November 18, 2024 • 40 mins
In this episode, I reflect on President Russell M. Nelson's advice to choose to believe in Jesus Christ despite doubts or challenges. I share my personal experiences growing up in the gospel, the trials my faith has faced, and how I have strengthened my testimony. From overcoming doubts with the help of faithful sources to understanding Satan's tactics, I provide insights and strategies to help others fortify their faith. Tune in for a heartwarming discussion on maintaining a testimony through study, prayer, and choosing to follow Christ.
Links:
@amberdawnpearce
Go to www.amber.thrivelife.com and set up a delivery to get 15% off retail and free shipping on orders of $100 or more.
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References:
"Christ is risen; faith in Him will move mountains" Russell M Nelson
JS- Mattthew 1: 22 & 37
The Power of Spiritual Momentum By President Russell M. Nelson
2 Nephi 28
Moroni 7:19
Mormon 9
Jacob 7:4
1 Corinthians 2:14
James 1:8
3 Nephi 18:11-13
Psalms 1:1-3
Be One with Christ By Elder Quentin L. Cook
00:00 Introduction and Opening Message
00:43 Meet Your Host: Amber Pearce
02:08 Personal Testimony and Early Experiences
05:20 Facing Doubts and Strengthening Faith
09:50 The Importance of Genuine Doctrine
11:48 Recognizing and Resisting Satan's Tactics
15:47 Personal Encounters with Anti-Information
22:54 Seeking Truth and Spiritual Confirmation
28:12 The Power of Basic Gospel Principles
32:40 Final Thoughts and Encouragement
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amber (00:00):
President Russell M.
Nelson said, Choose to believein Jesus Christ.
If you have doubts about God,the Father, and his beloved Son,
or the validity of theRestoration, or the veracity of
Joseph Smith's divine calling asa prophet, choose to believe and
stay faithful.
Take your questions to the Lordand to other faithful sources.
(00:23):
Study with the desire to believerather than with the hope that
you can find a flaw in thefabric of a prophet's life or a
discrepancy in the scriptures.
Stop increasing your doubts byrehearsing them with other
doubters.
Allow the Lord to lead you onyour journey of spiritual
discovery.
(00:44):
Welcome, I am your host, AmberPearce.
You can also find me@amberdawnpearce on all social
media platforms.
I actually started sharing mytestimony of Christ first on
social media, and I guess I hadtoo much to say, because now I
have a podcast and YouTubechannel, and I'm so grateful
that you're here, and I trulyhope that we can grow in the
(01:07):
gospel together.
This episode has been a couplemonths in the making, so I'm
very excited to finally berecording it.
But before we jump in, Can Ishare something with you that I
am incredibly grateful for, thatmy family uses on a daily basis?
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(01:53):
All proceeds support the HopeSmiling Brightly charity.
Okay.
Are you ready?
You are listening to HopeSmiling Brightly with Amber Dawn
Pearce.
Episode number 10, choose tobeleive.
From a very young age, I had atestimony of the power of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, itspower to lift, to change, to
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inspire us to be better, to dobetter.
My parents were always very openabout their experiences without
the gospel in their lives andhow turning to the gospel helped
them overcome addiction andcompletely turn their lives
around.
I remember as a little girl, mydad explaining to me what the
(02:40):
Holy Spirit felt like and hisexperience in walking away from
the church and being completelydevoid of the Holy Spirit, not
even remembering or noticingthat it was no longer there.
Until years later, he walkedback through those chapel doors
and was overcome with a feelingof love and peace and
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remembrance of how this used tofeel.
And he said in that moment, heremembered what it was like to
be completely without the spiritand what it felt to be filled
with it.
And he never wanted to bewithout the Holy Spirit again.
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He made a choice in that momentand he never turned away.
The testimonies of my parentsstrengthened my own testimony.
And I even remember the firsttime I had courage to get up and
bear my testimony in front ofthe entire congregation.
We had just moved from a ward inBernalillo, New Mexico to a
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small branch in Moriarty, NewMexico.
And I thought it wasinteresting.
And actually, it kind of buggedme that every Fast and Testimony
meeting, Someone would saysomething to the effect of, I
know this is the only truechurch on the face of the earth.
And I was like, wait, my churchin Bernalillo was true too.
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And I started getting reallyfrustrated that people kept
saying this.
And I wanted to set themstraight.
So it took me a few months, butI finally decided.
This one fast and testimonymeeting, I was going to get up
and let everyone in thatcongregation know that I knew
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that this church was true inMoriarty, but I also knew that
the church in Bernalillo wastrue as well.
And they needed to know that.
Thankfully, I told my mother ofmy intentions before I got up.
I was only six years old at thistime.
So.
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That poor congregation was savedfrom being chastised by a six
year old.
But I still got up anyway thatday and was grateful to
understand that when someonesaid that, they were referring
to every congregation, thechurch as a whole.
And truly, I have been bearingmy testimony of the truthfulness
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of this gospel ever since.
Though, there have been momentsof questioning, doubting,
discouragement But I thinkthat's part of the beautiful
process of growing a testimony.
Shortly after that time that Ibore my first testimony ever, I
remember laying on the couch inthe living room, looking up at
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the ceiling when the thoughtoccurred to me, what if none of
this is true?
What if I die and find out?
I was completely wrong and itstarted to really distress me.
My mom walked in the room andnoticed that distressed look on
my face and asked me if I wasokay.
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And so I asked her, Mom, what ifwe are wrong?
What if none of this is true?
And I love the way that sheresponded.
She stayed completely calm.
And just bore witness to me thatthe Holy Spirit had let her know
of the truthfulness of thisgospel.
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And that if I was patient and Iwould seek, I could learn from
myself as well.
And in that moment started thatdesire within me to have my own
firm testimony of every truth ofthe gospel.
Fast forward a couple years toanother touchpoint in my
testimony.
I was sitting in one of thosesmall cramped primary rooms,
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staring at the beautiful orangecarpet that matched our orange
plastic chairs.
And I remember My teacher,quoting a scripture from Joseph
Smith, Matthew, verse 22.
For in those days, there shallalso arise false Christs and
false prophets, and shall showgreat signs and wonders,
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insomuch that if possible, theyshall deceive the very elect,
who are the elect, according tothe covenant.
My teacher explained what thisverse was saying, that some of
the most faithful members of ourchurch in the last days would
lose their faith and walk away.
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I started to think about thepeople that I knew and loved
that had strong testimonies thatwere examples to me, and it blew
my mind.
It brought deep shock andsadness that anyone would walk
away from the gospel.
And right after that thoughtcame the thought, Wait, what if
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it's me?
What if I am one of those peoplewho will lose their faith?
it was the thought right afterthat, I feel was written in my
soul that day.
