I just lost two hours of work due to my daughter messing with the computer… (Windows Live Writer should backup like MS Word does!). I am trying to be patient, it is hard… anyway, this reminds me of a story my dad told me when I was a kid. A man had been writing a book in the day when you did that with an ink pen. The man had a dog. When he finished writing the book, the man was really excited and told the dog. The dog got really excited and jumped on the table where the ink bottle was, the ink fell on top of the freshly written manuscript. The man looked at the table, cleaned it, threw the ruined pages away, got a set of new blank pages, and started writing again.
The bishop asked us to instruct our quorums on testimony. This lesson is based on a few talks.
Pure Testimony (M. Russell Ballard)
Testimony (Gordon B. Hinckley)
The Power of a Strong Testimony (Richard G. Scott)
What is testimony?
Bruce R. McConkie says that “A testimony of the gospel is the sure knowledge received by revelation from the Holy Ghost, of the divinity of the great latter-day work. […] Logic and reason lead truth seekers along the pat to a testimony, and they are aids in strengthening the revealed assurances of which a testimony is composed. But the actual sure knowledge which constitutes the testimony of Jesus must come by the spirit of prophecy”
Since testimony is received by revelation, we usually feel something to be true. The promptings of the Holy Ghost are usually a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12) and not a bombastic event.
As Gordon B. Hinckley said:
“This thing which we call testimony is the great strength of the Church. It is the wellspring of faith and activity. It is difficult to explain. It is difficult to quantify. It is an elusive and mysterious thing, and yet it is as real and powerful as any force on the earth. The Lord described it when He spoke to Nicodemus and said, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). This thing which we call testimony is difficult to define, but its fruits are plainly evident. It is the Holy Spirit testifying through us.”
How do we gain a testimony?
President Hinckley said “We grow in faith and knowledge as we serve, as we study, as we pray.”
Moroni taught, “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)
Sometimes we have to have faith before we receive personal revelation. Sometimes we don’t receive a witness until we are committed. One example that I like to share is when I was a young man, trying to decide if I should go on a two year mission. I had a full scholarship at well respected college here in the United States, I had a group of friends, and I was really enjoying my education. I was also pretty sure that if I continued my studies there I would end up landing a good job. During that first year of college, I felt that I had to “leave everything behind” and go on a mission. I struggled making this decision – and I was not fully convinced that was what I wanted to do – life was good.
Sometimes I would ask if I should go on my mission, and I would not receive a clear answer. It was not until I decided that I was really willing to put everything upon the altar that I received an answer to my prayer. You see I had to be willing to leave everything behind and then I received a testimony of what was the right thing to do. It does not mean that I necessarily wanted to leave everything, actually it was hard to leave the school -- did I mention I got food for free at the college? :-) . Even though it was still a bit hard, I knew Heavenly Father’s will, and I knew that I was committed to follow His will.
Over time, it turned out that I enjoyed my mission, and that in the grand scheme of things, I gained a lot more than what I left. Let’s just say that the Lord works in mysterious ways.
Elder Richard G. Scott said:
Your testimony will be fortified as you exercise faith in Jesus Christ, in His teachings, and in His limitless power to accomplish what He has promised.2 The key words are “exercise faith.” True faith has enormous power, but there are principles that must be followed to unleash that power. Moroni taught, “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.”3 That means you must practice the truth or principle you have faith in. As you live it consistently, there will come a witness of its truthfulness through the power of the Holy Ghost. It is often a feeling of peace. It could be a stirring within you. It might be evidenced by opening doors to other truths. As you patiently look for a confirmation, it will come. Recognize that the Lord will give you the capacity to understand and prove through personal experience the truthfulness of His teachings. He will confirm the certainty that His laws will produce the promised results when obeyed willingly and consistently.
A powerful testimony distills from quiet moments of prayer and pondering as you recognize the impressions that will accompany such effort. Humble, trusting prayer brings consolation, solace, comfort, direction, and peace the unworthy can never know.
