Obedience
My name is Kaitlin Gray and I have been asked to talk on Obedience and how it can ultimately strengthen our testimonies. Now one might ask how can being obedient help strengthen our testimony? Well let me tell you. There are many examples in the scriptures that allude to this very thing.
"At times we may rationalize that the Lord will understand our disobedience because our special circumstances make adherence to His laws difficult, embarrassing, or even painful. However, faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord's guidance, assistance, and peace."
One of my absolute favorite stories in the scriptures on obedience is the story of Abraham and Isaac. The lord asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son. Abraham did not question the lord by asking why he would have him do this task, however he just went and began to do as he was told. Then an angel appeared to him and told him that he did not need to sacrifice his son but that he could spare him.
Just as the lord asked Abraham to do something that was hard, the lord asks us to do tasks that are not easy. There are a lot of times where the lord simply asks us to do things, to see if we would be willing to do so. The lord wants to see if we can ultimately submit our will to his will. The lord asks us to do hard things however along with that he asks us to do simple tasks, the question is, are we willing to do them.
The lord asks us to do those small and simple things, but are we willing to obey. I think that a lot of times we think that if the lord asked me to do some big thing we would be willing to do it. However are we willing to even do those small and simple things? {Daily scripture reading, daily prayer, regular temple attendance?}etc…. The Scripture Alma 36:6-7 comes to mind where it says that by small things great things are brought to pass. The lord cannot accomplish his large tasks if he can’t get his people to do those small and simple things.
I have been asked to speak on how obedience can strengthen our testimony. First of all we need to know what a testimony is. By definition a testimony is
A Spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the sacred opportunity and responsibility to obtain their own testimonies. Having obtained a testimony, each member has a duty to nurture it throughout life. Happiness in this life and throughout eternity depends largely on whether individuals are "valiant in the testimony of Jesus" (D&C 76:79; see also D&C 76:51, 74, 101). Testimony grows through the application of the following principles:
The quest for a testimony begins with a righteous, sincere desire. Speaking to a group of people who did not yet have testimonies of the gospel, Alma taught: "If ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" (Alma 32:27).
Testimony comes through the quiet influence of the Holy Ghost. The results of a testimony can be miraculous and life changing, but the gift of testimony usually comes as a quiet assurance, without spectacular displays of God's power. Even Alma, who had been visited by an angel and had seen God sitting on His throne, needed to fast and pray so he could receive a testimony through the power of the Holy Ghost (see Alma 5:45–46; 36:8, 22).
Testimony grows gradually through experiences. No one receives a complete testimony all at once. It grows as individuals show willingness to serve in the Church and to study, pray, and learn. It increases as individuals obey God's commandments.
Testimony grows as it is shared. Part of a testimony's development comes when it is shared. In the Church testimony is shared often in fast and testimony meetings, in Church
Now that we know what a testimony is, we need to know what we need to do to obtain it. That is what I am going to focus on today.
A testimony of everything is not going to come at us all at once. It comes through fervent and daily prayer. We can ask our Heavenly Father for a testimony. We can have a testimony in many things. We can have a testimony in the prophet Joseph Smith who restored this true church onto this earth, we can have a testimony of prayer, of baptism, of the holy ghost, of enduring to the end. One thing especially as members that is important to have a testimony of is the Book of Mormon and along with that a testimony that we do have a living prophet today whose name is Thomas S. Monson. For if we do not have a testimony of him then we would have no reason to believe him or his counselors (the 12 apostles and his other counselors). However if we do have a testimony of our beloved Prophet, then we have EVERY reason to believe on him and his words.
A testimony comes little by little. There are a lot of times where children rely on the testimony of their parents. However there comes a time in our lives when we can no longer rely on that and we need to gain that testimony for ourselves. Just as Joseph Smith wanted to know at the age of 14 which church was true. He wanted to know for himself. What did he do? He first began to read in his scriptures. He opened to James 1:5-6 which reads
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed
He first began by doing one of those small and simple things by reading his scriptures. He then went out into the grove of trees and prayed to his Heavenly Father wanting to know which of all the sects were true. When the lord and his son appeared to him and told him that none of them were true and that he needed to restore the True Church back onto this earth once again. Which was this church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Joseph then gained a testimony of a couple things right there. And the reason why was because he was obedient and diligently searched his scriptures and prayed.
