My Faith and Testimony
By definition, faith is about things not seen with the eyes, heard with the ears, or experienced through any of the five physical senses. It is about things that are spiritual.
Concerning things spiritual, we are free to believe as we choose to. We can choose to believe that there is no spiritual realm, there are no spiritual beings, and there is nothing beyond the physical. We can choose to adopt any of the various faiths that have been written about or taught throughout the history of the world. Or we can choose to create our own faith and live according to it.
We cannot prove to one another the truth of our own faith. A person who has faith in a supreme being cannot prove to another that such a being exists. And conversely, a person who does not believe in things spiritual cannot prove to another that when he or she dies, there will be no part of him or her that will survive death.
My faith is that there is a spiritual realm and that we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
What is the foundation of my faith? It centers in the concept known as "revelation".
Revelation consists of communication that involves two steps. The first step is communication from the spiritual realm to our spirit. The second step is communication from our spirit to our mind. Each of us is endowed with a sixth sense — not the ability to see dead people but — the ability to sense inputs from our spirit. Our spirit can project thoughts into our mind and feelings into our "heart".
The principle of revelation was explained by Jesus in a conversation he had with Peter, as recorded in the 16th chapter of the book of Matthew in the New Testament.
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Peter knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, because God had revealed it to him.
By this same process, you and I can receive revelation, spiritual communication from God to our spirits through the medium of His Spirit, also known as the Holy Ghost.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
The above verses come from chapter 10 of the book of Moroni in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
I have followed Moroni's counsel. I have asked God. And His Spirit has manifested the following truths to me:
1. God, our Heavenly Father, lives and hears us when we pray.
I have experienced God as I have prayed to Him.
2. Jesus Christ is God's only begotten son and the Savior of all mankind
He was born. He died. He was resurrected. He lives today. And he will come again to the earth, not as a child, but in glory, in the clouds with all his holy angels.
Because of the power of His resurrection all will live again in the flesh.
3. Throughout history, in many nations, God has chosen and called upon selected men to serve Him as prophets
God reveals His mind and will to prophets for the benefit of all people.
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)
The Holy Ghost has manifested to me that:
- Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and Malachi were called by God to serve Him in the old world.
- In the Americas, Lehi, Nephi, Abinadi, Alma, Mormon, and Moroni were likewise called.
- In the modern era, Joseph Smith was called by God and Russell M. Nelson is God's prophet for our day.
As for me, I am a very weak and broken vessel. But I have experienced the master potter and know that He can and will, in process of time, mend even shattered lives.
Therefore, I join my voice with that of Moroni:
And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen.