Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Mon, Feb 9th

I think I will just highlight each reference given and comment a little. Or a lot.

Joseph Smith—History 1:11–14, Joseph Smith—History 1:29 The Joseph Smith references teach us that faith is learning something and acting upon what that nugget of knowledge my dictate. Also that we can have confidence that we will receive answers.

D&C 19:23 "walk in the meekness of my spirit and you shall have peace." faith =peace? Most of the time. But sometimes not. We don't receive peace until we are in line with the will of the Lord. Until we reach that point, we can feel quite tumultuous.

88:118. "all have not faith. . . but seek ye out of the best books. Keep your mind open, keep learning, learn what you need to know so you can catch the answer when it comes. Also, this from the BD: "Although faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great tree."

Alma 32:27 Awake and arouse your facalties, just have a small desire. You might not have the time for it, but let it stay within you, and when the time is right, there will be a place for it and you will act upon it.

D&C 20:69 works and faith agreeable to the holy scriptures. You've got to read the manual to know how it works.

James 2:14–17 "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" No!! Why not? The Bible Dictionary definition: "Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Heb. 11: 1; Alma 32: 21), and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone. The Lord has revealed himself and his perfect character, possessing in their fulness all the attributes of love, knowledge, justice, mercy, unchangeableness, power, and every other needful thing, so as to enable the mind of man to place confidence in him without reservation. Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith (Rom. 10: 14-17)."
This would imply that faith is a state of belief, but the Bible Dictionary continues with this: "All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for." Which leads us to the next scripture:

D&C 8:10"but without faith you can DO nothing." Faith and works are inextricably tied together. It is a cycle. A great one.

D&C 35:9 "whosoever shall ask in faith IN MY NAME. . . . they shall cast out devils. . . . heal the sick. . " Stop and pause before you say "in the name of Jesus Christ" and consider the power you are invoking regarding the things you said in your prayer. This though makes me straighten up my prayers (in continual works).

42:48–51 also Moroni 7:33 Our faith is subject to the will of God, "he who has faith, and is not appointed to death, shall be healed"

63:9–11 signs follow faith. Answer, indications, promptings.

D&C 10:46–52 is a prime example of something happening because the will of the Lord is the same as the will of the prophet, or vice versa. We look on it this request of the prophets and think, well of course the gospel has gone forth to all people, or is in the process, but the prophets didn't know that. But what they asked for was in perfect allignment of Heavenly Father's will. It happened. Isn't that lovely?

One other thought on faith comes from "The Lectures on Faith."
"Three things are necessary for true faith: (1) an idea that God does exist, (2) a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes, and (3) the assurance that one's course of life is according to and harmonious with God's mind and will." #1 becomes factual in one's mind when accepted. #2 is in constant development. That is, I did not understand the role of a father as well until I became a parent, I didn't understand the need for justice until I was dealt with unjustly, I didn't understand the need for mercy until I was in despair. My understanding of God's characters, perfections and attributes become more clear as I experience life. #3 is a precious truth to me. That even though my faith in God is continually evolving (proportional to how much work I put into it), I can still know if the course of my life is harmonious with God's mind and will. Now, that is merciful and wonderful. I like faith.