are you willing to give to know Him?

In my institute class lately, we've been talking about faith. What does it mean to have faith? What is the opposite of faith? Joseph Smith said, "....Doubt and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time..." Basically fear and faith cannot coexist. One will replace the other. If you don't have faith, you begin to lose hope, and then you'll begin to fear and faith will leave.

President Harold B. Lee (April 1970) said: "The greatest danger among us today is fear. Fear doesn't come of the Lord. Faith and peace are the fruits of the Spirit." If you want to feel peace, you have to have confidence. Part of feeling peace is having confidence in yourself that your faith is good and what answers you might be receiving are right.

Some symptoms of fear may be: hopelessness, lack of confidence, lack of trust in yourself, anxiety, confusion, trying to do it all on your own with no help, trusting too much in the arm of flesh and not listening or trusting the Spirit, the inability to make decisions, or making decisions based upon "What if's" that may never happen.

Faith is a process. The process looks like this:

-----> It starts with HOPE. After hope comes ACTION. After action comes TRIAL. After trial comes KNOWLEDGE. That is FAITH.

Decide today to always trust in the Lord. Have the faith that He knows what is best and if you follow the directions He's given to the prophet, you will be so happy and won't have to worry about the painful process of repentance as much. I promise you won't regret it :)

Good luck with finals week everyone! (If you're in college, that is) Otherwise just have a wonderful week! The Lord loves you and wants the best for you.