1 Nephi 7:17


HoosierGuy
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1 Nephi 7:17


2 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that I, Nephi, and my brethren, should again return unto the land of Jerusalem, and bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness.

3 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did again, with my brethren, go forth into the wilderness to go up to Jerusalem.

4 And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord.

5 And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father.

6 And it came to pass that as we journeyed in the wilderness, behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel against us; yea, against me, Nephi, and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and his wife, and his three other daughters.

7 And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.

8 And now I, Nephi, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?

9 How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?

10 How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?

11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?

12 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.

13 And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the land of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be fulfilled.

14 For behold, the Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them; for behold, they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have sought to take away the life of my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land.

15 Now behold, I say unto you that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them. And now, if ye have choice, go up to the land, and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak.

16 And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.

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17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.


QUOTES FOR DISCUSSION



Preparatory faith is formed by experiences in the past—by the known, which provides a basis for belief. But redemptive faith must often be exercised toward experiences in the future—the unknown, which provides an opportunity for the miraculous. Exacting faith, mountain-moving faith, faith like that of the brother of Jared, precedes the miracle and the knowledge. He had to believe before God spoke. He had to act before the ability to complete that action was apparent. He had to commit to the complete experience in advance of even the first segment of its realization. Faith is to agree unconditionally—and in advance—to whatever conditions God may require in both the near and distant future.
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon, p.18 – 19
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I could easily see this happening again when Alma cried out:

And Alma cried, saying: . . . O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound. (Alma 14:26.)

Both Nephi and Alma did not have faith in their own strength; they trusted in the Lord and relied on his strength. It is faith in Christ that will deliver us from our own bonds; it is increasing our faith in Christ that will give us added power in prayer.

Elder Gene R. Cook, in his book, "Receiving Answers to Our Prayers", explains four simple ways to help us to build faith by knowing:

We can build faith by knowing:

1. God listens to our prayers and answers them. (See D&C 98:2-3; 88:2.) I believe there has not been one sincere prayer offered by any man since the "beginning" that has gone unanswered.

2. God lives and loves us and will give correct answers to all sincere prayers, no matter what the question is. (See Moroni 10:4-5.)

3. We are children of God and servants of the Lord. We can pray as Samuel did: "Speak; for thy servant heareth." (1 Samuel 3:10.)

4. It doesn't matter how old we are, or what our Church position is, or how long we've been members of the Church. The Lord desires to answer our sincere requests regardless of these things.

If your faith is weak, you can lean on the testimony of someone else—a parent or teacher or leader—as you seek to build your own faith.

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Wow hemi you read a lot of books huh? did you read as much with babies/young children?

I think one of the best ways to build the faith that is needed for great things is service. Fasting, studying, and prayer always work too. But to do missionary work, actually prepare to teach an individual that needs certain things, to search for answers for someone elses questions, fast, study, and pray for others for thier sake out of love, that stuff really works.

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