The Lord has faith in us. Why shouldn’t we have faith in ourselves?
We have to have faith in our ability to endure all things, keep the commandments, and become justified and sanctified.
I read all kinds of books and scriptures about being born again and receiving the second comforter. But I didn’t make any progress on this journey until I began to believe that this was doable and that I could do it.
Paul had faith that he was able to endure all things because of Christ:
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Peter had faith in his ability to lead people to Christ:
2 Pet 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
John taught that we can have boldness in the day of judgment we are one with God and God is one with us:
1 Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Both John and Moroni taught the we can have faith that the transformative power of the Holy Spirit will bring about a change in us, and having this hope we will purify ourselves even as the Lord is pure
1 Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1 Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Moroni 7:48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
Is the testimony of the servants of the Lord (above), those who speak in His Name, not good enough to demonstrate His faith in us.?
Where has the Lord said that he doesn’t have faith in us?
The Lord SHOWS us that He has faith in us in everything he says and does.
The “more sure word of prophecy” aka “calling and election made sure” aka the “testimony of Jesus” is the Lord’s prophesying to you that you have eternal life. Would He do that if He didn’t have faith in us? Would He lay His own salvation on the line in order to provide immortality and eternal life for us if he didn’t believe that at least some of us would receive it?
But here’s a sampling of the Lord’s promises to us:
D&C 35:27 Fear not, little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come. Behold, I come quickly. Even so. Amen.
D&C 38:9 Wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome.
D&C 38:15 Therefore, be ye strong from henceforth; fear not, for the kingdom is yours.
D&C 62:9 Behold, the kingdom is yours. And behold, and lo, I am with the faithful always. Even so. Amen.
D&C 78:18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.
D&C 82:24 For even yet the kingdom is yours, and shall be forever, if you fall not from your steadfastness. Even so. Amen.
Lack of Faith in ourselves
A lack of faith in ourselves is a great weakness, and I believe where it shows up most often is that we have trouble forgiving ourselves. We can’t truly repent unless we forgive ourselves and we must have faith that we really can stop sinning.
True faith in oneself is not pride. Some people may confuse it with pride, but it is not pride.
Humility is knowing where you are on the path and acting accordingly. False humility is pride. When the Lord encourages you and calls you to do something, you need to have faith that you can do it. To doubt that you can do it, is to doubt the Lord, and it is also pride because you are saying you know more than He does.
This is how I know the Lord has faith in us
God works by faith – Lecture 1 of the Lectures on Faith
17. Who cannot see, that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And that if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity? This is the testimony of all the sacred writers, and the lesson which they have been endeavoring to teach to men.
22. We here understand that the sacred writers say, that all these things were done by faith – It was by faith that the worlds were framed – God spoke, chaos heard, and worlds came into order, by reason of the faith there was in Him. So with man also – he spoke by faith in the name of God, and the sun stood still, the moon obeyed, mountains removed, prisons fell, lions’ mouths were closed, the human heart lost its enmity, fire its violence, armies their power, the sword its terror, and death its dominion; and all this by reason of the faith which was in them.
3.2 It is by words, instead of exerting his physical powers, with which every being works when he works by faith.
3.3 God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” Joshua spoke, and the great lights which God had created stood still. Elijah commanded, and the heavens were stayed for the space of three years and six months, so that it did not rain: he again commanded and the heavens gave forth rain. All this was done by faith.
8.1 When men begin to live by faith they begin to draw near to God; and when faith is perfected they are like him; and because he is saved they are saved also; for they will be in the same situation he is in, because they have come to him; and when he appears they shall be like him, for they will see him as he is.
17.6 That is was a system of faith – it begins with faith, and continues by faith; and every blessing which is obtained in relation to it is the effect of faith, whether it pertains to this life or that which is to come. To this all the revelations of God bear witness.
God doesn’t boast of faith – He shows it by His works, words, dealings with men
God’s Supreme Act of Faith: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth on Him [exercises faith in Christ] should not perish, but have everlasting life.
How man exercises faith
The Lord gave us an example that we can all understand: planting a seed, or planting a tree.
