Face the Future with Faith

I'm preparing for my monthly scripture group, and we're going to be talking about Elder Nelson's April 2011 Conference talk, "Face the Future with Faith."


I just received a sweet email from my friend Laurie Brooks, who has had miracles happen in her own family has her husband has gone through a terrible sickness, and I can honestly testify that the Lord has all power, and that as we trust in Him, He helps us with all things.

This quote really touched me this morning:

"All that the future holds in store for each sacred child of God will be shaped by his or her parents, family, friends, and teachers. Thus, our faith now becomes part of our posterity’s faith later."

My faith is essential because it is not just for me.  It is for my children.  I am showing them, first-hand, how a daughter of God trusts in her Father.

2 Nephi 2:27 teaches, "Wherefore, men are ^afree according to the ^bflesh; and ^call things are ^dgiven them which are expedient unto man."

We get to choose whether we are faithful or not, and that choice is never made blindly.  The Lord will enlighten us as much as we need.

Although we "live in a time of turmoil," we never need to "let our fears displace our faith."  We simply make our faith stronger.

Elder Nelson lists several instructions about what to teach our children:

• Teach faith with deep conviction
• Teach each precious boy or girl that he or she is a child of God, created in His image, with a sacred purpose and potential.
• Teach of faith in God's plan of salvation.
• Teach that our sojourn in mortality is a period of probation, a time of trial and testing to see if we will do whatever the Lord commands us to do.
• Teach of faith to keep all the commandments of God, knowing that they are given to bless His children and bring them joy.
• Warn them that they will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. (The "cafeteria" approach.)
• Teach of faith to know that obedience to the commandments of God will provide physical and spiritual protection.  (And remember, God's holy angels are ever on call to help us."

I love the scripture he quoted here: Doctrine and Covenants 84:88  "I will go before your face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

Questions: 

(1) How have you showed your children your faith, even during sore trials.  What experiences have you had where your parents' faith strengthened you?

(2) Why is it important that we remember the Lord's promises in 84:88?  How have you seen the Lord and His angels bear you up?

The Power of One

For the past three years, I've taught an EFY class about The Power of One, and I thought it would be helpful if I recorded the scriptures I'd previously found that talk about how one person has the power to do what the Lord would have them do.

Lehi had the power to take his family away from Jerusalem:   (1 Nephi 2:2) And it came to pass that the Lord ^acommanded my father, even in a ^bdream, that he should ^ctake his family and depart into the wilderness.

Nephi knows he can do all the Lord has commanded:   (1 Nephi 3:7) And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I ^awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no ^bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall ^cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.


Nephi, again being directed:  (1 Nephi 4:6) And I was ^aled by the Spirit, not ^bknowing beforehand the things which I should do.

Three united, but each one mattered:  (1 Nephi 7:19) And it came to pass that they were angry with me again, and sought to lay hands upon me; but behold, one of the ^adaughters of Ishmael, yea, and also her mother, and one of the sons of Ishmael, did plead with my brethren, insomuch that they did soften their hearts; and they did cease striving to take away my life

The Lord is The One: (1 Nephi 10:8) there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. And much spake my father concerning this thing.

One person who desires, believes, and ponders:  (1 Nephi 11:1) For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat ^apondering in mine heart I was ^bcaught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high ^cmountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot. 

  

Sometimes the Lord commands one person to do a great work (I think He would like to command a great work for each of His children--but not everyone listens): (1 Nephi 17:26)  Now ye know that ^aMoses was commanded of the Lord to do that great work; and ye know that by his ^bword the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and thither, and they passed through on dry ground. 

 

Each of us have been given an assignment.  (1 Nephi 21:1) the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. 

 

(I'll need to come back to put in the rest, but that's what I particularly noticed in 1 Nephi.)