The Faith to Move Mountains

I like to equate the use of the term "faith" with the following:
• Spiritual vision.
• Sticking to it (whatever God requires of us).
• Not even one tiny element doubt or fear.
• Full Assurance In The Heart, taking the acronym.

"...let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth... let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground..."

The Israelites had reached the shore. Cornered by the sea on one side, approached by the pursuing Egyptians on the other.

They had nowhere to go.

In times like this, when I have had nowhere to go, I have learnt that God is really helping me learn of the only Way to go.

The Way to go is Christ.

Said He, "I am the way..." (John 14:6).

God opened up the way for the Israelites to escape. He worked through Moses, who was faithful, worthy and courageous.

Jacob 4:6
"Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea."

I wish my childhood-owned bonsai plant obeyed my thoughts to stay alive, despite my frequent forgetfulness to water it. Maybe I needed more faith.

My mission president, President Lon Edgar Henderson, presented the process of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the following manner - we may recognize it as more elaborate than our well-known 4th Article of Faith.

1. Agency
2. Obedience.
3. Faith.
4. Repentance.
5. Covenant making, keeping and renewing.
6. Spiritual Power.
7. Eternal Life.

With the agency we are given, we can choose to be obedient.

Obedience brings blessings from God of
• faith,
• associated blessings of the commandment kept,
• a witness of receiving blessings from obedience.

Such building of faith, or spiritual vision, builds our motivation, vision, and capacity to repent.

Repentance invites the cleansing of the Atonement from sin, and prepares us for covenant making. Repentance also builds our sense of commitment to God, which prepares us for covenant keeping. Repentance gives us a sense of "I made mistakes, but I've learnt from them. Thus, through the Atonement, I can progress onward", thus preparing us for covenant renewing at the sacrament table.

All covenants consist of the promise of God's power in our lives - be it the companionship of the Holy Ghost, authority to act in God's name, and other blessings of higher nature.

These blessings enable us to hold on to eternal life - the conquering of every mountain given us, the triumph over every foe. This is what faith leads to. This is how faith moves mountains.