With conviction, I said tomyself, I I will not be one of
those who is deceived, Butholding to that decision didn't
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come easy.
I had to work in my effort tobecome unshaken in the gospel.
And so, where do we start?
That choice to believe and thedetermination to discern
counterfeit was tested manytimes in my life.
So today, rather than addressingspecific topics that might shake
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one's faith, I want to sharewith you some general principles
that have saved and strengthenedmy testimony and that I hope
will help you or a loved one whois struggling.
It wasn't until later in lifewhen I was at risk of this very
deception that I recognized thesolution.
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In fact, it was just a fewverses below that one verse in
Joseph Smith Matthew.
It was verse 37 and it says, andwhoso treasureth up my word
shall not be decieved as I readthat, you can't help but ponder,
what am I treasuring up?
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I'm embarrassed to say that as ayoung mother, I definitely spent
more time watching my favoritetalk show host than studying the
scriptures.
And I know that I quoted hermore than the scriptures.
I think I even quoted her inRelief Society, which is really
embarrassing.
Baby steps, right?
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But really, why is it soimportant to evaluate ourselves
and to make sure it's the wordof God that we are treasuring up
in our lives.
President Nelson has said thatone of our greatest challenges
today is distinguishing betweenthe truths of God and the
counterfeits of Satan, And thereis something really neat about
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how federal agents detectcounterfeit money that we can
learn from.
John F.
MacArthur, Said that federalagents don't learn to spot
counterfeit money by studyingthe counterfeits They study
genuine bills until they masterthe look of the real thing Then
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when they see the bogus money,they recognize it.
Close quote.
It is not helpful and has provenhurtful to study any any
counterfeit doctrine.
If your quest is to discovertruth, mastering the look of the
real thing is even a method thatis taught in the scriptures.
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As we are told, we should searchdiligently in the light of
Christ that ye may know goodfrom evil.
And just like counterfeit money,counterfeit doctrine can seem to
be of great value, but inreality, it's absolutely
worthless.
The word of God through thescriptures and his chosen
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servants are genuine andpriceless.
Study and master them.
Instead of consuming thedoctrine of man, if you want to
feast upon that which perishethnot, neither can be corrupted,
and let your soul delight in thereal thing.
Only then can you be confidentthat you will recognize bogus
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doctrine.
When you see it and the prophetadvised us, when you distinguish
a counterfeit cast Satan out,don't forget that power you
have, and don't wait until youare feeling overcome by that
power to dismiss Satan.
I love that as we are treasuringup the word of God, we can also
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learn right there in thescriptures what Satan's tactics
are.
And if we are to stay strong, itis important to be honest with
ourselves as we learn of Satan'stactics.
Are we falling for any of them?
It's important that we studythese things and know Satan's
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tactics.
Inside and out so that when hedoes attack, we will recognize
it is him.
Second Nephi chapter 28 is afantastic chapter that reveals
the entire battle plan.
In these verses, we learn thatSatan will cause people to
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revile against that which isgood, and say it is of no worth.
I have heard not only the world,but members of the church try to
decrease the importance oftemples and covenants, and
wearing the temple garment,decrease the importance of the
family proclamation.
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And it also says that at thatday, he shall rage in the hearts
of children of men, and stirthem up to anger against that
which is good.
Since I've been sharing online,And have come across people who
have left the church.
It always shocks and saddens methe amount of anger they have
towards the church and itsmembers.
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But that is a red flag.
If you are listening to orreading anything that is
presented with anger, run away.
Verse 21.\ others, he willpacify and lull them away into
carnal security.
This trend to take a step backfrom religion.
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Don't take yourself soseriously, you don't have to
follow rules, just do what youfeel is right.
And others he flattereth awayAre we imagining up a convenient
God, a God that conforms to howwe want to see the world, to how
we want to live?
Are we listening to ideas thatjustify sin?
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You know, that whole you do you,you be you movement?
That is flattery.
And how does Satan get thismessage across?
They do error because they aretaught by the precepts of man.
Who are we listening to?
Someone that is called ofhimself, of herself?
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Or someone that is called ofGod?
Are they taking scripture andtwisting it to conform to how
they want to live?
Are they claiming that they aregoing to improve?
The gospel and the churchthrough these ideas that they're
coming up with.
Are we listening to ideasfounded in gospel doctrine and
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principles?
It is important to be verydiscerning in what we allow into
our minds.
There's one more tactic I wantto address that is explained in
Mormon chapter 9.
Satan wants us to imagine up toourselves a God who is not a God
of miracles.
Sometimes our faith is shakenbut it has nothing to do with
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the history or the doctrine ofthe church.
But Simply losing trust andfaith in God because we feel
abandoned.
We are so focused on the trialthat we weren't protected from
or the big miracle that wedidn't receive that we fail to
see the small miracles,evidences of God's love, and we
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lose faith entirely.
Satan alsoo wants to chip awayat our belief in God's power and
miracles, because withoutmiracles, the restoration of the
gospel could have neverhappened.
There would be nothing to standon.
All right, understanding thetactics of the opponent is the
start.
But what do we do when we areactually under attack?
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As a young girl, my best friendwas a born again Christian, and
I often went to church with herand I loved it.
And everyone there was so kind.
And they never.
question or criticize my faith,but just welcomed me.
So when another friend invitedme to go to church with her, I
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thought the experience would bethe same.
What I didn't know is that shehad told her minister that I was
a member of the Church of JesusChrist of Latter day Saints, and
her minister told her all thethings that she needed to tell
me so that I would know that Iwas deceived and going to hell.
So it was really overwhelming asa 12 year old girl to have
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someone a little older than meyell at me and tell me how
brainwashed I was, and that Ididn't truly believe that I was
just believing what my parentstaught me.
She went on and on and on withall these things the minister
had told her to tell me, and Isat silent.
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And finally, when she was done,and through tears, all I could
say was, I know that the churchis true.
You know, at that point, maybemy testimony was leaning on what
my parents had told me.
But whatever I didn't know, Godwas going to give me the
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opportunity to learn for myself.
But I was actually surprised atwhen that opportunity came.
My husband had just been calledto be the bishop of our ward,
and within just a few months ofhim being called.
I started being inundated fromsources I was not seeking with
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anti information.
The first experience, I wasmeeting up with someone I was
doing business with in a cafe.
And when he learned that I was amember of the church, he started
screaming at me in front ofeveryone.
Everyone telling me that I wasgoing to hell because I believed
in Joseph Smith.
He then proceeded to send meemail after email with
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information against the gospel.
I should have deleted thoseemails, but out of curiosity, I
read them.
And it was stuff I had neverheard before.
