The first principle of the Gospel is Faith in Jesus Christ. We receive this faith from God. "for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev 19:10) Joseph Smith said, "No man can know that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost". (TPJS, p. 223) The essence of a TESTIMONY is a personal inward assurance of Jesus Christ's divinity, and it provides the fundamental basis for a Christian life. One becomes a disciple of Christ in the fullest spiritual sense only when a personal testimony of Jesus is received.

I believe that a testimony is not gained by any single event. It is a continuing process. It is gained by asking in faith, developed with love, service and example. A testimony, all truths, are taught to us by the Holy Spirit.

With children it starts with love, usually the love of their parents. They know they love their parents and that their parents love them. This helps us understand and love Jesus; it lets us feel that Jesus loves us. We learn trust and faith from the relationships in families first. This can be a foundation upon which faith is built. Without love and trust from parents and caregivers it is more difficult to build love and trust in other relationships, even the faith and love we have with our Father in Heaven. As we experience this natural faith we can learn to love Jesus and know that he loves us. As we pray and share faith-building experiences we can grow in faith so we can face the temptations and trials in our lives. Spiritual indolence and disobedience to the commandments constantly weaken a testimony, so close communion with God and selfless service strenghtens it.

The story of Lehi�s dream in one of my very favorite scripture stories. You remember that Lehi was a prophet who lived long ago. His dream was about the way to eternal life. In this dream he saw a beautiful tree. The tree stood for the love our Heavenly Father has for us. It�s fruit was eternal life, There was a straight and narrow path leading to the tree. The tree stood for the love our Heavenly Father has for us. It�s fruit was eternal life. There was a straight and narrow path leading to the tree. Along the path was a rod of iron. The rod on iron represented the word of God, or his commandments.

A river ran beside the path, and it was full of filthy water. The river represented the wickedness and sin in the world that people can fall into. As Lehi watched people moving along the path, there arose mists of darkness that made it hard for them to see where they were going. Many of the people clung to the rod of iron to stay on the path. Others wandered in the mists of darkness and were lost. Those who held to the rod reached the tree.

The people who hang on to that rod of iron are demonstrating faith. When we let go to temptation that makes it harder to keep our goal of eternal life in front of us. If we can remember that others try to draw us into the mist with them, they scorn us from the big building and say-come on over, I�m here in the biggest place, you�ve got to see it. We have to know that light overcomes darkness. That we are holding to the rod for a reason. We cannot listen to those in the dark. I think that as we know Jesus Christ we are better prepared to hold on.

Sometimes when I meet someone I don�t know, I don�t want to talk to them, I am even sometimes afraid of them. This is because I don�t know them and don�t know if I can trust them. This is true of the Savior too. As we begin to know the Savior we can have faith-because faith comes from knowing and trusting someone. So what do I know about the Savior? He is the Son of God. He Lives. He loves us- he loves everyone. He died for us- he is our Savior. He is patient, forgiving and knows what is best for me. He created the earth and has power over the elements of the earth. He and Heavenly Father appeared to Joseph Smith. Christ�s teachings come from Heavenly Father and will lead us back to him.

In Matthew 17:20 Jesus compares faith to a mustard seed. It has the ability to grow from something small into something enormous! Of course for our faith to grow we need to tend it, to feed it, and as we do we will find miracles happening in our lives. Blessing will be poured out, and we may feel them and have the confidence and strength to hold on to the iron rod until we reach eternal life. If we lose this faith, we only need to plant more seeds, and begin again tending them.

In order for our Faith to grow we need to Pray to Heavenly Father, and ask him to help our faith in Christ grow. We need to Learn all we can about the Savior. Study will help our Faith grow. Following Jesus� example and his teachings is how we learn that holding to the rod brings good things to us. When I was a teenager I had an experience with prayer and asking if the Book of Mormon is true that I will never ever forget. I followed the advice of Mormon, my youth leaders, and my seminary teacher and asked. The answer I received was powerful, definite and unmistakable. It was an answer to prayer that I have never doubted. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, because he made it clear to me. I also know that if we are all entitled to our own personal revelation, that you can know the truth of any gospel principle if you ask with faith. I have had many answers to prayer since. I know that we can experience blessings and direction if we ask and listen.

Faith in the Savior Jesus Christ is the foundation of a testimony; it has other important layers also. Seeking and listening to the Holy Ghost, the importance of the temple and our covenants with Heavenly Father, Temple Marriage, family, motherhood, service, priesthood, the church organization itself, are all things that form parts of our testimonies. I�m sure there are many things I have left out of this list. As we learn and use the gospel in our lives we discover how the principles of the gospel help us. We strengthen our testimonies thought the service and faith we have in Jesus Christ.

Richard G Scott said:

"To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all. When you pass through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will help you. That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. While you are passing through each phase, that pain and difficulty that come from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty that is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love�.Your willingness to accept the will of the Father will not change what, in His wisdom, He has chosen to do. However, it will certainly change the effect of those decisions on you personally. That evidence of the proper exercise of agency allows His decisions to produce far greater blessings in your life.

"I have found that because of our Father�s desire for us to grow, He may give us gently, almost imperceptible promptings that, if we are willing to accept without complaint, He will enlarge to become a very clear indication of His will. This enlightenment comes because of our faith and our willingness to do what He asks even though we would desire something else. Our Father in Heaven has invited you to express your needs, hopes, and desires unto Him. That should not be done in a spirit of negotiation, but rather as a willingness to obey His will no matter what direction that takes. His invitation "Ask, and ye shall receive" (3 Nephi 27:29) does not ensure that you will get what you want. It does guarantee that, if worthy, you will get what you need, as judged by a Father who loves you perfectly, who wants your eternal happiness even more than do you." (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 16-17)

This quote of Brother Scott�s was very powerful to me, as I know that the Lord leads and directs me he will make his path clear to me. That I can get everything that I need through my faith in him. My testimony of the Savior, my attitude of willingness, gratefulness and service, make a difference in my relationship with him. Faith makes all the difference in how I face my problems, how I react or conquer them. As I recognize his hand in all things I can begin to find joy in holding the rod, following the path that leads me to eternal life. Mist, Spacious Buildings, and taunts will not discourage me, as I know that I am on the path that leads me to where I want to go.

I know that Jesus is the Christ, that he died for me, for each of us. Through the Savior�s atonement not only will I be saved, but he will help me overcome temptation, disappointment, discouragement and trials in this life. His grace is accessible every day, because of our baptism remember-the sacrament prayers-that we take his name upon us, we might always remember him, keep his commandments so we might have his spirit to be with us. He will help us change, grow, repent and feel his help, his love in our lives.

We also have the gift of the Holy Ghost that is with us always, if we listen to him. I hope that each of us can pray for strength to follow the path. I pray that we as sisters, united in devotion, might recognize and see the way of truth and light. I have been delighted to get to know you, to laugh with you, to cry, to worry with you, and I hope that we can support each other in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our families and to this great church we belong to.

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