LDS Quotes on Faith
I fear that in this world of skeptics and pragmatists we are losing the spirit of those wonderful scriptural phrases: “I will go and do;” “I know not save the Lord commandeth me;” or “for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.” That’s the spirit of dedication, of commitment, of faith that we must show to the Lord as we go about our Father’s business in a significant way. This is how we say in our own lives, “Because I have been given much, I too must give.”
“Indeed, this life is a test. It is a test of many things – of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires.”
Our lives are the only meaningful expression of what we believe and in Whom we believe. And the only real wealth, for any of us, lies in our faith.
The time has come for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Now, remember, my brethren, those who go skating, buggy riding or on excursions on the Sabbath day – and there is a great deal of this practiced – are weak in the faith. Gradually, little by little, the spirit of their religion leaks out of their hearts and their affections, and by and by they begin to see faults in their brethren, faults in the doctrines of the Church, faults in the organization, and at last they leave the Kingdom of God and go to destruction. I really wish you would remember this, and tell it to your neighbors. “
| Journal of Discourses, 15:83
“I also believe in faith. Faith in a loving and kind heavenly Father who will always care about me. Faith that my worth will never be diminished. Faith that God knows how I feel and that I can depend on him to help me through it all. I believe that God not only suffered for me, but that He will make everything up to me in His own time and His own way. That gives me the peace I need to feel like justice will win out in the end.”
| My Story: Elizabeth Smart
Our main task is to declare the gospel and do it effectively. We are not obligated to answer every objection. Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand. (President Ezra Taft Benson)
| “What We Believe,” BYU Devotional, Feb. 3, 1998, p. 9
President Harold B. Lee once said, “If you want the blessing, don’t just kneel down and pray about it. Prepare yourselves in every conceivable way you can in order to make yourselves worthy to receive the blessing you seek.”
Sometimes we tend to believe that if we have enough faith, anything can happen without our really putting forth much effort, without doing all that is possible, or without “running as hard as we can and praying on the run.” The Lord expects us to do all in our power as we exercise our faith.
How is this kind of faith developed? In Alma we read: “Now, as I said concerning faith – that it was not a perfect knowledge – even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.” Faith, then, is not a perfect knowledge. Alma goes on to say, “But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, . . .” (Alma 32:26–27). — Elder Robert B. Harbertson, “The Eye of Faith,” New Era, September 1988, p. 4
To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experiences.
| “Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, November 1995
“Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6). Thus, every time you try your faith – that is, act in worthiness on an impression – you will receive the confirming evidence of the Spirit. As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of uncertainty, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise. With even your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you, when it will yield the greatest advantage. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow.
| “The Transforming Power of Faith and Character,” Ensign, Nov. 2010, pp. 43-46
Faith and knowledge require equal effort and commitment. We cannot expect to have faith at the center of our lives if all of our efforts are expended on knowledge, sports, hobbies, making money, or other pursuits.
| “Strengthen Faith as You Seek Knowledge,” Ensign, September 2008
One cannot have adequate faith in a Christ whom he does not adequately know, “who is a stranger . . . far from the thoughts and intents of his heart.” (Mosiah 5:13) Instead, by laying aside “every weight” of the world and the sins which so “easily beset us,” by looking unto Jesus and by feasting upon His words, we will be able to move forward with intellectual and spiritual vigor. Otherwise, as Paul said, we can become wearied and faint in our minds. (See Heb. 12:1–3; see also 2 Ne. 31:20.) When we understand what was revealed to Adam – “[my] plan of salvation unto all men” (Moses 6:62) – then these doctrines are keenly relevant for tomorrow’s trial, Tuesday’s temptation, or next month’s surge of self-pity. After all, chastening, the trial of our faith, and patience are part of the plan. (See Mosiah 23:21.) . . .
