PROCESS OF DEVELOPING FAITH

A couple of months ago I learned a very powerful principle from a great teacher. He was able to clearly point out the link between Obedience and Faith. In his own words he said:

"Our faith grows as we are obedient.  To paraphrase Elder Bruce R. McConkie, faith and the power of the Holy Ghost come as gifts from God.   They are always given when righteousness is present and the greater the degree of obedience to God’s laws, the greater will be the endowment of faith and the greater will be the influence of the Spirit.   Joseph Smith taught that faith to accomplish great things grows out of being in harmony with God’s laws.   If we obey with exactness the commandments, we are in a position to call on the powers of heaven, through faith, to help us accomplish our righteous desires.

Exercising faith to draw on the powers of heaven will make it possible for us to achieve righteous desires.  It has been said that a righteous desire is more than a mere wish.   It is a motivating conviction that moves one to action.  To that end it would be helpful to:  (1) write down the righteous desire in the form of a goal being as specific as possible; (2) decide a time when this goal will be accomplished; (3) consistently pray about this goal and tell the Lord what effort and sacrifice will be made to reach it; (4) specify the plan of action  to accomplish the goal;   (5) Think about and concentrate on this goal consistently; and (6) work steadily toward achieving this goal. 

Faith growing out of obedience comes when we focus relentlessly on achieving our righteous objectives.   We must set our goals in harmony with the Spirit and then work without ceasing and constantly focus our thoughts and efforts on achieving these righteous goals.  When our mind is in harmony with the will of God because of righteousness, then our work will be the Lord’s work.  “And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done.   But know this, it shall be given you what you shall ask.” (D&C 50:29-30) 

Joseph Smith said “When a man works by faith he works by mental exertion instead of by physical force.” (Lectures on Faith, 7:3).   Mental exertion includes being fully conscious of our thought process and training ourselves to scrutinize our thoughts and to replace thoughts that detract from faith with thoughts that increase our faith. “Let virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God and . . . the Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion.”  (D&C 121:45-46)   To exercise mental exertion, we must have power and dominion over our mind.     The full power of the mind is only realized when it is specifically focused and directed, when our “minds become single to God.” (D&C 88:67-68)  When our minds become focused on accomplishing our purpose and reaching our righteous goals, we will be able to unlock the powers of heaven. " 

In sum, the first drops of oil in our lamp of faith is obedience- obedience to the laws of God. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you develop faith through obedience.