Right after that, a friend sentme some anti information because
I had shared a post on theFamily Proclamation on Facebook.
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And then that same week, I waspreparing to give a talk in
church, so I went online to findsome extra resources and came
across a website posing as awebsite written by a faithful
member of the church, and it wasanything but.
Coming across all thisinformation all at once was, was
definitely faith shaking.
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Now I knew that another one ofSatan's tactics is expertly
crafted words.
I had learned from Sherem in thebook of Jacob chapter seven,
that there are people that labordiligently, that they might lead
away the hearts of the people.
Are learned and have a perfectknowledge of the language of the
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people.
Wherefore, he could use muchflattery and much power of
speech according to the power ofthe devil.
So even though I knew that'swhat I was reading, I still had
questions and things that Ineeded resolved.
So if you ever find yourself inthis place, it's important to
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recognize an attack from Satanfor what it is.
And use it as an opportunity tostrengthen testimony.
It was very clear Satan wasattacking me.
He shouldn't have been soobvious.
And because of my covenants withChrist, I knew that I was
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stronger than his efforts.
I have learned that when a doubton question comes into your
mind, don't freak out.
There isn't a single topic thatI have not grappled with since
that initial experience.
But each time I knew that Iwould get through and I knew not
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only that, I knew that I wouldend up with a stronger testimony
that God would consecrate thisdoubt, this question for my
good.
The spirit knows the cracks inour testimony that we don't even
see.
And it knows how to fill thosecracks perfectly.
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So when that doubt or questioncomes, just ask.
Okay, show me how to strengthenthis.
And in that process, if you turnto other people, make sure
you're turning to people offaith.
There was a time where I wastrying to understand and
strengthen my faith in a certaintopic.
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And as I thought about who Imight ask for their wisdom, two
people came to my mind.
They were two of my hikingbuddies.
One of them was a sister Iministered to that had left the
church.
Another was a sister thatministered to me.
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And part of me kind of wanted totalk to the sister that had left
the church, because I knew thatshe would confirm these
unsettled feelings that I had.
But I also knew That it wouldn'tdo any good to my testimony.
So I was careful not to bring upthat topic with her, but turned
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to the sister who I knew hadstrong faith.
And what she told me helpedresolve my concerns and
strengthen my testimony.
And as you have that desire andintention to strengthen your
faith with people of faith,trust that the Lord is going to
put people in your path that canhelp you shortly after you're
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being exposed to all this antiinformation.
I was going on a road trip witha friend, and at the last
minute, another friend asked ifshe could get a ride with us.
On that drive, we startedtalking about my experience and
some of the things I had comeacross.
And she confided in me That herhusband was really struggling in
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his faith and had been readingall that anti information.
And so she had been searchingfor all the answers to try and
help him in his testimony.
And so she was able to answeralmost every single question I
had.
I know that the Lord put her inmy path when I needed her.
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The next thing that I learnedwas that you have to be in truth
for the spirit to testify of it.
And once the spirit testifies,the spirit trumps all.
The prophet has reminded us togive the Lord a fair share of
our time.
So after reading all this antiinformation, I was like, okay.
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What does the other side have tosay?
And this was when the JosephSmith papers had just come out
on CD and my mom had bought aset.
So I decided, okay, maybe Ishould start there.
And I grabbed her CDs when Irealized it was 20 hours of
listening.
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I was a little discouraged, butI thought, okay, I have a bunch
to clean up.
I can do this while I'morganizing my house.
So I put in the first CD and inthe introduction, before they
even went in to the Joseph Smithpapers, the author shared his
own testimony of the prophetJoseph Smith.
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And as I listened, the spirittestified to me with surety that
Joseph Smith was a prophet ofGod.
I turned off the CDs and satthere in gratitude and awe.
Yes, I could listen for 20 morehours.
But in that moment, I knew thatthere was No other information
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about Joseph Smith that I canlearn that would strengthen my
testimony more.
Or, tear my testimony down.
I knew what the spirit hadtestified to me.
I did not care what the worldhad to say about him, good or
evil.
My testimony was not made up ofknowledge that you can find in
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the footnotes of any book oropinions you can find online.
My knowledge was from a sourcethat cannot be denied.
And trumps all information, factor fiction, dive into truth,
seek it, give the opportunityfor the Holy Spirit to testify
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of that truth to you.
I shared that experience onlineand, Oh, did I receive a lot of
hate and mocking, but thatbrings me to my next point.
If people are laughing at andmocking you, you know, that you
are on the right track.
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I remember driving down the roadone time feeling a little sorry
for myself for the amount ofcriticism and hate I was
navigating as I shared my faithonline.
When the thought came into mymind, don't say you want to
testify of me, but expect to bespared from the mocking I had to
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experience.
If we want to follow Christ,there's going to be bitter with
the sweet, but he drank of thatbitter cup so that we could be
strengthened.
So when people told me that Icouldn't trust my feelings, that
I was deceived, that that's nothow the Spirit works, Trying to
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convince me that confirmationsof the Holy Spirit are just
heightened emotion.
All I could think of was 1Corinthians 2, verse 14.
But the natural man receivethnot the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are foolishnessunto him.
Neither can he know them,because they are spiritually
discerned I didn't care what manhad to say because your faith
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should not stand in the wisdomof men, but in the power of God.
So what if you're strugglingwith other things in the history
of the church?
It is important to remember thatGod's ways are not our ways, and
his thoughts are not ourthoughts.
Why are we questioning somethings the saints were asked to
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do in the history of the church?
And now, here's something toconsider.
Did a loving Heavenly Father whosees all know what was coming
and knew the saints needed theirfaith to be tested and
strengthened so that they couldsurvive the days ahead?
I can't think of anything thatwould sift the saints and
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strengthen them more than whatthey were asked to do as the
foundation of the restorationwas being laid.
Whatever beef you have withhistory, number one, put it into
context.
And number two, remember thatwhat the church is today, the
beautiful fruits it hasmiraculously produced.
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is a direct result of the pastyou are questioning.
God knows what's going on.
He is in control.
He knows what needs to happen.
He knows how to consecrate ourfeeble efforts for good, and He
will guide us to the perfectend.
Now if there's questions thatyou just don't know how to
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resolve, here's the next thingthat helped me.
Go back to the basics.
Of the gospel.
Let me explain.
I had been through years of afaith refining process.
My testimony had beenstrengthened in so many ways,
which I was grateful for, but itbothered me that still every
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time.
When someone prominent left thechurch, or when a controversial
topic came up, I would start toquestion my testimony again, and
I was so tired of it.
But one day I was reading in thesame chapter that Joseph Smith
read that led to that prayerthat changed the world.
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James 1.