Some truths regarding prayer may help you. The Lord will hear your prayers in time of need. He will invariably answer them. However, His answers will generally not come while you are on your knees praying, even when you may plead for an immediate response. There is a pattern that must be followed. You are asked to look for an answer to your prayers, then confirm that it is correct.4 Obey His counsel to “study it out in your mind.”5 Often you will think of a solution. Then seek confirmation that your answer is right. This help can come from prayer and from pondering the scriptures, at times by the intervention of others,6 or from your own capacity, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
At times the Lord will want you to proceed with trust before you receive a confirming answer. His answer generally comes as packets of help. As each piece is followed in faith, it will unite with others to give you the whole answer. This pattern requires the exercise of faith. While sometimes very hard, it results in significant personal growth. At times the Lord will give you an answer before you ask. This occurs when you are unaware of a danger or may be doing the wrong thing, trusting that it is correct.
What should we have a testimony of?
I think there are a few fundamental principles that we should seek a testimony of:
- The nature of God as our Heavenly Father and our divine potential as His children.
- The role of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer.
- Heavenly Father’s plan for us. (Sometimes we refer to it as The plan of Happiness)
- The first principles and ordinances of the gospel: Faith, Repentance, Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
- The Restoration of the Gospel in our day and the importance of Prophets to lead the Church. This includes a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith.
- We can receive a testimony of the importance of the commandments Heavenly Father gives us.
In my personal opinion, these are the most important concepts we should seek a testimony for – simply because other things will fall in place once we have a testimony of these.
Sometimes people, in their desire to find common ground and amiability, prefer to not be very bold about their beliefs – and say that everyone is right in their beliefs. While we should be tolerant and respectful of other’s beliefs, our beliefs should be clear and our testimony well founded. For instance Christ is either the Savior of the world or He is not. The Book of Mormon is either a true book of revelation or it is not. We are either children of our Heavenly Father or we are not. We should seek for truth.
I am of the idea that we should not impose our beliefs on anyone, including our children. Instead it is our responsibility to guide them to search for truth, almost to struggle in finding truth – because it is then that they will gain their own testimony. But once it is gained, that sure knowledge cannot be easily removed from ones heart.
Sharing our Testimony
The first Sunday of the month we usually we have a “Fast and Testimony” meeting, meaning that we have a chance to share our testimony with the congregation. There are a few thing we must note.
Sharing our testimony is not simply stating what we are thankful for. There are many times when we take the opportunity to thanks others in the congregation for their support and/or even to describe the blessings we receive from our Heavenly Father. While those are nice heart warming stories, they do not constitute a testimony.
We should keep our testimonies brief during sacrament meeting. Our ward has over 900 people in record, and over 300 active. If we take 20 minutes to share our testimony, we may be taking the opportunity from others to share their testimony.
Also, our testimonies don’t need to be very elaborate. They can be simple. At the heart of it, you should ask yourself questions like: How do I know that I am child of my Heavenly Father? How do I know that Christ is my Savior? Do I really believe it? Why do I believe the Book of Mormon to be true? It is understandable that each us arrived at the answers to those questions in different ways. For some it may be a short experience, for some it may be a life long quest. If the time is not sufficient to share your experience – or if the experience is very personal – just state what you believe in, that is enough.
The most important sharing of our testimony usually should not happen at Church. In my experience, the most significant experiences when I have shared or listened to a testimony has happened at home, while I was talking to a friend or relative, or while sharing my beliefs with someone that wants to learn more about it.
We should look for opportunities to share our testimony with our children – but most importantly we should remember that our testimony is what drives our actions. And actions speak louder than words.
I give you my testimony that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. I know that this life is but a tiny spot in a long eternal plan that our Father has for us. He wants us to learn, He wants us to be happy. We are not perfect, we will fall short at times. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us. I know that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. As I shared with you in the last few paragraphs, He has provided a way for us to receive personal revelation, and become witnesses and part of His labor of love. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
