After the trial of faith-

[JudoMinja]

Ether 12:6 & 18 "...faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.... And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God."

I have had a wonderful experience with this scripture this past month that has me wondering about its precise relation to our testimonies. Now, I know that testimony is a living, breathing thing. It is constantly growing/shrinking and changing depending on how we "feed" and "nurture" it. We also gain our testimony in pieces- ie. one can have a very strong testimony of the Book of Mormon but still struggle with the power of the Priesthood, or have a very strong testimony of prayer but still struggle with callings, etc.

Our testimony of any particular principle of the gospel is strongest when we no longer have any doubts- when we act without thinking because we simply "know" it is true or right. For example, when I was in high school I had an experience with prayer that was indicitave of a strong testimony. I had a project I had made out of clay that I was bringing to school, and on the day I was bringing it the weather turned bad. On our way in the car it was raining very strongly. The project was large and could not fit in my bag, so I could not protect it from the elements and the short run from the car door to the school building would ruin it. I said a little prayer asking that, if nothing else, the Lord could stop the rain over the school just long enough for me to get my project inside, and that is exactly what happened. When we pulled up, the rain stopped. I ran into the school building, and as soon as the door shut it started raining again.

If I had not had a strong testimony and faith in the Lord that he could and would answer my prayer, I doubt I would have had the same experience. The "witness" or "miracle" came AFTER my faith. My testimony of prayer, however, is no longer as strong as it used to be. I did not nurture it, and my faith in the power of prayer has faltered. This alone is proof that miracles do not "create" or "strengthen" our testimonies. The testimony has to already be there for the miracle to happen, and even with the miracles if we cease to nurture our testimony we will lose it.

This brings me to my recent experience- this one concerning a different principle of the gospel- tithing. At the beginning of this month as I was going over my finances and bills I realized that for some reason or other I had completely forgotten to pay my tithing the previous month. I don't know how it had slipped my mind, but it had. So I immediately set in to figure out how much I would have to pay to "catch up" on my tithing. I did not once think about skipping it, even though it seemed very unlikely that I would have enough. My paycheck is the same every month, and I am always "penny pinching" to get by. It turned out, I had EXACTLY the right amount to pay my tithing and bills (except my internet bill which I could get away with not paying since I had finished my degree and home internet was no longer necessary)- to the dollar! This meant I would have absolutely nothing left over for food, gas, miscellanious items, emergencies, etc, but I didn't question it. I just paid the tithing.

No sooner was the money out of my bank account than my car started having a problem with the battery. I had my dad look at it, and apparently it had been leaking acid for months now. For all intents and purposes, it should have been dead already, but it was still running. My parents paid for a new one for me so that it could be replaced before it decided to actually die at a very unopportune moment like on my way to work. Two weeks into the month my cupboards were looking very bare and my SNAP paperwork came through- I was approved for foodstamps and the money would be on my card the very next day! Everything else was looking like I'd be fine waiting until the next month except my gas... However, I was keeping a very close eye on my gas meter and found that when I would get in the car it would always seem to be a couple bars higher than it had been when I last got out... until my reimbursment check came in from work for the child-care expenses they covered for the year, and I was able to top off my tank.

This month has been nothing short of a financial miracle, and it all came "after the trial of my faith". I had no doubts about the necessity of being a full-tithe payer or the blessings that could come from faithfully doing so. Had I doubted, I may have only paid what was alloted for this month and left last months unpaid tithing to be dealt with when I had more cash flow (next year with my tax-return).

Since faith must preceed a "witness" or a "miracle", if we are lacking in faith these things will be no more...

Moroni 7: 37 "Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain."

There are so many people in the world now who want "proof" BEFORE they will believe. It is logical. It makes sense. It is scientific. But if we cannot have faith, the "proof" will disappear. The miracles will be gone. Faith is the power by which these things happen. In this world that seeks logical proof everything, faith is disappearing, and so are the miracles. God does not send us miracles to strengthen our testimony- WE create miracles by the power of our faith, the power of our already strong testimonies!