If you keep reading, you come toverse 8, where it says, A double
minded man is unstable in allhis ways.
And in that moment, I knew thatI was being double minded and
that's why I felt this push andpull that was exhausting me.
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I was done with it.
I started praying for HeavenlyFather to help me to not be
double minded anymore.
And during this time, I happenedto be going to Education Week at
BYU.
And there was one particulartopic that was really bothering
me, and I was hoping to find aclass that addressed it, but
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there wasn't one.
So I said a desperate prayer forsome sort of answer, some sort
of clarity, peace, and went towhatever class I felt guided to.
It was in the morning of thelast day there that I attended a
class and the speaker wastalking about personal
revelation, when all of a suddenhe paused.
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And when he started speakingagain, he went off on a
completely different topic.
It was the exact same topic Ihad been praying about.
But do you know what he said?
He said, I don't know.
I don't have all the answers.
But I'll tell you what I doknow.
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I know that Joseph Smith is aprophet of God.
I know the Book of Mormon is theword of God.
I know that this is the restoredgospel on the earth today and
that Christ leads it.
I know that our Savior came toearth and died for us, atoned
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for our sins.
He went back to the basics andas he bore his testimony of the
truthfulness of the gospel ofthe plan of salvation, the
spirit bore witness to me andall of a sudden, all the stress
and worry over that topiccompletely left me.
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I knew that the plan ofsalvation worked and the things
that I didn't have the answersto.
God did, and I could trust him.
It is the Savior himself thatexplained the simplicity of his
gospel, faith, repentance,baptism, reception of the Holy
Ghost.
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and enduring to the end.
He said, if you do these things,ye are built upon my rock, more
or less are not built upon myrock.
Don't complicate the gospel.
God is the contractor and hewill build your faith perfectly.
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If all else fails, focus on yourrelationship with God.
There is a piece of advice thatmy father gave to all of his
children as they were gettingmarried and reminded us of it
throughout our marriages.
He would always say, don't makethe issue more important than
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the relationship.
No matter what questions wehave, if we maintain a
relationship with Jesus Christ,everything's going to be okay.
But sometimes we have a questionthat we want answered so
desperately that we start tohyper focus on that question.
When the only thing we should behyper focused on is our Savior
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Jesus Christ.
So, what if you're listening tothis and you're thinking, I'm
doing great.
My testimony is fine.
Let me remind you of whatPresident Nelson said, with
frightening speed, a testimonythat is not nourished daily by
the good word of God, canCrumble.
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Close quote.
We should always be proactivelybuilding our testimony with
intention.
President Nelson also encouragedus to ask ourselves
consistently, whatreinforcements to your testimony
and understanding of the gospelare needed.
This is a lifelong journey.
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Let me tell you one more thingthat I learned.
Sometimes, answers will comeafter moving forward with the
choice to believe.
That is faith.
I want to share a recentexperience with you that teaches
the power of this principle.
I was on a hike in a place thatI had never been before on a
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trail I had never seen.
It was completely unfamiliar tome.
All I knew is that I was goinguphill and I was going to see a
waterfall at the end.
As I was going along, I startedto notice little worn paths that
would veer to my left, but rightnext to each of those paths was
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a sign with a picture of aperson falling off a cliff and
the words, stay on the trail,But clearly people had ignored
that sign.
and gone off the trail, or thatpath wouldn't have been so worn.
So I kept walking forward on thetrail, but again, there came
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another path that veered offwith that same sign.
And this happened multipletimes.
Finally, okay, I'll admit, Mycuriosity got the best of me.
I wanted to see what was sodangerous down that path.
Because you really couldn't tellwhat was there.
The trees were so thick thatthey completely obstructed your
(34:48):
view.
My husband was with me.
He's the real follower and hestayed on the trail.
Me, who has always enjoyedpushing the limits a little bit,
decided I would.
I needed to see what was downthat restricted path.
I slowly and carefully walkeddown the path and was shocked to
(35:11):
see what had been hidden from myview.
Just a few feet was a sheer dropoff And it was an incredibly
deep gorge.
I was actually a littledisappointed because it looked
like it would be a beautifulview, but you couldn't really
(35:32):
see it very well.
So I turned back around andsafely got back onto the trail.
I kept on walking and wassurprised to find that just
around the curve, if I hadwaited just one minute longer, I
would have realized that justahead, the trees had been
(35:54):
completely cleared and there wasa platform that went out over
the drop off that was guarded byrailing so that you could walk
up onto it and have the mostbeautiful and safe view.
When we have unansweredquestions, it is so tempting out
(36:18):
of curiosity and wanting tounderstand to turn to the
precepts of men to listen toother people's answers and
convincing ideas.
But cursed is he that puttethhis trust in man, or maketh
flesh his arm, or shall hearkenunto the precepts of men, save
their precepts shall be given bythe power of the Holy Ghost.
(36:41):
If we are patient, God hasprepared a foundation we can
stand on to see the mostbeautiful view of clarity and
truth.
Often just up ahead, but we willnever see it.
If we go off on other paths orchoose to cut our journey short,
(37:01):
don't give up because you can'tsee the view of other paths may
seem satisfying, but they arenowhere near as magnificent.
They are a poor substitute andcan be spiritually deadly.
The Lord has promised us I willgive unto the children of men,
(37:24):
line upon line, precept uponprecept.
Hear a little and there alittle.
And blessed are those who hawkenunto my precepts and lend an ear
to my counsel for they shalllearn wisdom after I consciously
decided that I would not walkdown paths created by man,
(37:45):
revelation, acceleratedconfirmation after confirmation
came.
We need to remember thisimportant principle when it
comes to the journey ofdiscovering truth.
As we seek answers, Satan isgoing to show up to offer us his
ideas.
We have to recognize it for whatit is and dismiss Satan and have
(38:09):
patience in God's timing inorder to receive his wisdom.
Man will always offer you quickanswers.
But it's a much more beautifulprocess to have patience and
trust in faith, in learning theprinciple of revelation and
seeking God's answers.
(38:30):
Blessed is the man that walkethnot in the counsel of the
ungodly, Nor standeth in the wayof sinners, Nor sitteth in the
seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law ofthe Lord, and in his law doth he
meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a treeplanted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit inhis season.
His leaf also shall not wither,and whatsoever he doeth shall
(38:54):
prosper.
Choose to believe and moveforward in that belief.
Wilcox wrote a poem that says,there is no chance, no destiny,
no fate, Can circumvent orhinder or control The firm
resolve of a determined soul.
Elder Cook elaborated on thatpoem stating on matters of
(39:17):
principle, conduct, religiousobservance, and righteous
living, we are in control.
Our faith in and worship of God,the Father, and His Son, Jesus
Christ is a choice that we make,So here's a question I offer to
you to take to God.