If sought by faith (see Rom. 9:30–32), these doctrines of the radiant restoration enclose us in divine purpose during our sojourn in this “far country.” Like the prodigal son who “came to himself,” we thus receive needed perspective and direction as we also begin to “arise and go to [our] Father.” (See Luke 15:11–32.) . .
We will not be strangers in the City of God. We were there before, when the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy at the prospects of this stern but necessary mortal existence. (See Job 38:4–7.) . . .The trek will be proving and trying. Faith, patience, and obedience are essential (see Mosiah 23:21; Abr. 3:25), but he who completes the journey successfully will be immeasurably added upon. (See Abr. 3:26.) And he who does not will have subtracted from the sum of his possibilities. . . .
Doers, said Jesus, will know that these doctrines are of God. (See John 7:17.) Therefore, do not be surprised when nondoers scoff. Do not be surprised, either, if these doctrines unsettle some. Such was the case when the ancient Apostles filled Jerusalem with their doctrines. (See Acts 5:28.) And when Jesus focused His hearers on doctrines, “they were astonished at his doctrine.” (Matt. 22:33) The only cure for the doctrinal illiteracy of those who murmur will be to learn doctrine. (See Isa. 29:24)
| “Called and Prepared from the Foundation of the World,” General Conference, April 1986
“Our faith is centered in God, our Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. It is bolstered by our knowledge that the fulness of the gospel has been restored to the earth, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that prophets and apostles today hold the keys of the priesthood. We treasure our faith, work to strengthen our faith, pray for increased faith, and do all within our power to protect and defend our faith.”
| Trial Of Your Faith, October 2012 General Conference
Faith is not only a feeling; it is a decision. With prayer, study, obedience, and covenants, we build and fortify our faith. Our conviction of the Savior and His latter-day work becomes the powerful lens through which we judge all else. Then, as we find ourselves in the crucible of life, as Elder Oaks explained, we have the strength to take the right course.
President Hinckley said it this way: “When [an individual] is motivated by great and powerful convictions of truth, then he disciplines himself, not because of demands made by the Church but because of the knowledge within his heart.”
Are we sufficiently motivated by “great and powerful convictions of truth”? Do our choices reflect this motivation? Are we becoming who we want to become? It’s true, isn’t it? Then what else matters?
| “It’s True, Isn’t it? Then what else matters?” Ensign, May 2007
The situation is very pleasant and you would be much pleased to see it. How long we will be permitted to enjoy it I know not; but the Lord knows what is best for us. I feel but little concerned about where I am, if I can but keep my mind staid upon God; for you know, in this, there is perfect peace.
| “Sacrifice Brings What?” BYU-Idaho Devotional, February 10, 2004
“Everyone would like to have stronger faith. By themselves, the scriptures may not strengthen your faith, but being faithful to what they teach, does. In other words, faith cannot be separated from faithfulness.”
| When Times Are Tough: 5 Scriptures That Will Help You Get Through Almost Anything
If our testimonies are strong on this point and if we feel the absolute assurance that God loves us, we will change our questions. We won’t ask, ‘Why did this happen?’ or ‘Why doesn’t God care about me?’ Instead, our questions will become, ‘What can I learn from this experience?’ or ‘How does the Lord want me to handle this?
| When Times Are Tough: 5 Scriptures That Will Help You Get Through Almost Anything
“Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. The Book of Mormon speaks of this as “hope for a better world.” For emotional health and spiritual stamina, everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of “good things to come.”
| Ensign, November 1999, p. 36
“I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have.”
