The Armor of God (Part 5: Faith)

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16)

I remember taking a CPR class in which the teacher said, “before you assist someone else your first priority is to make sure that you are safe.” She then shared a story about a police officer who rushed into a burning building to rescue someone. In his haste he failed to make sure that he was safe, and he died tragically of smoke inhalation. Along those lines I want to delve into how we can avoid such a tragedy ourselves, in our spiritual lives—if we have our spirits left so unprotected.

The shield

A shield is an incredibly valuable piece of armor and is critical to protect one who is in battle. When using a shield the bearer can move to block attacks that come from any direction. In the battlefield a shield was so important that mighty warriors would have someone else carry a shield for them—a shield bearer—so they could focus on fighting while still being protected.

In the story of David and Goliath we know that Goliath was “a champion” fighter (1 Samuel 17:4), “and one bearing a shield went before him” (1 Samuel 17:7). Goliath did not carry his own shield when he went against David (see 1 Samuel 17:41) and relied on someone else for his protection. David did not have a physical shield, but was protected and empowered by his faith in God (see 1 Samuel 17:45-47). We know the outcome of this story.

In another scripture story, the Savior tells the parable of the Ten Virgins. He calls those who were prepared “wise” and those who did not prepare as “foolish” (Matthew 25:2-4).

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

“Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

“And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

“But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut” (Matthew 25:6-10).

In the Doctrine & Covenants we gain further insight into this parable.

“And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.

“For they that are wise…have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived” (Doctrine & Covenants 45:56-57).

The five virgins who were wise had taken the Holy Spirit as their guide and brought oil with them. Those who were foolish relied on their own judgment—telling themselves that the bridegroom would come before their oil ran out; thus deceiving themselves.

One day (and we don’t know when that will be for each of us) the door will be shut. Our choices now will determine which side of that door we will be on. It takes time to learn the language of the Spirit of the Lord, but whether we learn it as children or adults the important thing is that we put forth the effort to learn it in this life. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reminds us, “[God’s] concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there” (link to talk).

DOING OUR PART

As we work on building our shield of faith let us remember the adage, “you get what you pay for”.

Imagine a soldier approaching a weapon master wanting to purchase a shield. The construction, caliber, and quality of his shield will be in direct proportion to the time he is willing to wait and the price he is willing, and able, to pay for it. Similarly our daily immersing ourselves in the word of God, and humbling ourselves before the Lord to commune in prayer, will help us to pay the price as we build our own spiritual shield of faith. No one can do it for us.

In the Book of Alma there is a man by the name of Korihor. He preached against the coming of Christ, and was so convincing that many were led away from the Church of Christ. Eventually he is bound by the people and brought before Alma (the religious leader), and the chief judge to find a way to put an end to his deceit. At one point in the interchange,

“Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.

“But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:43-44).

Korihor had the testimony of the prophets and the scriptures available to him, he also had all things on the face of the earth witnessing of their Supreme Creator. Yet he chose to listen to the adversary because “[the words] were pleasing unto the carnal mind” (Alma 30:53). He wanted Alma to prove to him (to his own satisfaction) of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ without putting forth the effort to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, and to pay the price to learn for himself. Alma was not able to share the oil from his lamp; the price he had paid for gaining the knowledge himself. It was not something that could be shared. At the end of Korihor’s life (see Alma 30:59-60), he “[received the] wages of whom [he listed] to obey” (Doctrine & Covenants 29:45).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson teaches us,

“How can you become converted? How can you make the gospel of Jesus Christ not just an influence in your life but the controlling influence and, indeed, the very core of what you are?…

“I can tell you how that can happen, but it must be something you want.

“[First], you must lay aside any feeling of pride that is so common in the world today. By this I mean the attitude that rejects the authority of God to rule in our lives….[W]illingly submitting to that authority is the first step in conversion….

“[F]or the gospel to be written in your heart, you need to know what it is and grow to understand it more fully. That means you will study it....[meaning] something more than [just] reading….

“[Pray] as you study to understand the scriptures, but your prayers must not be limited to that. In the Book of Mormon, Amulek tells us we should pray about everything in our lives.…

“In ancient times when people wanted to worship the Lord and seek His blessings, they often brought a gift….The gift or sacrifice He will accept…[is] your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit….

“With conversion, you will wear a protective armor, ‘the whole armour of God,’ and the words of Christ, which come by the Holy Spirit, ‘will tell you all things’ you should do” (link to talk, emphasis added).

It is critical that we obtain our own shield of faith, which can come through diligence and obedience to the word of God. Relying on someone else’s shield of faith can help us until we can gain our own, but if we want to survive this war we need to put forth the effort and pay the price for our own shield. As Elder Jorg Klebingat counseled, “take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being” (link to talk).