It is the same question thatPresident Nelson gave us.
(39:40):
Asking God, what reinforcementsto your testimony and
understanding of the gospel areneeded?
Christ is our foundation.
Christ is smiling brightly.
President Russell M.
Nelson said, Choose to believein Jesus Christ.
If you have doubts about God,the Father, and his beloved Son,
or the validity of theRestoration, or the veracity of
Joseph Smith's divine calling asa prophet, choose to believe and
stay faithful.
Take your questions to the Lordand to other faithful sources.
(00:23):
Study with the desire to believerather than with the hope that
you can find a flaw in thefabric of a prophet's life or a
discrepancy in the scriptures.
Stop increasing your doubts byrehearsing them with other
doubters.
Allow the Lord to lead you onyour journey of spiritual
discovery.
(00:44):
Welcome, I am your host, AmberPearce.
You can also find me@amberdawnpearce on all social
media platforms.
I actually started sharing mytestimony of Christ first on
social media, and I guess I hadtoo much to say, because now I
have a podcast and YouTubechannel, and I'm so grateful
that you're here, and I trulyhope that we can grow in the
(01:07):
gospel together.
This episode has been a couplemonths in the making, so I'm
very excited to finally berecording it.
But before we jump in, Can Ishare something with you that I
am incredibly grateful for, thatmy family uses on a daily basis?
Thrive Life freeze dried foodhas been in my pantry for almost
15 years now, and is hands downthe best quality freeze dried
(01:31):
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It has a 25 year shelf life, andbecause of their monthly
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instead of costly.
Overwhelming.
So go to amber.
thrivelife.
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(01:53):
All proceeds support the HopeSmiling Brightly charity.
Okay.
Are you ready?
You are listening to HopeSmiling Brightly with Amber Dawn
Pearce.
Episode number 10, choose tobeleive.
From a very young age, I had atestimony of the power of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, itspower to lift, to change, to
(02:18):
inspire us to be better, to dobetter.
My parents were always very openabout their experiences without
the gospel in their lives andhow turning to the gospel helped
them overcome addiction andcompletely turn their lives
around.
I remember as a little girl, mydad explaining to me what the
(02:40):
Holy Spirit felt like and hisexperience in walking away from
the church and being completelydevoid of the Holy Spirit, not
even remembering or noticingthat it was no longer there.
Until years later, he walkedback through those chapel doors
and was overcome with a feelingof love and peace and
(03:06):
remembrance of how this used tofeel.
And he said in that moment, heremembered what it was like to
be completely without the spiritand what it felt to be filled
with it.
And he never wanted to bewithout the Holy Spirit again.
(03:27):
He made a choice in that momentand he never turned away.
The testimonies of my parentsstrengthened my own testimony.
And I even remember the firsttime I had courage to get up and
bear my testimony in front ofthe entire congregation.
We had just moved from a ward inBernalillo, New Mexico to a
(03:50):
small branch in Moriarty, NewMexico.
And I thought it wasinteresting.
And actually, it kind of buggedme that every Fast and Testimony
meeting, Someone would saysomething to the effect of, I
know this is the only truechurch on the face of the earth.
And I was like, wait, my churchin Bernalillo was true too.
(04:16):
And I started getting reallyfrustrated that people kept
saying this.
And I wanted to set themstraight.
So it took me a few months, butI finally decided.
This one fast and testimonymeeting, I was going to get up
and let everyone in thatcongregation know that I knew
(04:36):
that this church was true inMoriarty, but I also knew that
the church in Bernalillo wastrue as well.
And they needed to know that.
Thankfully, I told my mother ofmy intentions before I got up.
I was only six years old at thistime.
So.
(04:56):
That poor congregation was savedfrom being chastised by a six
year old.
But I still got up anyway thatday and was grateful to
understand that when someonesaid that, they were referring
to every congregation, thechurch as a whole.
And truly, I have been bearingmy testimony of the truthfulness
(05:17):
of this gospel ever since.
Though, there have been momentsof questioning, doubting,
discouragement But I thinkthat's part of the beautiful
process of growing a testimony.
Shortly after that time that Ibore my first testimony ever, I
remember laying on the couch inthe living room, looking up at
(05:39):
the ceiling when the thoughtoccurred to me, what if none of
this is true?
What if I die and find out?
I was completely wrong and itstarted to really distress me.
My mom walked in the room andnoticed that distressed look on
my face and asked me if I wasokay.
(06:01):
And so I asked her, Mom, what ifwe are wrong?
What if none of this is true?
And I love the way that sheresponded.
She stayed completely calm.
And just bore witness to me thatthe Holy Spirit had let her know
of the truthfulness of thisgospel.
(06:22):
And that if I was patient and Iwould seek, I could learn from
myself as well.
And in that moment started thatdesire within me to have my own
firm testimony of every truth ofthe gospel.
Fast forward a couple years toanother touchpoint in my
testimony.
I was sitting in one of thosesmall cramped primary rooms,
(06:46):
staring at the beautiful orangecarpet that matched our orange
plastic chairs.
And I remember My teacher,quoting a scripture from Joseph
Smith, Matthew, verse 22.
For in those days, there shallalso arise false Christs and
false prophets, and shall showgreat signs and wonders,
(07:10):
insomuch that if possible, theyshall deceive the very elect,
who are the elect, according tothe covenant.
My teacher explained what thisverse was saying, that some of
the most faithful members of ourchurch in the last days would
lose their faith and walk away.
(07:30):
I started to think about thepeople that I knew and loved
that had strong testimonies thatwere examples to me, and it blew
my mind.
It brought deep shock andsadness that anyone would walk
away from the gospel.
And right after that thoughtcame the thought, Wait, what if
(07:51):
it's me?
What if I am one of those peoplewho will lose their faith?
it was the thought right afterthat, I feel was written in my
soul that day.
With conviction, I said tomyself, I I will not be one of
those who is deceived, Butholding to that decision didn't
(08:14):
come easy.
I had to work in my effort tobecome unshaken in the gospel.
And so, where do we start?
That choice to believe and thedetermination to discern
counterfeit was tested manytimes in my life.
So today, rather than addressingspecific topics that might shake
(08:36):
one's faith, I want to sharewith you some general principles
that have saved and strengthenedmy testimony and that I hope
will help you or a loved one whois struggling.
It wasn't until later in lifewhen I was at risk of this very
deception that I recognized thesolution.
(08:57):
In fact, it was just a fewverses below that one verse in
Joseph Smith Matthew.
It was verse 37 and it says, andwhoso treasureth up my word
shall not be decieved as I readthat, you can't help but ponder,
what am I treasuring up?