Just as Joseph Smith did, we can come to know if these things be true for ourselves. If we want to know if the book of Mormon is true we need to pray about it. We need to take Moronois Challenge in Moroni 10:4-5 which reads
4And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not btrue; and if ye shall ask with a csincere heart, with dreal intent, having efaith in Christ, he will fmanifest the gtruthof it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
We cannot have any one tell us that it is true, for we need to know for ourselves.
I still remember where I was and how old I was when I truly gained a testimony of prayer. I was 12 years old and I was up at Aspen Grove. I had just finished my class and went to go and find my family. Yet they were nowhere in sight. I then did what I was taught and what I knew. I went and found a quiet place, (which for me at that time was a bush) and prayed to my Heavenly Father with all sincerity to know where my family was. Then I heard a soft whisper that told me to go down the stairs. Which was quite strange to me at that time because my family had never been there before. I then followed that prompting and went down the stairs and sure enough my entire family was fishing in a pond at the bottom of the stairs. It was because I was willing to do a small thing that I was able to know for myself that something was true.
Another personal example is me wanting to know if to Book of Mormon was true. I have read that book many times throughout my life time and wanted to know for myself if it be true. The way that I found out was through prayer. I have taken Moronis challenge and asked for myself and everytime the answer is the same. I KNOW that the book of Mormon is true, and why? Because I have followed the commandments and asked in prayer if it be true.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we are asked to give 10% of income to the lord in what we call tithing. I would like to share a quick story about a couple gaining a testimony of tithing.
"As a young man recently returned from his mission, he found the girl he wanted to marry. They were happy, but very poor.
"Then came a particularly difficult time when their food and money ran out. It was a Saturday, and the cupboard was literally bare. Rene felt distraught that his young wife was hungry. He decided he had no other choice than to use their tithing money and go purchase food.
As he was leaving the house, his wife stopped him and asked him where he was going. He told her he was going to buy food. She asked him where he got the money. He told her that it was the tithing money. She said, 'That is the Lord's money--you will not use that to buy food.' Her faith was stronger than his. He put the money back, and they went to bed hungry that night.
"The next morning they had no breakfast, and they went to church fasting. Rene gave the tithing money to the bishop, but he was too proud to tell the bishop that they were in need.
"After the meetings he and his wife left the chapel and started to walk home. They hadn't gone very far when a new member called to them from his house. This man was a fisherman and told them he had more fish than he could use. He wrapped five little fish in a newspaper for them, and they thanked him. As they continued to walk home, they were stopped by another member who gave them tortillas; then someone else stopped them and gave them rice; another member saw them and gave them beans.
"Then came a particularly difficult time when their food and money ran out. It was a Saturday, and the cupboard was literally bare. Rene felt distraught that his young wife was hungry. He decided he had no other choice than to use their tithing money and go purchase food.
As he was leaving the house, his wife stopped him and asked him where he was going. He told her he was going to buy food. She asked him where he got the money. He told her that it was the tithing money. She said, 'That is the Lord's money--you will not use that to buy food.' Her faith was stronger than his. He put the money back, and they went to bed hungry that night.
"The next morning they had no breakfast, and they went to church fasting. Rene gave the tithing money to the bishop, but he was too proud to tell the bishop that they were in need.
"After the meetings he and his wife left the chapel and started to walk home. They hadn't gone very far when a new member called to them from his house. This man was a fisherman and told them he had more fish than he could use. He wrapped five little fish in a newspaper for them, and they thanked him. As they continued to walk home, they were stopped by another member who gave them tortillas; then someone else stopped them and gave them rice; another member saw them and gave them beans.
The wife in this story had such a strong testimony of paying tithing that she did what she knew to be right, even though she knew that they did not have any money to eat, but because of her obedience she was blessed.