Faith

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Article of Faith 1:1). It is the power by which the heavens are influenced. In Lectures on Faith we read that “[faith] is the assurance we have of the existence of unseen things” (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, p 10). To truly obtain faith, the assurance that will carry us through the struggles of life cannot be taught by our parents, friends, or leaders. It can’t be learned by glancing through books, manuscripts, or even the internet. This assurance can come only as a witness received by the Holy Ghost. Elder D. Todd Christofferson explains,

“Faith will not come from the study of ancient texts as a purely academic pursuit. It will not come from archaeological digs and discoveries. It will not come from scientific experiments. It will not even come from witnessing miracles. These things may serve to confirm faith, or at times to challenge it, but they do not create faith. Faith comes by the witness of the Holy Spirit to our souls, Spirit to spirit, as we hear or read the word of God. And faith matures as we continue to feast upon the word” (link to talk).

Faith is so crucial that in Ephesians it says, “Above all, [take] the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16, emphasis added). Above everything else you do, make sure you hold onto your faith; make sure you have the Holy Ghost to be your guide. No other armor will provide you more protection. There will be much to try and dissuade you but President Dieter F. Uchtdorf admonishes, “[My] dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith” (link to talk).

When I think of faith I think of the confidence we have in the Lord: confidence in His plan, His love for us, or His timing. If we have faith in God, we will not fear what the future holds, for we will know that all is in His hands.

I want to talk about magnets for a minute. If you have two magnets, you can make them stick together. But if you turn one of the magnets around then no matter how hard you try you cannot make them stick. One will repel the other. So it is with faith and fear. As you hold fast to your shield of faith you will essentially force fear to flee.

Not everyone starts out with faith, but “as all have not faith, seek ye diligently” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:118). Seek the scriptures diligently, and “even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words” (Alma 32:27). As we seek the scriptures we can learn truth. As we believe, and act, on these truths we can build our faith—a faith that, if nurtured will sustain us throughout our lives.

WHERE TO START

We can start by studying, and believing, the words found in the scriptures. King Benjamin taught, 

“Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend” (Mosiah 4:9).

Nephi also taught,

“And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul” (2 Nephi 25:29).

In the Bible we read,

“Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper” (2 Chronicles 20:20).

The Prophet Joseph Smith, and Sidney Rigdon also proclaimed,

“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (Doctrine & Covenants 76:22-24).

Believe there is a God. Believe that Jesus Christ is His son. Believe that you are a child of God. Believe that you have literal Heavenly Parents who love you more than you can comprehend in this life. Believe that God’s “work and…glory—[is] to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).  Believe that there is life after this life that is more glorious that we can even imagine; and something we can enjoy, united eternally, as families.

The Savior declared “the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15), and Joseph Smith taught,

“And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us—

“That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness;

“That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him” (Doctrine & Covenants 76:40-42).

Believe that Jesus Christ really is who He said He is. Believe that He came to earth and died for you and me that we may be free from the chains of hell and the bonds of sin. Believe that He was resurrected and overcame the bands of death. Believe that it is “by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” (Articles of Faith 1:3) that the Atonement can become active in our lives.

Believe.

Believe and allow these truths to work in you.

ACTING IN FAITH

Once we start to believe, we can begin to act on our budding belief to help transform it into the faith it can become. We can act as if we are children of God. We can act as if we have a Savior who can provide us with a remission from our sins, and the guilt that weighs us down. We can look to the example of two fishermen who followed the Savior.

“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

“And they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20, emphasis added).

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin stated,

“As Jesus the Christ stood on the shores of the Sea of Galilee 2,000 years ago, so stands He today, issuing the same call He gave to those faithful fishermen and now to all who will hear His voice: ‘Follow me!’

“We have nets that must be tended and nets that must be mended. But when the Master of ocean, earth, and sky calls to us, ‘Follow me,’ we should leave the entangling, worldly nets behind and follow His footsteps” (link to talk).

God is a God of miracles and works according to our faith. As we act in faith to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (Doctrine & Covenants 25:10) we will be blessed, and our faith will continue to grow.

POWER OF FAITH

In the scriptures we read about the immense power that comes from a tiny particle of faith. The Savior taught,

“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).

I remember wondering about my faith in comparison to a mustard seed. I have never moved a mountain (Ether 12:30). I have never parted a sea (Exodus 14:21). I have never made the sun stand still (Joshua 10:13). So do I really have any faith to speak of?

Yes! I have never done any of those things but, then again, the Lord has never asked it of me. That is not what I am here on earth to do.

Bishop Richard C. Edgely put it more into perspective when he said,

“I have never witnessed the removal of an actual mountain. But because of faith I have seen a mountain of doubt and despair removed and replaced with hope and optimism. Because of faith I have personally witnessed a mountain of sin replaced with repentance and forgiveness. And because of faith I have personally witnessed a mountain of pain replaced with peace, hope, and gratitude….

“And when we choose faith and then nurture that faith to a perfect knowledge of the things of the Lord, then we use the words ‘I testify’ or ‘I know’” (link to talk).

May we each choose to nurture our faith in such a way that it can be a strength and fortification to us as we stand against the challenges of this life. May be choose to put for the time and effort required to strengthen our shield of faith—that we may be able to quench all of the fiery darts of temptation, weakness, frustration, or any other trials that may come. May we believe in God, and not fear.