Jacob 5 – Parable of the Lord’s vineyard in which He planted and nourished and cared for his olive trees in anticipation (faith) that they would yield good fruit.
Matt 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Alma 32:40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
The Lord Takes Delight in us
Zeph 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Isaiah – His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.
Ps 149:4 – The Lord takes pleasure in his people
Before the foundation of the world, The Lord entered into an everlasting covenant with each of us by which we can come to this earth, gain experience, learn of Him through faith, gain a desire to return to Him, above all else, so that we can be adopted as His sons and daughters and be joint-heirs with Him and partake of eternal life. He offers us this covenant and has faith that we will enter into that covenant and be faithful to it.
The Lord does everything by faith. By faith, He formed this world and everything that is in it. By faith, He placed us here. By faith, He teaches us, encourages us, supports us, succors us in the hour of temptation.
By faith, He saves us from both hell and death. By faith, He walked into that holy place alone and endured for us a trial that we could never endure. By faith, He resurrected Himself, by the power of the Father that was in Him, so that we could obtain a resurrection, too.
He tells us that the worth of our souls is great in the sight of God.
I once asked God for the gift of charity: to see each of us the way He sees us. If you could see this, you would know how much faith He has in us because he sees us as we are: glorious eternal beings, capable of becoming like Him.
We spoke recently of general commandments and individual revelation. When you come to Him, He will speak to you and tell you and show you how much you mean to Him. Seeing you grow and struggle and grow closer to Him makes His day and justifies the faith He has in you. He will give you a calling or a mission and empower you to do it. He may give you permission to speak His words and act in His Name because He knows that you will never speak or do anything contrary to His will.
It is my greatest desire to be a servant in the hands of the Lord. I know that the Lord has faith in me, because He told me so. I know what He expects of me. He enters into covenants with me because He know that I am faithful. He gives me visions and revelations because He knows that I will not seek them for my own glory and will only share what can be shared and encourage others to seek their own revelations.
He also knows that I have a tendency to disbelieve what He tells me because am afraid. Jesus knew Peter could walk on that water as long as he kept his eyes fixed on the Lord. The Lord puts me in situations where I must learn to “sink or swim”, and that I must trust that He will bless and uphold me in whatever He asks me to do.
It’s a mutual relationship of trust and faith. It goes both ways. This of your business relationships. Think of your marriage. Think of you and your children. The faith and trust must flow both ways.
John said we love Him because He first loved us. There is no higher form of love than trust. We trust Him because He first trusted us.
I think God because I know He has placed Him trust in me. I try very hard to justify that trust. I know I fall short often, and fail to reflect what He has shown me and what He has helped me to become. But, I trust Him to forgive me, and continue to work with me and teach me.
Romans 8:28 – All things work together for you maximal good.
2 Nephi 26:24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.
Desire
If you get to the point where you are one with Christ and Christ is one with you, does it really make any difference? If you are one with God and God is one with you, then it comes from God. But the desire has to come from us. God already has everything else, but what He seeks is our desire. This is why desire is so important. Desire is ours and ours alone. God may arrange conditions to bring about a desire in us to come to Him, but it is us that still has to have that desire.
D&C 76:58 Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God–
D&C 76:61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.
We should not glory in the natural man, but we should glory in the part of us that is one with God: in the goodness which in us and the glory which God shares with us so that we can be one with Him.
We should glory in our divine nature.
The Divine Nature – by Panashe Gouche
The Holy Spirit is the essence of Godhood. It is the link that connects all divine beings. The Holy Spirit is something that emanates from God and it is also beyond Him. It is the link of all Gods in eternity, and our God is fully in tune with It. In a sense, the Holy Spirit is the Eternal Godhead. When we receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, we become members of the Holy Spirit. It then becomes easier to tap into the Celestial frequency that is the Holy Spirit so we can commune with God. We become a Holy Ghost and one with the Father and Son. In that way is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost one. When we receive the Holy Ghost, we become partakers of the Divine Nature which is the Holy Spirit.
John144 