So, how do we strengthen our testimonies? How do we build in ourselves the faith that makes these wonderful experiences possible? This Sunday, our second-hour lesson was on faith. We so often equate the word faith to belief, but I think there is something more fitting... TRUST. Faith does not mean we believe in something. It means we TRUST the Lord and do what he has asked us to do even when things don't seem to add up- ESPECIALLY when things don't seem to add up. We trust that His way is right and DO what we know we are supposed to do.

In my first example, I trusted that the Lord would answer my prayer, that even if He did not stop the rain He would somehow make things work out right and protect my project from getting ruined. In my second example, I had nothing left for food or gas, but I trusted that somehow the Lord would help me make ends meet. Faith is trust. Without trust, we have no testimony, and no miracles.

Anyone care to share their thoughts/experiences?

[Seminarysnoozer]

Briefly, I think one of the first steps is to get rid of pride in one's life. Faith in the Lord can only really come when one humbles themselves and realizes that there is not much that one can do alone to bring yourself closer to God, it is either through the power of the Holy Ghost or through the grace of the Lord. Almost everything we have in this life comes from the efforts of someone else. If we continuously recognize those gifts and keep ourselves humble, faith becomes the overwhelming force as opposed to pride.

[spamlds]

Great stories. Thanks for sharing. We've had a lot of experiences like them in our 28 years of marriage. Sometimes it seemed like there was no way forward from various roadblocks and obstacles at the time. The Lord always opened a way. It's amazing how it works.

[Dove]

Thank you, JudoMinja, I'm glad to hear your stories about faith....

It helps me because I have finally paid a full tithing this month. The irony for me is that my husband and I are trying to save up to buy a car. We have lost ours due to not being able to make a payment and keep up with repairs.

The short of the long of it is that everything has gotten quite a bit harder. Every avenue I have been counting on to build a nest egg has fallen through. I just found out tonight that, for the first time in months, my husband's hours are being cut at work because they haven't received the materials they need to do an "order.'

It's ironic to me that everything I was counting on to save money has been falling through just today. I don't know quite what to do or think. I felt the Spirit guide me earlier to pray for strength to get through this. For some reason He is not giving me an easy answer; but, the road is becoming harder. I'm interested in knowing why...

Some things that I can come up with is; He is trying/proving/testing me. Maybe there are more important things for me to learn than getting a car right now. He may be showing me that I need to be more frugal with our money in general. Or, maybe it's not mine to know; but, to follow regardless.

Any ideas from others would be helpful and appreciated~

Dove

[Avrham]

thanks Judo for that post I find that my faith in Jesus Christ has lead me too accepting lifes issues both good/bad and try too follow His will is the fun part wether its paying a tith or helping out in any capacity its great when you see God working in your life on a daily basis simple because you have what the other 90%of the world is looking for a Testimony of Jesus Christ through faith

[JudoMinja]

Thank you, JudoMinja, I'm glad to hear your stories about faith....

It helps me because I have finally paid a full tithing this month. The irony for me is that my husband and I are trying to save up to buy a car. We have lost ours due to not being able to make a payment and keep up with repairs.

The short of the long of it is that everything has gotten quite a bit harder. Every avenue I have been counting on to build a nest egg has fallen through. I just found out tonight that, for the first time in months, my husband's hours are being cut at work because they haven't received the materials they need to do an "order.'

It's ironic to me that everything I was counting on to save money has been falling through just today. I don't know quite what to do or think. I felt the Spirit guide me earlier to pray for strength to get through this. For some reason He is not giving me an easy answer; but, the road is becoming harder. I'm interested in knowing why...

Some things that I can come up with is; He is trying/proving/testing me. Maybe there are more important things for me to learn than getting a car right now. He may be showing me that I need to be more frugal with our money in general. Or, maybe it's not mine to know; but, to follow regardless.

