Audience: Rappahannock YSA Branch Sacrament Meeting
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States of America
Date: 21 January 2024
Introduce Me and the Family
- Here on a High Council speaking assignment.
- I am David, born in Leesburg, VA.
- Married to Rachael for 26 years.
- Moved into the Massaponax Ward from Alabama over 11 years ago. Although we have lived in 3 different homes here, this the is the longest place we’ve lived as a married couple.
- We have 5 boys ranging in age from 25 to 11.
- We have one daughter who is almost 6.
A Few Stories
I want to speak today on increasing our faith. I am going to start by sharing three stories. One is a story I observed, another is a bit more personal, and the last comes from the scriptures. After I will share some conclusions that came to me while preparing this talk. My prayer is that as I speak, the Spirit will help you draw your own thoughts and conclusions as well. I would love to hear what the Holy Ghost teaches you.
Story 1
A couple of years ago the youth of the Massaponax Ward went on a temple trip to Raleigh. On the following Sunday, two of the youth were asked to share their experiences.
The young woman sharing her experience told us how as she was walking up to the temple, she told her dad, I don’t feel like I belong here. Her dad asked why. She answered, because I’m not sure I believe everything. She went on to express a fear that it would be disrespectful to go to the temple feeling this way. And a fear of being struck down in an Old Testament kind of way as she entered its walls.
If you were her dad, how would you respond to her?
His answer to her was beautiful, and a lesson we sometimes all need. He replied, “Have enough faith for just today.”
Sometimes that is all we really can muster, and for this exact moment in time, that is all we need. Yes, we may not fully understand everything. And lingering questions often don’t become instantly wiped away. But we can pray and ask, “what can I do right now?” And day by day, step by step, our faith can grow.
I felt myself yearning through her retelling this experience that going inside the temple is the exact faith building experience she needs! And that is exactly what she did. She said she prayed and asked for help, then she went inside. And then she said that even though she had some of the same thoughts she has always had, that she felt that they didn’t oppress her there. That she was protected. In that moment, she knew there was something more than just this mortal world we see with our physical eyes.
I think this is such a beautiful example of somebody doing what they need to do to increase their belief. To increase their faith. And to have enough faith for just today.
Story 2
Once, I was collaborating with a few co-workers, trying to solve an issue. I work in a field that is called “FinTech”. We are a financial services company that develops solutions for our clients with technology. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the solution required logic and mathematics.
As we concluded one of my co-workers stated, “I love mathematics. And of course if mathematics is true then God isn’t.”
I immediately responded with something along the lines of, “Woah! We don’t have time now but I definitely want to talk about this with you, because that feels like a non-sequitur to me. And it’s no secret I have an opposing viewpoint, but this is something I’d love to discuss and find out where you are coming from.”
Over the next few weeks I pondered about all the reasons I believe there is a God. For me, it was an incredibly re-affirming time. I had thought about past anchor points in my life. I thought about very private and personal moments in my life. Some experiences are ones I have only shared with my wife. I thought about experiences deep into my childhood through being an adult. As I pondered, I remembered more and more experiences. Experiences that affirmed to me that their is a God, that we have a Heavenly Father who answers prayers, that the Book of Mormon is true, that the power of the priesthood is real, of administering angels. Perhaps the most important though is seeing lives changed (including my own), seeing sins forgiven (most importantly my own), and that the healing and power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real.
I also realized something I find a bit frustrating though. The moments the Holy Ghost has witnessed to me that something is true and real, those are MY experiences, for ME. They weren’t for my co-worker. Yes, I can share a few experiences, and I can testify of my beliefs, but his own witness must come to him through the Holy Ghost also. He won’t treasure MY experiences they same way I do. He needs his own.
I finally had an opportunity to meet up with my co-worker, and while at lunch I brought up his previous statement. I told him I never expected to hear such a thing from somebody named “name redacted” and from “country redacted”. It turns out he is a quite jaded Muslim. But I think his doubts are universal. Have you ever had any similar thoughts:
- My religion says it is the only true religion. How does it make sense that I happened to be lucky enough to be born into it. What about everybody else? Why should they be destined to go to hell?