(09:19):
I'm embarrassed to say that as ayoung mother, I definitely spent
more time watching my favoritetalk show host than studying the
scriptures.
And I know that I quoted hermore than the scriptures.
I think I even quoted her inRelief Society, which is really
embarrassing.
Baby steps, right?
(09:39):
But really, why is it soimportant to evaluate ourselves
and to make sure it's the wordof God that we are treasuring up
in our lives.
President Nelson has said thatone of our greatest challenges
today is distinguishing betweenthe truths of God and the
counterfeits of Satan, And thereis something really neat about
(10:04):
how federal agents detectcounterfeit money that we can
learn from.
John F.
MacArthur, Said that federalagents don't learn to spot
counterfeit money by studyingthe counterfeits They study
genuine bills until they masterthe look of the real thing Then
(10:26):
when they see the bogus money,they recognize it.
Close quote.
It is not helpful and has provenhurtful to study any any
counterfeit doctrine.
If your quest is to discovertruth, mastering the look of the
real thing is even a method thatis taught in the scriptures.
(10:48):
As we are told, we should searchdiligently in the light of
Christ that ye may know goodfrom evil.
And just like counterfeit money,counterfeit doctrine can seem to
be of great value, but inreality, it's absolutely
worthless.
The word of God through thescriptures and his chosen
(11:09):
servants are genuine andpriceless.
Study and master them.
Instead of consuming thedoctrine of man, if you want to
feast upon that which perishethnot, neither can be corrupted,
and let your soul delight in thereal thing.
Only then can you be confidentthat you will recognize bogus
(11:30):
doctrine.
When you see it and the prophetadvised us, when you distinguish
a counterfeit cast Satan out,don't forget that power you
have, and don't wait until youare feeling overcome by that
power to dismiss Satan.
I love that as we are treasuringup the word of God, we can also
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learn right there in thescriptures what Satan's tactics
are.
And if we are to stay strong, itis important to be honest with
ourselves as we learn of Satan'stactics.
Are we falling for any of them?
It's important that we studythese things and know Satan's
(12:13):
tactics.
Inside and out so that when hedoes attack, we will recognize
it is him.
Second Nephi chapter 28 is afantastic chapter that reveals
the entire battle plan.
In these verses, we learn thatSatan will cause people to
(12:33):
revile against that which isgood, and say it is of no worth.
I have heard not only the world,but members of the church try to
decrease the importance oftemples and covenants, and
wearing the temple garment,decrease the importance of the
family proclamation.
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And it also says that at thatday, he shall rage in the hearts
of children of men, and stirthem up to anger against that
which is good.
Since I've been sharing online,And have come across people who
have left the church.
It always shocks and saddens methe amount of anger they have
towards the church and itsmembers.
(13:16):
But that is a red flag.
If you are listening to orreading anything that is
presented with anger, run away.
Verse 21.\ others, he willpacify and lull them away into
carnal security.
This trend to take a step backfrom religion.
(13:37):
Don't take yourself soseriously, you don't have to
follow rules, just do what youfeel is right.
And others he flattereth awayAre we imagining up a convenient
God, a God that conforms to howwe want to see the world, to how
we want to live?
Are we listening to ideas thatjustify sin?
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You know, that whole you do you,you be you movement?
That is flattery.
And how does Satan get thismessage across?
They do error because they aretaught by the precepts of man.
Who are we listening to?
Someone that is called ofhimself, of herself?
(14:19):
Or someone that is called ofGod?
Are they taking scripture andtwisting it to conform to how
they want to live?
Are they claiming that they aregoing to improve?
The gospel and the churchthrough these ideas that they're
coming up with.
Are we listening to ideasfounded in gospel doctrine and
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principles?
It is important to be verydiscerning in what we allow into
our minds.
There's one more tactic I wantto address that is explained in
Mormon chapter 9.
Satan wants us to imagine up toourselves a God who is not a God
of miracles.
Sometimes our faith is shakenbut it has nothing to do with
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the history or the doctrine ofthe church.
But Simply losing trust andfaith in God because we feel
abandoned.
We are so focused on the trialthat we weren't protected from
or the big miracle that wedidn't receive that we fail to
see the small miracles,evidences of God's love, and we
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lose faith entirely.
Satan alsoo wants to chip awayat our belief in God's power and
miracles, because withoutmiracles, the restoration of the
gospel could have neverhappened.
There would be nothing to standon.
All right, understanding thetactics of the opponent is the
start.
But what do we do when we areactually under attack?
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As a young girl, my best friendwas a born again Christian, and
I often went to church with herand I loved it.
And everyone there was so kind.
And they never.
question or criticize my faith,but just welcomed me.
So when another friend invitedme to go to church with her, I
(16:09):
thought the experience would bethe same.
What I didn't know is that shehad told her minister that I was
a member of the Church of JesusChrist of Latter day Saints, and
her minister told her all thethings that she needed to tell
me so that I would know that Iwas deceived and going to hell.
So it was really overwhelming asa 12 year old girl to have
(16:32):
someone a little older than meyell at me and tell me how
brainwashed I was, and that Ididn't truly believe that I was
just believing what my parentstaught me.
She went on and on and on withall these things the minister
had told her to tell me, and Isat silent.
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And finally, when she was done,and through tears, all I could
say was, I know that the churchis true.
You know, at that point, maybemy testimony was leaning on what
my parents had told me.
But whatever I didn't know, Godwas going to give me the
(17:14):
opportunity to learn for myself.
But I was actually surprised atwhen that opportunity came.
My husband had just been calledto be the bishop of our ward,
and within just a few months ofhim being called.
I started being inundated fromsources I was not seeking with
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anti information.
The first experience, I wasmeeting up with someone I was
doing business with in a cafe.
And when he learned that I was amember of the church, he started
screaming at me in front ofeveryone.
Everyone telling me that I wasgoing to hell because I believed
in Joseph Smith.
He then proceeded to send meemail after email with
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information against the gospel.
I should have deleted thoseemails, but out of curiosity, I
read them.
And it was stuff I had neverheard before.
Right after that, a friend sentme some anti information because
I had shared a post on theFamily Proclamation on Facebook.
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And then that same week, I waspreparing to give a talk in
church, so I went online to findsome extra resources and came
across a website posing as awebsite written by a faithful
member of the church, and it wasanything but.
Coming across all thisinformation all at once was, was
definitely faith shaking.
(18:45):
Now I knew that another one ofSatan's tactics is expertly
crafted words.
I had learned from Sherem in thebook of Jacob chapter seven,
that there are people that labordiligently, that they might lead
away the hearts of the people.
Are learned and have a perfectknowledge of the language of the
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people.
Wherefore, he could use muchflattery and much power of
speech according to the power ofthe devil.