Any ideas from others would be helpful and appreciated~

Dove

I have come to understand that the testimony must already be strong before the miracles can take place. Perhaps your testimony just isn't strong enough? Since I feel that faith is better equated with trust, I would think that your experiences are meant to build your reliance on the Lord so that you will come to trust Him more fully.

It sounds like you have been relying on the "arm of the flesh" to see you through, and that arm just isn't strong enough. This is just my personal interpretation of what you've written and may be wrong, but perhaps everything is falling through now that you've paid a full-tithe because the Lord is trying to show you just how unreliable that arm is. He wants you to turn to Him with complete humility and trust that He will see you through, so that when things do come together you will recognize that it was because of Him and not because of anything you or your husband did for yourselves.

[Dove]

Hi, JudoMinja;

Thanks for your response. Wow! I hadn't quite thought of it in that way. I know I do have a weakness for relying on the "arm of flesh" too much. I still can't wrap my head around having tried to reach out to God through tithing paying and the road is getting steeper as a result. I fear it will keep getting harder the more I try. I don't know when the trials will stop.

Some things I am realizing though are to focus on what's really important in life. Is getting a car more important than my eternal salvation? What's more important in the long run? A car or eternal life? I've got to keep telling myself that regardless of what happens, what is important is that I'm striving/doing all I can do to remain true to the covenants I have made to Him. I also want to let go of my expectations as to how the "blessings" He will give me should look like. I want to keep an eternal perspective while taking life one day at a time....

I appreciate what Avrham said in his (her?) post, to be grateful for having a testimony of the Savior. Also, that we have the restored gospel at our disposal in this day. I want to remember my blessings and to have the faith/trust that God will always bless me for my best eternal good.

[Avrham]

Hi, JudoMinja;

Thanks for your response. Wow! I hadn't quite thought of it in that way. I know I do have a weakness for relying on the "arm of flesh" too much. I still can't wrap my head around having tried to reach out to God through tithing paying and the road is getting steeper as a result. I fear it will keep getting harder the more I try. I don't know when the trials will stop.

Some things I am realizing though are to focus on what's really important in life. Is getting a car more important than my eternal salvation? What's more important in the long run? A car or eternal life? I've got to keep telling myself that regardless of what happens, what is important is that I'm striving/doing all I can do to remain true to the covenants I have made to Him. I also want to let go of my expectations as to how the "blessings" He will give me should look like. I want to keep an eternal perspective while taking life one day at a time....

I appreciate what Avrham said in his (her?) post, to be grateful for having a testimony of the Savior. Also, that we have the restored gospel at our disposal in this day. I want to remember my blessings and to have the faith/trust that God will always bless me for my best eternal good.

hey Dove your trying your best thats all that matters we do have too let go and trust HIM(after all he knows you really well)I love the sacrament prayer and the promise given about the HG I am grateful for you sharing your thoughts I am also in a similar situation however there are so many "arms of flesh" its great too have that Testimony of the Savior and his Church, Prophets , Apostles and comandments as a major backbone , for my situation I have tried too give or surrender(give the burden over to the savior) myself a little more and accept things as they arrive good or bad but having that Testimony that he "LIVES" makes my troubles seems very small

PS I am guy:)

[xLandonx]

D&C 58:2-4 . I've found this passage to be of some comfort to me lately.

[Dove]

D&C 58:2-4 . I've found this passage to be of some comfort to me lately.

Wow! Thanks so much for quoting that scrip~I can't help but wonder if you were inspired to share that. It is a very comforting scrip to me as well. I have it marked and have read it often...

Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention again.

Dove

[xLandonx]

I can't help but wonder if you were inspired to share that.

It seemed like a logical contribution to the thread at the time. But given the fact that it was one of my open-to-a-random-page-and-read sessions from about a week ago (I kept it book-marked, I think I've read it atleast once a day since then) it's quite probable that it was brought to my attention for more than my own benefit.