Lesson 20: Strengthening Our Faith and Testimony
1. How is it possible for those who have
experienced the blessings of the gospel to lose their faith and testimony?
2. 2 Nephi
1:10–11 Book of Mormon writers repeatedly warned of
behaviors and attitudes that weaken faith in the Lord and continually taught
how to build and strengthen testimony.
3. Mosiah 26:1–4 : When people choose not to believe and act on the truths
they are taught, their hearts become hardened and they cannot enjoy the
blessings of faith and testimony.
4. Look for attitudes or
behaviors that can lead people to lose faith and testimony.
5. Which of these attitudes or behaviors do you
think are most dangerous for members of the Church today? Why?
8. Mormon 5:16–18, What does it means to live “without Christ and God in the world”? : If
we allow ourselves to lose faith and we refuse to repent, the Spirit will
withdraw from us and we will lose the Lord’s guidance.
10. “Just as
truth is given to us line upon line and the light brightens slowly as we obey,
even so, as we disobey, our testimony of truth lessens almost imperceptibly,
little by little, and darkness descends so slowly that the proud may easily
deny that anything is changing. “I have heard the boast of a man who walked
away from the Church slowly. At first he just stopped teaching his Sunday
School class, then he stayed away from Church, and then he forgot to pay tithing now and then. … He could not sense the difference, but I could.
The light in his eyes and even the shine in his countenance was dimming. He
could not tell, since one of the effects of disobeying God seems to be the
creation of just enough spiritual anesthetic to block any sensation as the ties
to God are being cut. Not only did the testimony of the truth slowly erode, but
even the memories of what it was like to be in the light began to seem to him
like a delusion” (HBEyring, “A Life Founded in Light and Truth” [BYU
devotional, Aug. 15, 2000)
11.
12. “In nature, trees that
grow up in a windy environment become stronger. As winds whip around a young
sapling, forces inside the tree do two things. First, they stimulate the roots
to grow faster and spread farther. Second, the forces in the tree start
creating cell structures that actually make the trunk and branches thicker and
more flexible to the pressure of the wind. These stronger roots and branches
protect the tree from winds that are sure to return.
“You are infinitely more precious
to God than a tree. You are His son or His daughter. He made your spirit strong
and capable of being resilient to the whirlwinds of life. The whirlwinds in
your youth, like the wind against a young tree, can increase your spiritual
strength, preparing you for the years ahead” (NLAnderson, “Spiritual Whirlwinds,” Ensign May 2014, 18).
13. 2 Nephi 25:28–29
summarizes a powerful sermon Nephi gave to his people about how to be saved. If
we choose to believe in Jesus Christ and worship Him with all our might, mind,
and strength, then we will remain spiritually strong and not be cast out.
14. “Prophets across the ages
have encouraged us and even implored us to believe in Christ. … The decision to
believe is the most important choice we ever make. It shapes all our other
decisions. …
“Belief and testimony and faith
are not passive principles. They do not just happen to us. Belief is something
we choose—we hope for it, we work for it, and we sacrifice for it. We will not
accidentally come to believe in the Savior and His gospel any more than we will
accidentally pray or pay tithing. We actively choose to believe, just like we
choose to keep other commandments” (LWClayton, “Choose to Believe,” Ensign, May 2015, 38). Alma
32:27