So even though I knew that'swhat I was reading, I still had
questions and things that Ineeded resolved.
So if you ever find yourself inthis place, it's important to
(19:31):
recognize an attack from Satanfor what it is.
And use it as an opportunity tostrengthen testimony.
It was very clear Satan wasattacking me.
He shouldn't have been soobvious.
And because of my covenants withChrist, I knew that I was
(19:52):
stronger than his efforts.
I have learned that when a doubton question comes into your
mind, don't freak out.
There isn't a single topic thatI have not grappled with since
that initial experience.
But each time I knew that Iwould get through and I knew not
(20:15):
only that, I knew that I wouldend up with a stronger testimony
that God would consecrate thisdoubt, this question for my
good.
The spirit knows the cracks inour testimony that we don't even
see.
And it knows how to fill thosecracks perfectly.
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So when that doubt or questioncomes, just ask.
Okay, show me how to strengthenthis.
And in that process, if you turnto other people, make sure
you're turning to people offaith.
There was a time where I wastrying to understand and
strengthen my faith in a certaintopic.
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And as I thought about who Imight ask for their wisdom, two
people came to my mind.
They were two of my hikingbuddies.
One of them was a sister Iministered to that had left the
church.
Another was a sister thatministered to me.
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And part of me kind of wanted totalk to the sister that had left
the church, because I knew thatshe would confirm these
unsettled feelings that I had.
But I also knew That it wouldn'tdo any good to my testimony.
So I was careful not to bring upthat topic with her, but turned
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to the sister who I knew hadstrong faith.
And what she told me helpedresolve my concerns and
strengthen my testimony.
And as you have that desire andintention to strengthen your
faith with people of faith,trust that the Lord is going to
put people in your path that canhelp you shortly after you're
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being exposed to all this antiinformation.
I was going on a road trip witha friend, and at the last
minute, another friend asked ifshe could get a ride with us.
On that drive, we startedtalking about my experience and
some of the things I had comeacross.
And she confided in me That herhusband was really struggling in
(22:30):
his faith and had been readingall that anti information.
And so she had been searchingfor all the answers to try and
help him in his testimony.
And so she was able to answeralmost every single question I
had.
I know that the Lord put her inmy path when I needed her.
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The next thing that I learnedwas that you have to be in truth
for the spirit to testify of it.
And once the spirit testifies,the spirit trumps all.
The prophet has reminded us togive the Lord a fair share of
our time.
So after reading all this antiinformation, I was like, okay.
(23:18):
What does the other side have tosay?
And this was when the JosephSmith papers had just come out
on CD and my mom had bought aset.
So I decided, okay, maybe Ishould start there.
And I grabbed her CDs when Irealized it was 20 hours of
listening.
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I was a little discouraged, butI thought, okay, I have a bunch
to clean up.
I can do this while I'morganizing my house.
So I put in the first CD and inthe introduction, before they
even went in to the Joseph Smithpapers, the author shared his
own testimony of the prophetJoseph Smith.
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And as I listened, the spirittestified to me with surety that
Joseph Smith was a prophet ofGod.
I turned off the CDs and satthere in gratitude and awe.
Yes, I could listen for 20 morehours.
But in that moment, I knew thatthere was No other information
(24:29):
about Joseph Smith that I canlearn that would strengthen my
testimony more.
Or, tear my testimony down.
I knew what the spirit hadtestified to me.
I did not care what the worldhad to say about him, good or
evil.
My testimony was not made up ofknowledge that you can find in
(24:54):
the footnotes of any book oropinions you can find online.
My knowledge was from a sourcethat cannot be denied.
And trumps all information, factor fiction, dive into truth,
seek it, give the opportunityfor the Holy Spirit to testify
(25:14):
of that truth to you.
I shared that experience onlineand, Oh, did I receive a lot of
hate and mocking, but thatbrings me to my next point.
If people are laughing at andmocking you, you know, that you
are on the right track.
(25:36):
I remember driving down the roadone time feeling a little sorry
for myself for the amount ofcriticism and hate I was
navigating as I shared my faithonline.
When the thought came into mymind, don't say you want to
testify of me, but expect to bespared from the mocking I had to
(25:58):
experience.
If we want to follow Christ,there's going to be bitter with
the sweet, but he drank of thatbitter cup so that we could be
strengthened.
So when people told me that Icouldn't trust my feelings, that
I was deceived, that that's nothow the Spirit works, Trying to
(26:18):
convince me that confirmationsof the Holy Spirit are just
heightened emotion.
All I could think of was 1Corinthians 2, verse 14.
But the natural man receivethnot the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are foolishnessunto him.
Neither can he know them,because they are spiritually
discerned I didn't care what manhad to say because your faith
(26:43):
should not stand in the wisdomof men, but in the power of God.
So what if you're strugglingwith other things in the history
of the church?
It is important to remember thatGod's ways are not our ways, and
his thoughts are not ourthoughts.
Why are we questioning somethings the saints were asked to
(27:06):
do in the history of the church?
And now, here's something toconsider.
Did a loving Heavenly Father whosees all know what was coming
and knew the saints needed theirfaith to be tested and
strengthened so that they couldsurvive the days ahead?
I can't think of anything thatwould sift the saints and
(27:30):
strengthen them more than whatthey were asked to do as the
foundation of the restorationwas being laid.
Whatever beef you have withhistory, number one, put it into
context.
And number two, remember thatwhat the church is today, the
beautiful fruits it hasmiraculously produced.
(27:54):
is a direct result of the pastyou are questioning.
God knows what's going on.
He is in control.
He knows what needs to happen.
He knows how to consecrate ourfeeble efforts for good, and He
will guide us to the perfectend.
Now if there's questions thatyou just don't know how to
(28:16):
resolve, here's the next thingthat helped me.
Go back to the basics.
Of the gospel.
Let me explain.
I had been through years of afaith refining process.
My testimony had beenstrengthened in so many ways,
which I was grateful for, but itbothered me that still every
(28:39):
time.
When someone prominent left thechurch, or when a controversial
topic came up, I would start toquestion my testimony again, and
I was so tired of it.
But one day I was reading in thesame chapter that Joseph Smith
read that led to that prayerthat changed the world.
(28:59):
James 1.
If you keep reading, you come toverse 8, where it says, A double
minded man is unstable in allhis ways.
And in that moment, I knew thatI was being double minded and
that's why I felt this push andpull that was exhausting me.
(29:21):
I was done with it.
I started praying for HeavenlyFather to help me to not be
double minded anymore.
And during this time, I happenedto be going to Education Week at
BYU.
And there was one particulartopic that was really bothering
me, and I was hoping to find aclass that addressed it, but
(29:44):
there wasn't one.