“…Faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.”
| "Remember Lot's Wife", 13 January 2009 BYU Speech
“Though within the reach of all who diligently strive to gain it, faith is nevertheless a divine gift, and can be obtained only from God”
| Jesus the Christ
“Belief, in one of its accepted senses, may consist in a merely intellectual assent, while faith implies such confidence and conviction as will impel to action.”
| Articles of Faith
“As I read and ponder the scriptures, I see that developing faith, hope, and charity within ourselves is a step-by-step process. Faith begets hope, and together they foster charity. We read in Moroni, “Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity.” These three virtues may be sequential initially, but once obtained, they become interdependent. Each one is incomplete without the others. They support and reinforce each other.”
| “Cultivating Divine Attributes,” Ensign, Nov. 1998
“It is not such a difficult thing to learn how to pray. It is not the words we use particularly that constitute prayer. Prayer does not consist of words altogether. True, faithful, earnest prayer consists more in the feeling that rises from the heart and from the inward desire of our spirits to supplicate the Lord in humility and in faith, that we may receive his blessings. It matters not how simple the words may be, if our desires are genuine and we come before the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit to ask Him for that which we need. . . .My brethren and sisters, do not learn to pray with your lips only. Do not learn a prayer by heart, and say it every morning and evening. That is something I dislike very much. It is true that a great many people fall into the rut of saying over a ceremonious prayer. They begin at a certain point, and they touch at all the points along the road until they get to the winding-up scene; and when they have done, I do not know whether the prayer has ascended beyond the ceiling of the room or not.”
| Conference Report, October 1899, pp. 69,71-72
“Faith exists when absolute confidence in that which we cannot see combines with action that is in absolute conformity to the will of our Heavenly Father. Without all three—first, absolute confidence; second, action; and third, absolute conformity—without these three all we have is a counterfeit, a weak and watered-down faith.”
| Shall He Find Faith On The Earth?, October 2002 General Conference
One “biography of faith” Howard W. Hunter mentioned was that of Nephi. “With his parents, he left prosperous circumstances in Jerusalem and then for eight years, in great affliction, journeyed in the wilderness. The family then cross uncharted seas to a new land. During this period, Nephi was assailed, ridiculed, and persecuted by members of his household. Following the death of his father, Nephi and other family members had to separate themselves from his older brothers because they sought his life. Out of his despair, he declared, ‘My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.’ (2 Ne. 4:20)
Today other biographies of faith are being written – Saints who, like Job, suffer physical pain, emotional sorrow, and even disloyalty from friends – yet remain faithful; Saints who, like Jacob, see sons and daughters not so valiant as they should be, but who bless them for their potential; Saints who, like Paul, endure great ridicule and endure to the end; Saints who, like Nephi, must separate themselves from family because of their commitment to the gospel. There are those who know pain and sorrow because of loss of loved ones; who know spiritual sorrow because children go astray; who experience loss of health, financial reverses, and emotional distress, and yet, like Job, resolve, “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
We recently celebrated the birthday of President Spencer W. Kimball. Most of us are familiar with the fact that great adversity has been his companion for a great portion of his eighty-five years. He spoke from experience when he wrote these words: “Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery” (Faith Precedes the Miracle, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1972, p. 98).
| “God Will Have a Tried People,” Ensign, May 1980, p. 24
Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. . . . Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls.
| “The Infinite Power of Hope,” Ensign, November 2008, pp. 21-24
“Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.”
| Shall He Find Faith on the Earth?
“You have to be willing to offend. You have to be willing to take the risk. That’s exactly where the faith comes in. Our commitment is supposed to be a test. It is supposed to be hard. It is supposed to be impractical in the terms of this world.”
Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we’ll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). . . .We live in complex times. We deal with serious problems, all of us. There is not any question in my mind that in this congregation today there are those who are deeply concerned about various matters, wonder about them, what to do about them, and how can they handle this and handle that. . . . “Trust in the Lord.”
| Ogden Regional Conference, Sept. 19, 2004; “Trust the Lord,” Church News, September 25, 2004
When we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must have trust in him. We must trust him enough that we are content to accept his will, knowing that he knows what is best for us. . . . When we try to develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ rather than merely cultivating faith as an abstract principle of power, we understand the meaning of the Savior’s words: “If ye will have faith in me, ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me (Moro. 7:33).”
| “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1994, pp. 99-100