After His stern warning to Moroni’s audience, the Lord promised to bless those who love Him and exercise faith in Him.
But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good. (Ether 4:11)
I believe the Lord’s words, Moroni’s words, Ether’s words, and the words of the brother of Jared. The Lord has manifested the truth of them to me, and I know that they are true. Because of the Lord’s Spirit, I know that these things are true, and I know that they persuade men to do good. I know that these good gifts come from the Lord, and I am grateful:
And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world. (Ether 4:12)
The Lord invites both the Gentiles and the House of Israel to come unto Him in order to receive the greater things:
Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.
Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief. (Ether 4:13-14)
The only thing that stands in our way for receiving these greater things is our unbelief. The Lord teaches us what is required to obtain the greater things, and He teaches us what the greater things are:
Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.
And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed. (Ether 4:15-16)
This is the most exciting time to be alive. The time is at hand when the Lord shall unfold the revelations that he caused his servant John to write. We are living in the Apocalypse. No longer will we puzzle over the seemingly strange symbolism of the Book of Revelation. Everyone will know exactly what it means. Furthermore, because we have the Book of Mormon before our eyes and can read it everyday, we know that Heavenly Father’s work has begun:
Therefore, when ye shall receive this recordye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land. (Ether 4:17)
Therefore what? What is to be done? The Lord always extends an invitation and a promised blessing to each one of us:
Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name.
And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen. (Ether 4:18-19)
Do you want to receive the greater things? Do you want to be visited with the manifestations of the Lord’s Spirit? Do you want to know that these things are true? Do you want to be led to all good? Do you want the knowledge that has been hid up? Do you want the great things - the great and marvelous things - that the Father has laid up for us from the foundation of the world? Do you want to understand John the Beloved’s revelations? Do you want to understand know what was revealed to the brother of Jared? Do you want to be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom of God? I do. And these are the prerequisites that the Lord has established for such blessings:
Believe in God and Jesus Christ
Believe in and obtain a testimony of the Book of Mormon
Follow Jesus Christ into all good
Come unto Jesus Christ
Rend the Veil of Unbelief
Call upon the Father in the Name of Christ with a Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit
Repent
Come unto Christ, believe in His Gospel, be baptized in the name of Christ
Be Faithful unto the Name of Christ at the Last Day
I notice again how central faith in Jesus Christ is to everything. The Book of Mormon prophets wrote to build faith in Jesus Christ and to lead souls unto Him. Each of these elements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been taught consistently throughout the Book of Mormon. There is one element in the story of the brother of Jared, however, that stands out to me as unique, namely, the commandment of the Lord for us to rend the veil of unbelief and exercise faith like the brother of Jared.
How do we do this? This invitation beckons us to study Moroni’s abridgment of the twenty-four gold plates even more closely, to ponder the example of the brother of Jared even more deeply, and to act upon the Lord’s invitations with even more faith. Before we can reach the level of faith that the brother of Jared demonstrated, it is sufficient for us to begin with even the desire to believe:
But behold, 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)
Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power. According to the Apostle Paul, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”3
Everything good in life—every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith. Allowing God to prevail in our lives begins with faith that He is willing to guide us. True repentance begins with faith that Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse, heal, and strengthen us.4
“Deny not the power of God,” the prophet Moroni declared, “for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men.”5It is our faith that unlocks the power of God in our lives.
And yet, exercising faith can seem overwhelming. At times we may wonder if we can possibly muster enough faith to receive the blessings that we so desperately need. However, the Lord put those fears to rest through the words of the Book of Mormon prophet Alma.
Alma asks us simply to experiment upon the word and “exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if [we] can no more than desire to believe.”6 The phrase “particle of faith” reminds me of the Lord’s biblical promise that if we “have faith as a grain of mustard seed,” we shall be able to “say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto [us].”7
The Lord understands our mortal weakness. We all falter at times. But He also knows of our great potential. The mustard seed starts small but grows into a tree large enough for birds to nest in its branches. The mustard seed represents a small but growing faith.8
The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power. But He does ask us to believe.
My dear brothers and sisters, my call to you this Easter morning is to start today to increase your faith. Through your faith, Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountains in your life,9 even though your personal challenges may loom as large as Mount Everest.
Your mountains may be loneliness, doubt, illness, or other personal problems. Your mountains will vary, and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith. That takes work. Lazy learners and lax disciples will always struggle to muster even a particle of faith.
To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort. May I offer five suggestions to help you develop that faith and trust.
First, study. Become an engaged learner. Immerse yourself in the scriptures to understand better Christ’s mission and ministry. Know the doctrine of Christ so that you understand its power for your life. Internalize the truth that the Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to you. He took upon Himself your misery, your mistakes, your weakness, and your sins. He paid the compensatory price and provided the power for you to move every mountain you will ever face. You obtain that power with your faith, trust, and willingness to follow Him.
Moving your mountains may require a miracle. Learn about miracles. Miracles come according to your faith in the Lord. Central to that faith is trusting His will and timetable—how and when He will bless you with the miraculous help you desire. Only yourunbelief will keep God from blessing you with miracles to move the mountains in your life.10
The more you learn about the Savior, the easier it will be to trust in His mercy, His infinite love, and His strengthening, healing, and redeeming power. The Savior is never closer to you than when you are facing or climbing a mountain with faith.
Second, choose to believe in Jesus Christ. If you have doubts about God the Father and His Beloved Son or the validity of the Restoration or the veracity of Joseph Smith’s divine calling as a prophet, choose to believe11 and stay faithful. Take your questions to the Lord and to other faithful sources. Study with the desire to believe rather than with the hope that you can find a flaw in the fabric of a prophet’s life or a discrepancy in the scriptures. Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters. Allow the Lord to lead you on your journey of spiritual discovery.
Third, act in faith. What would you do if you had more faith? Think about it. Write about it. Then receive more faith by doing something that requires more faith.
Fourth, partake of sacred ordinances worthily. Ordinances unlock the power of God for your life.12
And fifth, ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for help.
Faith takes work. Receiving revelation takes work. But “every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”13 God knows what will help your faith grow. Ask, and then ask again.