So I said a desperate prayer forsome sort of answer, some sort
of clarity, peace, and went towhatever class I felt guided to.
It was in the morning of thelast day there that I attended a
class and the speaker wastalking about personal
revelation, when all of a suddenhe paused.
(30:06):
And when he started speakingagain, he went off on a
completely different topic.
It was the exact same topic Ihad been praying about.
But do you know what he said?
He said, I don't know.
I don't have all the answers.
But I'll tell you what I doknow.
(30:27):
I know that Joseph Smith is aprophet of God.
I know the Book of Mormon is theword of God.
I know that this is the restoredgospel on the earth today and
that Christ leads it.
I know that our Savior came toearth and died for us, atoned
(30:52):
for our sins.
He went back to the basics andas he bore his testimony of the
truthfulness of the gospel ofthe plan of salvation, the
spirit bore witness to me andall of a sudden, all the stress
and worry over that topiccompletely left me.
(31:13):
I knew that the plan ofsalvation worked and the things
that I didn't have the answersto.
God did, and I could trust him.
It is the Savior himself thatexplained the simplicity of his
gospel, faith, repentance,baptism, reception of the Holy
Ghost.
(31:33):
and enduring to the end.
He said, if you do these things,ye are built upon my rock, more
or less are not built upon myrock.
Don't complicate the gospel.
God is the contractor and hewill build your faith perfectly.
(31:54):
If all else fails, focus on yourrelationship with God.
There is a piece of advice thatmy father gave to all of his
children as they were gettingmarried and reminded us of it
throughout our marriages.
He would always say, don't makethe issue more important than
(32:16):
the relationship.
No matter what questions wehave, if we maintain a
relationship with Jesus Christ,everything's going to be okay.
But sometimes we have a questionthat we want answered so
desperately that we start tohyper focus on that question.
When the only thing we should behyper focused on is our Savior
(32:39):
Jesus Christ.
So, what if you're listening tothis and you're thinking, I'm
doing great.
My testimony is fine.
Let me remind you of whatPresident Nelson said, with
frightening speed, a testimonythat is not nourished daily by
the good word of God, canCrumble.
(32:59):
Close quote.
We should always be proactivelybuilding our testimony with
intention.
President Nelson also encouragedus to ask ourselves
consistently, whatreinforcements to your testimony
and understanding of the gospelare needed.
This is a lifelong journey.
(33:21):
Let me tell you one more thingthat I learned.
Sometimes, answers will comeafter moving forward with the
choice to believe.
That is faith.
I want to share a recentexperience with you that teaches
the power of this principle.
I was on a hike in a place thatI had never been before on a
(33:44):
trail I had never seen.
It was completely unfamiliar tome.
All I knew is that I was goinguphill and I was going to see a
waterfall at the end.
As I was going along, I startedto notice little worn paths that
would veer to my left, but rightnext to each of those paths was
(34:06):
a sign with a picture of aperson falling off a cliff and
the words, stay on the trail,But clearly people had ignored
that sign.
and gone off the trail, or thatpath wouldn't have been so worn.
So I kept walking forward on thetrail, but again, there came
(34:27):
another path that veered offwith that same sign.
And this happened multipletimes.
Finally, okay, I'll admit, Mycuriosity got the best of me.
I wanted to see what was sodangerous down that path.
Because you really couldn't tellwhat was there.
The trees were so thick thatthey completely obstructed your
(34:48):
view.
My husband was with me.
He's the real follower and hestayed on the trail.
Me, who has always enjoyedpushing the limits a little bit,
decided I would.
I needed to see what was downthat restricted path.
I slowly and carefully walkeddown the path and was shocked to
(35:11):
see what had been hidden from myview.
Just a few feet was a sheer dropoff And it was an incredibly
deep gorge.
I was actually a littledisappointed because it looked
like it would be a beautifulview, but you couldn't really
(35:32):
see it very well.
So I turned back around andsafely got back onto the trail.
I kept on walking and wassurprised to find that just
around the curve, if I hadwaited just one minute longer, I
would have realized that justahead, the trees had been
(35:54):
completely cleared and there wasa platform that went out over
the drop off that was guarded byrailing so that you could walk
up onto it and have the mostbeautiful and safe view.
When we have unansweredquestions, it is so tempting out
(36:18):
of curiosity and wanting tounderstand to turn to the
precepts of men to listen toother people's answers and
convincing ideas.
But cursed is he that puttethhis trust in man, or maketh
flesh his arm, or shall hearkenunto the precepts of men, save
their precepts shall be given bythe power of the Holy Ghost.
(36:41):
If we are patient, God hasprepared a foundation we can
stand on to see the mostbeautiful view of clarity and
truth.
Often just up ahead, but we willnever see it.
If we go off on other paths orchoose to cut our journey short,
(37:01):
don't give up because you can'tsee the view of other paths may
seem satisfying, but they arenowhere near as magnificent.
They are a poor substitute andcan be spiritually deadly.
The Lord has promised us I willgive unto the children of men,
(37:24):
line upon line, precept uponprecept.
Hear a little and there alittle.
And blessed are those who hawkenunto my precepts and lend an ear
to my counsel for they shalllearn wisdom after I consciously
decided that I would not walkdown paths created by man,
(37:45):
revelation, acceleratedconfirmation after confirmation
came.
We need to remember thisimportant principle when it
comes to the journey ofdiscovering truth.
As we seek answers, Satan isgoing to show up to offer us his
ideas.
We have to recognize it for whatit is and dismiss Satan and have
(38:09):
patience in God's timing inorder to receive his wisdom.
Man will always offer you quickanswers.
But it's a much more beautifulprocess to have patience and
trust in faith, in learning theprinciple of revelation and
seeking God's answers.
(38:30):
Blessed is the man that walkethnot in the counsel of the
ungodly, Nor standeth in the wayof sinners, Nor sitteth in the
seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law ofthe Lord, and in his law doth he
meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a treeplanted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit inhis season.
His leaf also shall not wither,and whatsoever he doeth shall
(38:54):
prosper.
Choose to believe and moveforward in that belief.
Wilcox wrote a poem that says,there is no chance, no destiny,
no fate, Can circumvent orhinder or control The firm
resolve of a determined soul.
Elder Cook elaborated on thatpoem stating on matters of
(39:17):
principle, conduct, religiousobservance, and righteous
living, we are in control.
Our faith in and worship of God,the Father, and His Son, Jesus
Christ is a choice that we make,So here's a question I offer to
you to take to God.
It is the same question thatPresident Nelson gave us.
(39:40):
Asking God, what reinforcementsto your testimony and
understanding of the gospel areneeded?
Christ is our foundation.
Christ is smiling brightly.
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