- Islam teaches there are five daily prayers. I see people perform their prayers, but then go right back to being bad.
- Ramadan is supposed to be a time of fasting and to more fully commit to God and to be better. But I don’t see people changing. They act pious and faithful in one moment, then forget it all in the next moment.
- How can people do such evil things in the name of religion?
I believe there are answers to all his questions and doubts. I believe that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ has those answers.
Unfortunately, there were 8 of us at lunch, and I could not fully control the direction of the conversation. Hopefully at some point we will have another opportunity to discuss God and religion again.
Story 3
The third story comes from the Gospel according to Mark in the New Testament. In the 9th chapter we find a statement by a father, that I believe to be the most sincere, angst-filled, and honest statement uttered by mortal man in all of scripture.
Starting in verse 14, Jesus goes to his disciples and as he approaches he finds a multitude of people, and the the scribes questioning them. Jesus asks the the scribes what they are asking about.
And now, starting in verse 17 I will read the rest of the story directly from the Bible.
Mark 9
17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he ateareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit atare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have acompassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are apossible to him that bbelieveth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine aunbelief.
In summary, a father is desperate and goes to the Lord’s disciples for help. They are unable to help. Jesus tells the father that if he can believe, that all things are possible.
Then with tears, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
What does this mean?? Have we ever found ourselves making the same cry?
Perhaps with ours mind we understand, but not yet with our hearts. Maybe we views miracles are for others, but not for me. Maybe we sometimes believe in theory, but can’t imagine a miracle in our own lives.
Or maybe we believe and understand some things; but we can also acknowledge that we don’t yet have answers for all our questions and doubts.
My Conclusions So Far
Here are some principles I gleaned from these stories:
- Have enough faith for just today.
- Take time to remember your past faith affirming experiences. Ponder and meditate about them. Write them down!
- Find your own faith promoting experiences. Put yourself in places you can have those experiences.
- We all have our own questions and doubts.
- I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ has answers for any of our doubts.
- We can ask for the Lord’s help to increase our faith.
- From Mark 9:23, “all things are possible to him that believeth.” Do we have enough faith to believe Jesus when he says that?
Faith to Move Mountains
In Mark, the story of Jesus helping this father continues with the disciples asking how come they couldn’t cast out the foul spirit. Jesus answers that they needed prayer and fasting. But the same account in Matthew, although in most ways is shorter, has an additional verse at this one spot.
Matthew 17
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your aunbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have bfaith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this cmountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be dimpossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this akind goeth not out but by prayer and bfasting.
“faith as a grain of mustard seed”, and then you will be able to move mountains!
All of us have mountains in our lives. And to move them, the prescription is to have “faith as a grain of mustard seed.” Some of you have moved mountains, some of you are moving mountains now. Some of us see the mountains in our lives and we are frozen by despair or by denial. For those of us not moving our mountains, let us begin by exercising even the smallest particle of faith.
Some mountains are very visible. Disease and injury. A lost job. A death of a loved one.
Other mountains, and perhaps most mountains, are more private and personal. Our own doubts. Depression, anxiety, addiction. Especially addiction to pornography.
Or what about the mountain to forgive somebody. Repentance and forgiveness are two sides of the same coin. If you want to realize the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in your life, you will need to also forgive. But sometimes that is so hard. Really hard. They hurt you deeply, they are clearly in the wrong, and sometimes they don’t even know or care. But still, you need to forgive, not for their sake, but for yours. It can be such a mountain, and only faith in Jesus Christ can move it.
(A few other thoughts I have, but only share if there is time AND prompted by the Spirit.)
Most mountains are not moved in a day. It takes time. But, have enough faith for just today. Pray for more faith. Do things, and put yourself in places where you can feel the Spirit. Look to the Gospel of Jesus Christ for your answers. Amplify faith through prayer and fasting.
It is my testimony, that as we act in faith and work to increase our faith in Jesus Christ, that we will be able to move the mountains in our lives.
(Testimony.)
I say these things….