As members of the church we do not always know why the lord asks us to do things and some of them to people outside of the church may sound silly. Why do we not wear more than one earring in our ears? Why do we not smoke? Why do we not drink? Why are we told to dress modestly? And a lot of times we do not know the answer for everything. But I know one thing. I know that I need to be doing those things, because a living prophet has told us to , and what he tells us to do is from our Heavenly father. I know not, save the Lord commanded me. (Moses 5:6)
We also know that what the prophet says is true because
Just like it says in amos 3:7
Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
If we want to know if his doctrine is true we need to ask for ourselves. We need to obey the commandments.
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
There are a lot of times that people think that as members of the Church we are restricted in a way, because we have so many quote on quote “rules” to obey. However something people may not know is that with every commandment comes a blessing.
I remember when I was in young womens Sister Tilley said that she wanted to search her scriptures for more commandments that she could follow, because she knew of the great blessings that the lord would give her if she obeyed the commandments.
In Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21 it reads
20There is a alaw, irrevocably decreed in bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all cblessings are predicated—
21And when we obtain any ablessing from God, it is bybobedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
It is when we do not do those small and simple things (obeying the commandments) that we ultimately loose our testimony. This summer I was an EFY counselor and it was neat to see the testimony of these girls grow. I had one girl in particular who had struggled throughout the week. She had a hard time believing that she was a child of God. However at the end of the week she bore her testimony and she knew for herself that she was a Daughter of God. The reason and the way that she was able to gain that testimony was because she was reading her scriptures and praying to know for herself.
One of the hardest things as a counselor is to see your kids go home, because you just hope that they take the things that they learned at EFY and continue to put them into practice. Anyways about 8 months after EFY I contacted this girl to see if she was continuing to read her scriptures daily, and pray. She said that she was no longer doing those things and that she had a hard time believing if it was true. She did not know if she really was a daughter of her Heavenly father and had began to lose her testimony of the other things which she had learned.
These things coexist. You cannot continue to have your testimony grow if you are not doing those things. Such that praying and reading your scriptures. I then told her to began reading her scriptures and praying again, for that is when our testimony can ultimately grow.
As a little girl at the age 7 I was in sacrament meeting and just as any little kid would find ANY excuse to get out of a meeting. I couldn’t sit still. So I asked my parents if I could get a drink. They told me no but to sit and wait until after sacrament meeting. So as any other kid I came up with another plan. I then asked if I could go to the “bathroom”. So my wise parents said yes. Without my knowledge my mom followed me into the bathroom I then went into a stall and began to pray. I said Heavenly Father I do not know what to do, I am SOoo thirsty and my parents didn’t want me to leave sacrament meeting to get a drink and I don’t know what to do.
I had a testimony at a young age of how important it was to be obedient to my parents and I also had a testimony that my father in heaven answers prayers.
Nephi had a testimony of obedience and knew that the lord would bless him.
In 1st Nephi 3:7
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
As a missionary I need to be obedient with exactness. There are things that I am not going to be able to do as a missionary, but I know that if I obey with exactness that I will be blessed in more ways that I know.
I know that these things are true. I want to share my simple testimony in Spanish, hopefully I will be better at Spanish when I get back.
Quiero compartir mi testimonio. Sé que la vida de Jesucristo. Sé que esta iglesia es la única iglesia verdadera. Yo sé que Dios escucha y contesta las oraciones. Sé que elLibro de Mormón es verdadero. Sé que podemos regresar a vivir con Dios algún día si no hacemos lo correcto. Sé que el templo es una casa de dios. Sé que tenemos unavida prohpet cierto hoy en día. Sé que familys pueden estar juntos para siempre.
My testimony
I know that this church is true. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true, and that it is the MOST correct book out there. I know this, because I have read it many times and prayed about it. I know that we have a living prophet today Thomas S. Monson who leads and guides this church correctly. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who only wants nothing but the best for us. I know that we can pray to him and he answers us. I know that Jesus Christ suffered for each and every one of us individually and that he knows EXACTLY what we are going through. I know that we are given trials for a reason and that our savior can and WILL always help us get through anything. I know that this church is true and I know that my Heavenly Father loves me! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
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