“Yes, faith is a choice, and it must be sought after and developed. Thus, we are responsible for our own faith. We are also responsible for our lack of faith. The choice is yours.
• If confusion and hopelessness weigh on your mind, choose to “awake and arouse your faculties” (Alma 32:27). Humbly approaching the Lord with a broken heart and contrite spirit is the pathway to truth and the Lord’s way of light, knowledge, and peace.
• If your testimony is immature, untested, and insecure, choose to “exercise [even] a particle of faith”; choose to “experiment upon [His] words” (Alma 32:27). The Savior explained, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17).
• When logic, reason, or personal intellect come into conflict with sacred teachings and doctrine, or conflicting messages assault your beliefs as the fiery darts described by the Apostle Paul (see Ephesians 6:16), choose to not cast the seed out of your heart by unbelief. Remember, we receive not a witness until after the trial of our faith (see Ether 12:6).
• If your faith is proven and mature, choose to nurture it “with great care” (Alma 32:27). As strong as our faith is, with all the mixed messages attacking it, it can also become very fragile. It needs constant nourishment through continued scripture study, prayer, and the application of His word.”~(then Bishop) Richard C. Edgley, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric (For this talk given October 2010…Click – “Faith— The Choice is Yours”)
I love what Bishop Edgley was saying. (The above bullet points and many more that teach how to obtain and KEEP faith strong.) To me, there is no reason why our faith cannot grow and increase, becoming mighty, directed, changing our heart and soul. Part of our faith embraces following counsel and suggestions of our leaders; from the Brethren we sustain as Prophets, Seers and Revelators and those they have chosen to give us instruction (passed on from them) to us locally. When we adopt the habit of dismissing their counsel and instruction now, we naturally set ourselves up to dismiss their counsel when times are even tougher. Then difficult prophecy preceding Christ’s second coming will become fulfilled before our eyes complete with personal (excruciating?) struggles we had not expected or planned to handle. kdm Original post on 9.30.15, revised
